WordPress is by far the world\u2019s most popular website platform, and it\u2019s not hard to see why: simple to use, flexible, and endlessly customisable, you get everything you need to create a site that works hard for your business.<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to get started with WordPress, but it does require a little more technical know-how than a drag-and-drop tool like Website Builder<\/a><\/strong>. The good news is that with Managed WordPress Hosting<\/a><\/strong>, everything is set up for you from the start, so you can skip the fiddly bits and get straight to building.<\/span><\/p>\n In this guide, we\u2019ll walk you through the key steps to creating your WordPress site and getting it ready for visitors. Consider this a whirlwind tour of a very powerful platform \u2013 you won\u2019t be an expert by the end, but you\u2019ll have everything you need to get started.<\/span><\/p>\n Chances are you\u2019ve visited a WordPress site today without even knowing it.<\/p>\n At its core, WordPress is a website Content Management System (CMS): software that makes it simple to create, edit, and manage your website content through a dashboard, without needing to code.<\/p>\n But WordPress can do a lot more than run a blog. With the right plugins and themes, it can power a business site, an online store, a portfolio, a membership site, a booking system, a job board\u2026 pretty much anything you can imagine.<\/p>\n That flexibility is a huge part of why it\u2019s so widely used, from personal projects to major news outlets and Fortune 500 companies.<\/p>\n Another key part of WordPress\u2019s appeal is that it\u2019s open source. That means it\u2019s free to use, with a global community of developers constantly building new features, fixing issues, and improving the platform.<\/p>\n Because you own and control your website, you\u2019re free to customise it your way. Choose from thousands of themes and plugins to add the features you need and create a site that works for your goals.<\/p>\n \u2610 It\u2019s everywhere.<\/strong> WordPress powers around 42\u201343% of all sites globally<\/a> \u2014 or about 800 million in total. No other platform comes close.<\/p>\n \u2610 It beats all the rest combined.<\/strong> WordPress makes up about 6 in 10 sites built on a website CMS platform<\/a>, more than every other option combined.<\/p>\n \u2610 Small businesses love it.<\/strong> According to TechnologyChecker<\/a>, about 77% of WordPress sites belong to companies with 10 employees or fewer, and another 13% come from businesses with 11\u201350 staff. Clearly the go-to choice for small teams and startups.<\/p>\n \u2610 Big in the UK.<\/strong> Nearly 1 million websites in Britain run on WordPress<\/a>, putting the country among the top adopters worldwide.<\/p>\n Much of WordPress\u2019s power comes from plugins<\/strong> \u2014 simple add-ons that extend what your site can do. The library is huge, with around 60,000 free plugins<\/a><\/strong> in the official directory, and well over 110,000<\/strong> once you include premium and third-party options. Chances are, whatever feature you need, there\u2019s a plugin for it.<\/p>\n On the design side, there are thousands of free and premium themes<\/a><\/strong> to choose from, together with theme builders<\/em> you can use like Elementor and Divi. That means you don\u2019t need a developer or designer to create a custom, professional-looking site.<\/p>\n For businesses that sell online, WordPress becomes a full ecommerce platform through tools like WooCommerce, powering over 4 million stores<\/a> <\/strong>today, complete with payments and shipping.<\/p>\n Add in blogging tools, categories, tags, scheduling, and integrations with email, CRM and analytics platforms, and WordPress becomes a powerful foundation for content-led marketing.<\/p>\n While the software itself is free, you\u2019ll still need hosting to keep your website online. Hosting stores your website files and delivers them to visitors whenever they access your site. 123 Reg Managed WordPress Hosting<\/strong> gives the freedom and flexibility of WordPress, without needing to worry about the technical side of running your hosting.<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t already have it, learn more about Managed WordPress Hosting, here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n No coding required. The dashboard is simple and the visual editor shows you exactly what your page will look like as you build it, text, images and all.