How to Build a Website in Nigeria Using WordPress

Are you in Nigeria and are looking to develop your own website? In this article, we will guide you through the process of developing a website using WordPress. WordPress is a popular Content Management System that powers over 40% of websites worldwide. WordPress is user-friendly, versatile, and offers a wide range of customization options. With WordPress, you do not need extensive knowledge of coding. Yes! You do not need extensive knowledge of coding. We have taken the time to detail the steps for any beginner in Nigeria who desires to create a website using WordPress.

7 Simple Steps in Developing a Website Using WordPress

• 1. Choose a Website Hosting Provider
• 2. Register a Domain for your Business
• 3. Install WordPress
• 4. Customize your Website on WordPress / Install Essential Plugins and Themes
• 5. Create and Publish Content on WordPress
• 6. Set Permalinks (Permanent links) and SEO on WordPress
• 7. Regularly Update and Backup your Website Content

1. Choose a Website Hosting Provider

To start building your website, you need to choose a hosting provider that will store your website’s files and make them accessible on the internet. Look for a reliable hosting provider that offers;

• Good performance
• Security
• Customer support
• Speed
• Scalability
• Great price
• Great hosting environment

If you don’t have a WordPress web hosting provider, start by signing up for your WebManager.NG which has all of the qualities listed above, and uses our WordPress installation process to install WordPress. At WebManager.NG, we offer various hosting plans, including WordPress hosting.

How to Choose a Hosting Plan

• On any browser, search WebManager.NG, This will take you to our website.

Click on the button See All Plans to see our options.

• Choose any hosting package of your choice by clicking on it.

I am going with the WordPress hosting package, which suits the kind of website I wish to create. You may choose Shared or Email (for Email senders) or even Reseller Package if you wish to become your own web hosting provider.

• Click on the dropdown feature to select a billing cycle and then click on Order Now.

2. Register a Domain Name

Here are well-explained steps to get a Domain name on WebManager.NG.

•  You may decide to transfer a domain name from another registrar; use an existing domain name or register a new domain name.

I want to use my already registered domain name, so, I will supply the fields with my already owned domain name and click on Use. If I wish to register a new domain, I will simply leave the button on “Register a new domain”. At this point, the system will search for the availability of that name and then I can select it if it is available.

• If you want to pay in dollars, click the dropdown feature at the field Choose Currency and choose USD, otherwise leave it as NGN.

• Check your Order Summary just to make sure you are choosing the right plan and click on Continue.
• Supply the field with a promo code if you have one. This is not compulsory, as not all packages have promo codes. In this case, WP Kick has one. Click on Validate code if you do, and then click on Checkout.

• If you already have an account, then click on Already Registered, otherwise supply the fields with your details.

• Supply the field with your company’s name if you have one, otherwise leave it blank. Fill in your address and other information you need.

• Choose a desired Password and ensure it’s a strong one. Click on the dropdown feature labeled Please choose a security question, to choose a question you would like to be asked in case you forgot your password.
• Enter an answer to your chosen question.
• How would you like to pay for your order? You may choose Rave by Flutterwave (Debit/Credit) or Paystack (Debit/Credit).

Join our mailing list if you would like to get Emails from us, otherwise toggle No.

• You are advised to check through before clicking on Complete Order.
• Choose a payment option and make your payment.

• You may have received an E-mail already, if you haven’t, click on Resend Verification Email.

With this, you have successfully created an account with WebManager.NG.

3. Install WordPress

Here are easy guidelines to Install WordPress on your hosting account.

• Search WebManager.NG. on any browser and hover over LOGIN/REGISTER.
• Supply the fields with the appropriate information you used to open your hosting account.

• Do the same thing here.

• Click on WordPress Hosting – WP Kick or any plan you have purchased and would like to use.

• Click on WordPress Manager.

• Click on Install on the page Softaculous.

• Supply every field with appropriate information.
• Arrow 1: Click on the dropdown feature to see other options for a protocol. Choose whichever protocol you will prefer your URL (Uniform Resource Locator) to have.
• Arrow 2: Supply this field with the domain name you purchased.
• Arrow 3: Leave the field empty. This is so that all your future contents will be stored in a simpler URL.
• Arrow 4: Choose a name for your site. This is totally your choice of name for your site.
• Arrow 5: A short description of your site e.g. your fashion site may have a description, ‘Home of quality wears’.
• Arrow 6: Leave the checkboxes unchecked.
• Arrow 7: Provide your desired username. The name you will prefer to use whenever you want to log in to your admin account.
• Arrow 8: Provide a password you will prefer to use whenever you want to log in to your account. Note, your password should have a strength greater than 80%.
• Arrow 9: Provide an E-mail in this field.

• Select the plugins you want (They will attach an extra feature or functionality to your website).

I have chosen Classic Editor because it will fit into the purpose of my website, but you may pick as many as you want.

You may decide to choose a theme. I won’t be choosing any theme here, because my preferred theme is not here.

• Click on Install after you must have completed every step.

4. Customise Your Website on WordPress / Install Essential Plugins and Themes.

Now, you have successfully installed WordPress on your website which is now live. What’s next is to customize your website using WordPress. Kindly note, there is more to website customization, but below are the basic steps to take.

