Start with a domain name and hosting
If you have been thinking about building your own website, WordPress is still one of the easiest ways to get started. You do not need to be a web developer, and you certainly do not need to know how to write code before you can have a website online.
I have been building websites for many years, and I have learned that the best approach is to keep things simple at the beginning. Get the basics right, learn as you go and improve the website as it grows.
In this guide, I want to take you through how to build and manage a WordPress website using SiteGround, from getting started through to publishing content, improving your SEO and keeping your website running properly.
How To Sign Up With SiteGround Web Hosting
Before you can build a website, you need somewhere for it to live.
The first thing you will need is a domain name. This is the address people use to find your website, such as yourbusiness.com or yourname.com.
Try to choose something that is easy to remember and easy to type. If you are building a website around your own name, using your name as the domain can be a good option. If you are building a business website, your business name may make more sense.
You will also need web hosting. This is where your website files, images and WordPress installation are stored.
I use SiteGround for my hosting, and if you are looking for SiteGround tutorials because you are just getting started with WordPress, the good news is that you do not have to understand all the technical details before you begin.
The hosting platform handles much of the technical side, while WordPress gives you the tools to actually build and manage your website.
Install WordPress
Once your hosting is set up, the next step is installing WordPress.
The exact screens and menu names can change as hosting companies update their systems, but the basic process is straightforward. You choose your domain, install WordPress and create your administrator login.
Once that is done, you can log into your WordPress dashboard.
This dashboard is where you will spend a lot of your time. It is where you create posts and pages, change your theme, install plugins, manage comments and make many of the changes to your website.
When you first log in, it can look a little overwhelming.
Do not worry about trying to understand everything straight away.
You will learn what you need as you use it.
Choose a simple WordPress theme
Your theme controls the basic appearance of your website.
There are thousands of WordPress themes available, so it is easy to spend far too much time looking for the perfect design.
I would not worry too much about making everything perfect when you first start.
Look for a theme that is clean, works well on mobile devices and is easy to customise. Your visitors are much more interested in finding useful information than they are in fancy effects.
Your website should make it obvious what you do and what visitors can find there.
Good navigation is also important. If somebody arrives on your homepage, they should be able to understand what your website is about within a few seconds.
Create the important pages
Before you start publishing lots of blog posts, create the main pages your website needs.
For a typical website, you might have a home page, an about page, a contact page, a privacy policy and a disclaimer.
If you are building a personal website, you might want to call your about page something like “My journey” instead. There is no reason every website has to look exactly the same.
Your navigation menu should contain the pages that are most important to your visitors.
You can always add more pages later.
In fact, I think it is better to start with a small number of useful pages rather than creating a huge menu that nobody knows how to navigate.
Write your first WordPress article
Once the basic website is ready, you can start creating content.
This is where WordPress really becomes useful because publishing a new article is relatively simple.
You create a new post, add your title, write your content, add images if needed and publish it.
The harder part is deciding what to write about.
If your goal is to attract visitors from Google, you should think about what people are actually searching for.
For example, somebody might search for “how to build a WordPress website”, while somebody else might search for “how to build a WordPress site on SiteGround”.
These are much more specific searches than simply searching for “WordPress”.
This is where keyword research can help.
Use keywords without making your article sound like an advert
SEO is important if you want people to find your website through Google, but you do not want your article to sound as though it was written for a search engine.
That is something I have always tried to avoid.
If you are writing about building a WordPress website, you will naturally mention phrases such as WordPress website, WordPress hosting, SiteGround, WordPress tutorials and website SEO.
You do not need to repeat the same phrase over and over again.
Write naturally and explain the subject properly.
Google is getting better at understanding the overall topic of an article, so there is no need to force a keyword into every paragraph.
Your first priority should always be the person reading the article.
Do not install every plugin you find
Plugins are one of the things that make WordPress so flexible.
There are plugins for almost everything you can imagine. You can find plugins for SEO, security, contact forms, image optimisation, backups, social sharing and much more.
The problem is that it is very easy to install too many.
When I first started working with websites, it was tempting to keep adding new tools because they promised to solve another problem.
Eventually, you realise that keeping things simple makes website management much easier.
Only install plugins that you actually need.
Keep them updated and remove plugins that you are no longer using.
It is much easier to manage a website when you know exactly what each plugin is doing.
Keep your website secure
Website security is something you should take seriously from the beginning.
Use a strong password for your WordPress administrator account and make sure WordPress, your theme and your plugins are kept up to date.
You should also make sure your website uses HTTPS and has a valid SSL certificate.
Another thing I would recommend is having regular backups.
Nobody wants to think about something going wrong with their website, but problems can happen. A backup gives you something to fall back on if you accidentally break something or need to restore an earlier version.
It is much better to have a backup before you need one.
Make your WordPress website faster
Website speed is another area worth paying attention to.
People do not want to wait around for a website to load, particularly when they are using a mobile phone.
One of the easiest things you can do is make sure your images are not unnecessarily large.
A photograph straight from a modern camera or phone can be several megabytes in size. There is usually no reason to upload an image that large to a website.
Resize and optimise your images before or during the upload process.
You should also avoid installing unnecessary plugins and adding too many things to your pages.
Videos can also be quite large, so think carefully about how you use them.
A clean website that loads quickly is generally going to provide a better experience for your visitors.
