Create a WordPress Platform: 10 Tips for Building Your Own WordPress Platform

WordPress is the best-known and oldest content management system (CMS) on the internet. It is renowned for enabling people with no experience or prior knowledge to easily create a website. But with WordPress, you can also build complex online portals and webshops or even program your own extensions. What should you pay attention to, and how can you succeed with your project? In this article, we present ten tips to help you install WordPress and build your own WordPress platform on your domain.

The Essentials at a Glance

What is a Content Management System or CMS?

A content management system is a software or framework. WordPress allows users, without any special expertise or prior knowledge, to create their own website. This website can then be extended with extensions and plugins and personalized through themes. Pre-made HTML or PHP pages are installed on the server and everything required for the website is set up. In the end, the user only needs to create the corresponding content and insert images. Additionally, the desired theme and necessary plugins must be installed. Alternatively, one can also create a custom design.

If you want to develop a simple website without special functions, you can do so with just a few clicks and be online in about five minutes. A WordPress installation can be automatically and standardly installed by almost every hosting provider. Despite this simple functionality, there are many factors to consider. After all, WordPress can also be used for very complex and elaborate projects, and you can even program your own plugins to integrate the desired functions into the CMS. Furthermore, the software can be downloaded from wordpress.org and manually uploaded and installed on your server. Thanks to many tools and options, there is hardly a website today that cannot be implemented with WordPress.

How Can You Create a WordPress Platform?

If you want to create a simple website or a WordPress blog, you can do so with the software in just a few minutes. Most web hosts use Softaculous, a one-click installer that lets you install WordPress on your server with a single click. You then only need to create texts and content, and you’re done. You only need to develop the design or choose a theme, create a user, and set the password.

If, on the other hand, you want to create a complex platform—such as an online shop, a learning portal, or an extensive website—then it is not as simple with WordPress. You will need to install the necessary plugins and build the required infrastructure. Moreover, you may even have to have custom plugins developed if they are not already available. Although WordPress greatly simplifies the development of platforms and portals and can save you a lot of money, it is still time-consuming and complex and requires the help of an agency with the relevant expertise.

10 Tips for Successfully Creating a WordPress Platform

So, how can you successfully create your own WordPress platform? What can help make this complex task easier? In this section, we present ten of our Shopboostr expert tips. These are designed to help you succeed with your project and highlight the important aspects and factors that matter. We hope you find these tips useful and that they inspire you on this topic.

Tip 1: Thorough Planning and Concept Development

The first and one of the most important steps when creating a WordPress website is thorough planning. Consider what type of project you want to build with WordPress, what goals you wish to achieve, and then develop a concept based on these ideas. If desired, consult a professional agency—they can tell you whether your concept is solid or if there’s room for improvement.

Shopboostr offers a free, no-obligation initial consultation where you can present your idea for a WordPress website. We will review your project and assess its potential for success. If we see that your WordPress website has promising prospects, we will discuss the next steps to bring your site to life. Shopboostr supports you every step of the way, from WordPress hosting and installation to the creation of WordPress themes.

Tip 2: Secure Financing

Developing a WordPress site is fast and straightforward. However, there are costs for hosting, webspace, etc., especially for a complex, custom website with many functions. Even for installing WordPress and creating your website, a certain amount of capital is required. During the development phase, the content management system itself does not generate revenue, which means you must address financing before implementing your project, and that financing must be ensured. If you already own an online shop or another business, that might help cover expenses; otherwise, consider a loan or finding a business partner to assist with financing.

Tip 3: Conduct a Competitor and Market Analysis

The online business market is highly competitive. People worldwide now buy almost everything online and have more than enough choices. If you create your own website with WordPress, you are entering a fiercely competitive market.

A thorough market analysis not only helps you determine whether your project can be successful but also provides vital information and may help you find a suitable niche for your Ebay website.

Additionally, it is important to compile a competitor analysis. Consider what already exists, what does not, and what might be improved among the companies already on the market. You have likely been a customer on Ebay, Amazon, or another online shop. Think about what you liked and what you were dissatisfied with.

Tip 4: A Professional Partner Is Essential

Developing a WordPress platform is a complex undertaking—at least if you’re not just planning to create a blog. When building a site with WordPress, keep in mind that you are dealing with an elaborate platform with many features that must not only be planned but also designed, implemented, maintained, and marketed. It is in your best interest to search for a suitable partner early on—ideally, a professional agency specializing in e-commerce—so that your website becomes a success.

