The following is a guest post by Stuart Melling

WordPress is not only a great blogging tool, it is a great content management system. By using the countless free themes, plugins and widgets available, the possibilities of this software are limitless. I have seen WordPress used for everything from a simple blog to a restaurant’s online presence through to a realtor’s online portal. WordPress can be a simple and cost effective solution to getting your business website online fast.

So how do you take advantage of this great, free tool? With just a little time and careful thought, it can be a simple process. There are three essential steps to take. First, you need a domain name. Second, you need a hosting account and third, you need to install WordPress to said account. Lets break those three steps down a little, so you can get on your way to using WordPress today (and yes, it really is that simple!).

Registering a Domain Name

First you need a domain name. The domain is what you enter in your browser to find your website, ‘google.com’ for instance. To ensure your website appears in relevant search engine results, you need to take care over your choice of domain name. You will need a domain that accurately reflects your business and the services you offer. For example, if you were creating a domain name for a florist in New York City – nycflorist.com or newyorkcityflorists.com would both be excellent names to choose. Of course the perfect domain name may already be taken, and you may have to give the matter some careful thought. Most domain name registrars will offer a domain name lookup facility to help you check the available domains.

Find a Web Hosting Provider

With your perfect domain name secured, you now need to look for a reliable hosting provider. Web hosting, or simply hosting for short, is the service that powers your website and your email, it is the engine of the whole setup. It is common to purchase both hosting and a domain from one company, as most providers offer the two services in tandem. You should be looking for a hosting company that firstly supports WordPress. Most hosting companies will be more than happy to host WordPress. Also be sure to check out online reviews of the company. What are people saying about them right now? While a company may look perfect on the surface, dig around. There are plenty of online web hosting review sites, where actual customers rate their providers performance. Don’t be swayed by the bells and whistles of an organization’s marketing department!

Install WordPress

The third and final step is to install WordPress. ‘Installing’ WordPress refers to the act of uploading the WordPress files to your hosting account, and then configuring the setup. For technically adept users the process can be simple, but for novice or intermediate users, you may want your hosting company to install this for you. Such a service is usually available from hosting companies who specialize in WordPress hosting. Using an instant or auto installer from your hosting company, you should be able to have WordPress running on your website within a minute or two.

And from there? Well that is up to you! A myriad of free themes, plugins and widgets exist that you can use to customize the look and feel of your WordPress website. Hundreds if not thousands of free themes exist, which allow you to alter the appearance of your site in seconds, with hardly any technical experience necessary. Plugins and widgets are used to add additional functionality to your site like integrating your latest twitter comments to your site. And if you cannot find precisely what you want there is a thriving after market of designers and developers who will happily help you construct something unique. Using websites such as Elance, you can outsource such development work to developers across the globe, sometimes at rock bottom prices.

About Stuart Melling

Stuart Melling co-founded 34SP.com in October 2000. The firm has particular expertise in WordPress hosting. As business director Stuart is responsible for the development of new and existing hosting services; from pricing and marketing to the direction 34SP.com products take. A keen cook, Stuart spends his spare time perfecting and trying out new recipes at home.