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Updated: Nov 2, 2023, 5:58pm
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Whether you’re a small business just starting out or an established company looking to expand your online presence, a professional website is key. There are many ways to build a website, but WordPress is one of the most popular options among Australian businesses due to its versatility and customisation capabilities. In this guide, we’ll show you how to build a WordPress website in just nine simple steps.

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The first step when building a WordPress website is to get web hosting. While WordPress is a free website builder, you must use a web hosting service for your site to be available on the web. Generally, it costs under $US10 ($15 AUD) per month, and by getting web hosting first, you will save time and money as the best WordPress hosting services include a free domain name, as well as one-click WordPress installation to make the process of creating a WordPress site a lot easier.
If you choose a web hosting plan that includes a free domain name (e.g., businessname.com), such as DreamHost, then you will be prompted to choose a domain as part of your account registration process. If not, purchase a domain name directly from one of the best domain name registrars, such as GoDaddy or Google Domains and then manually connect your domain name to your web hosting service.
When choosing a domain name, keep the following in mind:
For additional insights, learn more about how to pick a domain name for your business.
After completing your purchase of a web hosting plan, such as one from one of our favourites, DreamHost, it’s time to install WordPress (in other words, connect your web hosting service to WordPress).
To do this, go to your user dashboard (or cPanel), navigate to “Websites” from the left-hand vertical menu, then click “Manage Websites.” From there, find the site you want to build, click “Manage” and then click “Install WordPress.”
Note that this process can take a few minutes and the steps will vary slightly between web hosting providers.
WordPress
In the world of WordPress, a theme is a website template. It controls how your site looks, as well as how it functions and what it comes out of the box capable of. There are thousands to choose from, with sites such as ThemeForest where you can browse and buy premium templates, so it’s worth investing the time upfront to find one that best matches the site you want to build. Once you find the best theme for you, purchase it, and then download the theme files.
Additionally, you can get free themes from WordPress. However, they often require a lot more work, so in the long run it’s usually wise to invest in a well-designed premium theme.
Here’s how to install a premium WordPress theme:
WordPress
After installing your theme, next, you need to install and activate all required plugins, which help expand the functionality of WordPress. In addition to the plugins that come with your theme, there are thousands more to choose from that can do anything from enhancing site security to adding live chat or turning your page editor into a drag-and-drop editor. However, try to limit the number of plugins you use as too many can slow down your website or cause other plugins to break.
For example, we recommend the following plugins for every business website:
Here’s how to install WordPress plugins:
WordPress
If you chose a premium theme, you will want to import your theme’s demo content. Without the demo content, your site will be much more difficult to build as it will have the theme’s plugins, styling, and capabilities, but it won’t have any of the pre-built web pages.
The process of importing demo content varies by theme. Often, upon installing your theme, you will see a tab in the left-hand vertical menu with your name. This is where the demo content is typically housed. If you’re not finding it there, refer to your theme’s documentation on how to import demo content, which can typically be found with your theme’s files (from the provider that you bought it from).
WordPress
Before you begin customising web pages and building out site content, you need to configure your settings, such as indicating your home page and blog posts page, as well as updating your site’s name, tagline, and the site icon.
Here’s how to configure the most commonly used settings:
WordPress
Now, it’s time to start creating your web pages, which are what websites are made up of. For example, the average business website includes a number of pages, such as the homepage, services, pricing, about, and contact. In WordPress, every page that isn’t a blog post (or article), is considered a page.
Here’s how to create and/or customise pages in WordPress:
WordPress
Now that you’ve set up your pages, create and configure your menu. This is how visitors navigate through your site, and so depending on your theme, you may have more than one menu (such as a menu at the top of the site and one in the footer).
Here’s how to configure your site menu:
Once you have set up your menu, scroll down on the same page and find the section called “menu settings.” Under “display location” check the box next to “primary.” This will set the menu as your site’s main menu that will display in your header.
WordPress
In addition to web pages, many Australian businesses also opt to add blog posts to help improve their likelihood of getting found in search engines, such as Google. To write a blog post, go to “posts” from the left-hand vertical menu and click “add new.” From there, you can edit the blog post the way you would a web page. One difference is that, unlike a page, you can write a blog post and then schedule it to publish at a later date.
