Note (September 2026): This guide previously recommended a third-party GPL resale site as a source of original, authentic premium themes and plugins; those claims could not be verified, and the guide now points to the official WordPress.org directories and developer stores.
To make a WordPress website, register a domain name, buy hosting that supports WordPress, install WordPress (often with your host’s installer), choose a theme, add a few essential plugins, then customize your pages and settings. The WordPress software itself is free and open source; the domain name and hosting are the main costs. As of September 2026, the current version is WordPress 7.1.2.
Key Takeaways
- WordPress is free, open-source software (GPLv2 or later) that, according to W3Techs, runs 40.2% of all websites as of September 2026.
- WordPress.org is the free self-hosted software; WordPress.com is a separate commercial hosting service.
- Choose hosting that meets the recommended requirements: PHP 8.3 or greater, MySQL 8.0 or MariaDB 10.11 or greater, and HTTPS.
- Get themes and plugins from the WordPress.org directories or directly from their developers so you receive official updates.
- After installing, set your permalinks, check Tools > Site Health, and keep WordPress, themes and plugins updated.
If you are a beginner and completely new to WordPress CMS, then this article is for you. We’ll tell you all the essentials for creating a personal or business website with WordPress. So, stay with us till the end to learn everything about making a website with WordPress.
WordPress is a Content Management System (CMS) that lets you build and manage a website from a browser-based dashboard. According to W3Techs, as of September 2026 WordPress runs 40.2% of all websites and 58.7% of websites whose content management system is known.
How to Make A WordPress Website
Here is how you can create a website with WordPress, without any technical web development knowledge whatsoever.
Choose Domain Name for your Website
The very first step is to choose a domain name for your website. Domain name is the name of your site that your audience would use to find you and identify your brand. Choose a domain name that is short, descriptive, catchy and easy to pronounce.
Choose a name that represents your business. You can pick any name that is not already registered, within the technical rules: each part of a domain (a label) can be 1 to 63 characters of letters, digits and hyphens, cannot start or end with a hyphen, and the full name cannot exceed 253 characters. Domains are registered through registrars accredited by ICANN. So, take your time and come up with a domain name that reflects what your business is all about.
Choose a Web Hosting Service
Once you have chosen and registered a domain name, you’d need to go on and choose a Web Hosting service that would host your website to make it available for you audience 24/7. Many hosting providers offer WordPress plans. Before you buy, check that the plan meets WordPress.org’s recommended requirements as of September 2026: PHP 8.3 or greater, MySQL 8.0 or greater or MariaDB 10.11 or greater, and HTTPS support.
If you are creating a personal portfolio website, then you probably won’t need a premium hosting plan. But if you are planning on building a business website with a lot of potential users, you’d have to buy hosting that meets your business requirement.
Install WordPress
Installing WordPress is quite simple. Many web hosts offer tools that install WordPress for you automatically, so check whether your host provides one before installing manually.
Even if you must manually do it, installing WordPress is as easy as installing any other application. You can download the self-hosted software free from WordPress.org (WordPress.com is a separate commercial hosting service). As of September 2026, the current release is WordPress 7.1.2. WordPress is open-source software licensed under the GPLv2 (or later), so you do not pay anything to download or use it; hosting and the domain name are the main costs.
Choose a WordPress Theme
A theme controls how your site looks. The official WordPress.org theme directory offers thousands of free themes, and WooCommerce-compatible themes and plugins are available for online stores, so you can set up a working design in a short amount of time.
How to Detect a WordPress Website’s Theme or Plugins
Free online detector tools can often identify which theme and plugins another WordPress website uses, although the results are not always complete. For example, you can use a WP website theme detector to find out which theme a website uses.
You can also use a WordPress plugins detector to see which theme and plugins a competitor’s site uses, which is useful research before you pick your own.
There are pre-designed website templates for personal as well as business websites that you can check out online. There are free as well as paid/premium themes available that can be downloaded from the internet.