Ready to build your WordPress website?
If you have been thinking about starting your own website, there is no better time to get started. Set up your WordPress website, publish your first article and learn as you go. You do not need to have everything figured out before you begin.
Take that first step today and start building your online presence.
Organise your content
As your website grows, organisation becomes more important.
This is where WordPress categories can be useful.
For example, if you are building a website about online business, you might have categories for blogging, SEO, online income, digital skills and traffic.
Try not to create a new category every time you publish an article.
A handful of sensible categories is usually easier to manage.
Internal linking is also important.
If you write an article about building a WordPress website, you could link to another article about WordPress SEO or choosing hosting.
Then, when you write another related article, you can link back to the original.
Over time, this creates a network of related content across your website.
Pay attention to Google Search Console
Once your website is live and you start publishing articles, Google Search Console can become one of your most useful tools.
It can show you which pages Google has discovered, which pages are appearing in search results and what people are searching for when they find your website.
This can give you ideas for future articles.
For example, you might discover that Google is showing your website for a search term you had not specifically targeted.
That is valuable information.
Instead of ignoring it, you can look at the subject and decide whether another useful article could be created around that topic.
This is one of the ways I like to develop a website. Rather than guessing what people want, look at the information Google is already giving you and build from there.
Keep adding useful content
Getting your WordPress website online is only the beginning.
If you want to build traffic, you need to keep giving people a reason to come back.
That does not necessarily mean publishing an article every day.
Quality matters.
A useful article that properly answers a question can be much more valuable than several short articles that do not really help anybody.
Think about the questions people have and try to answer them clearly.
If you are building a website around a particular subject, create related articles that support one another.
For example, you could start with a general article about building a WordPress website and then create separate guides about WordPress SEO, website speed, creating blog content and getting traffic.
Link those articles together.
Over time, you can build a useful resource rather than simply having a collection of unrelated blog posts.
Do not expect instant Google traffic
This is probably one of the hardest things for a new website owner to understand.
You can spend hours creating an article, publish it and then wonder why nobody is visiting.
That does not necessarily mean the article is bad.
Google needs time to discover and evaluate new content. Some articles may start receiving impressions before they receive clicks, while others may take considerably longer.
This is why I recommend looking at the bigger picture.
Keep publishing useful content, improve older articles and watch what happens in Google Search Console.
You may find that an article starts appearing for searches you never expected.
That can then give you your next content idea.
Managing your WordPress website long term
Once your website is established by using Siteground, the website management becomes part of your normal routine.
Check for updates, keep an eye on security, make sure your backups are working and look for broken links.
You should also revisit older articles from time to time.
Information changes.
Something that was completely accurate two years ago may now be outdated. Updating an older article can sometimes be just as useful as publishing something new.
Look at your website from a visitor’s point of view as well.
Is the navigation easy to understand?
Can people find your best content?
Does the website work properly on a phone?
Are your contact details easy to find?
These simple checks can make a big difference.
My Final thoughts
Learning how to build and manage a WordPress website is not something you need to master in a weekend.
Take it one step at a time.
Get your domain and hosting, install WordPress, choose a simple theme and create your main pages. Then start publishing useful content and learn how SEO works as you go.
If you are using SiteGround, there are plenty of tools available to help you manage your WordPress website, but do not feel that you need to use every feature straight away.
Keep your website simple, keep learning and keep improving it.
That is what I have found works best.
Your first website probably will not be perfect. Mine certainly were not. But the more you work on your website, the more you learn about WordPress, SEO, content and what your visitors actually want.
And that is where things start to get interesting.
Frequently asked questions
Is WordPress suitable for beginners?
Yes. WordPress is one of the most widely used website platforms and you can build many types of websites without knowing how to code.
How do I build a WordPress website on SiteGround?
You start by setting up your domain and hosting, installing WordPress and then configuring your WordPress website. You can then choose a theme, create your main pages and start publishing content.
How much does it cost to build a WordPress website?
The cost depends on your hosting, domain, theme and any additional services or plugins you decide to use. You can start relatively cheaply and add features as your website grows.
How long does it take to build a WordPress website?
A basic website can be set up fairly quickly, but building a complete website with useful content takes longer. The important thing is not how quickly you launch it, but what you build after it goes live.
Do I need coding knowledge to use WordPress?
No. You can create pages, publish articles, change many design settings and manage your website without knowing how to code.
How do I get my WordPress website found on Google?
Create useful content around subjects people are searching for, use relevant keywords naturally, link related articles together and monitor your performance through Google Search Console. SEO takes time, so consistency is important.
if you are learning skills that you can continue using for years. So if you’ve been thinking about starting a blog or building your own website, stop waiting for everything to be perfect. Get the foundation in place, start learning and improve your website as you go. You can check out the current SiteGround hosting options here:
Start building your website today
Your website does not need to be perfect before you launch it. The important thing is to get started, learn how WordPress works and make improvements as you go.
Whether you are starting a blog, building an online business or simply want your own place on the web, WordPress gives you a great starting point.
Get your website online, start creating content and see where it can take you.
Affiliate Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase SiteGround through one of my links, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. SiteGround plans, pricing and features can change, so always check the official SiteGround website for the latest information before purchasing. This article is for informational purposes only and does not guarantee website traffic, search rankings or income.