Websites can be extremely expensive to make if you pay a web developer to do it for you
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.7″]It can cost hundreds, to thousands even for just a simple website. Most small businesses and individuals do not have this money to drop on a website. But do not worry! It is becoming increasingly easier to create and design a professional website, without needing any sort of web development knowledge or experience. There are many powerful tools out there that are designed to be used by those without prior web development experience. And best of all, they cost a fraction of the cost of what you would pay for someone to make a website for you. Some are even free!
Let’s get started.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.4.7″][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.4.7″][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.4.7″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.7″]What Is WordPress?
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.7″]WordPress is an open-source content management system. It sounds complicated but it really isn’t! WordPress is definitely one of the most popular and easiest ways to create a website or blog. Did you know that over 34% of all websites on the internet are powered by WordPress? That is a huge percentage – over 1 in 4 websites you visit may be powered by WordPress. What makes it even better is the fact WordPress is completely free.
A content management system is a handy tool that makes important aspects of your website easy to manage. Without needing any sort of coding or programming knowledge. Although it would certainly help knowing basic coding, it is not necessary. This makes WordPress the perfect choice for those who want to create a website, but aren’t web developers.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.4.7″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.7″]What Types Of Website Can You Make With WordPress?
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Back when WordPress was first released, it was primarily a tool for creating blog type websites. Nowadays, thanks to the vast amount of updates, plugins, and themes – you can create pretty much any sort of website.
Here are a few examples of websites you could create with WordPress:
- Blogs
- Business Websites
- eCommerce Shops
- Forums
- Portfolios
- CV / Resume Websites
- Membership Websites
- Social Networks
The possibilities are endless with WordPress! For all of the types of website we mentioned above – there are themes and plugins which help you create these quickly and simply.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.4.7″][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.4.7″][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.4.7″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.7″]WordPress.com vs WordPress.org
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.7″]The majority of the time when people mention WordPress, they are referring to the free open-source software WordPress.org. WordPress.com is a non-free service which is powered by the free WordPress.org software. WordPress.com offers you things such as hosting and custom domains and sets up the WordPress software for you. Generally, you lose a lot of flexibility if you go with WordPress.com rather than hosting it yourself with WordPress.org.
WordPress.org (self-hosted) is almost always a better option to go with. The downside is that you will have to set up WordPress yourself as well as getting hosting and a domain. All of this is very simple though. Most big web hosting providers offer special software with all of their hosting packages that install WordPress with a few clicks.
I Want To Use WordPress To Make My Website, Now What?
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.7″]w that you know WordPress is the best option to create your website – you now need to decide on how you want your website to look. And what type of website you want to make. With these questions in mind – search for a WordPress theme that is specifically designed for what you want to do.
There are WordPress themes for pretty much every type of website you could imagine. If you want to make a website for your business, search for “business WordPress themes” on google. You will get hundreds or thousands of results. There are so many themes you can choose from. And most well-designed themes have powerful customization options that enable you to customize the theme to your heart’s desire.
If you haven’t done it already – get web hosting and install WordPress. Now that you’ve got it installed and running, head over to the Appearance tab in the WordPress dashboard. Here you can add, search, install, and customize themes for your website. If you click on “Add new” in the themes tab, it will take you to the WordPress theme repository. You are able to search through the WordPress free and paid theme selection and install them with a few clicks.
If you are looking for a more professional theme, I would suggest searching google for “premium WordPress themes” and then install them manually. Most premium themes are not stored in the WordPress theme repository.
Plugins & Customization
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.7″]Plugins are powerful tools that you can use for various different purposes, as well as customizing the appearance of your website. There are plugins for SEO, security, payment processing, turning your website into a shop, and much more. Just like themes, plugins are extremely simple to install and set up. You can head over to the “Plugins” section in your WordPress dashboard and click “add new” to install a plugin or search the plugin repository. Most plugins are free but some more powerful plugins might cost money or have a free as well as premium version.
If you are planning on running an online shop – you will definitely need a plugin to turn your basic WordPress site into a functioning store. A good example of a powerful plugin is an eCommerce plugin called WooCommerce. This plugin turns your basic WordPress website into a shop that has customer accounts, a product or subscription system, and a checkout. There are also plugins for social network-style websites as well as plugins for specific functions like SEO (Search Engine Optimization). We use a WordPress plugin for our website SEO called “Yoast”. It is an extremely powerful tool.
A good way to find out what plugins you might need for your website is by searching google. If you are making a website for your business, google “what are the best WordPress plugins for business websites?”. Google is your best friend for questions like this!
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.4.7″][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.4.7″][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.4.7″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.7″]WordPress Visual Page Builders
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.7″]There are alternative options for those who don’t want to use themes – visual page builders. Visual page builders are also designed for those without coding or programming knowledge. They enable the user to create professional-looking websites at ease with simple to use customization tools and pre-made templates. These visual page builders turn your WordPress pages into a simple to use drag and drop page builder. I would personally recommend checking out this tool called “Divi“ by Elegant Themes. It is a super-plugin that completely changes how you can use WordPress. It is not free, but it is definitely worth the price. They have a great demo on their website which you can test out how it works to see if you want it or not.
For those who want a fully customizable website creation solution – visual page builders are for you. You can create a professional website with WordPress from scratch with the powerful drag and drop tools, as well as everything else you would need.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.4.7″][et_pb_image src=”https://marquemediallc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Pagebuilder.jpg” alt=”Divi – Visual Site Builder For WordPress” title_text=”Divi – Visual Site Builder For WordPress” _builder_version=”4.4.7″ border_radii=”on|12px|12px|12px|12px”][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.4.7″][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.4.7″][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.4.7″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.7″]OTHER RELATED ARTICLES THAT MAY INTEREST YOU:
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