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You may be familiar with our website design service which is perfect if you just want someone else to build your site for you. But if you want to understand how to build sites yourself and be able to adjust them long after your initial build, then our courses are the resources you’re looking for.
This Quick Start Guide is the perfect starting point as it will give you the high-level overview of building a website. It outlines the essential steps for creating a WordPress.com account and launching your first site, and we point you to our in-depth resources along the way.
If you’re on the hunt for comprehensive insights into specific aspects of website building, we recommend browsing our array of courses and webinars, and our Learning Hub Roadmap provides a terrific overview of our resources. The best part? They’re all free!
For now, let’s get started with a bird’s eye view of the steps involved with creating your website.
Pro-tip:
We recommend dedicating a specific file or notebook to record your thoughts, ideas, and reference links as you proceed. You’ll also want to make a note of important information such as usernames, email addresses, passwords, renewal dates, names of themes, plugins, and other features or tools that you integrate. These are common pieces of information that get forgotten, lost, or misplaced.
Expand this section for a checklist where you can track your site creation process:
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Create a WordPress.com account
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Add a new site
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Register or connect a custom domain
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Purchase a hosting plan
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Activate a theme
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Complete the site configuration under Settings > General
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Create a homepage
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Add at least one other page based on your needs
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Publish a blog post (optional)
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Configure the site menu
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Review and tweak desired customizations
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Launch site as Public under Settings > General
To create a WordPress.com account, click this link: Get Started↗︎ (it’ll open in a new tab, as any link with the ↗︎ icon will). All you need to do is choose your login preference. (You can also click the Get Started button in the top right corner of any page throughout this site.)
If you choose the email option, you only need to enter your email address. You won’t be prompted to create a password. You’ll be sent a verification email, which you’ll need to act on to confirm your account. If you log out of your WordPress.com account, when you log in the next time you’ll be sent an access link to your email account.
You may want to set a password of your own instead, which you can do from: https://wordpress.com/me/security↗︎
Immediately after choosing a login option for your account, the onboarding process will guide you in creating a new site. Simply follow the onscreen prompts. With a WordPress.com account you can create as many free sites as you like, and paid hosting plans are purchased on a per site basis. Fancy starting with a practice site? Go for it!
Part of the onboarding process includes choosing a domain, a plan, and a theme. These options are explained in the sections below.
If you already have a WordPress.com account you can add additional sites any time. To add a new site to an existing WordPress.com account, go to your your Sites screen↗︎. There will be an Add new site button in the top right corner.
Looking for something more specific? There are a number of different options for getting started at WordPress.com catered to particular needs. Take a look at the list below and see if one of these fits your project.
See our full list of signup options below:
- Get Started↗︎ — the default, generic onboarding flow
- Design your own↗︎ — uses a special assembler wizard, as covered in our Quick Launch course
- Create a Newsletter↗︎ — offers specific steps for creating a newsletter focused website, as covered in our Newsletters 101 course
- Create a Course↗︎ — a tailored flow that starts you out with exactly what you need for creating online courses
- Creator plan trial↗︎ — this signup option is specifically for those who know they want to work with third-party plugins or migrate their site from another hosting provider, but want to test it out before committing
- WooCommerce↗︎ — specifically for those who want to create an online store, also with a free trial
For a more detailed walkthrough of the initial account and site creation process and choosing a signup flow, review our Account/Site Creation lesson in the Create Your Site course.
Every WordPress.com site gets a free domain with “.wordpress.com” in its URL. Feel free to use this — it’s perfectly suitable for a publicly launched site and is free forever.
However, if you’d like a more personalized touch, you can either purchase a custom domain or connect one you already own. To drop that “.wordpress.com” from your URL and use a custom domain, you’ll need a paid hosting plan. The good news? The first year of a new domain is bundled in with your plan purchase! Also, connecting an existing domain doesn’t cost extra.
