Starting a website can feel intimidating — especially if you didn’t grow up with computers. The good news? You do not need to be a tech expert to build a simple, professional-looking WordPress site.
WordPress powers a huge number of websites on the internet. It’s flexible, powerful, and — most importantly for us — it can be made senior-friendly with larger text, clear menus, and simple layouts.
On this page, I’ll walk you through exactly how to go from:
“I don’t know where to start”
to
“I have a real website online.”
We’ll move slowly, one step at a time, with plain language and minimal tech jargon.
You can follow this guide whether you want to:
- Start a small side business
- Share your retirement hobbies
- Build a blog or resource hub like Boomer Biz HQ
- Or simply create a personal website for fun
If you can read, click, and follow directions, you can build a WordPress site. Let’s get started.
An Easy Place to Start (Wealthy Affiliate)
If you’d like extra help while you set up your WordPress site — including step-by-step lessons, website hosting, and a friendly community of other people learning just like you — you may want to start inside Wealthy Affiliate.
With WA, you can:
- Build your WordPress site on their hosting
- Follow guided training lessons
- Ask questions in a community that’s very welcoming to older adults
In this guide, you’ll see two paths:
- Option 1: Build your site inside Wealthy Affiliate
- Option 2: Build your site with a separate hosting company
Choose the path that feels right for you. You can absolutely build a site either way.
Step 1: Decide What Your Website Will Be About
Before we touch any technology, we start with a simple question:
What do you want this website to do for you and your visitors?
A few examples:
- “I want to share easy side-income ideas for retirees.”
- “I want to write about gardening, bird-watching, RV travel, or crafting.”
- “I want a simple site where people can learn about my small business or services.”
You don’t need a perfect answer. Just a general direction.
Quick exercise:
Grab a piece of paper and write:
- Who is your website for? (e.g., retirees, grandparents, local clients)
- What do you want to help them with?
- What would “success” look like for your site in 6–12 months?
Keep this nearby. It will guide every decision we make.
Step 2: Choose a Domain Name (Your Web Address)
Your domain name is your website’s address on the internet. Examples:
Tips for older-adult-friendly domain names:
- Keep it short and simple
- Avoid hard-to-spell words
- Use regular words people can type easily
- Try to get a .com if possible
Brainstorm 5–10 ideas and then check if they’re available through:
- Your hosting company’s domain search, or
- A domain registrar (like Namecheap, GoDaddy, etc.)
Jeffs Tip: Don’t get stuck here for days. Choose something that’s “good enough,” not perfect. Your content matters far more than your domain name.
Step 3: Choose How You’ll Host Your Site (Two Simple Paths)
To put your site online, you need hosting — a place where your website “lives” on the internet.
Think of it like this:
- Your domain is your home’s address.
- Your hosting is the land your home sits on.
In this guide, there are two main paths you can take:
- Option 1: Build your WordPress site inside Wealthy Affiliate (hosting + training + support all in one place).
- Option 2: Build your WordPress site with a separate hosting company (Bluehost, SiteGround, Hostinger, etc.).
You only need one of these paths. Choose the one that fits you best.
Two Paths to Your WordPress Site
Take your time making this decision, what you decide can determine how quickly you experience success.
Option 1: Build Your WordPress Site Inside Wealthy Affiliate
If you want hosting, training, and support in one place, Wealthy Affiliate (WA) can be a very comfortable path — especially for beginners and older adults who like guided steps.
- Sign Up then sign in with your email and password.
- You’ll land on your main WA dashboard.
B. Go to the “Websites” Area
- In the main WA menu, click Websites (or Websites & Hosting, depending on your layout).
- Click SiteBuilder or Build a Website.
- This is where you create and manage all of your WordPress sites hosted on WA’s servers.
C. Choose Your Domain Option in WA
Wealthy Affiliate usually offers three main choices:
- On a free domain – uses WA’s free subdomain (great for practice or testing ideas)
- On a domain I own – if you already bought a domain elsewhere and connected it
- Register a domain – buy a new domain directly through WA
For many beginners, you might say:
“If you’re just testing an idea, start with a free domain. When you’re ready to take things more seriously, you can move to a paid domain later.”
- Pick your option (for example, On a free domain).
- Type in the name you want (WA will show you if it’s available).