1. Install a Theme

Themes in WordPress are like templates. Your choice of a theme is dependent on the purpose of your website. Some themes are multipurpose and others aren’t. It is advisable to search for a theme online that will suit the kind of website you want to create before you actually install it. Also, note that some important themes are Premium while some are free themes. Most of the premium themes can be gotten from Themeforest.

Steps to Install a Theme on Your Website Using WordPress.

• On your browser, search for your website’s URL. This will take you to the website you already created. My URL is mywebsite.ng.
• Click on your URL to add /wp-admin to it. For example, mywebsite.ng/wp-admin.
• Supply Username and Password.  This will take you to your WordPress Dashboard.

• You can move conveniently to and fro your website and WordPress Dashboard by hovering over the tool labeled 1 and then clicking on View Site.
• On your WordPress Dashboard, hover over Appearance, which is labeled 2, and click on Theme.

• Now, if you already have installed themes you want to use, you may click to search for that particular theme. If you do not have any theme already installed, or you wish to search for more themes, click on Add New.

• If the theme you desire to use is already installed somewhere in your system, then click on Upload Theme.

• Click on the button Choose File.

• Search for your desired theme wherever you have it saved in your System. I have mine saved on my Desktop.
• Click on the theme and then click on Open.

• Click on Install Now to install the theme.
• You may check your website to see how it looks, by clicking on the feature at arrow 2.

2. Install Plugins

WordPress Plugins are just extra attachments that do certain things on your website. They add certain features that add quality to your website, just like a flash to a system, or any peripheral device to a system.

In order to add plugins to your website, you have to know what you want to create. You are advised to google before installing, so you know what you want exactly.

• Still, on your WordPress dashboard, hover over Plugins. If you want to activate, deactivate, or delete a plugin you already have installed, click on Installed Plugins. If you want to install a plugin, click on Add New, otherwise, click on Plugin File Editor (For Developers).

• So, because I want to install a plugin, I have chosen Add New. Now you may decide to upload a plugin you already have saved somewhere in your system, by clicking on the button at arrow 1, and following the same steps to upload it, just like I did while uploading a theme.

If you want to search for a particular plugin you want, click on the text field at arrow 2.

• Click on Install Now.

• Finally, click on Activate.

If you have done this, then you have successfully started customizing your website on WordPress. Of course, there is more to customizing a website on WordPress. I will do a whole new content explaining every feature and how you can use this to create a website you desire.

5. Create and Publish content on WordPress.

If your website is a blogging website, you’ll find this really easy to create content and publish on your website. To create content like mine, I have written really easy steps to achieve that.

Creating content on WordPress:

• On your WordPress dashboard, click on Plugins. 

We would want to install and activate the Classic Editor plugin if you haven’t done that already. This plugin will give us just the right environment to type and edit our content. You can achieve this with the steps we have already carried out above.

• Next, hover over Posts and then click on Add New.
• Supply a title for your content in the text field above.

• Now, a hover over every feature will display a pop-up of its function, but let me run you through some features you cannot avoid using. Perhaps you may need to add an image to your content, this can be achieved by clicking on Add Media.

I will do a whole content explaining every detail you need to know in adding just the right images and also editing images on WordPress.

• The Formats button will display a menu containing various features that can change a text format, including lists, animations, backgrounds, etc.
• On clicking the dropdown arrow labeled Paragraph, this will display various headings. Now, these headings have specific areas for use. If you want to know more about it, follow my content on ‘creating and editing contents on WordPress’.
• The dropdown menu labeled 11pt is various font sizes that you may use for your content.

6. Set Permalinks and SEO

Permalinks are the URLs  (Uniform Resource Locators) that point to your individual pages and posts on your website. They play a crucial role in making your website more user-friendly and SEO-friendly. In essence, a permalink is your website’s address.

SEO Optimization: SEO Optimization involves the following:

• Making a Proper Keyword Research
• Optimizing Page Titles
• Proper Use of Meta Descriptions
• Good Use of Header Tags (H1, H2, H3, H4, H5, H6)
• Quality Content Writing
• Optimizing Images
• Building a Mobile-Friendly Website
• Internal and External Links Usage
• Page Speed Optimisation
• Proper Social Media Integration
• Makin Regular Website Updates

7. Regularly Update and Backup your Website Content

Follow these below important strategies to keep your website up to date and also backed up efficiently to reduce disaster on your WordPress website.

• Create a Content Update Schedule
• Use a Content Management System (CMS)
• Train Multiple Administrators
• Version Control and Backup
• Automate Backups
• Cloud Storage for Backups
• Monitor Website Health
• Update Security Measures
• Content Versioning
• Test Backups Periodically

In summary, creating a website in Nigeria using WordPress involves several important steps as we have mentioned above. First, you choose a hosting provider that’s right for Nigerian businesses. Then, you get a domain that shows your Nigerian identity. After that, you install WordPress, which helps you customize your site with themes and plugins.

A big part of this is making content that Nigerians will connect with, talking about things they care about and understand. You also make sure your site is set up so search engines can find it, and the web links are easy to use for visitors.

Don’t forget to keep your site up to date and back it up regularly. This helps keep everything safe. By following these steps, you can make a strong WordPress website.