How to Use ChatGPT to Design a WordPress Website
by Fabio Peters
Building a WordPress website can seem intimidating, especially if you’re not a seasoned web developer.
I know this firsthand because when I first started creating websites, I was overwhelmed by the seemingly endless customization options and technical jargon.
But that’s where tools like ChatGPT come in handy—transforming what could be a stressful experience into a much smoother process.
In this blog, I’ll walk you through how to use ChatGPT to help you build a WordPress website from scratch. I’ll also share some personal stories from my own web design experiences, offering practical tips to guide you along the way.
Why Use ChatGPT for WordPress?
WordPress is one of the most popular website platforms, powering over 40% of all websites on the internet. It’s versatile, user-friendly, and has a wide array of themes and plugins for customization.
But the sheer number of options and technical details can feel overwhelming—especially for beginners.
That’s where ChatGPT comes into play. As a language model, ChatGPT can help answer questions, provide coding snippets, and even suggest creative design ideas in real-time.
I’ve used it many times to assist in my freelance web design business, particularly when troubleshooting technical issues or brainstorming new ways to structure a website.
Setting Up Your WordPress Website
Step 1: Choose Your Domain and Hosting
Before you can even log in to WordPress, you need a domain name and hosting service. This is one area where ChatGPT can be helpful right from the start. In my own experience, I was struggling with the differences between various hosting providers.
Should I go with Bluehost, SiteGround, or something else?
Here’s how ChatGPT helped: I asked it to explain the differences between popular hosting providers in terms of pricing, features, and customer reviews.
While I still had to check a few facts myself, ChatGPT’s quick summaries gave me a clear idea of which provider would suit my needs based on my budget and the scope of my website.
If you’re unsure of where to start, simply ask ChatGPT for recommendations and it will provide an outline of the best options for your situation.
Step 2: Install WordPress
Most hosting providers offer easy one-click installations for WordPress. Once you’ve purchased your domain and hosting, you’ll have the option to install WordPress. After installation, you’ll be given login credentials to access your WordPress dashboard.
Here’s a tip: if you’re ever stuck on the installation process, ChatGPT can guide you through each step.
In fact, I remember the first time I encountered an error during installation—something about an issue with the “wp-config.php” file. ChatGPT not only explained what this file does but also helped me locate the error and fix it.
Customizing Your WordPress Site
Step 3: Choose a Theme
One of the most important aspects of building a WordPress website is choosing the right theme. WordPress offers a massive library of free and premium themes, which can be both a blessing and a curse.
When I first started, I spent hours browsing through themes but couldn’t decide which one would best fit my client’s vision.
Here’s where ChatGPT was a lifesaver. I described the type of website I wanted to create (a minimalist design with a focus on portfolio items), and ChatGPT suggested a few themes that aligned with my needs. It also explained the pros and cons of using free themes versus premium themes.
After reading the suggestions, I ended up choosing the “Astra” theme, which turned out to be perfect for the site’s layout and performance.
If you’re unsure which theme to choose, describe your website’s purpose, and ChatGPT can offer theme recommendations based on design preferences and functionalities.
Step 4: Customize Your Theme
Once you’ve installed a theme, it’s time to customize it. Many themes come with their own customization options that let you adjust colors, fonts, layouts, and more.
If you’re using a theme like Elementor or Astra, these come with drag-and-drop builders, making the customization process even easier.
But, if you need to make advanced tweaks (like adding custom CSS or changing template files), ChatGPT is there to help. I remember wanting to adjust the header size on one of my projects.
I had no clue where to begin with CSS, so I turned to ChatGPT. After providing me with the CSS code, it even explained where to insert it within my theme’s stylesheet.
Keep in mind that ChatGPT can’t physically make changes to your website, but it can definitely guide you with the appropriate code snippets and instructions, saving you time and frustration.
Content Creation: Adding Pages, Posts, and Media
Step 5: Create Key Pages
Now that your theme is set up, it’s time to start creating content. At a minimum, most websites will need pages such as Home, About, Services, and Contact. With ChatGPT, you can quickly ask how to add a new page in WordPress if you’re unfamiliar with the process.
One personal example is when I was building an e-commerce website for a client. I needed to create both a “Shop” page and a “Blog” page, but the two pages needed different layouts.
ChatGPT provided a step-by-step guide on how to customize each page individually without affecting the overall theme. It also explained how to set up product categories, which was something I hadn’t done before.
Step 6: Add Blog Posts and Media
Blogging is a key feature of WordPress, and adding blog posts is straightforward once you get the hang of it. ChatGPT can guide you on how to create posts, categorize them, and even optimize them for SEO.
One of the best features, in my opinion, is ChatGPT’s ability to provide tips for SEO optimization—like suggesting keyword density, meta descriptions, and even headline structures.
During one of my client projects, I had trouble deciding how to structure a post with several subheadings. ChatGPT helped by explaining best practices for readability and SEO, ultimately improving the post’s flow and ranking potential.
Adding images and media is another area where ChatGPT can be useful. If you’re unsure about image dimensions, file formats, or even how to optimize images for web performance, ChatGPT can explain the nuances.
When I was struggling with optimizing image size for faster loading times, ChatGPT provided helpful tools and tips to compress images without losing quality.
Adding Functionality: Plugins and SEO
Step 7: Install Essential Plugins
WordPress plugins extend the functionality of your website, allowing you to add features like contact forms, e-commerce, or SEO optimization.
There are over 58,000 plugins in the WordPress repository, and selecting the right ones can be overwhelming.
In my early days of web design, I remember wasting time experimenting with plugins, not knowing which were reliable. I now ask ChatGPT to recommend tried-and-tested plugins based on specific needs.
For example, for SEO, it suggested using Yoast SEO, which I now use religiously. It also explained how to set it up, including configuring settings that even intermediate users might overlook.
Here’s a shortlist of essential plugins I recommend, based on my experience and ChatGPT’s suggestions:
- Yoast SEO for search engine optimization.
- Elementor for building pages with drag-and-drop ease.
- WPForms for creating contact forms.
- WooCommerce if you’re building an online store.
Step 8: Set Up SEO and Analytics
No website is complete without proper SEO and analytics. While WordPress handles some basic SEO needs, plugins like Yoast SEO provide the ability to optimize individual posts and pages.
ChatGPT has been a great tool in helping me understand keyword optimization, proper use of meta tags, and even best practices for linking content internally.
Once your site is live, tracking its performance is crucial. ChatGPT can help you integrate Google Analytics with WordPress by guiding you through the plugin setup and explaining how to read your site’s analytics reports.
Conclusion
Building a WordPress website can be a challenging but rewarding experience, especially when you have the right tools at your disposal.
ChatGPT, while not a substitute for hands-on experience or professional training, can serve as a useful assistant to answer questions, offer guidance, and even troubleshoot issues in real time.
In my personal experience, using ChatGPT has been like having a knowledgeable friend by my side—one who’s available 24/7 and can help with everything from technical issues to creative brainstorming.
If you’re starting out or need an extra set of “virtual” hands, ChatGPT can be an invaluable resource in your web design toolkit.
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