How to Build a Website from Scratch (With Zero Coding Skills)

If you take a moment to think about the websites you visit these days, you might be amazed at how many features even the ‘simplest’ have. In the past, if you wanted to create a professional-looking website, you needed at least some basic coding skills. Now, anyone can build a site that looks great and functions well, with zero coding required.

That is possible thanks to content management systems (CMS) and website builders. These types of tools democratize web development and enable you to create the exact type of website you want. All you need is to be willing to learn how they work, and put in a little time and effort.

In this article, we’ll discuss exactly what it takes to build a website from scratch. We’ll guide you through the process step by step, so you know everything you’ll need to get started. 

What is needed to create a website from scratch?

If you want to create a website without coding, you’ll need the right tools for the job. At a minimum, you’ll want:

1. A website building platform. The website builder or CMS you use should offer all the features you need to design and publish as many pages as you want. That includes tools to create and design pages and content, sell products online (if relevant), manage users, and anything else you require.
2. Access to hosting. Every website needs hosting. This involves paying for a server that’s configured to store your files and make your website available to the public.
3. A domain name. This is how people can access your website (outside of finding it in search engines). A great domain name can make or break a site.

If you’re thinking about creating your first website, these elements might sound intimidating. You have a nearly infinite number of choices and combinations for which website builder and web host to use (not to mention domain names!). 

In particular, your choice of a website building platform will determine how complicated it will be to get your site ready. That’s where WordPress.com comes in.

WordPress.com: The best way to build your website

Since you need a website builder, hosting, and a domain to create a site, it makes sense to opt for a solution that offers all three components. That’s precisely what WordPress.com does.

You’re probably familiar with WordPress. It’s the web’s most popular CMS and blogging platform. But what you may not know is that you can use it to create almost any type of website you can imagine. A lot of its features are designed with blogging in mind, but the CMS is incredibly customizable.

There’s a reason WordPress powers around 43% of all websites. That’s billions of sites, and includes major brands like Slack, TIME Magazine, CNN, and many more.

With WordPress, you get access to an intuitive system that includes tools for content creation and management, style customization, user management, ecommerce, and more. Add plugins into the mix, and you can transform WordPress into the perfect platform for almost any type of project.

Unlike ‘self-hosted’ WordPress, WordPress.com includes hosting and a free domain (depending on which plan you choose). The CMS comes pre-installed with every plan, so you can get right to work after signing up for an account. Plus, WordPress.com offers a lot more protection and optimization than most other web hosts.

How to build a website from scratch (in 7 steps)

If you’re excited to get started, you’ve come to the right place. In the following sections, we’ll take you through the entire process of creating your new website with WordPress.com!

Step 1: Create a WordPress.com account

The first step is the easiest. WordPress.com offers a variety of plans, so you should be able to find something that fits your budget. Every plan gives you access to the full version of WordPress (aside from plugin support, which we’ll discuss shortly).

The free WordPress.com plan doesn’t place any limits on the amount of traffic your site can get, and you receive 1 GB of storage. That’s enough for a small blog, if you don’t mind having your website display ads.

Premium plans progressively add more functionality and an ad-free experience. From the Personal plan onward, you also get a free domain for one year and a secure sockets layer (SSL) certificate, as well as automatic HTTPS (which helps protect your site and visitors).

The real magic of WordPress unlocks with the Business plan. This is the option that includes support for installing plugins. You can use plugins to add all kinds of new features to your website — everything from contact forms to online courses.

Finally, if you want to use WordPress to launch an ecommerce store, you’ll need the Commerce plan. This is the most exhaustive plan that WordPress.com offers, but it translates to top-of-the-line security and performance for an online store.

Take some time to consider what plan you want to use. If this is your first time with WordPress, it might be best to take the free plan for a spin first. That way, you can get familiar with the platform and figure out what more advanced features you want.

Step 2: Pick and register a domain name

Next, you’ll need a domain name. This forms the basis of your website’s URL (e.g. jetpack.com).

If you choose one of the WordPress.com plans that come with a free domain name registration, this process is quick. You can use a third-party domain registrar instead, but that comes with its own additional costs. 

On average, .com domains cost around $10 per year. That cost can vary depending on the domain, though, and prices are not the same for every top-level (.com vs .net vs .org) domain. 

For your first website, it’s typically best to stick with .com, since it’s a safe and well-known option. All you need to do is figure out the perfect name for your website.

This step is very personal, and it will vary depending on what goals you have for your website. With that in mind, here are some quick tips to remember when choosing your domain:

1. Keep it simple. You’ll want your domain name to be easy to remember and type.
2. Either make it unique, or clearly connected to your business/brand. If you’re struggling to find a unique name, stick with terms and keywords that relate to your business or brand. For portfolios and personal websites, you can use variations of your own name instead.
3. Avoid generic domains. Although it’s best for your domain to be simple and clear, you don’t want it to be easily confused with other brands. A domain like cheaptents.com may get the point across, but it doesn’t contribute to unique brand recognition. 