There are official as well as 3rd Party Marketplaces for downloading WordPress themes that you can check out.
Srmehranclub and GPL Resale Sites: What to Know
Srmehranclub is a third-party site that redistributes copies of premium WordPress and WooCommerce themes and plugins, a model often called a GPL club; its size and claims could not be independently verified. Its website offers WordPress GPL themes & plugins of your choice. The site lists templates for business and personal websites. Copies from GPL resale sites do not come from the original developers, so they do not include the developer’s license key, official support or guaranteed updates, and their files cannot be assumed to be unmodified.
Srmehranclub distributes these products under the GPL. WordPress.org states that derivatives of WordPress code inherit the GPL, which grants the freedom to redistribute, but a resold copy does not come with the original developer’s support or update service. The site says it obtains its products legitimately; this could not be verified. For a first website, the safer sources are the free WordPress.org theme and plugin directories or a license bought directly from the theme or plugin developer.
Learn About WordPress Dashboard
Now, that you have installed WordPress and chosen a theme for your website, you’d need to start learning about using WordPress.
You need to make sure that you learn all there is to learn about the WordPress dashboard. Make sure to know all the basic UI elements and the complete features of WordPress. Once you do that, you’d be able to get the most value out of WordPress when creating and managing your website.
There are a lot of guides and tutorials available on YouTube that you can use to learn WordPress dashboard. Learning about it first would make things easier for you when you are practically building the website.
Download WordPress Plugins
Along with WordPress themes, WordPress plugins are also an essential and intrinsic part of your WordPress experience. Where themes help create an attractive UI design for your website, plugins are what you need to add additional capabilities and features to your WordPress website.
WordPress plugins are also offered by resale sites such as Srmehranclub, but the free WordPress.org plugin directory and each developer’s own store are the sources that deliver official updates.
There are plugins that help you optimize your website for improved ranking on search engines, some plugins help you analyze the performance of your website and so much more. WordPress.org describes its directory as the largest directory of free and open source WordPress plugins, and plugins cover tasks from contact forms to eCommerce. Because plugins have deep access to your site, install only the ones you need and keep them updated.
Do Essential Customizations
Once you have installed the themes and plugins of your choice, it is time you do the customizations needed to make your website look and feel exactly the way you want it to.
Choose the color schemes, font styles, and UI elements of your choice to make your website stand out from the crowd. There are a lot of options for you to explore in terms of customization so, make sure that you learn about all of them.
Do not feel overwhelmed when designing your website: a clear menu, readable fonts and a few core pages (Home, About, Contact and your main service or content pages) matter more than extensive styling.
Also, set up Google Analytics 4 to measure visitors (Google’s older Universal Analytics stopped processing data on July 1, 2023), and verify your website in Google Search Console to see how it appears in Google Search.
Final Words
With these steps done, your WordPress website is live. Now, go on and keep building on what you have learned to take your business to a whole new level.
We understand that it is quite overwhelming for beginners when they think about creating a website. But it is not that difficult anymore. Simply follow the pointers that we have talked about here and explore them in more depth. So, what are you waiting for? Start creating your WordPress website right now! We are rooting for you!
WordPress Website Setup at a Glance
| Step | What you do | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Domain name | Register a name through an ICANN-accredited registrar | Letters, digits and hyphens only; each label 1 to 63 characters |
| 2. Hosting | Buy a hosting plan for WordPress | PHP 8.3+, MySQL 8.0+ or MariaDB 10.11+, HTTPS support |
| 3. Install WordPress | Use the host’s installer or install manually | Download only from WordPress.org |
| 4. Theme | Pick a free or premium theme | A source that provides official updates |
| 5. Plugins | Add only the features you need | Active maintenance and updates |
| 6. Settings and launch | Permalinks, pages, analytics, Search Console | Tools > Site Health shows no critical issues |
Need name ideas? The free domain name generator suggests names from your keywords, and this guide covers what to consider during a domain name search.
