Do you want to start a news website with WordPress? If you want a definitive guide, keep reading this article. Here, we will show you everything you need to know about setting up a news website and publishing regular content.

First, let’s see what news websites are and why creating one is a good idea.

What Are News Websites

News websites are digital platforms that deliver current events, in-depth analyses, and multimedia content across politics, business, technology, and culture. They are the modern-day equivalent of newspapers and television news, offering real-time updates, investigative journalism, and opinion pieces.

These sites often feature a mix of original reporting, syndicated content, and user-generated discussions, aiming to inform, engage, and sometimes entertain their audience. With features like live blogs, video reports, and interactive graphics, news websites cater to diverse consumption preferences, ensuring readers can stay informed through text, visuals, or audio.

Now you understand what news websites are and why you should create one. In the next section, we will show you how news websites will profit from their online publishing websites.

How Will News Websites Will Make Money

News websites will monetize their content in multiple ways. Here are the main methods to make money online from your news website. Here are some of the best options you could use:

• Subscription Services
• Advertising Revenue
• Sponsored Content
• Affiliate Marketing
• Paywalls
• Membership Programs
• Events and Webinars
• Merchandising
• Data and Analytics Sales
• Content Marketing
• Donations
• Licensing Content

Now you know how to make money from your news website. The following section will show you how to set up your first news website with WordPress.

How to Start a News Website with WordPress

If you need to launch a news website with WordPress, there are multiple steps:

• Choose a domain name and hosting
• Install WordPress on your website
• Do the initial configuration
• Get the theme for your website
• Install all the necessary plugins
• Start publishing news content
• Launch the website

Let’s look at each option.

1. Choose a Domain Name and Hosting

To create any website, you need a domain name and hosting. Several providers can help you register a domain name and get hosting. Some of the popular web hosting providers are:

• Bluehost
• SiteGround
• HostGator
• Hostinger
• Scala Hosting
• Cloudways
• DreamHost

And so on.

Usually, a .com domain name will cost around $10 – $15 per year. However, some web hosting providers will give you a free .com domain if you choose their shared/managed WordPress hosting plans.

For this tutorial, we will use Bluehost as the hosting platform.

The first thing you need to do is go to Bluiehost’s shared hosting page. When you start your first website, shared hosting is enough. Later, as you grow, you can upgrade to a managed WordPress or cloud hosting plan.

You can pick a plan based on your requirements. In this case, we will use the CHOICE PLUS option.

Next, you need to choose a domain name for the hosting plan. If you have already registered a domain name, you can use it. On the other hand, if you are new to blogging, you can register a fresh domain for free.

Here, we will get a new domain from the platform. Remember that once you register the domain name, you can’t change it, so ensure there are no spelling mistakes.

Soon, you will be moved to the cart page.

There, you will see every service you will get. You can also change the billing frequency of the domain registration and hosting plan from the same page. Once you have done that, continue to the checkout page. With your PayPal or credit card, you can complete the checkout.

Once you have purchased the hosting, move to the next step, which will help you install WordPress on your website.

2. Install WordPress on Your Website

Here, we will show you how to install WordPress on your Bluehost website. First, log in to your Bluehost account. On the left-hand side, you will see the hosting option. There, you will see all your plans.

There, click Add Site.

Select the first option.

Give the website a name.

Pick a domain for the website.

The process will take a couple of seconds.

Once the installation is completed, you can log in to the WordPress admin dashboard.

Once you have completed the WordPress installation, move to the next step.

3. Do the Initial Configuration

After installing WordPress, you need to do a few tweaks to it:

• Change the website name, logo, and tagline
  • You can do these in the general settings.
• Change the timezone
  • You should adjust the timezone of the website according to your location.
• Remove the demo content
  • A sample post, page, and comment come with WordPress. You can remove those dummy contents.
• Delete unwanted themes
  • WordPress comes with several pre-installed WordPress themes. Since we will not use most of them, you should remove them.
• Modify the permalinks
  • The default permalink structure is not good. So, change it according to your preferences.

4. Get the Theme for Your Website

Next, let’s get into the website designing part. Since you are creating a news website, you can use a dedicated news website theme. In our experience, NewsMag and Newspaper are two of WordPress’s best news website themes. They are premium themes that you can purchase from the ThemeForest marketplace.