Our agency, Shopboostr, has been active in the industry for many years and, as one of the market leaders in the DACH region, has successfully launched and supported numerous projects, including WordPress platforms. We assist with domain registration, backend settings, and database creation so your site goes live quickly. Our team possesses the necessary programming skills. We then continue to support your WordPress blog or website by handling updates, using premium themes for top quality, advising on sidebar links, and introducing you to the page builder. Additionally, we take care of marketing and create the initial homepage content.

Tip 5: Plan the Infrastructure

An online platform, such as a WordPress platform, requires not only the necessary software (i.e., a website) but also a proper infrastructure. If your portal isn’t hosted on your own servers, you must find a suitable hosting provider that offers sufficient bandwidth, storage, databases, modern software, email, and high security standards. Additionally, you must ensure that your website is protected against unauthorized access and hacker attacks. It would be disastrous if your new portal became inaccessible a few hours after going live due to bandwidth limitations—this is especially true for larger projects with high traffic.

Shopboostr collaborates with various hosting partners and can help you find a provider that meets all necessary requirements and standards.

Tip 6: Look for Reputable Third-Party Providers

When creating a professional WordPress platform, you cannot avoid working with various third-party providers. Whether for using the necessary plugins to gain functionality or integrating payment providers such as Stripe, PayPal, Skrill, etc., you will likely also need to work with credit card companies and ensure various security standards, such as encryption, are met. This is especially important in the EU. You rely on experienced and reputable third-party providers, and there is often a wide range available. Only through thorough comparison and extensive research can you find a provider that suits you and your project and meets your requirements.

Tip 7: Organize Support and Accounting

If you plan to offer products or services via your WordPress platform—thus engaging in e-commerce—you will need an infrastructure for support to handle customer inquiries and issues, such as order processing. Additionally, you require accounting software. Although customers may transact with each other rather than directly with you, you still earn a commission. Customer transactions must be monitored and allocated to the appropriate accounts so you can track who sold what and for how much. You must therefore consider appropriate software or plugins and decide who will handle these tasks. Moreover, marketing, newsletters, and similar functions must also be managed.

In some of these areas, our agency Shopboostr can assist you with setup; in other cases, we are happy to advise and offer recommendations. However, it is important that you familiarize yourself with WordPress as well. It can be learned relatively quickly and easily, and thanks to the vast selection of design templates, you don’t need to be a graphic designer to write a blog or design an attractive website. Since WordPress is open-source software, it can be downloaded and used for free. Furthermore, all necessary information is available online, and many free themes can be utilized. Learning WordPress pays off by saving costs and relying on community support.

Tip 8: Legal Consultation and Support

For your WordPress platform, you need an expert to handle legal consultation and support. You must ensure that all laws and regulations are followed, take action against fraud, and manage issues such as dunning and associated litigation. Additionally, you need to establish legally compliant terms of use and business conditions, as well as valid privacy policies. In case of legal issues or lawsuits against your WordPress platform, you must be able to defend yourself. This means that a professional partner is indispensable—one who is involved from the very beginning of your WordPress website’s development and can provide valuable advice, ensuring that everything meets legal standards and that you are legally protected.

Tip 9: Consider Additional Options and Offers for Your WordPress Platform

To differentiate yourself from other providers and make your WordPress platform more attractive to customers, you should consider additional offers, options, and extras regarding functionality. Perhaps you can offer your customers a system for rating buyers and sellers, or implement specific levels that allow sellers—and possibly buyers—to advance and receive better conditions. This is where your creativity comes into play, and Shopboostr is happy to help you plan and implement these ideas.

If you can come up with original ideas, you can significantly boost the success of your WordPress platform and gain clear advantages over the competition.

Tip 10: Don’t Forget: Marketing, Newsletters, and PR

To ensure that your WordPress platform is successful despite competition from similar portals, you must make sure that your site is known to your target audience. For this, an elaborate marketing and PR strategy is required to build a loyal community of buyers and sellers. To make this work, you need experienced experts who are knowledgeable in email marketing, social media, SEO, etc. The professionals know how to promote and improve your portal, create SEO categories and keywords, and install necessary updates. Shopboostr has the relevant experts. Our team of marketing professionals from all areas will help you market your WordPress website and maximize your business potential, ensuring high rankings on Google and other search engines.

Conclusion and Summary

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