How to Create a WordPress Site [A Guide for Starters]

At cmsMinds, we’ve helped plenty of big and small businesses get started with WordPress. And one thing we hear all the time is:

“I want to build a WordPress website, but I don’t even know where to start.”

Does this sound like you?

Here’s the good news: creating a WordPress site doesn’t have to be rocket science. You don’t need to be a developer, and you definitely don’t need to spend weeks figuring it all out.

We’ve broken it down into 8 simple, doable steps. Whether you’re launching your first site or starting fresh with a new idea, this guide is here to walk you through it, the same way we guide our clients every day.

Let’s get your site off the ground — one step at a time.

WordPress.org vs. WordPress.com: What You Need to Know Before You Start

Before we dive into the process of building a WordPress site, there’s one important thing to clear up, and it’s a common point of confusion, especially for first-time WordPress users.

There are actually two versions of WordPress:
WordPress.com and WordPress.org — and they work very differently.

If you’re planning to build a business website, blog, or even an online store, WordPress.org is the way to go. It’s more flexible, scalable, and works with most hosting services.

And that’s what this step-by-step guide will focus on: setting up a new WordPress website using WordPress.org.

How to Build a WordPress Website in 8 Steps

Step 1: Choose a Domain Name and Web Hosting Provider

Every WordPress website starts with two basic things: a domain name and a WordPress hosting provider.

Think of your domain name as your site’s address — it’s what people type into their browser to find you (like yourwebsite.com). Ideally, it should be short, easy to remember, and clearly connected to your brand or content.

Now onto web hosting — this is where your website files live. You’ll need a hosting account to store everything your site needs to run: images, content, themes, plugins, and more. Without hosting, your site won’t exist online.

If you want less hassle with updates, backups, and security, managed WordPress hosts like Pressable are worth considering, especially for business sites or more complex websites.

Once you’ve signed up for a hosting plan and claimed your domain, you’ll be ready to move on to the next step: installing WordPress and setting up your first WordPress website.

Step 2: Install WordPress

Now that you’ve got your domain name and web hosting provider sorted, it’s time to bring your website to life by installing WordPress.

Most WordPress hosting services make this incredibly simple. In fact, many offer one-click WordPress installation, which means you don’t have to deal with downloading files, uploading via FTP, or any of the technical stuff.

Once you hit “Install,” the system will set up your WordPress software in just a few minutes.

After installation, you’ll get a login link to your WP dashboard — usually something like yourdomain.com/wp-admin. Bookmark it, this is where you’ll manage your entire site from now on.

If your host doesn’t offer one-click install, you can still install WordPress manually by uploading the files from WordPress.org and setting up a database, but honestly, most modern hosts handle it for you.

And that’s it! With WordPress installed, you’re officially on your way. Next, we’ll explore the WordPress dashboard and show you how to navigate it like a pro.

Step 3: Get to Know the WordPress Dashboard

Once WordPress is installed, your site is technically live. But there’s not much to look at yet. You’ll be taken to your WordPress dashboard, which is basically mission control for your website.

At first, it might feel a bit overwhelming. There are a bunch of menu items on the left, some boxes in the middle, and a few alerts trying to get your attention. That’s totally normal.

You don’t need to figure everything out right away. Just start with the basics.

The left-hand menu is where you’ll spend most of your time. Want to write a blog post? That’s under “Posts.” Need to create an About page? Go to “Pages.” You’ll also find sections for customizing your site, adding plugins, changing your theme, managing users, and adjusting general settings, like your site title or the administrator email address.

As you click around, you’ll start to get the hang of it. The best way to learn is to use it — no tutorials required. It’s pretty hard to mess anything up. If something doesn’t look right, you can always tweak it later.

This is your space now. Whether you’re building a blog, a business site, or an online store, everything starts from this dashboard.

Take a breath, take a look around, and when you’re ready, we’ll move on to the fun part- picking your WordPress theme.

Step 4: Choose and Install a WordPress Theme

Now it’s time to make your site look like you or your brand, your business, your style. That’s where WordPress themes come in.

A theme controls how your website looks, in terms of layout, fonts, colors, page structure, everything. There are thousands of themes out there, both free and premium, so don’t stress about finding the “perfect” one right away. You can always change it later.

To browse and install a theme, head to your WP dashboard and go to Appearance > Themes > Add New. You’ll land in the official theme library, which includes plenty of well-designed, responsive free WordPress themes.

