Planning

Once you’ve decided to create a website, the first step is choosing a name. Your domain name is your online identity, so it’s worth selecting with care. While it may seem straightforward, finding the right name can be more challenging than expected. A clean, relevant domain name builds trust and conveys professionalism, helping to establish credibility with your audience. Aim for a name that is:

• Memorable – As short as possible and easy to remember and share
• Related to your Brand – Actually use your business or brand name if possible
• Relevant – Consider using keywords related to the site’s focus (e.g. build a blocksite)

• Memorable – As short as possible and easy to remember and share
• Related to your Brand – Actually use your business or brand name if possible
• Relevant – Consider using keywords related to the site’s focus (e.g. build a blocksite)

However, once you have decided what you’d like to call your website, it’s almost certain the the name will no longer be available. So, usually some compromise is required. Maybe you can make the name longer as we did with buildablocksite.com. Longer domain names are often still available because the likelihood of someone else having already registered them decreases as the number of characters increases. Also, with a longer name you might be able to tweak it a little until a variation is available. We wanted to call our site buildawebsite.com, but settled on buildablocksite.com when we found our original choice was not available.

There are several creative strategies you might explore to find a name that aligns with your vision, such as:

• Use synonyms or related Words
• Add a prefix or suffix like “get”, “try”, “my”, etc.
• Combine two short words
• Add a location (e.g. usa)
• Add a year, not necessarily the current one
• Use acronyms or abbreviations
• Even a misspelling might work (e.g. “fukc”)

• Use synonyms or related Words
• Add a prefix or suffix like “get”, “try”, “my”, etc.
• Combine two short words
• Add a location (e.g. usa)
• Add a year, not necessarily the current one
• Use acronyms or abbreviations
• Even a misspelling might work (e.g. “fukc”)

Hyphens are also an option as they can dramatically increase the probability of the name being available. However, hyphenated names are not popular although the reason is not clear – probably more historical than rational. Hyphens don’t seem to have hurt “e-bay.com” and “coca-cola.com”.

Another consideration is the Top-Level Domain (TLD), the final segment of a domain name, appearing after the last dot. While “.com” remains by far the most widely used TLD, with nearly half of all websites globally using it, there are now over a thousand alternatives available. It might be tempting to choose a more novel or descriptive TLD – for instance, “buildawebsite.design” is currently available – but we generally advise caution with this approach. Unfamiliar TLDs can confuse users or even raise suspicions about legitimacy, making your site harder to find or trust. That said, some alternative TLDs can work well, particularly country-specific ones (for instance “.fr” for France), which signal local relevance to your audience. Ultimately, if you opt for a TLD other than “.com”, ensure there’s a clear and compelling reason for doing so.

If you’re struggling for inspiration, websites like “Nameboy” and “Domain Wheel”, along with various AI-powered tools, can offer helpful suggestions.

Throughout our site, we make many references to WordPress as this Content Management System (CMS) is the tool which the websites we are discussing are based on. However, you should be aware that there are actually two variants of WordPress (WordPress.com and WordPress.org), which although they are based on the same underlining software are fundamentally different.

There are a number of factors to consider when selecting the version of WordPress you will want to use. Give this serious consideration as although it may be possible to migrate from one to the other at a later stage, there will probably be some major complications and a risk that not all the functionality will be supported.

WordPress.com is a fully hosted platform, meaning you don’t need to seek out a 3rd party hosting provider, your site will be hosted directly by Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com. They offer a range of plans, from a basic free tier to more advanced paid options. The free plan includes essential hosting but comes with significant limitations in terms of storage, functionality, and customization. It restricts users from installing custom themes or plugins, offers limited monetization opportunities, and provides only community-based support. Additionally, the presence of WordPress branding and ads may detract from the polished, professional image you wish to present. For these reasons, we strongly recommend avoiding the free plan.

