If you’d told me a few years ago that I’d be running a side hustle building websites, I’d have laughed and said, “Yeah, right. I don’t even know what HTML stands for.”
The idea of building a website seemed like something only tech-savvy coders could do. But today, I’ve built over 20 websites for myself and my clients and earned thousands of dollars in the process. The best part? I did it all without writing a single line of code. How? WordPress and a whole lot of free YouTube tutorials.
If you’ve ever thought about building a website but felt intimidated by the technical side of things, this article is for you. If I can do it, so can you. I’ll walk you through how I got here and share a simple guide to get you started on your own website-building journey.
Let’s get started!
How I Stumbled Into WordPress and YouTube University
I’ve always wanted to start a blog and write articles. I even tried one in 2016 using Google’s Blogspot. Sadly, the website broke down due to technical issues, and I never bothered to get back into it.
During the 2020 lockdown, my interest in starting a blog reignited. I also had a lot of free time then.
My journey began with a simple Google search: “How to build a website without coding.” That’s when I discovered WordPress, a platform that powers over 40% of all websites on the internet. I quickly realized that WordPress was beginner-friendly and didn’t require any programming knowledge. But I still had no idea where to start.
That first website was a mess. I picked a free theme, slapped some text, and called it a day. It looked like a toddler designed it, but I was hooked. The best part? It was all free. YouTube became my classroom, and creators like Tyler Moore and WPBeginner became my unofficial professors. Over a few years, I watched hundreds of videos, pausing and rewinding to follow along. I learned everything from picking domain names to tweaking layouts at my own pace.
It wasn’t instant. My early sites were rough, like when I accidentally made a client’s homepage bright pink because I didn’t understand the theme settings. But with every mistake, I’d search “how to fix [insert disaster here] in WordPress” and find a video to save me. Slowly, those clunky sites turned into sleek, professional ones.
Four years and 20+ websites later, clients are paying me real money for something I taught myself for free. You can get there too — it just takes time, curiosity, and a willingness to mess up a little along the way.
Your Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Simple WordPress Website
Building a basic WordPress site isn’t as scary as it sounds. Here’s how you can create something decent, even if you’re starting from scratch like I did. No coding is required — just a bit of patience.
Step 1: Get a Domain Name and Web Hosting
First, you need a home for your website. Your domain name is your site’s address (like www.yourname.com), and web hosting is the space where your site lives online. I started with Hostinger because it’s beginner-friendly and often offers deals—like $2.99 a month with a free domain for the first year. Other solid options are SiteGround or Bluehost.
Here’s what to do:
- Go to a hosting provider’s website (e.g., Hostinger.com).
- Pick a plan — basic shared hosting is fine for starters.
- Choose a domain name. Keep it simple and relevant to your project (e.g., “JanesBakery.com” if you’re a baker).
- Sign up, pay, and jot down your login details. They’ll email you a confirmation with the next steps.
Pro tip: When I built my first site, I agonized over the “perfect” domain name for days. Don’t overthink it — just pick something and move on. You can always tweak it later.
Step 2: Install WordPress
Good news: most hosting providers make this easy. With Hostinger, for example, you’ll see an “Install WordPress” button in your dashboard after signing up. Click it, follow the prompts, and bam — WordPress is ready. It takes maybe 10 minutes.
Once installed, you’ll get a login URL (like yourdomain.com/wp-admin), a username, and a password. Save those somewhere safe — I learned the hard way after locking myself out of my second site for a week.
Step 3: Pick a Theme
WordPress themes are like pre-made outfits for your site. You can find many free ones in WordPress by going to Appearance > Themes > Add New. Search for something like “Astra” or “OceanWP” — they’re lightweight, customizable, and free to start with.
When I built a site for a friend’s photography business, I chose Astra because it has a clean, gallery-friendly look. Install your theme, activate it, and your site will take shape. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect yet—we’ll tweak it next.
Step 4: Customize Your Site
This is where the fun begins. Go to Appearance > Customize in WordPress. You can change colors, fonts, and layouts without touching code. Want a blue header? Done. Bigger text? Easy. Play around until it feels like “you.”
For pages, head to Pages > Add New. Create essentials like:
- Home: A welcome page with a quick intro.
- About: Who you are or what your site is about.
- Contact: A simple way for people to reach you.
I once spent hours perfecting a homepage, only to realize that no one scrolled past the first section. Keep it simple, and focus on what matters.
Step 5: Add Plugins for Extra Features
Plugins are like apps for your site. Need a contact form? Install “Contact Form 7.” Want better SEO? Grab “Yoast SEO.” Find them under Plugins > Add New. Most have free versions that work great for beginners.
My go-to combo is:
- Elementor: A drag-and-drop builder to design pages (the free version is plenty).
- UpdraftPlus: It allows you to back up your site. It is a crucial plugin for your WordPress site. Trust me, you’ll thank me when you accidentally break something.
- W3 Total Cache: Speeds up your site so it’s not sluggish.
Start with a few and add more as you learn what you need.
Step 6: Add Content and Go Live
Now, fill your pages with words, photos, or whatever you have. Use Elementor to drag text boxes and images around like a pro. When I built a site for a local café, I imported their menu as a PDF and added some food pictures—it took an hour, and they loved it.
Once you’re happy, hit “Publish” on your pages. Your hosting provider made your site live when you installed WordPress, so just visit your domain to see it in action. Share it with friends, tweak it as you go, and congrats — you have a website!
A Few Tips From My Journey
- Start small: My first site was just a homepage and an about page. Build confidence, then expand.
- YouTube is your friend. Search “WordPress tutorial 2025” for up-to-date videos. Pause, rewind, and repeat. You can find solutions to all your problems with a simple YouTube search.
- Mistakes happen. I once accidentally deleted a client’s entire homepage. Backups (and a quick apology) saved me. I still make silly mistakes, but now, with more experience, I know how to solve them quickly.
- It takes time. Four years sounds long, but every site I built taught me something new. You’ll get faster.
You’ve Got This!
Building websites with WordPress isn’t rocket science — it’s just clicking, dragging, and learning as you go. I went from knowing nothing to earning real cash, all thanks to free tools and a little persistence.
Start with that domain, install WordPress, and mess around. Before you know it, you’ll have a site you’re proud of — and maybe even a client or two. Don’t aim for perfection. Start simple and keep learning.
Got questions? Hit me up — I’m proof you don’t need to be a tech genius to make this work.
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