Want to filter by style, features, or layout? You can. Want something sleek for a business site, or a bold layout for a blog? It’s all there.

If you’ve bought a premium WordPress theme from a marketplace like ThemeForest or from a developer directly, you’ll usually receive a ZIP file. To install it, just go to the same “Add New” section, click Upload Theme, and select the file.

Once installed, click Activate, and your site will instantly take on the new design.

Some themes come with their own setup wizard, demo content, or builder plugin (like Elementor). It’s a good idea to check the theme’s documentation if you’re unsure how to get it looking like the preview.

You don’t have to get every detail perfect right now. Just pick a theme that feels like a good starting point. You’ll have time to customize colors, fonts, and layout later.

Once your theme is in place, you’re ready to start building out the structure of your site, which brings us to plugins.

Step 5: Install Essential Plugins

Themes handle how your site looks. Plugins handle what your site can do.

Think of WordPress plugins (security plugins, chat plugins, backup plugins, payment plugins, etc.) as add-ons or tools that let you add new features to your site — no coding needed. Want to improve your SEO? Add a contact form? Speed up your site? There’s a plugin for all of that (and more).

To install a plugin, go to your dashboard, click on Plugins > Add New, and you’ll see a huge library of free plugins. Just search, click Install, then Activate.

If you’ve downloaded a premium plugin, you’ll upload it manually as a ZIP file, just like you would a theme.

Remember, too many plugins can slow down your site or create conflicts. Stick to the ones you need, and keep them updated.

This is where your WordPress site starts becoming your site, with the tools that fit your goals. Once you’ve got the basics in place, it’s time to build out your content and create the key pages every site needs.

Step 6: Create Essential Pages and Blog Posts

With your theme and plugins in place, it’s time to add the stuff people come to your site for — content. That means creating a few key web pages and maybe even writing your first blog post.

To create a page, go to your dashboard and click Pages > Add New. WordPress comes with a built-in block editor (also called Gutenberg), which makes it easy to add text, images, buttons, and other elements — no code required.

Want to start a blog? Head to Posts > Add New, and you’re ready to write your first blog post. Once you publish a few posts, you can create a blog page that automatically displays them.

One small but important detail: make sure to assign your homepage and blog page under Settings > Reading. You can either show your latest blog posts on the homepage or set a static page if you want a more custom layout.

Once your core pages are live and your navigation menu is set, you’re almost there. Next, we’ll fine-tune the site settings to make sure everything’s clean, clear, and ready for launch.

Step 7: Customize Your Site Settings

This part might not seem exciting, but it’s important. A few quick tweaks in your WordPress settings can make your site look more professional, run more efficiently, and be easier to manage long-term.

Start in the Settings section of your dashboard — it’s where you control the fundamentals of your site.

Don’t forget your navigation menus. Head over to Appearance > Menus to create a menu and add your main pages (like Home, About, Blog, Contact). This helps visitors move around your site easily.

If your theme includes widgets — like a sidebar or footer — you can manage those under Appearance > Widgets. These are great for things like recent posts, social media links, or newsletter signups.

After updating your settings, open your site in a new tab and browse it like a visitor. Does everything make sense? Can you find key pages easily? A fresh pair of eyes (even your own) can catch things you missed while building.

Step 8: Launch Your Site and Share It with the World

You’ve got your domain, hosting, theme, plugins, and content all set up. Now it’s time to go live and start getting visitors.

If your site’s been on a “Coming Soon” or maintenance mode (some themes or plugins enable this by default), you can disable it and make your site publicly visible. Your own domain name is now pointing to your new WordPress site — it’s ready to be explored.

You don’t need a full-blown launch campaign. Just start by sharing your site with friends, colleagues, or existing customers. If you’ve got a blog page, start publishing content regularly — it’s one of the best ways to drive organic traffic over time.

A website is never really “finished.” You’ll keep refining, improving, and learning as you go — and that’s a good thing. What matters is that you start.

That’s it — your first WordPress website is live. You’ve just built something real, and that’s a big deal. Whether you’re running a business, building a personal brand, or sharing something you care about, your site is your platform now.

Conclusion

That’s it. You’ve got your domain, hosting, WordPress installed, theme set, plugins added, and your first pages ready.

Your site’s built. Now it’s time to put it out there.

You don’t need everything to be perfect. The important thing is to get it out there. You can always update and improve it as you go.

And if you run into something you’re not sure how to handle, the team of WordPress Website design at cmsMinds is here to help.