WordPress.org, by contrast, provides the open-source WordPress software for self-hosting. Users are responsible for securing their own web hosting through a 3rd party provider. This fundamental difference – self-hosted vs. fully hosted – is central to understanding the key distinctions between the two platforms. WordPress.com simplifies management by handling security, updates, and backups, making it ideal for beginners. However, that ease comes at the expense of control and flexibility, which are hallmarks of the WordPress.org experience.

Our website, buildablock.com, is built using WordPress.org, and while our guidance is geared toward self-hosted sites, much of the content is still relevant to those using WordPress.com.

Once you have chosen a suitable domain name for your website (e.g. buildablocksite.com) you need to register it. Domain registration is the process of buying a domain name so you can use it on the internet. This will be used for your Uniform Resource Locator (URL) once your site is up and running (e.g. https://buildablocksite.com). This is done via a domain registrar which is a is a company authorized to sell domain names. There are thousands of Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) accredited domain registrars which you can register with.

There are a few considerations when choosing your register. One is obviously the cost and there can be significant differences between registrars so you should get the prices from a few for comparison. Another important point is that your hosting provider may very well offer a free domain registration, usually only for the first year. This is a very popular marketing strategy, especially with Shared Hosting plans. It’s a perfectly legitimate approach but do some research before signing up. Find out how much registration will cost after the first year and make sure you are free to move to another registrar if you wish. When you transfer a domain name to a new registrar, there’s typically a small fee regardless of which registrar you use (around $10–$15 USD depending on the TLD). That fee usually includes a one year renewal of your domain, so you’re basically paying to extend your domain ownership. To transfer the domain you need to unlock it at your current registrar and get an authorization code (EPP code) from them. While domain registrars are obligated to follow ICANN regulations, which ensure the right to transfer a domain, some may impose hurdles that make the process unnecessarily complicated. There are also other considerations like the ICANN rule that you can’t transfer a domain within 60 days of initial registration or a previous transfer.

You should also check if the registrar charges for WHOIS Privacy Protection. WHOIS is a publicly accessible database that stores information about registered domain name. So as well as information about the domain, anybody can find a lot of private information (e.g. your name, email address, phone number, etc.) which you may want hidden. To prevent spam and protect your privacy, most registrars offer WHOIS Privacy Protection. This replaces your personal information with generic registrar information so keeping your contact details secret. While some registrars offer this for free, others charge an annual fee, typically between $10 to $20 per year.

We register all our domains with Cloudflare who we can highly recommend for this service. Their pricing is totally transparent with no hidden fees or upsells. They charge the same price for registration and renewal which includes free WHOIS Privacy Protection by default.

So now we come to probably the most important decision you need to make with regards to your website if you have chosen to use WordPress.org as opposed to WordPress.com, namely which hosting service you will use. The first step is to chose the type of hosting platform which fits your needs. The main types of hosting available are Shared Hosting, VPS Hosting, Cloud Hosting and Dedicated Hosting. Once you have decided on the hosting type, then you have to choose the specific plan. There are numerous providers, so this is a real challenge.

One of the most decisive factors in choosing a hosting solution will likely be your budget. It’s important to look beyond the headline price and carefully examine what each plan actually offers. While it’s possible to find Shared Hosting for under $50 a year, and spend nothing more if you avoid premium plugins, this typically comes with significant trade-offs: limited performance, weak security, no scalability, lack of backups, no staging environment, and poor customer support. With just a modest increase in cost, you can access far greater value through a VPS or, even better, a Cloud Hosting plan.

As we note in our summary, we use UltaHost for our VPS-hosted sites and Rocket.net for our cloud-hosted ones. Both these provide exceptional value for money and we are very happy with them. However, there are many other excellent providers to choose from, just make sure to do plenty of research and to read a lot of reviews,

Every website must be connected to the Domain Name System (DNS), a network of servers that translates human-friendly domain names (such as buildablocksite.com) into numerical IP addresses (such as 79.133.56.277) that computers use to locate each over the internet. Without DNS, users would need to remember and enter long numeric IP addresses, which is clearly impractical.

