Do I Need a Website, a Blog, or a Website with a Blog?

If you’re building a brand new site, you might be wondering if you need a website, a blog, or a website with a blog! At WordPress.com, you can create any one of these easily.

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Setting Up A WordPress Website

You can use WordPress.com to create a professional website with engaging content. We have features to help businesses, professionals, non-profits, event coordinators, and e-commerce entrepreneurs create powerful websites.

Pick your Theme

Start with a theme that has a homepage design you love or adapt any theme to have a static homepage with one easy change. Find out more about our collection of themes, and how to add your new favorite theme to your website:

Pick Your Theme

Add Pages

Pages are where you’ll add your website’s static content. Adding Pages is straightforward using the WordPress editor. If you prefer to add your Page content using HTML, you can dive right in with the HTML editor too.

Publish Your First Page

Choose your Homepage

Your next step is to choose a Page to be your website’s homepage. You can do this in your Homepage Settings in the Customizer. Here is a video overview of how you can do this:

Once inside your Homepage Settings in the Customizer, select the static page option below the text Your homepage displays.

When you do that, two dropdowns will appear. One of those dropdowns is titled Homepage. Click on the dropdown and select the Page you’d like to make your site’s homepage. Remember to click on the Publish button at the top of the Customizer panel to save your changes.

For more information, click the button below.

Set a Static “Home” Page

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Setting Up A WordPress Blog

A blog is a type of site that puts your latest articles front and center. If you plan on writing new posts, publishing photos regularly, and sharing news, then a blog is most likely the best fit for what you want to achieve.

Blogs are driven by the content you create. Blog designs will display your latest posts in reverse-chronological order by default. Themes usually include a sidebar and footer where you can add interactive blocks called widgets. These can be used to showcase your content or link to your social media.

When you sign up for WordPress.com, you can set up your blog in just a few steps:

  • Pick a theme that you love,
  • Add some information about your blog, and
  • Start writing your first post!

By default, your WordPress.com site will display your blog posts on your homepage, with your latest posts appearing at the top.

Set Up Your Blog in Five Steps

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Join Our Online Course

Gain all the fundamental (and a few advanced) skills you need to create a blog you’re proud of. Define your audience. Then build, publish, and grow your blog with an on-demand, go-at-your-own-pace course taught by the best bloggers on the internet.

Join Blogging for Beginners!

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Setting Up A WordPress Website With A Blog

Publishing content regularly is a great way to improve your website search engine ranking, share news, and increase your website’s engagement. That’s why we often recommend website owners add a blogging section to their site.

You don’t have to install anything on your website to add a blog. Simply –

  • Set a static page as your homepage, and
  • Create a blog page which will feature your latest blog posts and set it in Homepage Settings.

Pro tip: Add your blog’s content on your site’s homepage.

If you want to promote your latest blog posts on your homepage, you can add a Blog Posts block to your widget area to draw attention to your latest updates, or a Recent Posts Widget to your sidebar or footer. Also, be sure to add a link to your blog page to your Custom Menu:

We also have a number of great tips to help you boost traffic to your site. Click on the button below to learn how.

Increase Your Site Traffic

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Choosing Between a Podcast and a Blog

Deciding between a blog, a podcast, or both for your content? Read Podcast vs. Blog: Which One Is Best for Your Business?

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You Choose

Switch between these three options with a few quick customizations. Watch our tutorial videos to help you set up the site that’s right for you.

We can’t wait to see what you’ll create!