Are you interested in building a WordPress website? But hesitant due to budget constraints? According to popular belief, launching a website drinks your wallet. But with WordPress, you can start your journey without breaking the bank.
WordPress has revolutionized the website creation process. It offers a beginner and user-friendly interface for both individuals and businesses. If you are new and want to have your website, build a WordPress website and explore the digital world without any financial commitments.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through how to try WordPress for free, giving you a taste of what’s possible without spending a dime.
5 Ways to Try WordPress for Free
- Sign up for a WordPress.com account and access basic features for free. You can also customize your website with WordPress plugins and templates.
- Get free web hosting and create your free WordPress website.
- Explore local development environments such as XAMPP/ WAMPP. It allows you to experiment with your free website without affecting live websites.
- You can also create WordPress demo sites from the WordPress.org website. It will offer free hosting and full control of customizing and managing the website.
- You can try out the hosting providers that offer free trials or money-back guarantees. It helps you experience full capabilities without any risk.
Create a Free Website with WordPress.com
The best way to try WordPress for free is to download and install it on your server. You can experiment with the themes, plugins, and other customizations. It helps you learn the ins and outs of WordPress very well.
However, with the free web hosting of WordPress.com, your website will be treated differently. Also, your website domain will have a suffix added. Although it will run quickly and smoothly, it won’t do that well in search engines.
Here is WordPress’s downloading and installation process for free on your computer:
- Just download WordPress from the official website (wordpress.com) to get started. After that, install it on your computer.
- You can customize the themes and patterns if you want.
- Also, you can explore WordPress plugins.
Try with Free Web Hosting
Another best way to try WordPress for free is to add free web hosting. Many web hosting providers offer free plans. Although the free plans have some restrictions and limitations, they are enough to set up a primary site. It will help you to know how WordPress runs without any financial investments.
Moreover, the free web hosting plan provides enough experience for a beginner. Also, it offers the same interface as the paid version. You can get a familiar hosting environment as well.
But as the free plans don’t give a good up times. Additionally, they are slow and have no customer support.
For the free web hosting, I recommend 000Webhost. It has been a good web hosting service since 2007. And their free plan includes various features. 000Webhost offers 1-click WordPress installation, 1-year free web hosting, and 300 MB SSD storage. To join the free plan:
- Firstly, go to 000Webhost.com.
- Then click on “Get Started” and then “Free Plan”.
- Now, enter your e-mail, password, and other required information to sign up.
- Then, you can create your website by clicking “Let’s create some magic.” It will let you choose the WordPress theme and build your website. You can also go to the directory panel to do all this by yourself.
Choose any Local Development Environment
The most popular way to use WordPress for free is to integrate with a local development environment. It is the most common way of creating a free WordPress site among developers and tech-savvy users. You can easily stimulate the live environment with these free local servers.
Local servers provide a safe environment and offer a high-performance experience. You can change the themes, install plugins, and update your website safely without any cost. Moreover, you can experience your website’s learning and testing process at a time.
Although the servers are free to use, you need a minimum of technical knowledge to use them properly.
However, you can use many local servers to try WordPress for free. But I recommend XAMPP the most. To install XAMPP:
- First of all, download Xampp from apachefriends.org.
- Run the .exe file.
- Then, start the setup wizard and choose the software component.
- Once you finish installing, you can do a simple setup and are ready to go.
Build Demo Sites with WordPress
WordPress demo sites are the simplest way to use WordPress by exploring the demo sites. Many theme and hosting providers offer demo sites for WordPress. It helps you gain full experience in functional WordPress installation and management. These sites help you to get familiar with the original site.
Another is that the demo sites load faster and offer better security. You can make changes and updates at any time without any hassle. Also, you can add content and media files to your website.
However, WordPress demo sites have no built-in support. You must have good technical skills to run the demo sites by yourself. To run the demo WordPress sites:
- To create your demo site, visit wordpress.org.
- It will create your site; you just have to choose your theme.
- The demo sites will do the other formatting and setup process by themselves.
Choose Hosting that Offers Refunds
Another simple and best way to try WordPress for free is to choose a hosting provider that offers refunds. You can use their premium plan, and if you are not satisfied with the service, you can get your money back. It helps you to choose the best server without risking a penny.
Although the hosting providers give a moneyback guarantee, they have some rules and limitations. So, I suggest you try the previous methods first when you are a beginner. You can go for the paid servers when you have good knowledge.
However, you can use any server that has a moneyback guarantee. But I recommend WPX hosting. From my experience, it is one of the best servers.
WPX hosting has specialized plans for WordPress websites. They smoothly optimize your website and make the performance outstanding. The basic plan includes 15GB Storage, 200GB Bandwidth, 1 GB RAM per site, 3 PHP Workers per site, and 1 CPU Core. You will get extensive 24/7 customer support as well. To buy the plans of WPX hosting:
- Go to the website of WPX hosting.
- Select “View Our Plans”.
- You can choose any of them that suits you best.
How to Create a Free Website on WordPress?
Creating a website in WordPress is super easy. You need to follow some instructions, and you can set up the whole website in minutes. The setup, customization, and management are simple and smooth with WordPress.
Step 1: Signup to WordPress.com
The first step in creating your free website is to sign up. You have to create a free account on WordPress.com. Simply go to the WordPress website and click on the “Get Started” button. Then, follow the instructions and fill in the requirements such as e-mail address, username, password, etc.
Step 2: Confirm email and Activate Website
Once you sign up, you will get a confirmation e-mail from WordPress. You have to click on the link to verify your e-mail and activate your website. It is a crucial step that allows you to have access to all the features and functionalities of your WordPress account.