DNS Hosting refers to the service that manages your DNS records. These records are critical in directing internet traffic to your website’s correct location. While domain registration and DNS hosting are related, they are technically separate services. However, most domain registrars offer DNS Hosting by default. When you register a domain, they provide Name Servers (NS) that point to their own DNS system. You can then choose to use this built-in service, or configure your domain to point to a different DNS provider.

Although not too challenging, DNS setup can be a bit confusing if you have not come across it before, so if you’d rather avoid setting up the DNS yourself, the easiest approach is to choose a website hosting provider that also hosts the site’s DNS, and then they will handle the DNS configuration. This is common practice, and usually means your DNS records are created and managed automatically, minimizing the chance of misconfiguration.

For more control or advanced features, you may want to use a 3rd party DNS provider. For example, we register all our domains through Cloudflare, which automatically sets our domain to use their DNS services. Cloudflare offers fast, secure, and free DNS with excellent Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) protection, ideal for our needs. However, because Cloudflare is not a WordPress host, we must manually configure our DNS records to point traffic to our web server. While this requires a little extra effort, the trade-off is improved speed and security.

Once you’ve chosen your DNS host, you’ll need to ensure that the appropriate DNS records are configured. If you’re using your hosting provider’s DNS, many of these records will be generated for you. If you’re using a different DNS provider, you’ll need to copy the necessary records across, this process varies slightly depending on your provider. These are the most common DNS record types:

• A – Maps a domain to an IPv4 address
• AAAA – Maps a domain to an IPv6 address
• CNAME – Points one domain to another (alias)
• MX – Mail Exchange – directs email to mail servers
• TXT – Stores text info – often for SPF, DKIM, or site verification
• SRV – Specifies which nameservers handle the domain
• PTR – Reverse DNS (IP to domain)

• A – Maps a domain to an IPv4 address
• AAAA – Maps a domain to an IPv6 address
• CNAME – Points one domain to another (alias)
• MX – Mail Exchange – directs email to mail servers
• TXT – Stores text info – often for SPF, DKIM, or site verification
• SRV – Specifies which nameservers handle the domain
• PTR – Reverse DNS (IP to domain)

There can be many other DNS records which need to be configured when and if they are needed.

One point to note is that when you change DNS records, it can take time to update globally, this is called DNS propagation. It’s usually done in a few minutes but could take as long as 48 hours, depending on the Time To Live (TTL) settings and caching. With Cloudflare we have never experienced any long delays, but you should be aware of the possibility.

One often overlooked aspect when selecting a hosting plan is the inclusion of a Control Panel. While technically proficient users may be comfortable managing their sites using tools like FileZilla File Transfer Protocol (FTP) clients, or accessing servers through a Command Line Interface (CLI) with SSH, most users will prefer a more intuitive, user-friendly interface. A Control Panel provides a web-based dashboard that simplifies site and server management, making it easy to oversee everything without requiring advanced technical skills.

Some hosting providers include free Control Panels as part of their plans. For example, we use a Hestia Control Panel with our UltaHost VPS Hosting which is an option included in all of their plans. These open-source dashboards offer a range of essential features to help users manage websites, databases, email accounts, backups and server settings through a graphical interface. They usually require to be manually setup so there may be a learning curve, especially for those unfamiliar with web hosting environments. However, many users find them to be practical and cost-effective. With a bit of exploration and willingness to learn, they can serve as powerful tools that eliminate the need for more expensive, commercial alternatives, making them ideal for anyone looking to keep costs down without sacrificing control.

Alternatively, there are proprietary Control Panels available, designed to make managing your website effortless. These polished dashboards allow users to handle key tasks through a clear user-friendly interface. While higher tier hosting plans often include these premium tools, budget options usually don’t. In such cases, adding a Control Panel can significantly add to the the overall costs of hosting a website. For instance cPanel, the industry leader, has pricing plans that can significantly increase your hosting expenses. More affordable alternatives like Plesk exist, but they still represent a notable investment. It’s wise to research exactly what’s included in your hosting plan to avoid unexpected costs later on.

