WordPress is the world’s leading content management system, and it’s one of the best platforms to use if you’re setting up a website for your small business. With plenty of power to customize a site for your unique needs and develop your online presence, a WordPress site could give you the edge that you need to start growing your market and challenging your competition.
With the right WordPress hosting, you won’t need to have prior design or technical experience, and the following steps will show you just how easy it is to boost your business with a new website.
Start Things Off with Domain Name Registration
Before you can get started with your site hosting, you’re going to need a domain.
A domain name is not just your address on the web; it’s also a powerful branding tool. If you have a unique business name, then you should be able to find a top level domain that suits your needs. HostRound provide top-level domain name registration with competitive price starting from $9.99 / Year.
There are numerous domain name registrars available online, some of which offer highly competitive hosting for yearly rates. Most ISPs also offer registration, so talk to your provider about any offers they might have available.
Choose a WordPress Hosting Provider
Your domain name will be the gateway that gets your audience to your pages, but you’ll need a hosting plan where your site and all of your data is stored on a remote server.
To get up and running without a huge amount of technical knowledge, you can sign up with a web hosting company that provides 1-Click WordPress hosting. This means that you won’t need to configure your server with a database or install WordPress manually. With 1-Click WordPress hosting, you can start configuring and adding content to your site by remotely accessing the administration page from anywhere that you have an internet connection.
Choosing the best web hosting provider is not just about the price, the bandwidth, or even the storage that is offered to you. You should also look for a provider that offers advanced services like SSL certificates, particularly if you want to do eCommerce or collect sensitive customer information.
Remember that WordPress is a complete content management system. You don’t need to know how to write a single line of code to use the platform. The software will run in the background of your server, while you access everything through a user-friendly graphical interface. If you’re familiar with basic business productivity software, then you’ll feel right at home with WordPress.
Choose WordPress Themes and Plugins to get the Right Looks and Functionality
WordPress is infinitely customizable, depending on your needs. If you want striking web design without any prior experience, then you can simply use a pre-made WordPress theme. Themes are available on the official WordPress site, and there are also third party themes available from designers all around the web. Some premium themes can be purchased for a small fee, or you could even contract a web design professional to create something unique, often for a highly affordable price. WordPress Themes will re-skin your entire website, allowing you to add images and text content through the simple WordPress editor.
If you want a great starting point to see what modern themes look like, check out the official WordPress 2017 theme.
In addition to themes, being a WordPress site owner will mean that you have access to almost 50,000 free plugins that help improve the functionality of your site. Plugins are easily installed and configured on the WordPress administration panel, and with the right themes, you’ll be able to turn a simple site into one that is more powerful and secure.
Take a look at a few of the most popular plugins to see what you’ll be able to do once you’re set up with your WordPress hosting:
- Yoast SEO is a plugin that allows you to optimize all of your pages for search engines. It will help you to ensure you’re hitting keyword targets and leaving the right information that will get you ranked in Google and Bing.
- TinyMCE Advanced can be easily installed on WordPress to allow you better graphical control over your content. You’ll be able to format your articles using an interface that feels as familiar as any word processor.
- Use the plugin iThemes Security to identify potential security risks and secure your site against threats on the web.
- Forms on your small business website can help to increase user experience. You can create drop down forms easily by using a plugin called Ninja Forms.
These plugins, and tens of thousands more, are all available to browse on the WordPress official site. You could take a look to get an idea of the full potential of WordPress hosting. We highly recommend to keep only important plugins and uninstall unused plugins, you also must keep your plugins updated to avoid using outdated software which might put your website at risk.
These simple steps to starting a WordPress site should illustrate just how easy it is to take your business online. With a domain name and the right web hosting provider, you’ll gain access to a content management system that is absolutely free to use, and surprisingly easy to learn. With online presence being more important for business success than ever before, there’s no better time to get started.