WordPress Basic Tutorial: Building Your First Website from Scratch

What is WordPress, and why choose it?

WordPress is an open-source content management system (CMS) based on PHP and MySQL. It was originally a blogging platform, but after years of development, it has evolved into an extremely powerful website builder that can create almost all types of websites, from personal blogs to corporate websites, e-commerce stores, and online learning platforms. Its core advantages include being open-source and free, having a vast ecosystem of themes and plugins, and an easy-to-use administrative backend.

There are many good reasons to choose WordPress as your first website platform. Firstly, it has an extremely low threshold for installation and use. Even if you have no programming background, you can complete most operations through a graphical interface. Secondly, more than 401 million websites worldwide are powered by WordPress, which means you have an extremely large community support. You can almost always find solutions to any problems you encounter online. Finally, its high scalability ensures that your website can continue to evolve as your business grows, without having to start over from scratch.

Preparatory work before construction

Before you start installing WordPress, you need to prepare the necessary “foundation”. This mainly includes three core elements: a domain name, a web hosting service, and a local environment setup tool (used for local testing).

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Obtain your website address

A domain name is the unique address of your website on the Internet, for example, www.yourname.comYou can purchase a domain name through domain registrars such as GoDaddy, Namecheap, Alibaba Cloud, and Tencent Cloud. It's crucial to choose a domain name that's short, easy to remember, and relevant to the theme of your website.

Choose a reliable hosting provider

A virtual host is the server space where all the files (code, images, databases, etc.) of your website are stored. For beginners, it is recommended to start with shared hosting, which is affordable and easy to manage. Many hosting providers, such as SiteGround, Bluehost, and Alibaba Cloud, offer a “one-click installation” service optimized for WordPress, which greatly simplifies the subsequent steps. When purchasing a hosting plan, make sure it supports PHP 7.4 or higher and MySQL 5.6 or higher (or MariaDB 10.1 or higher), which are the minimum requirements for running WordPress.

Carry out the test on the local computer

Before making your website public, it's wise to set up a testing environment on your local computer. This allows you to freely experiment with themes, plugins, and settings without affecting your live website. You can use software such as XAMPP、MAMP Or Local by FlywheelFor example, XAMPP will automatically configure the Apache server, PHP, and MySQL environment on your computer. After the installation is complete, put the WordPress program files into XAMPP's htdocs Simply click on the "Download" button in the menu to start the local installation process, which follows almost the same steps as the online installation.

Installation and Basic Configuration Guide

After completing the preparatory work, we can begin the official installation process. We will use the two most common methods, “one-click installation via the host control panel” and “manual installation”, as examples to explain the process.

Install it quickly through the control panel

The vast majority of mainstream virtual hosts provide cPanel or similar control panels, and integrate one-click installation tools such as “Softaculous” or “WordPress Manager”. Log in to your host control panel, find the “WordPress” or “Application Installer” icon, and after clicking it, you usually only need to fill in a few pieces of information: select the installation domain (or subdomain), set the website title, administrator username, password, and email. Click Install, and the tool will automatically complete all the work of downloading, unpacking, creating databases, and configuring files within a few minutes. After the installation is successful, you will obtain the website backend (usually in the form of a dashboard). 你的域名/wp-adminand the front-end access address.

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Execute the manual installation steps

Manual installation allows you to gain a clearer understanding of the structure of WordPress. First, you need to download the latest Chinese version of the compressed package from the WordPress.org official website. Then, connect to your virtual host via an FTP client (such as FileZilla) and upload all the unzipped WordPress files to the root directory of your website (usually public_html Or htdocsNext, create a MySQL database in your host control panel and record the database name, user name, password, and host address (which is usually provided by your hosting provider). localhost）。

After completing the upload and creating the database, visit your domain name in the browser. The WordPress installation wizard will automatically start. The first step will prompt you to select a language. The second step requires you to enter the database connection information you just created. The third step, after clicking “Submit”, if the information is correct, you will enter the “Run the Installer” page. The final step is to set your site title and administrator username (it is not recommended to use the default username and password).adminAfter that, you need to fill in the required information, including your name, password, and email address. Click on “Install WordPress” to complete the process. After that, you can log in using the username and password you set up /wp-admin Backstage.

The first settings after completing the installation

After logging into the backend, it is recommended to first carry out several key settings. Go to “Settings” -> “General”, check the “Site Title” and “Subtitle”, and ensure that the “WordPress Address (URL)” and “Site Address (URL)” are correct. Go to “Settings” -> “Permalinks”, and it is recommended to select the “Post Name” structure, which is helpful for SEO and beautifying the URL. Go to “Users” -> “Profile”, and complete your nickname and contact information.

Create the appearance and functionality of the website

The core of a website lies in its appearance and functionality. WordPress controls the appearance through “themes” and expands the functionality through “plugins”.

