WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems in the world with over 76 million free active blogs as of March 2014. If you are thinking about using this platform to create your own blog or website, be glad to know that it is very easy to use. What’s more, you will get a myriad of features to create a functional website that can be found by search engines.
While you can create a free blog at WordPress.com, the best way to get the most out of this platform through a self-hosted blog or website. The problem with free WordPress blogs is that they are rigid. In other words, you get few website building tools at your disposal. On the other hand, you can get extra features such as customized URLs, free plug-ins, SEO tools and much more with a self hosted WordPress website. For all this and more, the first step to take is opening an account with WordPress.org. However, you won’t be able to use the software until you have your own hosting account and domain. In the following section, you will learn how to use WordPress without restrictions. Here are the steps you need to take to get the most out of WordPress.
Open a Hosting Account
Everyone that wants to make full use of WordPress requires a hosting service to host their website. This service rents users some space and other server resources so that their websites can be found on the internet. There are many web hosting services to choose from, so take time to compare prices and features. If you are opening a personal blog, shared or VPS hosting might be ideal. On the other hand, if you want to use WordPress to create a website that supports transactions, consider a dedicated server to provide end users with top notch services.
Register Your Domain
One you have a hosting account, the next step is to register your domain. This is simply the name of your website. Typically, the domain will precede the first part of your website URL; that is before .com, .org, .net, .info and so forth. Previously, website owners used to go for exact match domains (EMDs) that contain the main key phrases in their niche. However, many SEO consultancy services will tell you that this technique is no longer mandatory in order to rank high in search engines. Therefore, you can opt for a generic domain name without worries.
There is the option of using your hosting provider or an independent domain registrar to complete the registration process. Keep in mind that this service usually comes with a small charge.
Install Word Press
Your hosting provider will offer a control panel where you can manage all aspects related to your website. There are many control panels for self hosted sites, but the most common include cPanel and Plesk. With these tools, you can log in to your hosting account and install the WordPress script. The installation process will vary depending on your hosting provider. For web hosts that do not have automatic installation, you would have to download WordPress and upload it to your servers using an FTP application. Once you have WordPress set up on your hosting account, you can import content, install plug-ins, create optimized posts and do much more with you website.
