As a writer and entrepreneur, I’ve tried several platforms to showcase my work, but WordPress quickly became my favorite. In this post, I’ll show you why it’s perfect for building a professional website—even if you’re not tech-savvy.
My Path To A Self-Hosted Site
When I first started blogging in 2019, I set up a small blog on Blogger. That lasted about a year. I wanted something more visually appealing and customizable, so I switched to WordPress.com (watch this video to learn the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org), using one of their ready-made themes. It gave me a bit more control and a slightly prettier site. It felt like a step in the right direction. However, this only lasted a few years. I quickly realized that WordPress.com wasn’t going to allow me to turn my blog into a business.
At the time, I was young and looking for a cheap, easy drag-and-drop option. So I moved to Squarespace in 2024. My site definitely looked better. The editor was straightforward. But I spent months designing and redesigning, hunting for inspiration, and learning some code just to make my site look decent. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t my vision, either. I grew exhausted watching countless YouTube videos. I had to learn how to tweak mobile layouts, add custom CSS, and adjust features I didn’t fully understand. For over a year, I poured in countless unpaid hours trying to make my website work.
That’s when I started learning more about SEO. I realized that if I wanted to build a real business around copywriting, editing, and blogging, I needed to follow strategies that actually work. I couldn’t just hope my way would succeed. After researching and reading, I discovered WordPress.org—the same interface I had used with WordPress.com, but self-hosted. Suddenly, I had far more flexibility, better traffic potential, and I finally had the ability to create the website I had always envisioned.
Why WordPress?
My self-hosted WordPress site gives me incredible flexibility. I can import fully customizable themes (I highly recommend 17th Avenue Designs!) and make my site look exactly how I want. It offers scalability, so my site can grow with my business over time, and powerful SEO options through endless plugins to help me attract more traffic. And when I say it’s affordable, I really mean it. I spent over $200 setting up my Squarespace site—buying a domain, getting a professional email, and all of that—only to end up with something that still wasn’t what I wanted.
With WordPress, I spent $150 on my theme and $143 for Bluehost hosting with a 3-year plan, which breaks down to just $47 per year. Without a shadow of a doubt, it was well worth it. Having a self-hosted WordPress site is a total game-changer for anyone starting a blog or business.
WordPress Features I Love
Easy post editing and content creation:
I have truly never been happier writing blog posts. Writing inside WordPress is simple and intuitive, but what really sets it apart is the access to SEO data right within the editor. Being able to see how my post is performing, where I can improve, and how to scale my content has completely changed the way I write and plan blog posts.
Custom themes:
WordPress offers plenty of built-in themes, but it also allows you to easily import your own—literally with just a few clicks. When I imported my theme, WordPress and 17th Avenue Designs worked flawlessly together. It was one of the easiest setups I’ve ever experienced. I was genuinely shocked that I didn’t need to watch a single tutorial video or learn any code to make everything work beautifully.
Low time investment:
In just three weekends, I built an entirely new site, redirected my domain, designed each page, wrote the copy, connected all my buttons, added my newsletter, and even published blog posts. What once would have taken me a full year came together in a couple of weekends—proof that you don’t have to be a website designer to create something polished and professional.
Plugins for SEO, forms, and more:
One of my favorite things about WordPress is the sheer amount of options it offers. There are endless plugins available, giving you countless ways to customize and enhance your site even further. Whether it’s SEO, contact forms, design features, or performance tools, there’s a plugin for almost everything.
Mobile-friendly:
One of the biggest time consumers on my old Squarespace site was trying to make the desktop and mobile versions work together. I had to completely redesign and recreate my mobile site using tons of custom CSS just to make it functional. With WordPress, that’s no longer an issue. Desktop and mobile versions work hand-in-hand automatically, and I didn’t have to change a thing. That alone was the biggest sigh of relief.
Blogging features:
There is so much you can customize within a WordPress blog, and so many tools designed to help your posts actually find readers. You can add categories, tags, scheduling, and more to ensure your content doesn’t just reach people—but reach the right people. WordPress also makes it incredibly easy to organize posts, so readers can quickly find exactly what they’re looking for when they visit your site.
How To Get Started
- Sign up for hosting (I highly recommend Bluehost!) and install WordPress.
- Choose a theme—my top pick is 17th Avenue Designs.
- Design and write your website over a few weekends—or, if you’d like, hire me to help with the writing!
- Start publishing posts.
And just like that—you’re on your way to becoming a blogger and sharing your skills online. One of the most important things to know about blogging and offering services is that results rarely happen overnight. This is why so many people give up too soon or abandon the idea of having their own website and being their own boss. Building a successful blog takes time, dedication, and hard work, and it can take months before you start seeing the fruits of your labor. But trust me—it is absolutely worth it.
Tips For Maximizing WordPress For Your Site
One of the most important things I encourage you to do right away is learn SEO. There are tons of YouTube videos and tutorials that explain what SEO is and how to use it effectively. For WordPress specifically, focus on adding keywords to your titles, headings, and meta descriptions to help your posts get discovered.
Next, make sure your website is fast. Nobody likes a slow site, and large images are often the culprit. Install plugins that compress images and optimize performance so your website runs smoothly for your readers.
Finally, be consistent with your branding! The best thing you can do for your website is to be yourself. You have unique knowledge and a unique way of sharing it, so lean into that. Consistency in your style, voice, and presentation builds connection and authenticity—and readers respond to authenticity.
Ready To Start Your WordPress Site?
WordPress is an incredibly powerful tool because it not only helps bring readers to your site, but it’s also super easy to use. Even if you’ve never had a blog or any kind of website before, WordPress is simple to learn and navigate. Everything is straightforward—just the way I like it. There’s no hunting all over the place to figure out how to edit or customize your site—WordPress lays it all out clearly, making it easy to create a site that’s truly your own.