There’s no need to worry about Control Panels if you choose a Managed Cloud or Dedicated Hosting plan, as most providers offer their own integrated management interfaces. These built-in dashboards are typically modern, intuitive, and specifically tailored to the provider’s hosting environment, making them easy to use even for those with limited technical knowledge. They streamline management tasks from a centralized location inside the hosting provider’s portal. This is one of the many key advantages of using Cloud or Dedicated Hosting, as not only do you benefit from greater performance, scalability, and reliability, but you also avoid the added complexity and cost of sourcing a separate Control Panel.

When you are creating your site you need to treat security threats as a very real danger. In order to harden your site and protect it from attack, we highly recommend using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to filter out malicious traffic and automatically block known threats before they ever reach your site. Your website needs to be protected by a WAF because although most hacks happen due to human error or neglect, not flaws in WordPress itself, attacks can still occur even if you’ve taken all the right precautions.

Keeping your website secure involves more than just blocking threats, it also requires ongoing monitoring and prompt response to any that manage to get through. This is where Malware Scanners and related tools come into play. A Malware Scanner will regularly check your website’s files, code, and database for any signs of malicious software. These scans can detect known malware signatures, suspicious file changes, or unauthorized code injections. Many security tools offer scheduled automatic scans as well as manual scanning options, allowing you to stay proactive in protecting your site.

For our UltaHost VPS hosting, we use the free Cloudflare WAF alongside the free version of Sucuri Security for malware detection. Since these tools are not included by default in the hosting plan, we are responsible for their installation and maintenance. It should also be noted that most malware plugins only provide malware removal in their paid plans. However, the UltaHost support team has proven to be exceptionally helpful whenever assistance is needed so we have never had any real problems.

In contrast, our Rocket.net Cloud Hosting includes the premium Cloudflare Enterprise WAF and Imunify360 for comprehensive malware scanning as part of every plan. These advanced security features are fully managed and maintained by the Rocket.net support team, requiring no manual setup or maintenance on our end. This hands-off approach to high-level security is one of the many benefits of choosing a Cloud Hosting provider.

Because WordPress is a dynamic ecosystem, built on a core platform and extended through a constantly evolving mix of plugins, themes, and custom code, it presents numerous potential points of failure. A seemingly harmless plugin update, an unforeseen theme conflict, or even a small error in custom code can bring your entire site to a halt. Additionally, WordPress sites are frequent targets for cyberattacks, with hackers seeking to exploit vulnerabilities, inject malware, or gain unauthorized access. If a website is compromised with an infection, or experiences a critical failure, backups provide an essential safety net, allowing users to quickly restore a stable, clean, functional version and avoid the lengthy process of diagnosing and repairing the issue. In cases where sensitive customer data is at stake, the ability to recover quickly can be the difference between a minor disruption and a serious security breach.

WordPress backups are complete copies of your site’s files and database, captured at a point in time so you can restore your site if something goes wrong. Since WordPress sites consist of two main parts – the code and media files (core installation, themes, plugins, uploads) plus the MySQL database (your posts, pages, comments, settings, and user data) – a proper backup strategy always includes both components. Missing either can leave you with a broken site or lost content when you attempt a restoration.

Backups also give you the freedom to experiment and grow without fear. You can test a major redesign, install a new plugin suite, or migrate to a different host and always roll-back if things go wrong. With a reliable backup strategy, complete with off‑site storage, versioned snapshots, and a staging environment, you can trial new ideas and roll back at will if something goes awry. That peace of mind not only safeguards your current site but also empowers you to innovate, knowing that you can always roll-back to where you started.

Now that we’ve emphasized the importance of regular backups, it’s crucial to take a closer look at how well your website will actually be protected. Backups are only effective if they’re done properly. This means ensuring that they are performed frequently, stored securely (preferably off-site or in the cloud), and easy to restore when needed. It’s also wise to test your backup system periodically to confirm it works as expected. Without a reliable backup strategy in place, even a small issue can quickly escalate into a major crisis.