<\/p>\n Portfolio site, online shop, booking platform: WordPress can handle it, with thousands of free and premium themes and plugins to help you shape it to fit exactly what you do. And when you\u2019re ready to expand, whether that\u2019s a blog, new pages or online sales tools, you can build on what you\u2019ve got rather than starting again.<\/p>\n WordPress is open source, so you own your site and your data. Move host, change your domain, do things your way, whenever you need to. And with millions of users, developers and designers sharing tips and tutorials on sites like WPBeginner and the WordPress.org forums, support is always close at hand.<\/p>\n Contact forms, live chat, social feeds, ecommerce: whatever you need, there\u2019s a plugin for it. More on that later.<\/p>\n WordPress rolls out regular security updates to help protect your site from threats, and with millions of sites relying on it worldwide, vulnerabilities get spotted and patched fast. Managed WordPress Hosting takes care of security updates for you, helping keep your site secure.<\/p>\n WordPress sites are structured in a way search engines understand, and tools like Yoast SEO make optimising your pages simple.<\/p>\n A fast site keeps visitors around and helps your search rankings. WordPress is lightweight by design, and paired with good hosting, it can load quickly even as your site grows.<\/p>\n That brings it down from 8 points to 6, a bit tighter while still covering everything. Let me know if you\u2019d rather keep any of the merged points separate.<\/p>\n Every business starts with an idea \u2014 that part\u2019s down to you. From there, you can build just about any sort of website with WordPress. You\u2019ll need a great domain name<\/a> for your brand, and a matching email address to build trust.\u00a0With 123 Reg Managed WordPress Hosting<\/a>, it\u2019s all included: a free domain for your first year, professional email, SSL security, and of course WordPress itself, all set up and ready to go.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n See also:<\/strong> What are the Benefits of a Professional Email Address?<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n We\u2019ll assume you\u2019ve already purchased your plan and you\u2019re ready to go.<\/p>\n First things first, let\u2019s get you logged in and get WordPress open.<\/p>\n 1. Log in to your 123 Reg account and go to My Products<\/strong>. \u00a0<\/p>\n Once you\u2019re in, the first thing you\u2019ll see is your Hosting Overview<\/strong>. The Home<\/strong> tab gives you an at-a-glance view of your website\u2019s key information, including:<\/p>\n \u2713 Site views:<\/strong> how much traffic your site is getting Plus, you can activate or connect additional services, such as your matching 123 Reg email address.<\/p>\n With a Premium plan you\u2019ll also get extra insights into areas like SEO health, page load time and uptime, helping you keep track of your site\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n The Tools<\/strong> tab is where you\u2019ll find the more technical side of managing your site, covering everything from performance and security to troubleshooting. There\u2019s more here than we can cover in full in this guide, but a few highlights are worth knowing about.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re not seeing your latest changes reflected on your site, Flush Cache<\/strong> is a one-click fix. You can also create, restore and manage backups<\/strong> whenever you need to, and check or update your PHP version<\/strong> to help keep your site fast and secure.<\/p>\n For extra peace of mind, features like Plugin Auto-Updates<\/strong>\u00a0and Captcha<\/strong> add extra layers of security, all switched on with a click. There\u2019s also TrustedSite, an optional add-on trustmark to help boost customer confidence.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n You\u2019ll also find a set of Recommended Troubleshooting Tools<\/strong>, optional plugins you can install if you ever need to dig deeper into a site issue.<\/p>\n Well move on though, as you don\u2019t need any of this to get started, but it\u2019s all there for when you need it.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve chosen Web Hosting<\/a> (or Premium Hosting<\/a>), you\u2019ll need to install WordPress yourself before you can start building. It\u2019s easy and typically only involves a few clicks through your hosting control panel. For help, check out our Support article: How do I install WordPress on my Hosting package?