D. Fill In Your Site Details
On the SiteBuilder screen, you’ll see a simple form:
- Website Title
- Example: “Jeff’s Boomer Biz HQ” or “Carol’s Retirement Crafts.”
- Theme
- Choose a simple, clean theme from the options shown.
- Don’t overthink this — you can change it later.
- Click the button to Build This Website (or similar wording).
WA will now automatically:
- Install WordPress for you
- Connect it to your chosen domain
- Set up your login details
E. Log In to WordPress From Wealthy Affiliate
After a few moments, your new website will appear in WA’s SiteManager area.
- In the WA menu, go to Websites → SiteManager.
- Find the website you just built.
- Click Log in or Login to WordPress.
Wealthy Affiliate will log you into WordPress automatically — no need to type your username and password every time.
You can always log back in to WordPress by going to Websites → SiteManager inside WA and clicking Log in next to your site.
Once you’re in, you’ll land on the WordPress Dashboard, which we’ll explore in a later step.
Option 2: Build Your WordPress Site with Another Hosting Company
If you already have hosting or prefer to shop around, you can install WordPress through almost any major hosting company.
A. Log In to Your Hosting Account
- Go to your hosting company’s website (e.g., Bluehost, SiteGround, Hostinger, etc.).
- Log in with your username and password.
- Look for an area labeled “Websites,” “My Sites,” “Control Panel (cPanel),” or “Dashboard.”
B. Find the WordPress Installer
Most modern web hosts include an easy “one-click” WordPress installer.
Things to look for:
- A button labeled “Install WordPress”
- A section called “Website”, “Softaculous Apps Installer”, or “WordPress Tools”
- A “Create New Site” or “Add Website” button
Click whatever option allows you to install WordPress on your hosting.
C. Connect WordPress to Your Domain
You’ll usually see a form like this:
- Select Domain: Choose your domain name from a dropdown list.
- Site Title: Type the title for your website (you can change this later).
- Admin Username & Password:
- Choose something you can remember.
- Write it down in a safe place.
- Email Address: Enter your email for WordPress notifications.
Then click Install or Submit.
Your hosting company will now set up WordPress on your domain. This may take a minute or two.
D. Get Your WordPress Login Link
After the installation finishes, your host will show you information like:
- Your Website URL –
https://yourdomain.com - Your WordPress Login URL – often
https://yourdomain.com/wp-admin - Your username and password
Write these down.
To log in:
- Open your browser.
- Go to your login link, usually:
https://yourdomain.com/wp-admin
- Enter your username and password.
- Click Log In.
You’ll now be inside your WordPress Dashboard.
Step 4: Get Comfortable with Your WordPress Dashboard
Whether you used Wealthy Affiliate or another host, you should now be looking at the WordPress Dashboard.
Think of the dashboard as the kitchen of your website:
- The left-hand menu is your drawer of tools: Posts, Pages, Appearance, Plugins, Settings, etc.
- The main area in the center shows updates, shortcuts, and helpful boxes.
You don’t need to master everything. To start, you’ll mainly use:
- Posts – for blog articles
- Pages – for static pages like Home, About, Contact
- Appearance – for themes and menus
- Plugins – for extra features
- Settings – for basic site options
We’ll touch each of these gently as we go.
Step 5: Choose a Simple, Clean Theme
A theme controls how your site looks — layout, fonts, and styles.
For older adults and their readers, we want:
- Clean, uncluttered design
- Easy-to-read fonts
- Good contrast (dark text on a light background)
- Simple navigation menus
To choose or change your theme:
- In the left menu, click Appearance → Themes.
- Click Add New.
- Browse for simple, high-rating themes. Look for:
- Light backgrounds
- Simple blog or business layouts
- Good reviews and recent updates
- Hover over a theme and click Install, then Activate.
You can preview several themes before deciding. Don’t stress about perfection — you can change themes later without losing your content.
Step 6: Set Up Your Basic Pages
Before we write blog posts, let’s create a few core pages:
- Home – The “front door” of your site
- About – Who you are and what your site is about
- Contact – How people can reach you
- Start Here – (Optional but powerful) a simple page that guides new visitors, similar to Boomer Biz HQ
To create a page:
- In the left menu, click Pages → Add New.
- Type your page title (e.g., “About” or “Contact”).
- Add a few paragraphs in the editor.