Even on On Shared Hosting, some providers offer plans with daily or weekly backups stored on the same server or a nearby cluster. However, such backups usually have a short retention window (3-7 days), and restoration may require a ticket or be limited to one or two free restores per month. They’re OK for simple recovery after a small error, but they’re not sufficient if you need longer‑term archives or instant rollback capabilities.

Stepping up to Managed VPS plans, providers frequently offer more robust backup suites. You’ll find hourly, daily, or even real‑time incremental backups retained for weeks or months, with off‑site storage (Amazon S3, Google Cloud, etc.) to guard against regional failures. Such plans may include a Control Panel (or you can add one at a price) that lets you browse your backup history, preview a file or database table, and spin up a one‑click restore to production or a staging environment.

Most Managed Cloud and Dedicated Hosting plans come with comprehensive backup services that ensure your website can be quickly restored if anything goes wrong. Such plans often offer advanced recovery options, allowing you to restore your site to a very recent version and the ability to undo changes down to the smallest detail, giving you greater control and peace of mind. Backup management is seamlessly integrated into the provider’s dashboard, giving users clear visibility and control over the entire process.

Regardless of the plan, good hosts will let you configure backup frequency, retention length, and storage location, and will provide clear documentation on how to restore data. In every case, the key is to understand your host’s backup window, test restore processes periodically, and maintain at least one off‑host copy so you’re never at the mercy of a single point of failure.

If your provider limits restores, or shortens retention to drive add‑on sales, you can augment their service with a plugin‑based solution. WordPress backup plugins simplify the process of safeguarding your site by automating the creation, storage, and restoration of both your files and database. Rather than relying solely on your host’s built‑in snapshots, these plugins give you granular control over scheduling, retention, and remote storage destinations – so you can maintain as many restore points as you like, off‑site, without manual intervention. Although we always choose hosting plans with good backups, we also regularly use the Duplicator plugin to store additional backups offline just in case those stored on our site get compromised (it’s never happened, but better-safe-than-sorry).

Caching is a technique used in computing to store copies of data in a temporary “fast access” layer so that future requests for the same data can be served more quickly. Rather than re-computing or re-fetching information every time it’s needed, a system checks the cache first and, if the requested data is present (a “cache hit”), returns it immediately. This greatly reduces latency, lowers the load on backend systems, and improves overall throughput.

When it comes to creating your WordPress site, there are a number of different types of cache to consider. All of these will improve your site’s performance in one way or another, so you should implement them all if you can.

Everyone who uses a computer or smartphone, benefits from browser caching as it’s built into every browser (e.g. Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Opera, etc.). Browser caching is like letting people keep copies of your site’s images and other files on their own device for a while. That way, when they come back or click through your pages, their browser reuses those files instead of downloading them again, so pages load faster and feel snappier. For WordPress websites this means faster page loading, better user experience and less strain on the host’s server.

Browsers only cache files if your site instructs them to, so as a WordPress creator, it’s important to ensure caching is enabled. Most hosting providers, particularly those offering Managed Hosting plans, enable basic browser caching by default at the server level. However, this isn’t always the case, so it’s essential to verify it for your setup.

With page caching, it’s the host’s server that keeps a snapshot of your website’s page the moment it’s first loaded. So the website’s pages are saved the first time they’re loaded and when someone visits the same page again, it can be shown much more quickly, without the server having to rebuild it each time.” As a result, since the server can quickly serve the ready‑made snapshot rather than doing all the work again behind the scenes, the pages load almost instantly, This is the most effective way to accelerate low‑traffic pages.

Cached pages remain valid for a set period, often between 10 and 60 minutes, or until you make updates that need to appear right away, such as editing a post. When the cache expires, or when you “purge” it manually after an update, the next visitor triggers a fresh build and save cycle, ensuring everyone eventually sees up‑to‑date content.

Shared Hosting, most Unmanaged Hosting, and many VPS Hosting plans do not include page caching by default, so it’s essential to ensure it is properly implemented. The simplest way to achieve this is by using an optimization plugin. In most cases, you can enable caching with just a few clicks, installing the plugin and adjusting a setting. Many plugins offer a variety of caching features in their free versions, though some reserve these capabilities for their premium plans. These paid plans also include additional speed and performance enhancements which are well worth consideration to optimize the site even further.