If you need a free theme, you can check the WordPress repository.

For this tutorial, we will use a theme called Newsbreak Magazine. To install it, go to Appearance and Themes.

Once you have completed the installation, activate the theme.

Some themes will require additional plugins to work correctly. So, if the theme depends on some third-party plugins, install them too.

Once you have done that, you can start customizing the theme. If you check the left sidebar, you will see the WordPress customizer.

You can tweak the website’s design if you choose the Customize option. However, if you need to create custom landing pages, use a dedicated page builder plugin like Elementor or Beaver Builder.

That’s it.

This is how you can

5. Install All the Necessary Plugins

WordPress has many plugins that will help you enhance the features. Here are some of the best plugins to enhance the news website.

• Rank Math – You should use an SEO plugin like Rank Math to improve your on-page SEO and get more visitors from the search engine.
• YayMail – The YayMail plugin would be best to customize your subscription emails.
• MonsterInsights – To integrate Google Analytics with your WordPress website, you should use the MonsterInsights plugin.
• Classic Editor – Some people do not like the Gutenberg editor. The Classic Editor plugin can eliminate Gutenberg.
• OptinMonster – You should build your email list to attract returning visitors. OptinMonster is an excellent lead-generation plugin for increasing your email subscribers.
• Elementor – If you need to build custom home or landing pages, use a page builder plugin like Elementor.
• WooCommerce – You can sell physical or digital products with WooCommerce.
• Easy Digital Downloads – You should only use Easy Digital Downloads to sell digital products.
• UpdraftPlus – To generate regular backups and send them to an offline location, use UpdraftPlus.
• ManageWP – If handling multiple websites, use ManageWP to optimize the update process.
• ShortPixel – To compress your images and optimize their size, use ShortPixel.
• FlyingPress – A caching plugin can improve your website’s speed. In our experience, FlyingPress is the best WordPress caching plugin.
• Gravity Forms – When running a news website, you should create forms. It can be a good way for your visitors to contact you. We prefer Gravity Forms.
• ThirstyAffiliates – Use ThirstyAffiliates to cloak your affiliate links.

You do not need to install every plugin we mentioned in this article. Install the ones you need. For example, if you do not plan to turn your news website into an online store, you do not need to install eCommerce plugins like WooCommerdce or Easy Digital Downloads.

6. Start Publishing News Content

After setting up the website, you can start publishing articles. To cover everything happening around the globe, you should use categories properly. Under the WordPress posts, you will see a section called category.

There, you can add multiple categories.

To publish new articles, click the add new post button.

You can create a heading and start writing the content. You should also assign the article under a category and add proper tags and a featured image.

Keep publishing articles based on the SEO recommendations.

Now, you are ready to move to the final step.

7. Launch the Website

You’re ready to launch the website. You should submit it to Google Search Console to rank better than your competitors. The process is simple: You can create a property, verify it, and submit the website’s sitemap.

Over time, the GSC tool will fetch and rank your blog posts in the search engine result pages.

Similarly, you should use Google Analytics to understand more about the visitors and how they find your website. Analytics is a free platform offered by Google that helps users understand more about the website’s visitors. Once you have done these, you can start publishing content regularly.

Later, as you grow, you can integrate new monetization methods, such as display ads and affiliate links to the content. This way, you can monetize your website and make money online.

Conclusion

You can start a news website with WordPress quickly.

It is one of the most influential and easy-to-use CMS out there, and you can use it to create any website. As you can see in this article, you can start a news website with WordPress without any hassle. You need a domain name to access the website and a hosting plan to store the website’s files.

Once you have purchased those, you can start configuring the website, publishing more content, and attracting visitors from search engines. When monetizing, you can use display ads and memberships or sell products online with the help of WooCommerce or Easy Digital Downloads.

Would you start a news website with WordPress?

Let us know in the comments.

Here are a few articles you will find helpful:

• How to Start a Blog In 2024 That Makes You Money
• How Much Does It Cost to Start a WordPress Blog (Explained)
• Best Ways to Make Money with WordPress with Little or No Investment