Want to go deeper into understanding custom domains? Dive in with the Choose a Domain lesson in our Create Your Site course. And don’t miss our Mastering Custom Domains webinar!
Remember, you’re never stuck with your initial choice. Whether you start with a free domain or upgrade to a custom one, you can always switch or add domains later. So, don’t let domain decisions hold you back!
We also have a number of support guides regarding domains that cover every situation you can think of.
After picking your domain, you’ll be prompted to select a hosting plan. This step is crucial for accessing the tools and features that align with your needs. More good news. WordPress.com plans are flexible: start with any plan and upgrade anytime. You’ll be credited for any unused time on your current plan, paying only the price difference for the first year of the new plan.
Wondering which plan suits you best? Inside your account or on our Pricing Page, you’ll find a helpful grid outlining key features of each plan. For a detailed comparison, simply click the ‘Compare Plans’ button below the main grid. We also offer a support guide for an in-depth look at each plan, ensuring you make an informed choice.
As mentioned, you can create as many free sites as you like, and you can purchase different paid hosting plans for different sites as needed.
Still not sure where to start? No worries. You can start small, explore, and upgrade as needed. Downgrading is also possible with assistance from our Happiness Engineers. So don’t get too hung up on this step. Start with where you are now and adjust as needed down the road.
You can also use the block below to upgrade to a specific plan.
Note:
As of December 2023 we have renamed our plans. The details of what each plan offers remains the same, it’s just the names that have changed. As you may find references to our old plan names occasionally, below is a list of the various plan names you may encounter:
Free
Blogger (legacy plan no longer available)
Starter (legacy plan no longer available)
Personal => Starter
Premium => Explorer
Pro (legacy plan no longer available – plugin enabled)
Business => Creator (plugin enabled)
Commerce => Entrepreneur (plugin enabled)
Enterprise (WordPress VIP)
When choosing a plan, we recommend reviewing the specific features included for each plan, rather than trying to decide which plan name is most applicable to you.
For a detailed breakdown of how to go about deciding on the best plan for you, check out the Choose a Plan lesson in our Create Your Site course.
During the site creation process, you’ll be prompted to “Pick a design”. The theme you choose gets automatically activated for your new site. Don’t stress over this — jumping to Appearance > Themes↗︎ from your main dashboard allows you to switch to a different theme at any time. We also provide several resources regarding switching themes, you can learn more in the Switching Themes lesson of Create Your Site.
Once your site is created, be sure to explore your theme’s Info page and Demo. You can also explore the info pages of other themes, and you can take any Block theme for a test drive using the Preview & Customize option found in the ellipse menu in the bottom right corner of any theme card.
Choosing a theme is mostly about the vibe: the colors, fonts, and spacing. The ‘topics’ you see in demos? Just placeholders! All of our Block themes are like clay — moldable. Sure, you can transform any theme entirely, but kickstarting with one that vibes with your vision might save you some tweaking time.
Once a theme speaks to you, activate it. Then, the fun of building and personalizing begins.
For more detailed information, check out our Activate a Theme support guide, dive deep with our Understanding Themes lesson, or get further insights in our Choose a Theme lesson.
A huge part of Block themes is learning to master Templates. For that, our Templates Explained and Editing Templates lessons are gold.
Important!
You’ll see us mention this repeatedly throughout our courses: ensure your Pages and Single Posts templates (sometimes others too) contain the “Content” block. It’s critical for displaying your content. See the Templates Explained lesson for more details.
You can change your theme at any time, in fact it’s a great idea to give your site a facelift now and then. When the time comes to switch themes on a live site, as mentioned above, our Switching Themes lesson is your go-to resource.
Let’s set the stage for getting your site up and running:
- Head over to your main dashboard↗︎.
- In the left sidebar, click on Settings > General↗︎.
- Set your Site icon, Site title, Site tagline, Language, Timezone, and more.
- Feeling excited? Click Launch to take the first step. Then, decide your site’s privacy settings: Coming Soon, Public, or Private.