Managed Cloud and Managed Dedicated Hosting providers usually include page caching in their plans. This may be via plugins, or built-in page caching like Varnish/NGINX in their stacks, so you get dramatic performance gains out of the box. You’re also usually free to enhance or replace such caches with any plugin or service you prefer.

While page caching works by keeping a complete, ready‐to‐serve snapshot of each page so that visitors immediately see the full page without any delay, object caching means keeping frequently needed pieces of your site’s data in a quick‐access store. Your site can then quickly pull together those bits without having to recreate them from scratch each time. In short, page caching delivers whole pages instantly, while object caching speeds up the building blocks that make those pages. By avoiding repetitive database lookups, it reduces server work and lets pages load more smoothly, especially under heavy traffic. The result is a more responsive experience for your visitors, less strain on your hosting resources, leading to faster page load times.

Most shared hosting plans do not include object caching because it requires background services and persistent memory, which shared servers usually don’t support due to resource limitations.

If you want reliable, persistent object caching, most types of hosting, apart from basic Shared Hosting, allow you to implement it using Redis or Memcached. Many Managed Hosting providers support this and may help set it up at no extra cost. Typically, the caching service (such as Redis or Memcached) must be installed and running on the server. After that, you simply install a compatible plugin on your WordPress site and activate it. Once active, a settings panel (often under Tools → Object Cache or similar) lets you enable caching with a click. The plugin then handles storing and retrieving frequently used data automatically, making your site load faster and reducing database load.

A Content Delivery Network (CDN) acts as a global cache for your WordPress site’s static assets, images, CSS, JavaScript, and video, by distributing copies to servers (or “edge nodes”) around the world. When a visitor requests a page, these assets are served from the node closest to them, slashing latency, speeding up load times, and offloading bandwidth from your host’s server.

Beyond raw speed gains, CDNs can bolster your site’s resilience under heavy traffic and help absorb malicious traffic spikes. Many CDN providers offer built‑in Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) mitigation and Web Application Firewall (WAF) services, filtering out attack traffic before it ever reaches your WordPress installation. This layered defence means that during a sudden surge, whether legitimate or malicious, your server remains focused on legitimate visitors, reducing the risk of downtime or throttling.

Almost all hosting plans support integration with a Content Delivery Network (CDN). If yours does not, consider choosing a different plan as this is an essential service that can significantly boost your site’s performance. CDNs vary widely in their offerings, from free, entry-level options like Cloudflare’s basic plan to fully managed premium services such as KeyCDN, StackPath, or Fastly. When choosing a CDN, consider factors such as the geographic distribution and number of edge nodes, cache-control flexibility, performance analytics, and additional features like security or image optimization. Pairing your WordPress site with the right CDN ensures faster page loads, greater stability during traffic spikes or attacks, and a consistently smooth user experience across the globe.

Setting up a CDN with WordPress is straightforward. Optimization plugins like WP Rocket, FlyingPress, W3 Total Cache, and Speed Cache can automatically rewrite URLs for static assets to point to your CDN’s domain, handle cache purging when content is updated, and in some cases prefetch key resources to speed up initial page loads. Many Managed WordPress hosts also offer one-click CDN integration, bundling edge caching into their infrastructure so you can activate global distribution with little to no manual DNS or plugin configuration.

WordPress websites often need to send emails for things like contact form messages, user registrations, password resets, order confirmations, and comment notifications. These emails are an important part of how the site communicates with its visitors and users. Whether you’re running a blog, an online store, or a business site, having email working properly is essential to keeping users informed and engaged.

Email features can vary widely depending on whether you’re using Shared, VPS, Cloud, or Dedicated Hosting, and it’s important to understand what you’re getting (or not getting) with each type of plan so do some research before signing a contract.

