How to Design a Website on WordPress: A Step-by- Step Guide 

Interestingly, 45.8% of the websites on the internet are powered by WordPress (W3Techs, 2023). 

Yes, you heard it right! Two out of every five websites use WordPress. 

Due to its exceptional adaptability and loyal user base, WordPress is undeniably one of the most reliable sources of designing a website. Every reputed corporation, from Neil Patel to Forbes.com and Sony Music, prefers building a website on this platform due to its immense popularity. 

If your website is outside the 861 million websites that use WordPress for their business, then you must consider building a website using this outstanding CMS platform. Gladly, it’s super easy, and you can create your own WordPress website in less than an hour! 

Excited about creating a custom WordPress website design? 

We’ll teach you how. Just hold your horses tight!

Here’s our simplest step-by-step guide for you.

TL; DR

• WordPress powers 45.8% of the websites.
• Creating WordPress website is a simple and easy-to-follow procedure. 
• Choose a catchy domain name.
• Select a reliable web hosting company.
• Choose a company that registers your domain name at affordable rates.
• Select a theme and design that catches your attention and stands out.
• Install plugins, when needed to boost your website performance.
• Configure the website’s necessary settings, including setting up permalinks. 
• Create key pages (including About Us, Services, Home Page, Portfolio, Privacy Policy, and Contact Us). 
• Promote your website to strengthen its online visibility.

Step-by-Step Guide for a Custom WordPress Website Design

When you design a new WordPress website, you need basic things to kickstart your process, including a domain name, web hosting, and overall structure. 

Let’s discuss all these steps to help you create a responsive WordPress design for your next website. 

Step 1: Select a Domain Name

Your domain name determines your online identity. That’s how your brand gets recognition, and audiences find the business on the internet. Therefore, choosing a domain name that perfectly reflects your brand identity is essential. You must select something people can easily browse and find.

You can choose any domain name if it’s not registered and someone else is not using it.

However, we’ll still suggest some tips to make this process a breeze.

• Choose a unique and brandable name
• Keep it precise and catchy
• Make it easy to remember
• Keep it easy to spell and browse
• Include some business-related names in the domain. For instance, if you are starting an SEO agency, add SEO somewhere in the name. 

Just consider this: What sounds better? www.SEOgem.com or SEOgemCalifornia.com?

Indeed, the first one. 

Although there are 1.8 websites online, finding a unique name is an uphill battle, but no pain or gain!

Step 2: Choose a Web Hosting Company and Register Your Name for Free

You can easily find web hosting providers and companies offering domain name registration services. However, choosing a company that provides both services at affordable rates is suggested. Your WordPress site is ready to go once you have hosting and your domain name is secured. You only need to customize it and choose a website layout design that catches your attention.

Step 3: Choose a Theme & Design for Your Website

One of the key advantages of WordPress is that it supports tons of themes. 

Remember, a theme is your website template and controls how your site looks and functions. There are thousands of free and premium WordPress themes and plugins. Go through them and choose the one that stands out. 

Once you have chosen the theme and design, the next step is to install the chosen theme. 

Follow this to install your theme right away.

Appearance > Themes > Add New

Enter your theme name in the search bar, choose the desired theme, and click the install button. 

Once you have installed the theme, simply click on Activate to enable all your settings on the website. 

If you want to buy a premium theme from a third party, you have to pay somewhere between $10 to $200, depending on your preference and budget. 

 Step 4: Install Plugins

It’s optional; you can consider installing plugins to boost your website’s functionality. They are like applications for your mobile phone. From adding live chat to improving site security and introducing drag and drop editor, thousands of plugins are available to optimize your website functionality. 

Here are our top recommended plugins for every website.

• Yoast SEO: To optimize SEO-related content
• Elementor: Transforms page editor into a simple drag-and-drop editor
• Google Analytics: To track the website’s traffic and activity
• Jetpack: Helps you create quality content, secures a website, and grows subscribers.
• WooCommerce: Optimizes online store 

Pin This Point: Overusing plugins can slow down your website and may cause traffic loss. That’s why we mentioned earlier that it’s optional (you see!).

Step 5: Configure Website’s Important Settings 

It’s essential; we repeat, very, very necessary to set up permalinks. You must do it immediately after starting your WordPress website. 

Well-structured permalinks decide the overall look of your website’s links. Consider them as your site structure representative. Once you have configured your website’s significant settings, you are all set to optimize WordPress website design. 

Step 6: Setup Important Webpages and Promote Your Website

Designing a WordPress website is one thing (the primary task is done). Still, crafting premium content to boost the website’s visibility and gain more conversions is equally essential. Always create some main web pages, including About Us, Homepage, Services, Contact Us, Portfolio Privacy Policy, etc.

Bottom Line

And that’s a wrap!

Simply follow the steps we mentioned above to create a custom WordPress website design in a jiffy. You only need a catchy and relatable domain name, a reliable web hosting service provider, and CMS to launch a website that ideally represents your business (personal blog or whatever you feel like displaying online). 

Make sure to exclude or include new things in your website, as it’s essential to create a website that attracts your targeted audience and makes them your loyal customers. 

Ready to launch your website by following our simple guide? Good luck; we can’t wait to see the outcome!