Choose a suitable skin for the website

The theme determines the overall layout, style, and design of the website. You can browse and install thousands of free themes through the backend's “Appearance” -> “Themes” -> “Add New Theme” option. Use keyword filtering to find a theme that suits your website type (such as blog, corporate, photography). After installation and “activation”, the theme typically provides a customization interface. Go to “Appearance” -> “Customize”, where you can preview and modify the website's logo, color scheme, menu, homepage settings, etc. in real time. For more fine-grained control, many themes also offer detailed options panels.

Use plugins to extend the capabilities of the website

Plugins are like apps on your phone, allowing you to add various functions to your WordPress website without having to write code. For example, to add a contact form, you can install one. Contact Form 7 Or WPFormsTo optimize SEO, you can install Yoast SEO Or Rank MathTo create a cache and improve speed, you can install it. W3 Total Cache Or WP Super CacheTo install a plugin, please go to “Plugins” -> “Install Plugins” and search for it. It's important to note that you should only install plugins from reliable sources (such as the official WordPress plugin library), keep them updated, and avoid installing too many unnecessary plugins to avoid slowing down the website or causing conflicts.

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Creating the main navigation menu

The menu is the backbone of website navigation. By going to “Appearance” -> “Menus”, you can create a new menu (for example, “Main Navigation”), and then add items to the menu from the left-side pages, articles, category directories, or custom links. You can adjust the order by dragging and dropping, and also create multi-level drop-down menus. After creating the menu, in the “Display Location” tab, assign the menu to the menu location provided by your theme (usually “Main Menu” or “Header Menu”).

Add the core content of the website

Content is the soul of a website. WordPress mainly uses “articles” and “pages” to manage content. “Articles” are typically used for content published in reverse chronological order, such as blogs and news. You can create an article by going to “Articles” -> “Write Article” and assign categories and tags to it. “Pages” are used for static content, such as “About Us”, “Contact Us”, and “Services”, which usually do not display the publication time and do not belong to the classification system. You can create a page by going to “Pages” -> “New Page”. In the editor, you can add text, images, and videos just like using Word, and use the block editor (Gutenberg) to create rich layouts.

summarize

Building a WordPress website from scratch is a systematic but very clear process. It starts with preparing a domain name and hosting, followed by a convenient installation wizard, and finally shaping it into your ideal form through themes and plugins. The strength of WordPress lies in encapsulating complex web technologies into a simple and intuitive user interface, allowing content creators and entrepreneurs to focus on the value of the website itself rather than technical implementation. After mastering the basic steps introduced in this article, you have successfully taken the first step in building your online presence. Next, by continuously adding high-quality content and exploring the in-depth settings of themes and plugins, your website will become increasingly mature and perfected.

FAQ Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to set up a WordPress website?

The expenses are mainly divided into several parts. The domain name fee is usually about $10-15 per year (or the equivalent in RMB). The annual fee for shared web hosting ranges from 50 to 500 RMB, depending on the configuration and brand. The WordPress itself, most themes, and plugins are free, but some advanced themes and plugins require a one-time or subscription fee. Therefore, the minimum annual cost of a basic personal website can be controlled at around 200-300 RMB.

I don't know anything about coding at all. Can I still learn to use WordPress?

That's absolutely possible. WordPress was designed with the aim of enabling non-technical users to easily manage website content. Its backend management interface is intuitive, and core operations such as publishing articles, uploading images, and installing themes and plugins can all be completed with just a few clicks and drag-and-drop actions. The entire community offers a vast number of textual and video tutorials, which you can follow to gradually master the skills.

How can I make my WordPress website get found by Google?

First, make sure that in “Settings” -> “Reading”, the option “Do not index this site in search engines” is not checked. Secondly, install an SEO plugin such as Yoast SEO Or Rank MathThey will guide you to set keywords, meta descriptions, and SEO titles for each article and page. Finally, create high-quality, original content and try to obtain links from other websites. You can also proactively submit your sitemap to Google Search Console.

The website is very slow. What could be the reason for this, and how can it be optimized?

The common reasons for slow speed include: insufficient host performance, use of unoptimized heavy themes, installation of too many plugins, and oversized uncompressed images. Optimization methods include: selecting a host or CDN service with better performance; using lightweight, well-coded themes; disabling and deleting unnecessary plugins; and using image optimization plugins (such as Smush1. Compress the images; 2. Install a caching plugin (such as WP Rocket Or W3 Total CacheThe server can use this information to generate static pages.

How should I back up my WordPress website?

Regular backups are the lifeline of website security. You can easily do this with plugins, for example UpdraftPlus Or BackupBuddyThese plugins can set up automatic scheduled backups, and back up website files and data to the cloud (such as Google Drive and Dropbox) or your computer. Some web hosting service providers also offer periodic server-side backup functions. Please consult your hosting provider for more information.