If you’re struggling to come up with a name, there are a lot of domain name generator tools you can use. These tools will take in keywords and generate hundreds of potential domains (and even show you which ones are available). Even if they don’t suggest any options you like, they can be great for brainstorming.

Step 3: Choose a theme to customize your site’s look

Once you sign up for WordPress.com, you’ll get access to your new dashboard right away. There, you’ll be able to see your website and start making changes to it. Right now, your website should be pretty empty, with only the default pages your theme sets up for you.

A WordPress theme is a collection of templates with unique styles. Themes enable you to change your website’s design easily. There are even themes designed for specific types of websites, like blogs or online stores.

The design you see right away will be determined by WordPress’ latest default theme. To change it, go to the Appearance → Themes page. There, you’ll see an overview of all the themes installed on your website.

You can change themes by selecting one and clicking the Activate button. To find new options, select Add New. This will open the WordPress theme repository without leaving the dashboard.

From here, you have access to all the free themes available for WordPress. If you see one you like, mouse over it to get a preview, or go right ahead and click on Install.

WordPress will download the theme in the background, and when it’s ready, you’ll be able to activate it. Once you do, check out how your website looks using the new theme.

It might take a few tries to find the perfect theme. There are thousands of free options available, so be patient until you find a design that fits your vision for your site.

Note that some WordPress.com plans also give you the option to upload themes. That’s so you can use themes that you download or buy from third-party websites and marketplaces.

Premium themes can be very useful, but it may be best to not spend money on them until you’re more familiar with how WordPress works. That way, you’ll know exactly what you want when you do start browsing third-party marketplaces.

Step 4: Design your site with the drag-and-drop editor

Once you’re happy with your theme, it’s time for the real work to begin. That means creating a homepage for your website. For that, you’ll use the WordPress drag-and-drop editor, also known as the Block Editor.

To get started, go to the Pages section of your dashboard and select Add New. This will launch the Block Editor. When you’re starting with a blank page, the editor will look something like this:

The plus sign button that you see in the middle of the screen enables you to add blocks to the page. Blocks are pre-built elements that can be almost anything, from paragraphs to lists, images, forms, and more. WordPress comes with dozens of blocks, including every element you need to design a website.

After adding a block, you can click on it, and the menu to the right of the screen will show you its customization options. You can also add basic text blocks, like the Paragraph and List options.

At this stage, we recommend that you play around a bit and familiarize yourself with the blocks that the editor offers. Don’t worry if you’re not sure where to start. Simply learn how the editor works, try using different blocks, re-arrange them by dragging and dropping, and see what customization options are available.

You can click on the Preview button at the top of the screen at any time to see what your design will look like once you publish it. If you’re not happy, you can always continue to tinker with it, as every page in WordPress is fully customizable.

If you’re not sure what kind of design you want to use, you can go into the Patterns menu by clicking on the blue plus sign at the top of the screen. This menu will show all blocks in a sidebar, as well as a category labeled Patterns.

Patterns are pre-designed page sections that you can use as starting points. Selecting a pattern will add it to the page, and you’ll be able to edit its components (they’re all blocks) to customize them to your liking.

Using patterns is a great shortcut, giving you excellent designs as starting points. Every pattern is free to use, so go ahead and experiment with them.

When you’re happy with the page’s design, click on the Publish button. WordPress will save your progress as a “draft” while you edit a page or a post. It doesn’t actually publish the page (make it visible to visitors) until you click on the Publish button.

Before you start working on other pages, you’ll also want to learn how to edit WordPress menus and how to set a homepage. This will enable you to customize your site’s navigation in any way you want.

Learn more in our guide to the WordPress Block Editor.

Step 5: Add pages, content, images, and videos

Creating one page is a great start, but it doesn’t make a full website. Depending on what idea you have in mind, you’ll probably need to design multiple pages.

You may also want to create posts, if you plan to set up a blog, news feed, or similar feature. WordPress will display your latest posts on the Blog page by default.

The process of creating and publishing posts works just the same as with pages. Go to the Posts screen and click on Add New. This will launch the editor with a blank slate.

How you structure your site’s content is up to you. Still, every post will likely need text, images, and sometimes video. You can add any of those elements by selecting the option to place a block on the page.

To add images or videos, you’ll first need to upload them to WordPress. To do this, select either the Image or Video option from the block menu and click on Upload.

You’ll get the option to select a file from your local device and upload it to the website. Once the upload is done, you’ll be able to select the image and place it on the page or post.

Keep in mind that you might have storage limits, depending on which WordPress.com plan you use. The platform also doesn’t support every image or video format, but it works with all the major options. If you plan to feature a lot of media, you can get video hosting with Jetpack.

As with pages, when you’re done working on your latest piece of content, you can choose to publish it or save it as a draft. After you hit the Publish button, visitors will be able to see the content on your website.