While you’re here, take a peek at the other options in the sidebar menu. They’ll come in handy as you grow.For a clearer picture of what each setting does, check out our Settings support guide, and our Site Settings lesson offers further guidance on the decision making process for many of these options.
Think of your homepage as your site’s welcome mat. Whether you’ve heard it called a “home page”, “blog home”, or “front page”, it’s the first impression visitors get when they land on your site. You can go for a dynamic blog-style design, or the more static look that’s typical for non-blog sites.
The cool thing? Any WordPress.com theme can shape-shift into a blog, a standard website, or a combo of both.
Wondering how to set it up? We recommend using the theme’s Default Homepage and customizing the dedicated template to suit your needs, which you’ll access in the Site Editor by going to Appearance > Editor. Before customizing, you can also save the provided layout by Creating a Pattern to tuck away for later use if desired. Which we cover in the Block to Block section of our main Switching Themes lesson.
The range of options for your homepage can be a tad overwhelming when you’re exploring options between different themes. For a deeper understanding of how to investigate and navigate the homepage options for any given theme, we recommend reviewing the Homepage and Posts Page lesson. You may also want to review our support guides for Set the Homepage, Edit the Default Homepage, or Create a Custom Homepage.
In a hurry to build an inviting homepage? Give our Quick Launch course a whirl. And if you’re the kind who loves a visual walkthrough, don’t miss our Design Your Own Theme webinar. For further inspiration and insight we recommend our Compelling Homepages webinar.
You’re on roll now! You created an account, a new site, picked a domain and theme, and you’ve set your homepage. It’s time to roll up your sleeves and create your pages!
Hop over to your main dashboard↗︎ and click Pages↗︎ in the left sidebar. This section showcases pages you’ve already got up and running (if any). Notice the additional tabs up top for Drafts, Scheduled, and Trashed? Whenever you create a new page but get cold feet about publishing it, it’ll be stored safely in your Drafts. You can also schedule new pages to publish at a later date. The trash section is just that, it’s the bin for previous pages or posts that you don’t want to keep. Don’t think of this as a folder to save things, your trash folder will get emptied regularly (similar to putting your household trash out for collection, once it’s taken, it’s gone).
Ready to make a new page? Just click the ‘Add new page’ button.
If you’re all about efficiency, go for one of the ready-made Page Layouts. This convenient WordPress.com feature adds a collection of blocks right into the editor, ready for you to edit as desired. Did you opt for a blank page instead or miss the page layout option? No biggie! Keep reading.
Title your page something simple like “Contact” or “About Me.” Dive into the editor with your blank canvas and start building content with blocks. Look for the + icon in the top-left corner — it’s your gateway to the world of blocks. If you’re aiming for that pro touch without the stress, you’ll find a tab with a wide selection of pre-designed Patterns to choose from, and you can add multiple patterns to the same page to create a full-page layout.
Need a hand with specific blocks? Our support guide lays out the available blocks and explains how each one works.
When your page meets your needs and looks just right, hit Publish in the top right corner. Note that pages do need to be Published before you can add them to your menu. But don’t fret! If your site is set to Coming Soon or Private, your published pages stay your secret. So, go ahead and build out your site as desired, until you are satisfied with it. Just remember to toggle the site Privacy option↗︎ to Public when you’re ready to share your creation with the world.
If you want to understand more about page creation, our Creating pages lesson is a must. Bonus: you’ll also learn the difference between pages and posts.
Building out additional pages for your site is then a repeat of this process.
Are you planning to publish a blog? Then you’ll want to create posts. In fact, every site can benefit from publishing posts even if it’s not the main focus of the site. Search engines love them, and they’re easy to promote to drive traffic to your site.
Creating a post is a lot like crafting a page. From your main dashboard↗︎, click on Posts↗︎ in the sidebar on the left. It’ll look pretty familiar if you’ve been experimenting with pages. It even has the same sections for Published, Drafts, Scheduled, and Trashed. Ready to go? Hit the ‘Add new post’ button.