<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Not sure which option\u2019s right for you? Read:<\/strong>\u00a0Managed vs Self-Managed Hosting \u2013 How to Choose the Best Option for Your Business<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/section>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Just below Hosting Overview in the left-hand menu, you\u2019ll find Dashboard<\/strong>, WordPress\u2019s own home screen.<\/p>\n Click through and you\u2019ll land on the main control centre for your site, where you\u2019ll see a collection of information boxes (known as dashboard widgets) that you can move around.<\/p>\n This is where the magic happens, your starting point \u2014 a blank canvas ready and waiting for your ideas, with everything you need close at hand to start shaping it into your website.<\/p>\n You\u2019re on the WordPress dashboard, but right now the site is empty: no theme, no plugins, nothing published. This section is about getting oriented and making a few smart early decisions before you touch plugins.<\/p>\n On the left-hand menu, you\u2019ll see a handful of names that will become familiar fast. Posts<\/strong> is for blog-style content, anything time-stamped, like news, articles or updates. Pages<\/strong> is for static content that doesn\u2019t really expire, think your homepage, About page or Contact page. Appearance<\/strong> covers how your site looks, from themes to menus to widgets. Plugins<\/strong> is where you add features like forms, SEO tools or galleries (more on these later). And Settings<\/strong> covers the behind-the-scenes basics, like your site title, timezone and permalinks.<\/p>\n If it all feels like a lot to take in, here\u2019s a shortcut: content lives in Posts<\/strong> and Pages<\/strong>, design lives in Appearance<\/strong>, and features live in Plugins<\/strong>. Most of what you\u2019ll do in WordPress fits into one of those three categories.<\/p>\n One thing worth knowing early: when something needs updating, whether that\u2019s WordPress itself, a theme or a plugin, you\u2019ll usually see a small number appear next to the Dashboard menu to let you know.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Most sites start with a handful of pages: a homepage, an About page and a Contact page. Go to Pages \u2192 Add New<\/strong> to create each one, give it a title, add your content, and hit Publish<\/strong>.<\/p>\n One setting worth checking early is under Settings \u2192 Reading<\/strong>. By default, WordPress shows your latest posts on the homepage, like a blog feed. If you\u2019d rather have a static homepage, switch this to \u201cA static page\u201d and choose which page to use for your homepage and, if you want one, a separate page for your blog posts.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve got a few pages published, it\u2019s worth linking them together so visitors can get around. Go to Appearance \u2192 Menus<\/strong>, create a new menu, and add your pages from the list on the left. Drag them into the order you want.<\/p>\n At the bottom, you\u2019ll usually see a display location, like \u201cPrimary\u201d or \u201cHeader.\u201d Assign your menu there so it shows up on the site. Some themes also support a footer menu, a nice spot for things like a Contact link or policy pages.<\/p>\n Before the design work, it\u2019s worth handling a few small settings that make everything easier later on.<\/p>\n Set your site title, tagline and icon.<\/strong> Go to Settings \u2192 General<\/strong>. Your site title is your site\u2019s name and will appear in browser tabs, search results and often your header. The tagline is a short line describing what your site is about. While you\u2019re there, you can also set a site icon (or favicon), the small image that shows up in browser tabs. None of this is permanent, but it\u2019s worth setting something sensible now rather than leaving the default text.<\/p>\n Check your permalink structure.<\/strong> Go to Settings \u2192 Permalinks<\/strong>, which controls the structure of your URLs. By default, WordPress can generate URLs full of numbers and symbols (like Make sure your site can be found.<\/strong> Go to Settings \u2192 Reading<\/strong> and check that \u201cDiscourage search engines from indexing this site\u201d is switched off. It\u2019s sometimes ticked by default while a site\u2019s under construction, and it\u2019s an easy thing to forget about, but it means Google won\u2019t be able to find you once you\u2019re ready to go live.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n A theme is the design layer of your site. It controls layout, typography and overall visual style, without touching your actual content. Switch themes later and your posts, pages and images stay exactly where they are.