Now it’s time to install WordPress on your website so you can actually start designing and created that website you’ve been dreaming of!
This is the second blog post in our series on how to build your own WordPress Website.
If you don’t yet have your website hosting setup in order to install WordPress in the first place, please read the first post in the series below.
Once we’re on the same page, you can continue below for just a few quick steps to installing WordPress on your website.
Then we can move onto the next post where we talk WordPress Themes and why I think there really is only 1 amazing option to go with!
- Website Hosting (Where your website lives).
- WordPress Installation (So you can create your site)
- WordPress Website Themes (Our Top Picks)!
- After Installing WordPress (update these settings)!
- WordPress Basics for Beginners.
- Elementor Basics (So your website looks amazing)!
- Your Main Website Pages.
- Writing Your First Blog Post
Adding your WordPress Website to Siteground
Okay, so.. now you’ve got your Website setup with Siteground. It’s time to actually add WordPress in!
Next up, you’ll need to choose if you are creating a brand new website or if you want to migrate over to an existing one.
We’ll be covering the process of how to install WordPress on a new site, but if you’re migrating yours, I suggest you hop onto the 24 hour chat and speak with Siteground directly.
Make sure you have all of information you need and see how much they are able to do for you! 🙂 They are the pro’s, right!?
This plugin is a really great eCommerce plugin you can use if you want to sell physical or digital products on your website.
And in case you’re wondering, it’s the one we use to sell the Canva templates in our shop.
Keep in mind you can always add this plugin to your website later on if you choose to not install it right now, or if you’re not sure you will need it.
Then you’ll need to create your login details so that you’ll actually be able to login to your WordPress Website once it’s setup.
Make sure you write down this username and password as you’ll be using it daily.
Then you can select “Finish”
Creating Your WordPress Website
Now Siteground will get to work in creating your WordPress Website for you.
Once it’s ready, you will then see the option to “Manage Site”, you can click on that button.
Now we will move onto getting the right settings thing the backend website dashboard in Siteground called Site Tools.
The Siteground Backend Dashboard
Now we will move onto getting the right settings thing the backend website dashboard in Siteground called Site Tools.
You will end up accessing your website for the first time from right here within Siteground, but going forward, you will not have to login to Siteground to access your website.
First, go to WordPress, and then “Install and Manage” and the scroll over the little arrow with the door icon on the bottom right.
Once you click that, Siteground will go through a few additional questions with you to make sure your website is set up exactly how you need it.
Next up, you’re going to be given a whole bunch of options to select a Theme to style your new website.
If you’re planning to follow our way of doing things, you can keep scrolling to the bottom (without selecting any) and click on continue.
Then Siteground is going to offer to install some plugins for you to add additional functionality to your website.
The only one here we would recommend downloading right away is the WP forms plugin. This plugin will enable you to easily add contact forms to your website for your readers or potential customers to fill out.
And it’s the one we use, just in case you wanted that confirmation.
At the end of the day though, that’s completely up to you!
Monsterinsights is a great plugin to connect with your Google Analytics account to keep track of your website traffic data.
And Yoast SEO is a really great tool for working on your search engine optimization. All this means is helping you use the right words to be more likely to be found and rank higher in search engines like Google.
For email marketing, we recommend Mailerlite as oppose to Opt-in Monster, but again, it’s completely up to you.
The installation process should take a few minutes to finish & then once your site is ready, you can head back to the backend of Siteground and you’re ready to move to one of the most IMPORTANT parts of installing wordpress!
Installing An SSL Certificate
We’ve touched on this in previous blog posts, but this is one of the most important assets to your website!
This provides that extra layer of security for your website, that people are really going to want to see!
If you navigate to a google site, and you do not see “https://”, then google will actually tell you that it is an unsecure website that you are visiting.
You want people feeling good and confident in not only your website, but this also a reflection on your business! Especially if you are a using an online shop.
Once you’re situated on the backend of Siteground again, you’re going to head to “site tools” > SSL Manager.
You are going to want to make sure the domain is switched to your domain name, and then you can hit “let’s encrypt”! Then proceed with “Get”.
Once you have installed your SSL certificate, you’re going to head to HTTPS Enforce, and make sure that is flicked to “ON”.
Doing this just ensures that when you’re searching that specific domain name, it will push you to the “HTTPS” website!
This means, it is automatically pushing it towards the secure version of the website.
Once you have turned that “on”, your SSL certificate is installed on your website!
Voila! You’ve successfully installed your WordPress Website! Give yourself a big pat on the back. This can be one of the scariest parts!
Now we can dig deeper and move on to some more exciting things!
Next up in launching your website series is… WORDPRESS THEMES, and the one we think is best above all others! This is one of my favorite parts, because this is how you take your website to that beautiful, professional looking level!
Stay tuned, and let us know in the comments if you’re looking forward to it.
Don’t forget! Click to check out our 5-day Website Academy, now!