Unlike pages, posts skip the Page Layouts. But don’t worry! The Block Patterns, available through the block inserter + icon in the top-left corner, work like a charm for professional post layouts.
Title the post, weave your content, add in some relevant categories and tags, and click the Publish button. It’s a game of “practice makes perfect”, so the more you create, the quicker you’ll master the art! Our support guide on Create a Post will cover the available options for posts in detail.
If you’re publishing posts, you’ll need a spot on your site for visitors to find them. The most common approach is to create a ‘Blog’ or ‘Posts’ page. Much like the homepage, you have the choice between the theme’s Default Posts page, or a Custom Posts page. Our lesson on the Homepage and Posts Page explains your options in detail, and even for seasoned creators we recommend reviewing this lesson.
Pro-tip:
We recommend creating a Custom Posts page. This approach works well with any theme, and will help to prevent any conflicts or confusion if you decide to change themes later.
Craving some extra insight? Our Custom Blog Pages webinar has you covered. And, if you’ve been working with Categories and tags, our lesson on them (part of our treasure packed Intro to Blogging course) offers plenty of further clarity.
Are you launching a brand-new site with one of our modern Block themes? Perfect! To create or edit your menu, find your way to Appearance > Editor in the left sidebar of the main dashboard↗︎. Within the Site Editor, you’ll find menus spring to life with the help of the Navigation block. A little reminder: ensure your pages are published first, in order to add them to your menu. While you can create new drafts from the Navigation block, you can’t access existing drafts.
When you dig into the Navigation block you’ll find a treasure trove of options and settings. Feeling a bit overwhelmed? Our linked support guide above is your lifeline, and remember, a bit of exploration and experimentation never hurt anyone.
Menus are the backbone of your site’s navigation, so it’s only fitting that we offer a comprehensive support guide, your one-stop-shop for Menus. Whether you’re dabbling with a Block theme or something else, this guide has it all.
The trick to succeeding with menus when using a Block theme is to remember that they are managed in the Site Editor with the Navigation block. There is no separate “menu” section used for building menus with a Block theme. Our Working With Menus lesson provides any help you might need with planning your menu.
Designing your site using one of our Block themes and looking to customize it further? Navigate to Appearance > Editor and select Styles in the sidebar on the left which opens the Styles sidebar, in a template. Some themes will first display some color palette variations to choose from in the left panel, in which case, click the pencil icon to open the Styles sidebar in a template.
With Styles, you hold the reins to tweak every aspect of the styles in your site, be it fonts, colors, or setting defaults at the site or block level. A heads up: this sleek feature is exclusive to Block themes and does require the Explorer plan, or above. However, there’s no harm in testing the waters with the options, regardless of your plan, before considering an upgrade.
Want to master the art of working with Styles? Our Styles support guide and Customizing Styles lesson are your go-to resources. Plus, our webinars on Site Editor vs Page Editor and Custom Headers will help you to really level up your familiarity with the features and power behind Block themes.
If you’re not using a Block theme, then you’ll want to head to Appearance > Customize. This takes you to the Customizer where you can see which options are available for your particular theme.
From the main dashboard↗︎, locate your Site title and URL at the top of left sidebar and click it. This will show a preview of your site within your account, allowing you to toggle between device views to ensure it looks polished on various screen sizes.
Spot an imperfection? Navigate to the respective page, post, or template to make adjustments.
When you’re satisfied with the preview, go to Settings > General↗︎ to launch your site or toggle its privacy to “Public.”
Cheers to you! It’s time to unveil your brand-new site to the world!
As you grow more comfortable with the platform, delve into advanced features like media management, detailed customization, and plugins.
We continuously update our offerings with fresh courses and webinars, crafted to help you expand your site and expertise. Stay curious, explore our resources, and never stop learning. Above all, enjoy the process!
After all, this is just the beginning!
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