What Is the Difference Between WordPress.org and WordPress.com?
WordPress.org is the home of the free, open-source WordPress software that you install on your own hosting, while WordPress.com is a commercial service that hosts WordPress sites for you. This guide describes the self-hosted WordPress.org route, where you choose your own host, themes and plugins.
| Feature | WordPress.org (self-hosted) | WordPress.com (hosted service) |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Open-source software you install | Commercial blog and website host |
| Software cost | Free (GPLv2 or later) | Depends on the plan chosen |
| Hosting | You choose and pay for it | Included in the service |
| Best for | Full control over themes, plugins and files | Users who prefer the host to manage the setup |
How Do You Install WordPress Manually?
WordPress can be installed manually in five steps, and the official WordPress documentation says the process usually takes less than five minutes:
- Download and extract WordPress from WordPress.org.
- Create a MySQL or MariaDB database and a database user.
- Set up the wp-config.php file with the database details and security keys.
- Upload the files to the root folder or a subdirectory of your hosting account.
- Run the install script by opening wp-admin/install.php in your browser.
During setup you create the administrator account. Use a unique, strong password; the free secure password generator can create one.
What Should You Set Up First After Installing WordPress?
- Permalinks: Under Settings > Permalinks, choose a structure such as Post name (example.com/sample-post) and click Save Changes. Decide this early, because permalinks are meant to stay permanent.
- Site Health: Open Tools > Site Health. Its Status tab groups findings into critical issues, recommended improvements and passed tests, such as an outdated PHP version or plugins waiting to be updated.
- HTTPS: Site Health shows whether your site uses HTTPS, which WordPress recommends for security.
- Search visibility: Site Health also shows whether the site is discouraging search engines. Make sure that setting is off when you launch.
- Privacy: If you collect visitor data, see how to make a WordPress website compliant with GDPR.
Are Nulled or GPL-Club Themes and Plugins Safe?
Nulled and GPL-club copies of premium themes and plugins carry real risks for a new website. Security researchers report three main problems:
- No official updates: modified copies often cannot connect to the developer’s update server, so security fixes can be delayed or missed.
- Malware: the WP-VCD malware group ran dozens of download sites offering nulled plugins, and infected sites were used for spam, phishing and other attacks.
- No support: developer support normally requires a valid license bought from the developer.
The safer path for beginners is to start with free themes and plugins from WordPress.org, then buy premium versions directly from their developers when you need extra features.
Common Mistakes Beginners Make
- Confusing WordPress.com with WordPress.org and signing up for the wrong one.
- Choosing hosting without checking the PHP, database and HTTPS requirements.
- Installing many plugins that overlap or are no longer maintained.
- Leaving the site set to discourage search engines after launch.
- Ignoring updates flagged in Site Health.
To weigh the platform’s strengths, read about the benefits of using WordPress, and if you are still choosing a host, see this Hostinger hosting review.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is WordPress free to use?
Yes. The WordPress software is free and open source under the GPLv2 (or later) license. You still pay for a domain name and web hosting, and optionally for premium themes or plugins.
Do I need coding skills to make a WordPress website?
No. Themes, plugins and the block editor (the default editor since WordPress 5.0, released on December 6, 2018) let beginners build a site without code, although basic HTML and CSS knowledge helps with custom changes.
What are the hosting requirements for WordPress?
As of September 2026, WordPress.org recommends PHP 8.3 or greater, MySQL 8.0 or greater or MariaDB 10.11 or greater, and HTTPS support. WordPress can still run on PHP 7.4+ and MySQL 5.5.5+, but those versions have reached end of life.
What is the latest version of WordPress?
As of September 2026, the current version offered on WordPress.org is WordPress 7.1.2, released on September 22, 2026.
How much of the web uses WordPress?
According to W3Techs, as of September 2026 WordPress is used by 40.2% of all websites and 58.7% of websites whose content management system is known.
