Looking to start a news website, but not sure where to begin? No worries! In this article, we have curated the easiest ways to build a news website using WordPress. You wouldn’t even need to hire a web developer or programmer to design a good-looking and appealing site.
Regardless of the niche of posts you will publish on your site, WordPress is going to make everything easier for you. You wouldn’t need to invest tons of money or much technical knowledge to start your journey.
Why choose WordPress for starting a news website?
WordPress is the most popular content management system (CMS) used by around one-third of the websites on internet. One of the most obvious reasons behind its popularity is that it is very easy-to-use platform which can be used by anyone.
The robust editor that comes with WordPress is optimized for content, allows you to add images, media files, tags, and more. For adding functionalities like social media icons and chatbots, it enables users to install plugins. WordPress websites can be easily customized as per the need.
Having said that, following are the key steps to start a news website with WordPress:
1. Buy domain name and web hosting
The first step for building a website is to choose a domain name according to the name you want to give your business. Remember that the domain name should be unique and easy-to-remember, so that it can become word-of-mouth for visitors.
After choosing the domain name, buy web hosting on the basis of your budget. If you are not ready to invest much initially, then go for shared hosting which is affordable and good for beginners. You should consider purchasing web hosting from a reliable service provider who can provide support whenever things go wrong.
Once you are done with choosing domain name and web hosting, it is time to install WordPress on your site.
2. Choose right WordPress theme for news website
For appealing appearance and to attract users, you will need an eye-catchy theme for your website. There are plenty of themes available out there, but choosing the right one can make you stand apart from the competition. You have to keep in mind that there are thousands of news websites on internet, and if you go for a messy theme, then you are going to disappoint your visitors even if you write quality content.
While picking a theme, you should take care of a number of things. The theme should be SEO-friendly, responsive, compatible with the major browsers, and come with all the necessary capabilities.
Focus on the homepage of your site, as the visitors will land on it to explore more of your site. The layout of the theme you select should be easy to navigate, so that the users can access the desired topics and content without much efforts.
3. Use meaningful and unique logo
The logo will represent your brand everywhere and will reveal a lot about your site. It will influence the way your visitors feel about your site and its content. You have to understand that along with great content, the appearance of a website also matters. You can either use your creativity for designing the logo or get it designed from someone else in the profession.
Apart from the logo, select the fonts for your site which are good from readability point of view. Never use fancy fonts in your posts which are difficult to read. Utilize the white space in posts so that the content doesn’t become cluttered. Be consistent with the fonts across the website for legibility of the brand.
4. Utilize WordPress plugins
If you are not aware, there are more than 50,000 free plugins available in WordPress directory, which can be easily downloaded and installed to add excellent functionalities to your site.
Although WordPress already comes with numerous features, the plugins can work for you if you think any functionality is missing. For instance, for make the scrolling of posts interesting, you can install the WP News and Scrolling Widgets plugin.
There are plenty of plugins available for every use cases. To allow your visitors to share your posts on social media, you can add the sharing icons at the end of post. This can drive more traffic to your site. A plugin like Orbit Fox will be helpful for it.
Few of the most important plugins for a news website include WP RSS Aggregator and Yoast SEO. The WP RSS Aggregator can build a consistent flow of content on the website. The plugin does this by enabling you to import news feeds from a number of distinct sources.
Whereas, the Yoast SEO plugin is an easy-to-use plugin for search engine optimization. Just by adding an SEO title, slug, meta and Focus Keyword, you can optimize your post for search engines.
5. Set up social media accounts
When you are done with the website, establish the presence of your brand on various social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. While setting up the profile, remember that you should remain consistent with the username on every platform, use the logo of your brand as profile picture, link your website URL, and write a short and catchy bio. Social media is really a great way to drive engagement, reach more users, and attract traffic to website.
6. Share quality content
In the world of digital marketing, content is the king. Thousands of people every hour are searching for something similar to what you share on your site. If you share relevant and quality content, your readers will like it and subscribe your newsfeed. Allow visitors to share their feedbacks via comments, so that you get to know what they think about your site.
Before publishing the posts, ensure that the content is completely plagiarism free. It will not only save you from legal issues, but also improve your rankings on search engines. Post regularly on your site and share the posts on social media.
Wrapping up:
If you were wondering what it takes to start a news website, then you have got the answer. If you are really passionate about it, consider the above points, be creative and impulsive. Put your efforts to it, use Google Analytics to analyze website traffic and user behavior, and learn from it.
Regardless of the genre of your news website, these steps are going to work for you. All the best!
If you have anything more to add, feel free to do so via the comments section below.
