The Beginners’ Guide on How to Create a WordPress Site from Scratch

Create a WordPress site from scratch? Is that even possible for someone like you, who has never created a website of any kind?

Well, here’s the good news for you – yes, anyone can create a WordPress site from scratch, even if you know nothing about web design.

The reason for that is simple – it’s still beginner-friendly despite the technical hoopla involved.

Okay, I won’t deny it does have some learning curves. So, be prepared for that.

But anyone can create a WordPress site, whether you’ve never created a website before or you know WordPress like the back of your hand.

Why WordPress?

Some of you must be wondering, why does it have to be WordPress?

Can’t you just use a solution like Squarespace or Wix to create a website?

Or maybe you can use something like Substack if having an online presence that you can call home is the goal here?

Well, you’re not wrong to question that, considering that WordPress can feel intimidating to those who have no technical background.

But if you have to pick between having your website on any of these platforms, I will say pick WordPress.

Why is that, you ask?

You can pretty much create all kinds of websites you can think of, from a regular website to an e-commerce website and a membership site.

And what’s not to like about WordPress when you can integrate with so many cool applications into your website?

If seamless workflow is what you’re after, then it will be WordPress for the win.

I’m talking about the self-hosted WordPress here

When I talk about WordPress here, I’m referring to the self-hosted one, not WordPress.com.

Of course, you can have a website on WordPress.com if sanity is your top priority.

But as I said, the self-hosted one is the way to go because of the flexibility that comes with it.

And most importantly, you own the website since you’re hosting the website on your own.

It’s called a self-hosted WordPress for a reason, y’all.

Still worried about whether you have what it takes to create a WordPress site by yourself?

Well, this is where this guide comes in, since it covers everything you need to know about creating a WordPress site, from where to get a domain name to how you can create an online store on WordPress.

Getting a domain name that fits with your author brand

What domain name should you get for your author website?

And once you’ve already decided on the name, where can you buy the domain name?

Wait, what’s with this .COM, .XYXZ and all these weird domain extensions?

Should you even care about them, and is it okay to ignore them when they don’t seem to make that much sense to you?

Buying a domain name can be a confusing ordeal and overwhelming if you’re the non-techie type.

But believe it or not, it’s actually a lot simpler than you think.

And the best part of all? You can get the domain name you want at an affordable price, too.

Buying web hosting for your author website

Let’s be honest here, there are tons of web hosting services to choose from. And many of them seem pretty cheap, too, especially when you sign up for their long-term plan.

But the thing about web hosting is that if you get the wrong one, your author website will burn to the ground for sure.

So, how can you tell the good web hosting services from the bad ones?

And are there any web hosting services out there that are friendly on the pocket but perform just as well as the pricey ones?

What if you’ve just outgrown your current hosting plan and are looking for a web hosting plan that can cater to your growing website?

Well, this guide has you covered.   

Setting up your author website on WordPress

You wish that getting yourself a domain name and web hosting would be the end of it.

But nope, you will have to put all those things together.

The problem is, you have no idea how to do it since you’ve never done anything this technical before.

Maybe you should’ve posted on Upwork and see if anyone is willing to do this setup for you, so then you don’t have to do all this yourself?

Guess what?

Save the money for something else, since this guide will help you to do just that.

Follow the step-by-step instructions in this guide, and your WordPress site will be up and running in no time. 

Getting a premium WordPress theme for your author website

Why should you get a premium WordPress theme when the free one is already good enough?

If you’re just starting, that question probably comes to mind when it comes to the WordPress theme.

Well, here’s the thing – you can only leave a lasting impression on your target audience when you have a professional-looking website.

This is where the premium WordPress theme comes into play.

Of course, that’s not the only reason why you should get a premium WordPress theme for your author website. There’s another reason why you should get one, which I explain specifically in this guide.

Thinking about getting a premium WordPress theme, but not sure which one you should get?

Well, this guide also has it covered. Not only that, but you’ll also learn how to customize the look and feel of your WordPress theme to suit your author brand.

Must-have WordPress plugins you should install on your author website

There’s no doubt you can get all kinds of WordPress plugins from the plugin directory. But then again, it can still be confusing which WordPress plugins you should install on your author website.

And it doesn’t help that there are tons of plugins to choose from. That makes it even harder to know the right plugins you should install.

This is where this guide comes in handy.

With this guide, you’ll know exactly which plugins you should install, so you don’t have to figure them out on your own.

Just to let you know that some of the plugins do have the premium version. You can upgrade to the premium version for more features. But the free ones are good enough for a start.

Must-have pages you should create on your author website

What kind of pages should you create on your author website?

That’s the question many authors have the moment they have their author website up and running.

If you’re not sure what pages you should create on your author website, then this guide has it covered for you.

You can also use this guide as a checklist just to see if your author website is missing any of these pages.

It doesn’t matter whether you write fiction or nonfiction. This guide covers all the pages you need to have, regardless of what kind of author you are.

If you’re not sure how to create any of these pages, there’s a tutorial on how you can do that, too.

Selling ebooks on your website

Now that you already have your author website up and running, why don’t you sell ebooks on your author website, too?

I get why many authors will shy away from selling ebooks on their website. It’s because it’s complicated. And it sounds technical, too.

The good news is that selling ebooks on your website isn’t as hard as you think. In fact, you can get the whole thing done in minutes!

Yes, I’m not kidding when I say that. And of course, it will take a little longer if you have a lot of books.

But if you’re just starting, it shouldn’t take that long for you to have your books available for sale, thanks to these platforms.

Which one I use?

While I do mention all the things I use to create my author website, you probably just forgot which one I use. If that’s you, fret not since you can see all the things I use on my author business right here. Feel free to come back to this page as often as you can since I tend to add or change any products and services that I use in my author business.