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Introduction

Building a WordPress website is more than choosing a nice theme. From installing WordPress to transferring the site to a host, there are many stages, and each one has its own tips and challenges. In this article, I explain the path I followed to build my website, step by step, so that if you plan to build a WordPress website too, you know where to start and what to expect along the way.

Along the way, besides my own experience, I made extensive use of AI guidance. AI helped me find solutions to problems and understand the steps, but I applied and checked every change on the site myself.

The steps covered in this article:

  1. Installing WordPress on your computer
  2. Installing the Woodmart theme and Elementor
  3. Designing with Elementor and custom CSS
  4. Making the site trilingual with Polylang
  5. Website security
  6. Backups
  7. Buying a domain and hosting
  8. Transferring the site to the host
  9. Post-transfer checks

Step 1: Installing WordPress on Your Computer to Build a WordPress Website

I first built the site on my own computer and moved it to a host once it was ready. This approach has several advantages:

  • You don’t need to buy a domain and hosting until the site is ready.
  • Changes show up quickly.
  • You can experiment freely without worrying about breaking a live website.

WordPress needs a web server, PHP, and a MySQL database to run. To create this environment, I used XAMPP, a free program that installs Apache and MySQL together.

General steps:

  1. Install XAMPP and click Start next to Apache and MySQL in the XAMPP Control Panel.
  2. Open localhost/phpmyadmin in your browser and create a database using the New option.
  3. Download the latest version of WordPress, extract it, and copy its folder into the htdocs directory inside the XAMPP installation folder.
  4. Open localhost/folder-name in your browser and enter the database details (in XAMPP’s default settings, the username is root and the password is empty).
  5. Enter the site title, a username, a strong password, and the admin email, then finish the installation.
  6. Log in to the dashboard at localhost/folder-name/wp-admin.

Important note for working on the local site: Every time you want to work on your local site, first Start both Apache and MySQL in the XAMPP Control Panel. The site will not open unless both are running.

When you finish working, always Stop both. This prevents the server and database from running needlessly in the background, saves system resources, and reduces the risk of database damage.

Note: If Apache does not start, another program is usually using port 80. Close that program or change the port in XAMPP.

Step 2: Installing the Woodmart Theme and Elementor

To build the site, I used the Woodmart theme and Elementor Pro. Elementor is a page builder that lets you design pages visually without coding. The Pro version offers more features, and the plugin license must be activated to use them.

I had the theme file, the plugin file, and the license available when I obtained the Pro plugin. The installation steps:

  1. In the dashboard, go to Appearance → Themes → Add New → Upload Theme, choose the theme’s zip file, then click Install and Activate.
  2. Go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin, upload the Elementor Pro zip file, and activate it.
  3. In the plugin’s license section, enter the license key to activate the Pro features.

Step 3: Designing with Elementor and Custom CSS

The Woodmart theme comes with many ready-made features and pages, but I decided to use only its header and footer. I removed the rest of the theme’s sections and designed the pages myself with Elementor, because I wanted the site to match my own taste exactly and not be limited to the theme’s ready-made layouts.

Where Elementor’s settings were not enough, I wrote custom CSS. I made changes step by step and checked the result on desktop and mobile after each one. This approach makes it easier to find the cause if something goes wrong.

One of my challenges was configuring the Woodmart header. Finding the right settings, adding or removing items, and changing their order took time. Translating some parts of the header wasn’t easy either, and I had to go through different sections of the theme settings to find where to change the texts.

Step 4: Making the Site Trilingual with Polylang

My site is available in Persian, English, and Turkish (Istanbul Turkish), and I used the Polylang plugin to manage the languages.

Making a site multilingual is not just translating text. Menus, titles, and pages must also match the selected language. I also created a separate login page for each of the three languages so that the login section fits the site’s multilingual structure.

Step 5: Website Security

Security is something you should not ignore before publishing a site. Here is what I did:

  • Changed the dashboard login URL: I replaced the default, simple login address with a custom one that has a strong suffix. This blocks automated attacks that target common addresses.
  • Strong password: Instead of a simple password, I used the one suggested by the system.
  • Failed login limit: I enabled a setting so that if someone enters the wrong login details twice, they cannot try again for about half an hour. This prevents password-guessing attacks.

In addition, follow these practices:

  • Don’t use “admin” as the admin username.
  • Keep WordPress, themes, and plugins up to date.
  • Remove unnecessary plugins and themes.
  • Use only trusted plugins and themes.

Important note: Be sure to write down your custom login address somewhere. If you forget it, you won’t be able to log in to your own dashboard.

Step 6: Backups

Before the transfer, you need a full backup of both files and database. If something goes wrong during the transfer, you can return to the previous state with this backup.

Plugins like Duplicator create a complete package containing the files and database, plus an installer file, which is also useful for the transfer. Keep the backup somewhere other than your computer as well, such as cloud storage.

Step 7: Buying a Domain and Hosting

I registered my domain, fatemehasalmasi.ir, through Irnic. Because an .ir domain is registered under a person’s name, several identity verification steps were required. This takes some time, so it’s best to start early.

I got my hosting from Webtook for 3 months, because it was suitable for getting started and testing, and I didn’t want to commit to a long period from the beginning.

To connect the domain to the host:

  1. Get the host’s nameservers (usually two addresses) from the email or hosting panel.
  2. In the Irnic panel, select the domain and replace the nameservers.
  3. Wait from a few hours up to about 48 hours for the change to take effect.

Step 8: Transferring the Site to the Host

For the transfer, you upload the backup file to the new host, create an empty database in cPanel, and run the installer to restore the site. Before changing DNS, test the site on the new host, and keep the old host until you are fully confident.

Step 9: What to Do After the Transfer

The transfer doesn’t end with restoring the files. You also need to check the www redirect, how the site looks on mobile, plugins, and Search Console. I have covered these in my article “What to Check After a Hosting Transfer.”

Conclusion

Building a WordPress website from scratch to transfer is a path that moves forward with patience and step-by-step work. Every stage, from installing WordPress and designing with Elementor to security and transfer, taught me something. I plan to record my future experiences on this site as well.

If you run into a problem while building your own site, write to me in the comments.