Here’s how to create a blog post in WordPress:
Note that if you’re not seeing your blog posts show up on your site, you might need to check that you’ve denoted your blog page to WordPress. To do this, go to “appearance” > “customise” > “homepage settings.” From there, find “posts page” and select the page you want to set as your blog.
Last, but not least, you should plan to market your website. The reason is, websites are not necessarily a “build it and they will come” type of thing. Instead, businesses that get found online are those that have invested in a variety of website marketing strategies to help their site gain visibility online, which will help drive visitors to your site.
Here are a few of the most effective ways to market your site:
The best way to market a website is to use a variety of these strategies, giving your site maximum exposure and the best chances of getting found online.
Featured Partners
1
Wix
On Wix’s Secure Website
Starting price
From $15 per month
Drag-and-Drop Editor
Yes
Standout Features
Free plan available, 900+ designer-made templates
2
Squarespace
On Squarespace’s Secure Website
Starting price
$16 AUD
Drag-and-Drop Interface
Yes
Standout Features
Free domain and SSL certificate, no transaction fees, award-winning templates
3
IONOS
Starting price
$1 per month (for the first year, then $15 per month)
Drag-and-drop editor
Yes
E-commerce in entry-level plan
Yes, as an add-on
4
GoDaddy
On GoDaddy’s Website
Starting Price
$US7.95 ($12 AUD) per month
Drag-and-Drop Interface
Yes
Standout Features
Email included, multiple payment options
WordPress is the most popular blogging platform, with more than43% of the internet using it. It’s popular for a reason. It is used to construct websites, blogs, complex portals, business websites as well as applications, all with massive flexibility and customisation options. The WordPress.org software is free and open-source, making it a coder’s dream. WordPress is also backed by a large community of developers and users who are always creating new plugins, widgets, themes and other goodies to add value to the experience.
Yes, there are several differences between WordPress.com and WordPress.org. The main difference is that WordPress.com is fully hosted while WordPress.org is self-hosted.
Yes, while WordPress is often used by developers to build very complex websites, beginners can also use WordPress. It’s not the most beginner-friendly CMS, but with a bit of time, anyone can learn how to use it. And because it is such a popular CMS, there is a tonne of information available for free online to help you learn how to build a WordPress website.
It’s possible to build a WordPress site for free, though if you want to use your own domain name as opposed to a subdomain (e.g., businessname.wordpress.com) you have to pay for hosting. Granted, hosting is affordable at around $US3 or $4.75 AUD to $US10 or $15 AUD per month, so it’s a small price to pay to appear professional and credible.
The cost to build a WordPress website can vary greatly depending on a number of factors, such as whether you build it yourself or hire a web designer, your hosting needs, as well as the cost of theme and plugins. For insight, the average small business willing to invest the time to learn how to use WordPress can build their own site for as little as $US100 ($157 AUD) or so, with just a premium theme (typically around $US25 or $40 AUD to $US80 or $126 AUD) and a web hosting plan (around $US3 or $4.75 AUD to $US10 per month or $15 AUD).
Website builders are highly scalable, and your plan can be modified easily to meet the needs of your growing team. If you outgrow even the top-level package of your service, many vendors offer enterprise-level functionality with customised pricing. It may be worthwhile to get in touch with your system’s customer service team to learn more.
WordPress is generally a better choice for website builders with technical experience, or for larger websites that need more flexibility. Wix is a good choice if you want a no-code website builder and a drag-and-drop editor. That being said, you can build a simple website with WordPress templates. You can read more about how they compare here.
Kathy Haan, MBA is a former financial advisor-turned-writer and business coach. For over a decade, she’s helped small business owners make money online. When she’s not trying out the latest tech or travel blogging with her family, you can find her curling up with a good novel.
Kelly is an SMB Editor specializing in starting and marketing new ventures. Before joining the team, she was a Content Producer at Fit Small Business where she served as an editor and strategist covering small business marketing content. She is a former Google Tech Entrepreneur and she holds an MSc in International Marketing from Edinburgh Napier University. Additionally, she manages a column at Inc. Magazine.

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