Regardless of whatever hosting plan you choose, it’s possible to use a plugin for your email setup. By default, WordPress tries to send emails using the basic mail function on the hosting server. However, this method isn’t always reliable, especially on Shared Hosting, because many web hosts place limits on sending email, or don’t configure mail servers to meet modern spam protection standards. As a result, emails might get delayed or land in the spam folder, or never arrive at all. Email plugins let you connect to trusted 3rd party Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) services built specifically for sending email messages reliably. SMTP is the standard for sending emails and ensures your messages don’t get marked as spam. This improves deliverability and provides tools to track or troubleshoot problems. For most websites, taking the time to set up proper email delivery is a simple way to build trust and keep communication flowing.

Most email plugins allow you to keep a log of all emails sent from your site. This is helpful for troubleshooting. If someone didn’t receive an email, you can check whether it was actually sent and what it contained.

Email plugins also let you set the “From” name and email address, choose the reply-to address, and configure formatting. This gives emails a more professional and consistent appearance.

In summary, while your hosting provider’s built-in email can handle basic needs, email plugins offer far greater reliability and customization, especially for WordPress sites that rely on user communication, eCommerce, or lead generation.

While the default WordPress Gutenberg Block Editor offers a solid foundation for building content with blocks, many users find it somewhat limited out of the box. To fill in the gaps, a variety of 3rd party Block Editor plugins have been developed. These tools expand on Gutenberg by offering extra design flexibility, additional blocks, and better control over layout and styling ,without requiring users to touch code.

These enhanced block editors work as add-ons to the core WordPress experience. They build upon Gutenberg’s block-based approach by introducing advanced block collections, like pricing tables, sliders, testimonials, call-to-action buttons, and more. Some also offer pre-designed templates and layout patterns that users can insert and customize which, in theory, make it faster to build professional looking pages. Examples include plugins like Spectra, Kadence Blocks, Stackable, Spectra (formerly Ultimate Addons for Gutenberg), and GenerateBlocks. Most of these have both free and premium options for building websites. 

What makes these tools especially helpful is that they are lightweight and performance-focused, unlike traditional Page Builders which can be heavier and slower. These enhanced block editors are well integrated into the native WordPress experience, meaning users don’t have to learn a completely new interface, they just get more power and options directly within the existing editor.

In short, these Gutenberg-enhancing plugins help users do more with less effort, giving both beginners and pros the tools they need to design polished websites while staying within the streamlined WordPress block system. So before starting out on your journey to build your first website, we suggest you do some research and then install a Block Editor plugin that suits your needs. You can safely start with a free version, and if and when you need a block that’s only in the premium version, upgrade at that point. Be aware that once you start using such a plugin, you’ll really have to keep it active as the blocks won’t work without it and you’re site will look a mess. If you do change your mind and prefer a different plugin (or the one you chose does not have a particular block you discover you need), it is possible to add other editors, but we’d advise not to embed blocks from different editors inside each other as they may not be compatible.

You may decide to use a Page Builder instead of Block Editor as these are still very common and popular. This approach to website design focuses more visual control and design flexibility without relying heavily on themes. Plugins like Elementor, WPBakery, and Beaver Builder provide a drag-and-drop interface that allows users to build complex layouts with ease, often including advanced styling, animations, and responsive controls. To all intents an purposes Page Builders also use blocks, but the terminology can vary. These building blocks are often referred to as modules, widgets, or content elements, which are essentially the components users drag and drop onto a page to create layouts. The blocks can be basic elements like text and images, or more complex ones like forms, tables, or counters. Some Page Builders also be utilized or be integrated with the WordPress Gutenberg blocks. What we are saying here, is that regardless of whether you choose a Block Editor or Page Builder, you will still essentially be building your website with blocks, so all the information on our site is pertinent to you.

Every WordPress website has to have a theme installed. Each site uses just one active theme, although others can be installed as Child Themes which are outside the scope of this site and not needed or used by the vast majority of websites. Before you start creating your website your should decide on which theme you will be using. Although it’s quite possible to change from one theme to another, it’s not really advisable for normal use as it can have a drastic affect on the look & feel of the site. The types of themes available are described in detail here.