Step 3: Setup your Website
After the activation, it’s time to set up your website. Firstly, give a unique name for your website. You may use a fantastic tagline to describe more of your vision and goal. Then, choose a URL that reflects your brand and content. And finally, select the language and time zone that best suits your needs.
Step 4: Choose and Customize the WordPress theme
After the basic setup, you now have to choose a theme for your WordPress website. WordPress has a vast collection of free and premium themes. You can choose any of them according to your preference, style, and niche. After selecting the theme, customize it and adjust colors, fonts, and other layout options.
Step 5: Connect with Social Media
Social media is the best option to expand your website’s reach and engage more with the audiences. So, you must integrate your social media accounts with your WordPress website. It allows you to share your content on social media easily. In this way, you can drive more traffic and increase visibility.
Step 6: Finish the Process
After setting up the website with your preferred theme and customization, you have to finalize the process. Here, you can take some time to explore the features and functionalities. You can ass pages, create menus, install more WordPress plugins, and enhance your website performance. Once everything looks good to go, you can hit the publish button and launch your website.
Check out the video to learn step by step process:
4 Things You Must Try on WordPress
- Learn the Basics of WordPress
Learning always comes first. So, before diving into the exciting world of WordPress, you must learn the basics. WordPress has a user-friendly interface. Also, it is very easy for beginners to get started. Therefore, you can explore all the features, such as dashboard setup, website management, creating pages, and customizing themes and templates.
- Choosing and Installing Various Designs and Templates
The greatest asset of WordPress is its amazing collections of designs and templates. Whether you are crafting a blog, portfolio, or an e-commerce web store, you will find thousands of WordPress plugins and themes that suit you. You just have to simply click on the “Install” to activate your design.
- Creating and Publishing Contents
After making your website captivating, you need to create and publish content there. Publishing and editing content in WordPress is easy as well. It has built-in SEO optimization capabilities. So, your content ranks on the search engines and increases your online visibility.
Moreover, you can add media content and optimize it without any hassle. After editing and optimizing the content perfectly, you can publish your content immediately.
- Exploring Plugins
Exploring the plugins is another functionality you must look into. These add-ons serve as invaluable tools. It augments your website capabilities smoothly. There are thousands of plugins, such as social media integration, SEO, WordPress security, and so on. In other words, you can find solutions for every need with WordPress plugins.
Why Free WordPress is Best for Your Initiative?
WordPress is not only an eminent but also a beginner-friendly CMS. It is known for its enormous benefits. WordPress is easy to use, flexible, scalable, and has many other perks. Here are the benefits of a WordPress website:
- Free and Open-source CMS
WordPress is the best open-source and free content management system. It is not only free to use but also accessible to manage. So, you can start any start-up, blog, or small business without spending much.
- Easy Hosting
Setting up a WordPress website is very easy and simple. It is compatible with most hosting service providers. So you can find a hosting service that suits your budget super easily. Moreover, even without technical expertise, you can set up your website without any hassle.
- User-friendly Interface
The biggest reason WordPress is so popular is its user-friendly interface. You can easily navigate the website with intuitive tools and a simple dashboard. Additionally, you can add, edit, and customize the website without coding knowledge. Again, the simple interface helps you to take complete control and manage.
- SEO-friendly Websites
SEO or search engine optimization helps you rank high on search engines and gain more traffic. WordPress is built with SEO-friendly features. It helps search engines effortlessly crawl your website and increase ranking. It increases your online visibility, expands your online presence, and drives more organic traffic.
- Easily Customizable and Scalable
WordPress adapts to your needs with ease. It has smooth customization and scalable features. You can manage effortlessly from a simple blog to a complex business website with WordPress. Also, you can customize the themes and add plugins without any hassle.
- Regular Updates
As the most popular CMS, WordPress regularly updates itself. The updates make your website more secure, fix bugs, add new features, and keep it more optimized. However, these updates are primarily automatic. In this way, WordPress saves your time and effort.
- Community Support and Resources
WordPress has a massive community of users, developers, and enthusiasts. So, whenever you face any problem, you can seek help from the community. You can find your answer and develop new innovative ideas with the community’s help. In a word, you will never feel alone in the WordPress world.
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Try WordPress with Premium Hosting and Domain (Best Option to Start)
Investing in premium hosting and domains is the best option if you want to launch a professional website using WordPress. With premium hosting, you’ll experience faster loading speed, better security, and reliable customer support. Also, a custom domain will excuse the professionalism and credibility of your website.
When it’s time to select a hosting server for your WordPress website, quality matters. Premium services operate your website smoothly even during the peak traffic period. The SSD storage, automatic backup, and advanced security make your website better. Softineers is renowned for its custom WordPress development service. Their websites seamlessly integrate with premium hosting and custom domains. So you can start your online journey on the right foot with Softineers and premium hosting service.
Bottom Line
Trying WordPress for free is a great way to test the platform’s capabilities. It helps you to pick the right choice for your WordPress website. You can explore the features and functionalities by taking advantage of the free trials and roaming around without financial commitments.
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FAQs
- Can I try out WordPress for free?
Yes, you can. WordPress.org is a free version of the WordPress website. It has its hosting server as well. So you can create your demo WordPress website. Also, it gives you a premium experience and allows you to explore all the themes and plugins.
- Can I switch to a paid plan later?
Of course. Starting your website with a free hosting plan is the best way to start. And when you are ready to go to the next level, you can switch to the paid plan later. You can simply upgrade your free plan to the paid one.
- Can I use my own domain name during the trial?
Yes. So many hosting providers allow you to have a custom domain. A custom domain always adds a professional touch and credibility to your website.
- What happens after the trial ends?
Free trials are mainly made to test the website’s experience. It allows you to have a premium environment and take a tour of the themes and plugins. But if you are not satisfied with the trial, you can deactivate your website or downgrade it with a free plan with limitations.
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