Yesterday someone asked me what’s the best way to get started with WordPress. Good question.

With its free code and famous 5 minute installation, WordPress is a great platform for the do-it-yourself website and folks looking to have a top notch website on a very tight budget. Since WordPress installation is so straight forward should you go ahead, dive in and start using WordPress on your own?

In my opinion it depends.

That’s the way I started years ago. But one thing you should consider is how much time you want to spend figuring things out and searching through the WordPress forums for answers. I’ve spent many hours in that maze finding answers to all sorts of problems.

It really depends on how much time you have available, what your budget is and most importantly what your goals are. The good news is you have options.

Doing It Yourself

The least expensive, most time consuming way is to do everything yourself. It can be a great way to go if you have a very tight budget and lots of time. I see this as the right answer for the hobbyist and people who really want to learn how the back end of WordPress works.

That was me when I installed my first WordPress blog. I had outgrown Blogger so I moved over to WordPress 1.5 and loved the freedom. That was back when WordPress was considered to be just a blogging platform.

I spent hours and days figuring out the best ways to set things up and get things done with WordPress. While WordPress does a pretty good job “out of the box” with things like SEO, it turns out there are a whole bunch of things – settings and plugins, etc. – that can be adjusted behind the scenes which make a big difference in how effective your site is at attracting traffic.

It was my hobby and I loved it. Unfortunately most people don’t have that kind of time available to get their website up and running as effectively as possible.

Middle Ground

The next step up I recommend is to hire a reputable service to do the basic installation and setup for you so you know it’s done right. They take care of the stuff that’s left out of the “5 minute install” and make sure those important back end settings are optimized.

Then you are free to focus on creating content for your site because that should be one of your top priorities. The content on your website is the biggest attractor to bring people into your site. Too many website owners starting out get caught up in the aesthetics of their sites and don’t leave themselves enough time to create quality content. And then they wonder why they have so little traffic!

Hint: Pretty does not attract the audience. It’s nice sure. But mostly it’s, um, pretty.

If you are looking for a good cost effective way to get your WordPress site up and running quickly one service I recommend without reservation is The Website Habitat by Dawud Miracle. I’ve know Dawud and his work for years and he really knows his way around WordPress. I know he sets his client’s sites up the right way.

The only down side to a middle ground solution like this is that in order to keep the cost down you typically have a limited selection of choices on how your site design. It’s not a big deal for many, especially if you are looking to get your site up, running, and optimized as quickly as possible.

The Full Monte

The other alternative is to hire a firm like SuccessCREEations to create a custom solution for you. Our New Media Hub is a the answer for people who need a completely custom website that showcases their business and draws in traffic from all their social media outposts.

Of course the most valuable part of that package is access to my years of knowledge and experience with the things it takes to make your website a success. It may not mean much coming from me, but the truth is I’m really good at this WordPress stuff & I can equip you to make your site much more effective so it brings in more business and you make more money.

What’s the best way to get started with WordPress? Depends on how important earning money from your site is to you.