QuickStart – Just the highlights!
If you’re fairly tech-minded, and just want the bullet-points, this page will provide you with all the information in a single-page format. Follow the steps, and your custom website can be up and running within just a few minutes!
Prefer detailed instructions with screenshots? Click here to go to the step-by-step tutorial instead.
Step One: Choose a Domain Name for your Website
These days, the most challenging part of building a website is selecting a good domain name (www.yourdomain.com). Nearly all the “good” domain names are registered and in use. A great tool to help you find available domain names is domai.nr. Simply enter a combination of words or phrases, and Domainr will show you available domain names, spelling variations, and even alternate suffixes (.com, .net, .org, .us, etc.) for your domain.
Go to Domai.nr and choose a domain now!
COST: FREE!
Step Two: Register Your Domain Name and Setup Hosting
Now that you’ve selected a great domain name and verified that it’s available, it’s time to purchase and register your domain name. Since you’ll also need to sign up for web hosting at some point, let’s just kill two birds with one stone.
Head over to Media Temple and sign up for a new hosting account. During the setup process, you’ll be given the opportunity to register your domain name for an added $5/yr, which will save you the added step of registering a domain name with a 3rd party registrar.
Media Temple’s (gs) Grid-Service hosting account costs just $20/mo and will allow you to host up to 100 domains/websites on a single account, ensuring that you’ll have room to grow down the road. Best of all, they also feature a 1-click auto-installer for WordPress, the website management tool we’ll be using in the coming steps.
Click here to Setup Hosting and Register Domain
COST: $25
Step Three: Install the WordPress Content Management System
Using the built-in 1-Click Applications installer within your Media Temple Account Center control panel, install the WordPress content management software. This step will automatically create a MySQL database, which will hold all your site’s content, and install the files necessary for WordPress to build and manage your site!
Install WordPress with the 1-Click Application Installer
COST: FREE!
Step Four: Customize Your Site’s Look and Feel with a Custom Theme
WordPress uses site templates, called themes, to determine the layout, look, and feel of your site’s content. Lucky for us, there are talented theme designers who have created gorgeous WordPress themes that are easy to install and customize to make your site look unique.
You know that old adage that you get what you pay for? That definitely applies to the world of WordPress themes. While there are literally thousands of free themes available, the best themes are those that are carefully crafted by talented designer to ensure that they are bug-free, search-engine-friendly, and easy to use. My favorite is WooThemes, and their themes typically cost $70.
Browse their theme collection, and choose the one you think best fits your site’s purpose and audience. Once you complete the purchase process, you’ll download your new theme as a .zip file. Within your WordPress Dashboard, go to: Appearance > Add New Themes and then choose “Upload” to install the theme in .zip format. When done, click “Activate” to apply your new theme to your site’s content.
Next, follow the excellent documentation for your theme—including video tutorials—to set up your theme.
Select, Purchase, and Install a WordPress Theme
COST: FREE to $70
Step Five: Build Your Site Content!
Now that you’ve setup your hosting, installed WordPress, and chosen a theme for your site, it’s time to get busy building your site’s content! Use the WordPress Dashboard to add pages, create blog articles, and share your content with the world!
Go to: yourdomain.com/wp-admin to login to your WordPress Dashboard and begin creating content!
COST: FREE!
Additional Resources…
If you need further help, check out our WordPress 101 tutorial videos. In less than one hour, you’ll learn how to use WordPress to manage your site’s content.
BONUS! Enter coupon code 100BUCKSITE during checkout and get 50% OFF the cost of a lifetime membership to WP101.com. Just our way of saying, “Thank you for visiting this site!”