- Click Publish (or Update if you’re editing later).
Over time, you can refine these pages. For now, think “good enough to get started.”
Step 7: Add Essential Plugins (The “Apps” for Your Site)
Plugins are like apps on your phone. They add extra features to WordPress.
For beginners, keep it simple. Start with just a few:
- SEO plugin – Helps search engines understand your content.
- Backup plugin – Creates copies of your site in case something breaks.
- Security plugin – Adds extra protection against hackers.
- Contact form plugin – Lets people send you messages through your Contact page.
To add a plugin:
- Click Plugins → Add New.
- Search by name or category.
- Click Install Now, then Activate.
Important: Try to keep your plugin list short. Too many plugins can slow down your site and add confusion.
Step 8: Create Your First Blog Post
Now the fun part — sharing your ideas with the world.
To create a blog post:
- In the left menu, click Posts → Add New.
- Add a clear title, like:
- “Welcome to My Retirement Side Hustle Journey”
- “Why I Started This Website as a Retiree”
- In the editor, write your story:
- Use short paragraphs.
- Add headings to break things up.
- Use bullet points if helpful.
- On the right side, choose a category (like “Blog” or “Tips”).
- Click Publish.
Your first post does not need to be perfect. Think of it as your “hello” message.
Step 9: Adjust Basic Settings to Make Life Easier
Let’s tidy up a few settings so your site behaves nicely.
In the left menu:
General Settings
- Go to Settings → General.
- Check your Site Title and Tagline.
- Set your Timezone to match where you live.
- Save changes.
Permalinks (URL Style)
- Go to Settings → Permalinks.
- Choose Post name.
- This makes your blog post links look like:
yourdomain.com/my-first-blog-post
- This makes your blog post links look like:
- Save changes.
Comments
- Go to Settings → Discussion.
- Decide whether to allow comments on your posts.
- If comments feel stressful right now, you can disable them and re-enable later.
Step 10: Senior-Friendly Design Tips (Make Your Site Comfortable to Read)
Because many of your visitors may also be older adults, let’s keep your site extra easy on the eyes.
Guidelines:
- Font size: Aim for at least 16–18 pixels for body text.
- Contrast: Dark text on a light background is easiest to read.
- Spacing: Use plenty of white space between paragraphs.
- Headings: Break long sections into smaller chunks with clear headings.
- Links & Buttons: Make sure they’re large enough and clearly visible.
You can usually adjust fonts and colors under:
- Appearance → Customize
Take your time and experiment. You can always change things back.
Step 11: What to Do Next – Your WordPress Growth Checklist
Once your basic site is live, you can grow it slowly, step by step.
Here’s a simple checklist you can work through over the next few weeks:
- Write and publish your About page
- Create a clear Home page that welcomes visitors
- Add a Contact page with a contact form
- Publish your first blog post
- Add 1–3 more helpful posts for your audience
- Connect your site to your email list (for example, using MailerLite forms)
- Decide how your site will support your income goals (affiliate programs, services, etc.)
Remember: You don’t have to do this all at once. Many of us build our sites one small step at a time, in between real life, grandkids, and doctor appointments.
A Friendly Word of Encouragement
If you’re an older adult reading this and thinking,
“Can I really do this?” — my answer is yes.
You do not have to be “technical.” You don’t need to know how to code. You are not “too old,” and you are definitely not behind. You simply need a clear, patient, step-by-step path — and that’s exactly what this guide is meant to be.
Every step you take — choosing a domain, clicking a button in your dashboard, publishing your first short post — is progress. You’re learning a modern skill that can:
- Give you a creative outlet
- Help you share your experience and wisdom
- Open the door to extra income opportunities in retirement
At Boomer Biz HQ, my goal is to make this journey doable for you. Come back to this guide anytime you feel stuck. Take it one section at a time. Celebrate small wins — even something as simple as logging in successfully or publishing a short paragraph.
You really can have your own WordPress website.
And when you do, it won’t be an accident. It will be the result of you deciding, “I’m going to learn this,” and following these steps at your own pace.
You’ve handled bigger challenges than this in your life. This is just a new kind of project — and you’re absolutely capable of it.
You’ve got this.
And Boomer Biz HQ is here to walk alongside you.
Thank you for visiting my WordPress Startup Guide,
