Last updated on December 27th, 2024 at 01:31 pm
[This article is a part of the WordPress Basics series. This series will help you understand WordPress enough to be confident to use it for your business or hobby without being too overwhelmed with technical stuff.]
This article teaches you five fundamental steps of setting up your WordPress website. Plus, my recommendations for making each step more planet-friendly.
The components of a functional WordPress website are a domain name, a web host, WordPress installation, a theme, and plugins.
Here’s how they all work together
Let’s say, you know what to call your business and what you want to become known by your audience. You use that name as your domain name, e.g. gifttanakan.com. You want to sell your products/services online, so you use WordPress to build and manage your site. Once you install it via your web host, you begin creating your site’s structure and appearance by choosing and customizing a theme. Then you add functions that will drive your website goals such as inquiry form, shopping cart, and payment gateway by adding plugins. Now that the basic setup is completed. You can add more content (pages, posts, events, products, etc.) and launch your site.
Once launched, your audience lands on your site through your domain name. Whenever they interact with your content, their browser sends a signal (a request) to your web host to fetch the requested information. The web host sends the information back to the user’s browser. This process happens within seconds, but speed also depends on several factors, such as server performance, caching, and the website’s optimization.
That should paint a clearer picture of how a website works. Let’s continue with the steps of setting up your WordPress site.
The 5 simplified steps to set up your WordPress site include:
Step #1: Get a domain name
Your domain name is your website’s unique address, like gifttanakan.com. Think of it as your brand’s home on the internet.
How to do it:
- Visit a domain registrar like Namecheap, GoDaddy, or Google Domains. Web hosts usually offer special domain name deals when buying a hosting plan.
- Search for your desired name. If it’s available, register it.
Cost: Expect to pay $10–$20/year, but some registrars offer discounts for multi-year registrations.
My approach: I keep my domains in my web host account, Krystal Hosting, mostly because I want to manage both hosting and domains in one place.
Pro Tip: Choose a .com if possible—it’s the most recognized and trusted.
Step #2: Buy a web hosting plan
Web hosts’ main roles are keeping your content (texts and media) safe and serving data when requested (when someone views and interacts with your site). Think of it as your data holder, server, and security guard.
Types of Web Hosts:
Note: Don’t worry much about how each type differs. If you are a beginner with a small site, go with a shared hosting plan.
- Shared Hosting (Cheapest): Your site shares server resources with other websites. With this plan, you likely have to do site maintenance yourself. Suitable for beginners and small businesses. Example: Bluehost.
- Virtual Private Server Hosting (VPS) (Mid-tier): Similar to shared hosting but you have more dedicated resources and control. Ideal for growing sites or website agencies. Example: SiteGround.
- Managed WordPress Hosting (Premium): The web host takes care of site maintenance and other technical tasks for you including tool updates, optimized performance, security, etc. Example: WP Engine.
- Dedicated Hosting (Exclusive): You rent a physical server for your site. All the server resources and access are yours alone—suited for websites with high traffic and resource demand.
How to do it:
Get a shared hosting plan. Be selective before buying one because it will tremendously affect your site’s health (performance, security, and sustainability). This article will help you choose the right web hosting plan: How to Choose the Best WordPress Hosting in 2024 (Compared).
Cost: It often starts at $3–$10/month.
My approach: I selected a shared hosting plan of Krystal Web Hosting because they practice sustainability seriously while offering high-quality hosting services. Their data centers run on 100% renewable energy. Read more here. If you don’t have any web host in mind, I highly recommend Krystal. Choosing a web hosting that cares about transferring your data low-carbon is the first step to making your site more eco-friendly from the source. Read about How to choose a green web host to be more mindful of how a web host impacts your site’s and the planet’s well-being.
Step #3: Install WordPress in your web host account
How to Do It:
- Log in to your hosting account.
- Look for the 1-Click WordPress Installation feature (most hosts offer this).
- Follow the prompts to install WordPress and connect it to your domain.
- Cost: WordPress itself is free.
Step #4: Choose a theme
Your WordPress theme is the look and feel of your website. [Learn the WordPress theme basics and how to choose a theme.]
How to Do It:
- In your WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance > Themes.
- Browse free themes or purchase a premium one from marketplaces like ThemeForest. Choose one that is highly rated, has no known vulnerabilities, gets consistent updates, and is optimized for accessibility.
- Install and customize your theme to fit your brand.
Cost: Free themes are great, but premium themes can range from $20 to $100+.
My approach: I use a free lightweight theme like Astra or Neve for all my sites. Selecting a theme is another crucial factor that impacts how heavy or lightweight your site becomes. Read How To Choose A Fast WordPress Theme (In 2024) for a deeper dive. Many themes require a certain page builder (plugin) to be installed to work properly. Therefore, choosing a lightweight page builder becomes important. I started out using Elementor to customize my sites, but when I learned that Elementor outputs heavy HTML elements, I pivoted to GenerateBlocks Pro. GenerateBlocks Pro is a lighter-weight block-based page builder that outputs minimal elements and integrates with the built-in WordPress editor, Gutenberg.
Step #5: Install the plugins
Plugins, like contact forms, e-commerce, or SEO tools, add functionality to your site. Depending on your website goals, you might need only a contact form as the main function, or three different functions especially if you sell products online.
- How to Do It:
- In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New.
- Search for and install the plugins you need. If you want to keep the costs minimum, here’s a list of reputable, highly-rated, and commonly used free plugins for a blog-based website like mine and most small businesses (main functions: blog and contact forms):
- Contact Form 7 – for contact forms, inquiry forms, etc.
- Akismet/Advanced Google reCAPTCHA – for blocking spam
- Elementor/GenerateBlocks – for building and customizing pages
- Yoast SEO – for SEO
- Sucuri Security – for scanning malware
- UpdraftPlus – for backing up/restoring site
- LiteSpeed Cache/W3 Total Cache – for caching site
Cost: Many plugins are free with premium versions costing $20–$200/year.
My Approach: I started out using only free plugins to cut costs. Over time, I bought some premium plugins (Fluent Forms and GenerateBlocks Pro) because they offer better support and allow a smoother workflow. This means less time spent on troubleshooting, which is time and energy-intensive.
Summary
Setting up a WordPress site involves five simple steps: grab a domain name, pick a web hosting plan, install WordPress, choose a theme, and add website functions with plugins. Along the way, try choosing a web host that uses renewable energy to power their facility and lightweight tools to keep your website efficient and low-carbon.