Step 1.) You absolutely have to have hosting, there is no way around it if you want a professional looking website. I am recommending Bluehost as I have been using them for quite some time now.
During the sign up process at Bluehost you will be asked to pick out your domain name which is www.yourdomain.com. Of course, the "yourdoamin" part being the name you pick for your website. Try to always get the .com version of the domain you would like as this is easier for your visitors to remember.
Step 2.) After you have completed the sign up process at Bluehost you will have your sign in information to log in to your cPanel. From the Bluehost home page you will see a link in the top right corner that says "Control Panel Log in", simply click the link and log in using the log in credentials given at time of sign up.
After logging in you will be redirected to your cPanel area. Simply scroll down and find the button that says "Simple Scripts".
After clicking on Simple Scripts you will be taken to another screen full of icons. On this screen you need to find the icon that says Wordpress which will be under blogs.
Yes, I know what you are thinking, your thinking, I don't want a blog, I want a website. Wordpress is meant to be used for blogs or websites and is just as effective to use either way. Let's carry on.
After clicking on the Wordpress icon you will be taken to another screen. Simply find the big green button on that screen that says "Install" and click it.
At the top of the next screen you will see a drop down box under "Step 1:", use the drop down box to pick the latest stable version. DO NOT install any beta versions or you could run into problems later on. There will be a drop down box below that drop down box. In this drop down box you will pick whether you want your domain installed with the prefix www or without the www. Either way is fine, it's mostly preference.
You can then skip "step 2:" on this screen. Now on "step 3:" you just need to click that you agree to the legal information and then click the big green button that says "Complete". After that you will get a status bar, wait patiently while it installs Wordpress. After the installation is complete you will be given a link to your actual website and another link to the admin panel of your website (Note: this link is different from your Bluehost cPanel).
Step 3.) Now you need to get your sign in info that was e-mailed to the e-mail address Bluehost has on file. After retrieving your sign in information you can now click on the link that goes to your admin panel which will look like this http://www.yourdomain.com/wp-admin. Simply enter your sign in information and you will be in the admin panel of your actual website.
If you visit your website you will see you have a very plain looking website template. This can be changed very quickly. In your left column inside your admin panel you will see a link that says "Appearance".
After clicking on the Appearance link you will be taken to another screen where you can add new themes. Simply click the "Add New" button at the top of this page and and you can start search through thousands of website templates. Take your time and pick out something you really like. After you find something you like you will simply click the "Install" link under the theme you like. Then click "Install Now" on the pop up screen, then simply click "Activate" on the very next screen you are taken to. Your done! You now have professional looking website. Stay tuned for more tips on customizing your website. Enjoy your new website!
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