Jetpack Plugin - Take Your Blog to the Next Level
Creating a website is a fantastic adventure, but there are many pitfalls along the way. The good news is that you can create a functional website for free using WordPress. In this article, we will share with you the best way to how to create a website for free using WordPress.
Choose The Right Hosting
One of the first things you need to do is to choose the right hosting for your WordPress website. There are many fantastic options out there; however, if you search online you will find that most hosting providers charge you monthly fees. You should avoid this if you want to create a free website. Luckily for you, we have the perfect solution called “Dreamhost”, which provides the perfect balance between price and functionality. To get started, visit http://www.dreamhost.com and click on the sign up button. Once you're on their site, you just need to fill out the email confirmation form and you're good to go.
Create A WordPress Account
The next step is to create a WordPress account. If you don't have an account yet, click on the “Create Account” button and follow the simple instructions. You'll need to provide a username and a password to create your account, and then you're ready to proceed.
Install WordPress
Now that you have a WordPress account, you can proceed to install WordPress. To do this, visit http://wordpress.org/ and click on the “Download” button for the latest version of WordPress. Wait for the download to finish and then click on the “Install” button to install WordPress. Once WordPress is installed, log in to your account and click on the “Activate” button to make it live.
Create A Default Blog Theme
After you've activated WordPress, you can proceed to create a default blog theme for your website. This will be the overall theme that you use for your site, and it will make adding new content a lot easier. If you ever want to change the appearance of your site, you can always go into the theme's settings and make the necessary changes. Here's the perfect guide on how to create a default WordPress blog theme, step by step.
Choose a Name For Your New Blog
The next step is to choose a name for your new blog. This is going to be the title of your site, and it will help others find your content by searching for the name you chose. Some good names to choose are:
- Expressive Creativity – for blogs that cover creative aspects like design, graphics, or web development
- The Technology Blog – for blogs that cover web technology like HTML, CSS, or WordPress
- BizEaze Blog – for business and economic blogs
- Smashing Blog – for tech and design blogs
- Crafty Blog – for tech, design, and lifestyle blogs
Set The Blog's Theme
Once you've given the blog a name, you can start by setting its theme. To do this, click on the “Appearance” button on the blog's Dashboard and then select “Theme” from the drop-down menu. Once you've selected a theme, you can click on the “Change” button and make necessary modifications to the theme's settings.
Create The Homepage
The home page of your blog is where all your posts will be listed and where the public will land when they visit your site. It is a great place to post frequently while still keeping your blog fresh. To create your homepage, click on the “Appearance” button on the blog's Dashboard and then select “Home” from the drop-down menu. The next step is to start blogging. If you've never done so, click on the “Create Post” button on the homepage and follow the on-screen instructions. Once you've posted a blog entry, take a little break and then repeat the process to add more content.
Optional Step: Install Jetpack
If you'd like to take your blog to the next level, you can install the Jetpack plugin. This is a free plugin that provides you with tons of useful features. Among these are:
- Advanced SEO
- Social Sharing
- Interactive Sessions
- Community
- Advanced Theme Options
To install Jetpack, go to http://wordpress.org/wp-admin/install.php and click on the “Install Jetpack” button. Remember to fill out the form so it can verify you are not a robot.
Create A Sign-Up Form
A sign-up form is very important if you want to collect email addresses from visitors. This way, you can send them periodic emails about new blog posts or other exciting news as your site grows.
To create a sign-up form, click on the “Appearance” button on the blog's Dashboard and then select “Visitors” from the drop-down menu. The next step is to start building your audience. If you've never done so, click on the “Contact” button and then click on the “Create Contact” to create an email address for your site. Once you've created an email address, you can click on the “Membership” button and choose “Sign up for free” to start collecting email addresses.
Set Up Custom Post Types
If you've been following along so far, you've now created a WordPress account, set the theme of your blog, posted a blog entry, and started collecting email addresses. When you have a certain amount of email addresses, you can set up custom post types so you can start utilizing the many features that WordPress has to offer.
To set up custom post types, click on the “Appearance” button on the blog's Dashboard and then select “Posts” from the drop-down menu. Once you've selected a post type, click on the “Change” button and start creating posts.
Start Using Themes And Plugins To Personalize Blog Layout
Themes and plugins can be used to make your blog look unique and customize the way it looks. To start, click on the “Appearance” button on the blog's Dashboard and then select “Themes” from the drop-down menu. Here you can see all the themes that are available for free download from WordPress.org. You can click on any theme to see more information and download it directly to your site. Once you've selected a theme, you can click on the “Change” button to make changes to the theme's appearance.
If you'd like to put the finishing touch on your site, you can download and install plugins to give it that extra boost. To start, click on the “Appearance” button on the blog's Dashboard and then select “Plugins” from the drop-down menu. Here you can see all the plugins that are available for free download from WordPress.org. You can click on any plugin to see more information and download it directly to your site.
As you can see, there are many different ways to create a WordPress website. At this point, you have a functional, unique, and fully responsive website that you can continue to grow and expand with content.