WordPress is an open-source CMS (content management system) that powers over 455 million websites in the world; which is over 40% of all websites! There is no competition that comes close, in fact, Shopify is a runner-up with only 5% of the market share. The power and growth of WordPress is from the fact that it is open source. This allows millions of people to contribute to its technology. Also, WordPress is a clean slate to build any kind of website, with thousands of plugins and themes for any business. You can create an e-commerce shop, a blog, a gallery, a landing page, and so much more.

Let’s get into the 5 steps of creating a perfect WordPress website!

Choosing Your WordPress Host

There are two versions of WordPress, one is the original open-source software (WordPress.org), and the other is a hosted version (WordPress.com). The “dot org” version, is completely free, as it is open-source. However, it needs to be hosted on a server to run. The “dot com” version is a WordPress-ready hosting service that takes care of the hosting for you; similar to Shopify. You will need to pay to have features like having your own domain, store and plugins. The best option is to host your own WordPress website, especially if you are an advanced user. For users with minimal web development experience, the “dot com” version may be a better option but comes with less customizability.

If you decided to go the “dot org” route as we recommended, there are many WordPress hosting websites you can choose from. If you chose WordPress.com or a host that specializes exclusively in WordPress, you won’t need to install WordPress. With most hosts, you should be able to install WordPress easily within the apps section of your hosting dashboard. If you are having trouble installing WordPress, you should contact your hosting provider for assistance. Finally, regardless of the WordPress version and host you choose, make sure to connect your domain name to make it professional.

Install a Theme

There are thousands of themes available to install on your website! WordPress comes with some default and free-to-use themes, however, they might not be ideal for the purpose of your website. We suggest you use a site such as ThemeForest.net to find a perfect theme for your website. Most themes also come with a page builder, such as Elementor or WPBakery. Make sure your theme has good reviews and is well-packaged with plugins such as a page builder. Speed is also important for your website, so it's best to choose a well-developed theme that doesn't bloat your website.

Once you find your perfect theme, you should download it and head to your admin dashboard. In the dashboard under Appearance you should see Themes. Over here you can upload the theme you purchased. Once installed you should read the documentation of your theme to get started. A lot of popular themes come with multiple demo sites you can import, which saves a lot of time!

Begin Building Your Website

Now that you have your theme installed, it’s time to build your website! WordPress allows you to create posts or pages. Posts are blog posts similar to the one you’re reading right now, and pages are things like your homepage, about us, contact page and more.

Begin by clicking Add New on either the Posts or Pages tab on the left side of your admin dashboard. You may now add a title, add content, media and a featured image. Most themes come with a page builder which you should have installed. These page builders will allow you to easily add content without coding knowledge!

Most themes come with multiple demo sites which can provide the foundation of your website. All you need to do is choose a demo that you like and import it. Now you can just change the text and images to suit your business. Menus can also be changed in the Appearance tab.

Moment, our free CRM comes with Session Recording which can give you insights into how users interact with your website. This allows you to build your website with optimization and efficiency in mind so that you can convert more website visitors into customers.

Install Plugins

WordPress offers a large directory of plugins which you can install for extra functionality on your website. Some of these plugins add SEO, contact forms, translations, e-commerce and more to your website. It may be overwhelming at first, but here is a list of 24 must-have WordPress plugins in 2022.

Moment allows you to add a free live chat for your WordPress website, among other features, with a single JavaScript snippet. The benefit of using Moment is that you do not need to add multiple plugins for different functionalities; which can slow down your website. It also comes with Session Recording, User Journeys, Email Marketing and much more.

Now that you have installed your desired plugins, it is time to optimize your website so it can be seen by your target audience!

Optimize Your WordPress Website

If you made it this far, you deserve a virtual high five! Website optimization is important as it allows your website to appear higher on search engines and convert more visitors into customers. There are many free tools that can help with optimizing your website. We recommend using a web speed plugin for WordPress. Having a fast website not only improves the user experience but ranks you higher on Google – no one likes a slow website!

Aside from web speed, it’s important to optimize your website's content and user experience. You can do this by A/B testing with Session Recording. By viewing how your website visitors interact with your website, you can get a sense of what is working and where you can improve. For example, maybe your call to action is hard to find, or maybe your users are getting stuck at a certain part of your WordPress website. With session recording, you can find bottlenecks and optimize the visitor’s experience.

Concluding Thoughts

Building a website from scratch can be a daunting task and requires years of coding experience. However, WordPress is an amazing platform that is growing in popularity every single day. Over 40 percent of websites use WordPress thanks to its open-source developers. Being free software, it allows your business to save money.

Speaking of free, Moment is an easy-to-use free CRM that adds extra functionality to your website. These tools include: live chat, session recording, lead nurturing, email marketing, customer journeys and much more. All of these features on Moment are free, with no credit card required!

We hope you enjoyed this blog post on making your perfect WordPress website, sign up to Moment today and begin utilizing its power on your new WordPress website!

Happy Marketing! 📈