<\/p>\n WordPress gives you a huge amount of choice here. The official directory alone has over 9,000 free themes<\/a>, and premium marketplaces like ThemeForest add roughly 12,000 more (with plenty of other options scattered across the web too).<\/p>\n These include:<\/p>\n \u2610 Default WordPress themes<\/strong>, like Twenty Twenty-Four<\/a>, are built and maintained by the WordPress team. They\u2019re solid, simple and a safe starting point if you\u2019re not sure what you want yet.<\/p>\n \u2610 Free themes from the directory<\/strong> offer thousands of options, built by independent developers and installable directly from Appearance \u2192 Themes \u2192 Add New. These really are more than good enough for most sites. You can learn more about free themes and how they work, here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2610 Premium themes<\/strong> are usually purchased from a developer or a marketplace like ThemeForest<\/a>, often with more built-in design options, page templates and dedicated support. These are worth it once you know roughly what you need.<\/p>\n \u2610 Page builder themes<\/strong> are designed to work closely with a page builder plugin like Elementor, giving you more drag-and-drop control over layout. These are useful if you want a lot of visual flexibility without touching code.<\/p>\n \u2610 Block themes<\/strong> are built around the WordPress block editor, letting you customise layout and design directly through the editor rather than a separate settings screen. Learn more about block themes, here<\/a>.<\/p>\n For a first site, a well-reviewed free or block theme is usually the right call. You can always move to something more specialised once you have a clearer sense of what your site needs.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Go to Appearance \u2192 Themes \u2192 Add New<\/strong>. You\u2019ll find a searchable library of themes built into WordPress, where you can filter by \u201cPopular\u201d or search by keyword if you have something specific in mind.<\/p>\n Before committing to a theme, click Preview<\/strong>. This shows roughly how the theme will look on your site without changing anything live, so you can compare a few options before deciding.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve chosen one, click Activate<\/strong>. Then visit your homepage (usually via a \u201cVisit Site\u201d link at the top of the dashboard) and take a look. Themes can render slightly differently live versus in preview, so it\u2019s worth checking that nothing looks out of place.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Go to Appearance \u2192 Customize (or, on newer themes, the Editor). Depending on your theme, this typically lets you upload your logo, adjust your colour scheme, and change your font choices if supported. Most themes offer a limited, sensible set of options here rather than unlimited control, which helps keep things looking consistent.<\/p>\n While you\u2019re there, check your header and footer. The header usually holds your logo and navigation, and the footer often has copyright text, contact details or quick links. Small adjustments here make a real difference to how finished the site feels.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n A plugin is a small piece of software that adds a specific feature to your site, without you needing to write any code.<\/p>\n Want a contact form? There\u2019s a plugin for that. Need an SEO checklist, an image gallery, a booking calendar, or an ecommerce store? All plugins.<\/p>\n WordPress offers a huge range of plugins, giving businesses the flexibility to add the tools they need as they grow. The Official WordPress Plugins Directory<\/a> includes more than 61,000 free plugins, while the wider ecosystem is estimated to include over 110,000 options when premium plugins are included.<\/p>\n See also: <\/strong>A Beginner\u2019s Guide to WordPress Plugins<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n The most common way is from the dashboard. Go to Plugins \u2192 Add New<\/strong>. This opens a searchable directory, similar to the theme browser, where you can search by name (if you already know what you want) or by keyword (like \u201ccontact form\u201d or \u201cSEO\u201d).<\/p>\n A few things are worth checking before installing anything: the number of active installs<\/strong> (a higher number generally means it\u2019s well tested by real users), the rating<\/strong> (ideally a good average, backed by a decent number of reviews), and when it was last updated<\/strong> (recent updates suggest it\u2019s still maintained, so be cautious with anything that hasn\u2019t been touched in a year or more).