WordPress Basics

It is almost impossible for a business to be successful these days without a website. Small businesses rely on a web presence to bring them new clients, create a hub for current clients, and create networking opportunities. One of the most popular platforms for creating a website is WordPress. It is important to establish that WordPress is that platform on which you build your site. Your website is hosted by a company that you use to create the web address and actually support the running of the website. This post is about WordPress; not hosting.

Writing Content

Before you even start building the website the first thing you must do is decide what content will be on the website. Common things to include are about us sections, pricing, customer reviews, relevant research, and examples of your work. This, of course, can vary wildly depending on your specific industry and service/product. Content should be well written, and it is worth hiring a professional to make sure that it meets web and industry standards.

Pick a Theme

There are thousands of themes for WordPress. A theme is just the layout of your website. They require less coding (sometimes none) and are more like filling in the blanks of a PowerPoint presentation rather than a blank website. Themes also unify the pages and give the website a connected feel that make it appealing to the eye and easy to navigate.

It is advisable to pick a theme that matches your own aesthetic. Don’t pick a background with balloons if you are an estate attorney. It won’t work, and you will leave clients confused.

Adding Pages

Thankfully just like building out your theme, adding pages is just as easy. WordPress, while it has infinite possibilities, is very easy to set up. As you add pages it is important to ensure they tell something about your business as well as fit the flow of the website. Something to note here: you don’t need to add a page for everything. Make sure that you don’t end up with 100 pages, because no one will read them. Instead focus on adding pages that build your brand and are important.

Picking PlugIns

As you complete your website, it is time to start looking at available plugins and how they will positively impact your business. Plugins are additions to your website that improve functionality and usability. Sometimes that means adding a checkout option and other times that means a contact form. This process can be overwhelming, and this is another time it is worth consulting with a professional. In a future post we will go over the plugins offered by BizSwoop.

While setting up a website can seen daunting, it has been made simple by WordPress and the independently created features that make it even better. In our next piece on WordPress we will go through the plugins we have available and how they can improve your small business.