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Cheap WordPress website – ready-made templates for WP

Building a website on a budget has never been easier, thanks to WordPress and its extensive library of ready-made templates. With WordPress, you don’t need to hire an expensive web developer or designer to create a professional-looking site. Using a pre-designed template, you can launch a stunning and fully functional website at a fraction of the cost. This article will guide you through the process of setting up a cheap WordPress website using ready-made templates, including where to find them and how to customize them to suit your needs.

Why Use Ready-Made WordPress Templates?

Ready-made WordPress templates, also known as themes, offer several benefits for those looking to build a website on a budget:

  • Cost-Effective: Many high-quality free and low-cost themes are available, making it easy to create a professional-looking site without breaking the bank.
  • Time-Saving: Templates provide a pre-built design, saving you from creating everything from scratch. You can launch your site much faster.
  • User-Friendly: Most WordPress themes come with customization options, making it easy for non-developers to adjust colors, fonts, layouts, and more without coding knowledge.
  • Responsive Design: Most modern WordPress themes are built to be mobile-friendly, ensuring your site looks great on all devices.

Step 1: Choose the Right Hosting for Your WordPress Website

Before diving into templates, you’ll need a place to host your WordPress site. Affordable hosting providers often bundle domain names with hosting services, helping you keep costs low. Here are some of the most popular options for budget-friendly WordPress hosting:

  • Bluehost: Offers competitive pricing, free domain registration for the first year, and one-click WordPress installation.
  • SiteGround: Known for reliable performance and excellent customer support, with plans that cater to WordPress users.
  • Hostinger: Extremely affordable plans, making it a popular choice for beginners looking to minimize costs.
  • HostGator: Another low-cost option that offers easy WordPress setup and a user-friendly control panel.

Step 2: Find Ready-Made WordPress Templates

WordPress templates, or themes, define the design and layout of your site. There are thousands of ready-made themes available, ranging from free to premium. Here’s how to find the best ones:

2.1 Free Templates from WordPress.org

The WordPress theme directory offers thousands of free themes that can be installed directly from your WordPress dashboard:

  • Visit the Theme Directory: Go to Appearance > Themes > Add New in your WordPress dashboard.
  • Search by Feature: Use the feature filter to find themes based on layout, industry, or design preferences.
  • Popular Free Themes:
    • Astra: A lightweight theme with lots of customization options, perfect for blogs, business websites, and e-commerce stores.
    • Neve: Fast and versatile, Neve is suitable for almost any type of website and integrates well with page builders.
    • OceanWP: A highly customizable theme that’s great for beginners, with options for e-commerce and blogs.
    • Hestia: A modern one-page theme that is perfect for small businesses and portfolios.

2.2 Premium Templates from Third-Party Marketplaces

While free themes can be great for those on a strict budget, premium themes often provide more features, better support, and unique designs. Here are some of the best marketplaces to find affordable premium WordPress themes:

  • ThemeForest: One of the largest marketplaces for premium WordPress themes, with prices starting as low as $19. Popular themes include Avada, X Theme, and The7.
  • Elegant Themes: Offers access to all their themes, including the highly popular Divi theme, for a yearly fee. Divi is known for its drag-and-drop builder, making it easy to design custom layouts.
  • TemplateMonster: Offers a range of themes for different industries, with prices starting around $30.
  • Creative Market: An online marketplace where independent designers sell their WordPress themes. It’s a great place to find unique, design-centric templates.

Step 3: Install and Activate Your Theme

Once you’ve chosen a theme, installing it is a breeze:

  • Download the Theme: If you purchased a premium theme, download the theme files as a .zip file.
  • Upload and Install: Go to Appearance > Themes > Add New > Upload Theme in your WordPress dashboard, upload the .zip file, and click “Install Now.”
  • Activate the Theme: After installation, click “Activate” to make the theme live on your site.

For free themes, you can install directly from the WordPress theme directory by searching for the theme and clicking “Install.”

Step 4: Customize Your WordPress Template

Now that your theme is installed, you can customize it to suit your needs. Most modern themes come with a built-in customization panel accessible through Appearance > Customize:

  • Change Site Identity: Update your site’s title, tagline, and add a logo.
  • Adjust Colors and Fonts: Use the theme’s options to change colors and typography to match your brand’s style.
  • Modify Layouts: Depending on the theme, you may be able to adjust the layout of headers, footers, and sidebars.
  • Add Widgets: Widgets allow you to add elements like recent posts, social media icons, or contact forms to different areas of your website.

Step 5: Import Demo Content (Optional)

Many premium themes come with demo content that allows you to replicate the demo site shown by the theme developer. This can be a huge time-saver if you want your website to look similar to the theme demo:

  • Import Demo Content: Most themes include an option to import demo content through the theme’s settings or a separate plugin.
  • Customize Demo Content: After importing, you can replace demo images and text with your own content to quickly create a polished-looking website.

Step 6: Install Essential Plugins

Plugins add functionality to your WordPress site. Here are some must-have plugins for any website:

  • Yoast SEO: Helps optimize your website for search engines, improving your visibility.
  • Elementor: A popular drag-and-drop page builder that allows you to create custom page layouts without coding.
  • WPForms: A user-friendly plugin for creating contact forms.
  • Smush: Compresses images to improve website speed, ensuring a better user experience.
  • WooCommerce: If you plan to sell products, WooCommerce is the best e-commerce plugin for WordPress.

Step 7: Launch Your Website

Before going live, make sure to review your site and test it on different devices and browsers. Here’s a quick checklist:

  • Proofread Content: Double-check for typos and ensure all text is accurate.
  • Test Navigation: Make sure all links and menus work correctly.
  • Check Responsiveness: Ensure your website looks good on mobile, tablet, and desktop.
  • Speed Optimization: Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to test your site’s loading time and optimize images for better performance.

Once you’re satisfied with your website, hit the Launch button and share your new site with the world!

Conclusion

Building a cheap WordPress website using ready-made templates is a practical and efficient way to establish an online presence without the high costs of web design services. By choosing a suitable template, customizing it to fit your needs, and using the right plugins, you can create a professional website that looks great and functions smoothly. With a little time and creativity, you’ll have a website ready to attract visitors and grow your online presence. Happy building!

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