<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve found one, click Install Now<\/strong>, then Activate<\/strong>. Installing alone doesn\u2019t do anything, activation is what switches it on.<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve bought a premium plugin or been given a plugin file (usually a \u00a0<\/p>\n Most plugins add a new item to your dashboard menu, or a settings panel somewhere, once they\u2019re active. It\u2019s worth taking a minute after activating to find where its settings live and configure anything essential, a contact form plugin, for example, usually needs an email address set before it\u2019ll actually send anything anywhere.<\/p>\n It\u2019s tempting to install a plugin for every idea that crosses your mind, but each one adds a bit of extra weight to your site and one more thing to keep updated. A good habit early on:<\/p>\n A handful of well-chosen, well-maintained plugins will serve you far better than a long list of half-used ones.<\/p>\n For more, check out:<\/strong> Better With Less \u2013 Essential WordPress Plugins for Business<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n We\u2019ve covered a lot of ground in this guide, from choosing a theme to installing your first plugin, and that\u2019s really just scratching the surface of what WordPress can do.<\/p>\n You\u2019ve already done the heavy lifting: picked a theme, installed plugins, and built your core pages. Now it\u2019s time to make sure your site is properly \u201copen for business\u201d.<\/p>\n There isn\u2019t one big \u201cPublish\u201d button for the whole site. If you installed WordPress through a host, your site is technically live as soon as it\u2019s set up. The key is to remove anything that\u2019s actively blocking visitors or hiding you from Google.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Coming Soon \/ maintenance mode<\/strong> \u2013 Turn off any \u201cComing Soon\u201d, \u201cUnder Construction\u201d or maintenance plugins or settings (often under Settings, a dedicated menu item, or your hosting panel).<\/p>\n Search engine visibility<\/strong> \u2013 Go to Settings \u2192 Reading and make sure \u201cDiscourage search engines from indexing this site\u201d is unchecked. If this is ticked, Google and other search engines will ignore your site even though visitors can see it.<\/p>\n Once these are off, your site is effectively live. Everything else is about making that first impression count.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Nearly there. Now\u2019s time to run through these checks as if you were a new visitor:<\/p>\n \u2610 Mobile looks right \u2013<\/strong> Open your site on a phone (or use your browser\u2019s mobile view) and confirm layouts, text and buttons look good, not just on desktop.<\/p>\n \u2610 Favicon and 404 page \u2013<\/strong> Upload a simple favicon in the Customizer or Site Editor, and ensure you have a usable 404 page (most themes provide one by default).<\/p>\n \u2610 No placeholder text \u2013<\/strong> Scan pages and footers for leftover theme demo text like \u201cLorem ipsum\u201d, \u201cSample Page\u201d, or \u201cEdit this widget\u201d.<\/p>\n \u2610 Navigation works \u2013<\/strong> Click through your main menu, footer links and any call\u2011to\u2011action buttons to make sure they go where they should and don\u2019t lead to empty pages.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t need perfection on day one. You do need a site that looks intentional, works on mobile, and doesn\u2019t accidentally tell Google to ignore you.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Getting your site live is a milestone, not the finish line. The real value comes from keeping it secure, up to date and gradually expanding it as your business evolves.<\/p>\n WordPress, themes and plugins release regular updates to fix security issues, squash bugs and improve performance.<\/p>\n \u2610 On Managed Hosting<\/strong>, core updates, theme updates and plugin updates are handled automatically for you.<\/p>\n \u2610 On self\u2011managed hosting<\/strong>, you\u2019ll need to log in every few weeks and run updates yourself via Dashboard \u2192 Updates<\/strong> and the Plugins<\/strong> and Themes<\/strong> screens.<\/p>\n Aim to update at least once a month; if you see a security\u2011related update, do it as soon as you can.<\/p>\n Backups are your safety net if an update breaks something or you accidentally delete content.<\/p>\n \u2610 Managed Hosting<\/strong> includes daily backups as standard, so you can restore your site from a recent point if needed.