The process of creating a website.

There is so much strength and vulnerability that comes along with publishing a piece of yourself in a public space. This experience has helped me grow into the fearless writer and young adult that I am today. Nonetheless, creating a platform became a necessity when meaningful content was being trashed to meet Instagram’s word count limit. Not only would exploring a niche platform maximize my blog for my readers, it would also double as a portfolio for my work. After working on the digital production staff of the Daily Trojan paper for 5 months, I became familiar with scheduling and formatting articles to be uploaded on WordPress. With some additional research, I created a WordPress website of my own. Here is my 5 step guide of how to create website of your own using WordPress:

1. Create and purchase a domain name for your website
2. Organizing the website

• This is where you decide the layout of your home page, how many tabs you’d like on the navigation bar, a subscription box, setting up a tab that your Stories will automatically compile into, etc.

3. Once you are happy with the framework, you can plug in your text and content

• This includes the section of the homepage depicted what the blog is about

The segment highlighting what “Much love, Shaudeh” is about located at the top of my homepage.

• Accessible contact information and hyperlinks to your socials. This can be Instagram, LinkedIn, Youtube, TikTok, Spotify, or any other socials that relate to your content.
• A biography tab that tells the reader more about your experiences, your accreditations, your personal life, and your aspirations. As a blogger, the biography should not only showcase why the reader should consume your content, while also keeping you on the same level as your readers. You want your readers to find you relatable. The reader should trust you.

Biography preview located in the “About” tab in the Navigation bar of “Much love, Shaudeh”.

• Add photos to accompany the text. Choose photos that reflect your content and illustrate you in the best light. The reader will associate the main image with you and your content.

Without a doubt, generating the permanent text for the home page was the most difficult part. If a user is not drawn to your homepage and preview of what the Stories are about, the viewer will not bother to read or subscribe to your content. Even though it is a few short sentences, it needs to captivate the reader and give the most accurate reflection of your writing style and your writer’s voice.

4. After the content is all inserted, toy around with colors to create a theme for your website. You want the themes to reflect and partner well with your blog.

Naturally, I have an eye for aesthetics. Choosing a color scheme and headshot photos was the best part of the process since it was my chance to be artistic and get creative. I wanted the blog to reflect the coming of age in light of the early 20s life advice. I looked to execute a modern, contemporary, and feminine vision with shades of pinks. The theme of my blog will be adapting and transitioning with time and accumulation of content.

5. Once you take a final look at your website and make sure all tabs and hyperlinks are directing the user properly, you are ready to launch your website. This could take 24–48 hours to be processed.

After a week of trial, error, and persistence, the website was up and running.

On the WordPress application, stories can be managed in this format. The purpose of this image is to show the difference between the creators view behind the scenes versus the readers view on the website.