Step 6: Add products, payment, and shipping (if applicable)

This step only applies if you’re building an online store, and if you opt for a WordPress.com plan that enables you to publish and sell products using WooCommerce. If you’re not already familiar with it, WooCommerce is an ecommerce plugin for WordPress. It adds all the features you need for a storefront.

Once you have WooCommerce installed, you can start adding products to your website using the Products → Add New option. This will launch a simple editor where you can set the product’s title and price, add a description, and specify what kind of item it is (physical or virtual).

The WooCommerce editor doesn’t use blocks. It’s more like a series of forms that you fill out to add product information. 

If you want to learn more, check out this tutorial on how to add and edit WooCommerce products. While you’re at it, you might also visit these tutorials that explain WooCommerce payment methods and how to configure shipping.

Step 7: Launch your website

With WordPress.com, there’s no “launch” button or anything you have to click on for your website to go live. As soon as you hit the Publish button for a page or a post, visitors will be able to see it. All you have to do is actually attract those visitors.

If you want to rely on search engines, you’ll need to learn about search engine optimization (SEO). You can also use social media or paid ads to drive traffic to your website, depending on your audience and budget.

Whatever route you choose, keep in mind that building an audience can take a while. No website launches and gets thousands of visitors overnight (unless you’re famous), so be patient and keep publishing new content.

Examples of websites built with WordPress.com

Even with a beginner-friendly platform like WordPress.com, building an entire website can seem intimidating. You might not be sure what you want it to look like, or what it should include. If that sounds familiar, this section is for you.

The best way to start is by exploring existing websites built using WordPress.com. This will give you an idea of what’s possible, and help you figure out what you do and don’t like.

For example, Kiss My Spatula is a food blog, featuring stories of people eating around the world. Posts are categorized by continent, along with showcasing a list of travel tips.

WordPress isn’t just the home of blogs. Major corporations and news outfits also rely on WordPress.com. For instance, FiveThirtyEight is one of the most popular opinion poll analysis and politics sites in the US.

For a lot of big companies, using WordPress makes sense because it’s a tested, business-ready website builder that offers everything you’ll need to grow your brand. The Meta Newsroom focuses on publishing news about all the companies under its umbrella.

This website is powered by WordPress VIP (owned by Automattic, just like WordPress.com), which caters to enterprise-level websites. If your website grows enough, you might end up using those services at some point!

Frequently asked questions

By now, you’re ready to begin building your own website with WordPress.com. Before you go, let’s clear up any lingering questions.

How much does it cost to create and host a website?

The cost of creating and hosting a website will depend on what type of site you want to create and the hosting platform you choose. If you want to hire a developer, for example, your website can end up costing thousands of dollars.

WordPress.com gives you a lot of options that adapt to different budgets. There’s even a free plan that includes both the website builder and hosting. It does include ads, but it doesn’t limit traffic in any way.

You can also opt to start with an ad-free plan from the beginning. WordPress.com offers a great starting plan called Personal, which costs $4 per month and includes a free domain.

Do I need coding skills to create a website?

If you want to create a completely custom website from scratch, you’ll need to know how to code. The alternative is to hire a web developer or an agency to do it for you (which can be expensive). 

Want to take this route? Built by WordPress.com can take care of everything for you. Created by WordPress.com Happiness Engineers, you’ll be sure to get a quality site in as little as four days.

For everyone else, WordPress.com offers a visual website builder experience that lets you create a unique website without knowing anything about code. Even if you do have web development experience, WordPress.com enables you to launch websites faster and easier than ever.

How long will it take to create a website from scratch?

How long it takes to create a website depends on how familiar you are with the process, the tools you’re using, and the scope of your project. WordPress.com is remarkably user-friendly. Still, you do need to familiarize yourself with how the platform and the Block Editor work.

Once you understand how to use the Block Editor, you can design multiple pages in just a few hours. If you’re building a relatively small website, you should be able to put everything together in a couple of days.

Will the website be secure and safe for visitors?

One of the disadvantages of having to shop around for a web host is that security falls largely in your hands. Some hosts offer decent security features, but the responsibility for protecting your website is ultimately yours.

WordPress.com does things differently. The platform is designed to offer a secure hosting experience out of the box. Every plan comes with a free secure sockets layer (SSL) certificate included, as well as the Jetpack plugin. That means you get access to built-in security, real-time backups, speed optimizations, and more.

Will the website be mobile-friendly?

The WordPress Block Editor is very mobile-friendly. You can use the editor to preview how your site will look at different resolutions, including on mobile devices.

It’s also worth noting that some themes are more mobile-friendly than others. It’s best to test multiple options before making a decision, so your site looks and functions well for all visitors.

Build a website without coding thanks to WordPress.com

Whether you know how to code or not, using WordPress.com to build your website is a smart choice. This website builder offers all the tools you need to create professional-looking pages, and you don’t need any special technical expertise.

On top of that, WordPress.com plans bundle everything you’ll need, including hosting and a domain name. You also get access to Jetpack, which means free automated backups, speed optimizations, malware scanning, and much more!

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