<\/p>\n \u2610 On self\u2011managed hosting<\/strong>, set up regular backups via cPanel<\/strong> or a simple backup plugin, and test restoring once or twice a year so you know the process works.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also worth checking page speed every few months (using a tool like PageSpeed Insights or your host\u2019s built\u2011in tools). Faster pages keep visitors around and give you a small SEO boost.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n You\u2019ll come across questions this guide doesn\u2019t cover, and that\u2019s completely normal. If you need help with your hosting, the 123 Reg Support team<\/a> is here to help with technical issues and getting your website online.<\/p>\n For WordPress-specific questions, the WordPress Support Forums<\/a> and Learn WordPress<\/a> offer free tutorials and community support. And if you\u2019d like to build your skills further, like Udemy<\/a>, Coursera<\/a> and even LinkedIn Learning<\/a> offer courses covering everything from the basics to more advanced WordPress topics.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n WordPress is the world\u2019s most popular website platform for good reason: its flexibility, huge library of themes and thousands of plugins make it easy to build anything from a simple business site to a full online store, and with 123 Reg Managed WordPress Hosting<\/a>, you\u2019ve got everything you need to bring it to life.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Mainly some time, a clear idea of what you want your site to do, and a few essentials: a domain name, a professional email address, and reliable hosting. A simple site can be up in a few hours, while something like an online shop takes a bit longer to set up properly. With 123 Reg Managed WordPress Hosting<\/a>, you get everything you need in one place.<\/p>\n Yes! Hosting is what stores your site and keeps it available to visitors. With WordPress, you choose your own host, which gives you full control over how your site runs. With 123 Reg, you can go fully hands-off with \u201cmanaged\u201d hosting, or install the WordPress CMS (app) yourself with Web Hosting<\/a>.<\/p>\n WordPress gives you full control and flexibility since you choose your own hosting. With 123 Reg Managed WordPress Hosting, you get that same flexibility, but with the setup, updates, backups and security handled for you. If you\u2019re tech-confident and prefer more hands-on control, Web Hosting lets you install and run WordPress (or any other CMS) yourself.<\/p>\n Managed WordPress Hosting is the simplest way to get started: WordPress comes pre-installed, with updates, backups and security handled for you. Web Hosting with WordPress gives you more hands-on control, you install WordPress yourself and manage things like updates and backups on your own.<\/p>\n Yes. WordPress is designed to be beginner-friendly, with visual editors and ready-made themes, and Managed WordPress Hosting makes it even easier by setting things up for you.<\/p>\n You can get a basic site with your main pages, Home, About and Contact, live in a few hours. Everything else can be built up over time, it doesn\u2019t need to be done all at once.<\/p>\n Mainly your domain and hosting, which can be kept low-cost to start. You can add extras like premium themes or plugins later if you need them, and Managed WordPress plans often include useful features as standard.<\/p>\n Yes, whenever you like. WordPress is flexible, so you\u2019re not tied to one provider. If you choose to move your site to 123 Reg, it\u2019s simple, with migration tools and support to help you get set up without the hassle.<\/p>\nKey takeaways<\/h3>\n
\n
\n
\n
What is WordPress, anyway?<\/h2>\n
WordPress by the numbers<\/h5>\n
![\"WordPress](\"https:\/\/www.123-reg.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2025\/06\/wordpress_hedaer-1024x327.png.webp\")
<\/a><\/p>\nFlexible by design<\/h5>\n
Built for growing businesses<\/h5>\n
Managed WordPress Hosting: The best of both worlds<\/h5>\n
Why businesses choose WordPress<\/h2>\n
\u2713 Up and running in no time<\/strong><\/h5>\n
\u2713 Made for your business, built to grow with it<\/strong><\/h5>\n
\u2713 Your site, your rules<\/strong><\/h5>\n
\u2713 There\u2019s a plugin for that<\/strong><\/h5>\n
\u2713 Security updates done for you<\/strong><\/h5>\n
\u2713 Search engines love it<\/strong><\/h5>\n
\u2713 Built for speed<\/strong><\/h5>\n
What do you need to build a WordPress site?<\/h4>\n
Getting started with WordPress<\/h2>\n
2. Under Managed WordPress, click Manage<\/strong> next to your site. (If this is your first time, you may see Set up instead.)
