While getting a domain name and email address required you to choose service providers, we’re looking at only one method of building a website. The open-source WordPress platform powers nearly half the sites on the Internet. We’ll use WordPress because it allows for a website that’s both portable and dynamic with minimal effort.

Portable means you can use it with different domain registrars, email services, and web hosts if your future needs change. Dynamic means your web host can serve different content to different visitors. This is contrasted with static websites that always look the same. A website being dynamic is what makes it interactive, e.g., the ability to create user accounts, comment on posts, or schedule an appointment.

WordPress does the heavy lifting for things like creating user accounts, but to keep track of those user accounts, WordPress needs a server. When you finish reading the next page, that’ll be done by your web host. You’ll need an interim solution for when you’re building your website, though. We’ll set up an environment for you to develop it on your own computer.

Local WP is an offline WordPress development tool with features that make your life easier. We’ll talk more about them when we get to hosting your website, but for now, install Local WP and create your first WordPress website. It won’t look like much, and it’s not accessible on the Internet. However, it will allow you to start installing plugins to extend WordPress’s capabilities.

The plugin we’ll rely on most is Elementor, which comes in free and paid versions. It has too many features to list here, but at its heart is a drag-and-drop WordPress website builder. That means you can create websites without being a computer programmer. Start with the free version to ensure Elementor is your cup of tea. If it is, then the Pro version is full-featured and affordable at $59/year (all our management plans include a license).

After installing the plugin, visit Elementor Academy for resources on how to best utilize it. This video tutorial for the free version is a great introduction to its usage, and this one for Elementor Pro covers more advanced topics. These tutorials are also examples of static vs. dynamic websites, respectively.

At this point, you should have:

1. The domain name yourBusinessName.com, possibly from Porkbun or Cloudflare.
2. A separate email service also ending in yourBusinessName.com, probably from Google Workspace or Microsoft 365.
3. Local WP installed, and a WordPress website created within it.
4. The Elementor plugin installed on your WordPress website.

This is more of a “teach to fish” situation, so if you got here…congratulations! All that was the hard part, so have fun playing with Elementor. Its template library is good for inspiration. If playing with Elementor is NOT fun, then maybe get in touch about your website needs. Otherwise, we’re in the home stretch and just need web hosting.