Over 500 WordPress showcase sites are created daily! To ensure your online presence, what could be better than the most popular website building software in the world?
WordPress CMS provides options to suit your needs. Thanks to its many themes and extensions, you can create personalized pages that present your offers and accompany your prospects. In addition, WordPress provides the features you need to secure your site, optimize it for search engines, and make it GDPR compliant in just a few clicks.
So, if you want to know why and how to create a showcase site with WordPress, then this article is for you!
Why choose to build a business showcase site with WordPress?
More than 455 million websites run on WordPress. This CMS is unanimous with both beginners and professionals. The Reason? There are many benefits to building a showcase site in WordPress…
convenience of use
WordPress is one of the most flexible and powerful CMS in the market. For this purpose, one might think that it is complicated to use. However, its simplified interface can be handled by everyone, even beginners.
Its intuitive content editor (named after Gutenberg) helps you create pages for your showcase site. Through a block system, you can structure the design, customize it and organize the information as you wish. You don’t need technical coding knowledge.
personalization
WordPress is fully customizable! There’s a perfect theme for virtually any type of showcase site. Whether it’s a photographer’s portfolio, restaurant website or B2B business, you can choose from templates and customize them to your branding in just a few clicks.
WordPress themes come with their own options panel. You can then change colors, add your logo, change backgrounds, modify fonts… all without writing a single line of code.
Beyond themes, you can use extensions to integrate more functionality into your WordPress showcase site. These improve the user experience and can help you convert visitors into leads.
The “SEO Friendly” Side
WordPress was designed with SEO in mind. It is developed with high quality code using semantic markup. In non-geeky terms, this means that Google and other search engines can easily crawl WordPress sites and rank them based on user queries.
blog addendum
You need a blog to support visitors in their thinking, but to retain your customers. WordPress has all the necessary features to create a blog page on your showcase site. Also, basically, WordPress is a blogging platform.
This DNA is present in the tool through its editor rich in advanced parameters and options. You can manage a simple blog or just create your own professional webzine. WordPress offers multiple author management, post scheduling, proofreading options, and more.
regular updates
In the world of the web, it is important to always be up to date! WordPress regularly releases updates that you can install with just the click of a button. These updates are related to the CMS as well as themes and extensions.
How to Build a Showcase Site with WordPress Step by Step?
There are various steps involved in creating a WordPress showcase site. follow the leader !
1. Get started by choosing a web host
WordPress is a CMS, not a host. You will need to choose a service provider that will host your site. You can consult our 2022 comparison of the best web hosts to find out the main providers on the market.
In order to select the right host for your WordPress showcase site, here are some criteria:
- Scalability: If you decide to scale your project, add pages, or generate more traffic, your host must be able to support your site.
- Security: A good host should take web security seriously and offer security options, certificates, and other features.
- Support: If you have any questions or technical issues, you should have access to a reliable support team.
2. Proceed to Install WordPress
Depending on the host you choose, the WordPress installation process may look a little different. However, the basic steps remain the same.
After signing up with a provider, you will have access to a private control panel tailored to your hosting plan. This will likely include an option to install WordPress with a single click. If yes, then feel free to use it.
If so, you will need to download WordPress and install it manually via FTP. To know more, you can consult our tutorial “How to Easily Install WordPress on Your Server? ,
3. Configure Your WordPress Showcase Site
When you use WordPress administration for the first time, you need to configure the main information of the site:
- field title: This title will be displayed on the pages. You should choose one that reflects your business and, if possible, includes your main keyword.
- identity : This is the identifier used to connect to your WordPress back-office. Avoid entering “admin” for security reasons… Choose a more complex and personalized identifier.
- Password: You can use the one offered by default, or enter your own. Make sure it is labeled “strong” to limit the risk of hacking.
- Your email address: Enter the email used to setup your WordPress showcase site.
- visibility for search engines: Don’t check the box unless you want to appear in Google et cie.
4. Install and Customize the Theme
Now, the place to choose the theme! Look for a template whose structure is tailored to your needs that includes the features you need to build a showcase site tailored to your brand image.
To find a WordPress theme, go to the “Appearance” tab and then to “Themes”. Click on the “Add” option.
You will have access to the WordPress theme library. You can browse through it to find the design that meets your expectations.
If you have purchased a template from another supplier, you can upload it by clicking “Upload Theme”.
5. Select and Install Plugins
To be successful in the process of building a WordPress showcase site, you will definitely need additional extensions. Keep in mind that regardless of the functionality sought, there is necessarily a plugin!
To browse the store, go to “Extensions,” then click the “Add” button. You can explore various free plugins or upload one.
Among the essential plugins for WordPress showcase site, we find:
- wpportfolio: As its name suggests, it allows artists or photographers to quickly create image and video galleries.
- Yoast SEO: Required to improve the natural context of your pages and blog articles.
- W3 Total Cache: This is one of the most popular caching plugins on WordPress. Caching saves your content in the user’s browser. target? Speed up the performance of your pages when you return to your site.
- Contact Form 7: Perfect for setting up a professional contact form on your WordPress showcase site.
- Cookie Notice and Compliance for GDPR/CCPA : The data you collect on your WordPress showcase site must be GDPR compliant. In order to obtain informed consent, and to inform your visitors about its privacy policy, this plugin is very effective.
6. Create Pages for Your WordPress Showcase Site
Now it’s time to move on to creating the pages for your WordPress showcase site. Go to the “Pages” section and click “Add”.
You will be able to create your main pages, namely:
- Presentation of your products and/or services: Create a general page, then sub-pages for each offer, to give visitors as much information as possible.
- “About” page that summarizes your value offering and brand story.
- A “contact” page that has a form, but also an email address, a telephone number, and possibly other means of contacting you (WhatsApp, chatbot, social network, etc.).
- Blog page containing your articles, tips and news.
- Location page that allows visitors to know the address of your establishment, your point of sale or your resellers.
Of course, you are free to add as many pages as you want and go beyond this basic stuff. You can create one page that summarizes your commitments, another that offers a free exposure, a portfolio, customer testimonials…
7. Create Menu
Menu plays an important role for user experience. Properly arranged, it helps the visitor find his way around and navigate in search of the information he needs to feed his thinking about purchases. However, if he can easily find the information he needs, he will be more inclined to call your company when the time comes.
In addition, it will combine its fluid experience with a positive image of your brand. What can set you apart from the competition and has a significant impact when making a decision.
To create a menu for your WordPress showcase site, go to “Appearance,” then “Menu.”
You’ll be able to select “Main Menu” from the drop-down list or select the “Create New Menu” link.
Then, using the drag and drop function, you can prioritize menus. We recommend that you first provide the main page such as the welcome and presentation of your products or services.
Finally, you can have the “Contacts” page. Displayed at the very right or bottom of the menu, it will have significant visibility.
When your menu is ready, you can save it. Remember to test it, but also remember to get it tested by your colleagues or relatives to check its ergonomics.
There you go, now you know how to build a showcase site with WordPress!
our suggestion
It takes time to build a WordPress showcase site, especially to create pages that 100% meet your expectations. Why not delegate this task to a WordPress professional by posting an ad on Kodur? You will save time and efficiency!