3. This takes you to the main management page. Click Edit Site<\/strong> to get WordPress open.<\/p>\nYour Hosting Overview<\/h4>\n
\u2713 Last backup:<\/strong> when your site was last backed up
\u2713 Last malware scan:<\/strong> when your site was last checked for threats<\/p>\n![\"123](\"https:\/\/www.123-reg.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2026\/06\/123_Reg_Managed_WordPress_Hosting_Overview-1024x510.png.webp\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"123](\"https:\/\/www.123-reg.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2026\/07\/123_Reg_Managed_WordPress_Hosting_Overview_Tools.png.webp\")
<\/a><\/p>\nSetting up WordPress with Web Hosting<\/h4>\n
Welcome to the dashboard<\/h2>\n
![\"123](\"https:\/\/www.123-reg.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2026\/07\/123_Reg_Managed_WordPress_Dashboard-1024x724.png.webp\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nTime to start building<\/h3>\n
Create your essential pages<\/h2>\n
Building your navigation menu<\/h5>\n
A few quick wins<\/h5>\n
?p=123<\/code>), but switching to something like \u201cPost name\u201d gives you clean, readable URLs (like yoursite.com\/about-us<\/code>) from the start. This one\u2019s harder to change later once links and search engines point to the old version, so it\u2019s worth sorting now.<\/p>\nChoose and customise your theme<\/h2>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.123-reg.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2026\/07\/WordPress_Themes_123_Reg_Menu.png.webp\")
<\/a><\/p>\nHow to install your theme<\/h4>\n
Browse the theme library<\/h5>\n
Preview it safely<\/h5>\n
Activate it<\/h5>\n
Customise the basics<\/h4>\n
Logo, colours, fonts<\/h5>\n
Header and footer tweaks<\/h5>\n
Add extra features with plugins<\/h2>\n
How to install a plugin<\/h4>\n
.zip<\/code>), go to Plugins \u2192 Add New \u2192 Upload Plugin<\/strong>, select the file, click Install Now<\/strong>, then Activate<\/strong> once it\u2019s done.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.123-reg.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2026\/05\/WordPress_Plugins-1024x525.png.webp\")
<\/a><\/h5>\nAfter you activate<\/h5>\n
Keeping things tidy<\/h5>\n
Launch your new website<\/h2>\n
![\"Launched](\"https:\/\/www.123-reg.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2026\/07\/WordPress_Themes_123_Reg.png.webp\")
<\/a><\/p>\nRemove common launch blockers<\/h5>\n
Final pre\u2011launch checklist<\/h5>\n
Keep your site growing<\/h2>\n
Keep everything up to date<\/h5>\n
Backups and performance checks<\/h5>\n
Stuck? Help is never far away<\/h4>\n
Take the next step with WordPress<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.123-reg.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/smush-webp\/2026\/03\/simplewaytosucceedonline-1024x284.png.webp\")
<\/a><\/p>\nFAQ<\/h2>\n
What do I need to start a WordPress website?<\/h5>\n
Do I need hosting to use WordPress?<\/h5>\n
What\u2019s the best way to run WordPress?<\/h5>\n
What\u2019s the difference between Managed WordPress Hosting and Web Hosting with WordPress?<\/h5>\n
Can I build a WordPress site myself without technical skills?<\/h5>\n
How long does it take to build a WordPress website?<\/h5>\n
How much does it cost to build a WordPress website in the UK?<\/h5>\n
Can I move my WordPress site to a different host?<\/h5>\n