Learn to Create Your Own Stunning Food Blog Website with This Step-by-Step WordPress Tutorial!
In this tutorial you will learn how to build your own food blog in fact you will learn how to design a food blog website. Knowing how to design your website also means that you will be able to make the changes that you need or want to do to make your food blog a success.
The best part is… you don’t need to know how to code! We’re going to use a fantastic and flexible visual builder to basically design our own food blog WordPress template.
This tutorial is awesome, because not only will you have a fully functional food blog website at the end, but you will also know how it was built and you’ll be able to make any changes and modifications that you want to. Because of this I think that this is a much better way to build a food blog than using a pre-made WordPress theme.
You’ll be amazed at how easy it can be to create a stunning online space to share your culinary creations with the world. So grab your apron and let’s get cooking – er, designing!
Just want to start building? Jump to the start of the tutorial!
Steps to building your food blog website:
- Signup for Elementor Hosting
- Learn the basics of WordPress
- Designing your food blogs home page, global styles, header and footer.
- Editing the About page and contact page
- Creating a Recipe Index Page
- Designing a blog feed and Single blog post templates
- Wrapping it all up! and Next Steps
Other options for building a food blog
However if you do want an easier way to build a food blog, check out my tutorial on how to start a food blog with a premade WordPress theme. If you want an even easier way of getting started I can actually setup the same website that we are going to build in this tutorial for you. All you need to do add your logo and your content and start blogging!
What this food blog tutorial will cover
Here is an example of the food blog that we are going to build. This is actually the food blog that I created when I was doing research to create this tutorial. I spent several months as a food blogger so I could really understand what food bloggers need in a website.
If you don’t like this exact design, that’s ok because by the end of this tutorial you will know how to design a WordPress website, so you will know how to change it and put the style on it that you want! You can also easily get some very different looks from the example we are going to build by simply changing the colors. I hope you are as excited to get started as I am to show you how to build a food blog website.
I am able to provide this tutorial for free with your support. The best way to support me is using the links to the products that I recommend. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, but it helps me keep this tutorial free for everyone. I really appreciate your support!
If you find this free tutorial helpful and want to say thanks leave a comment down below, and use the links provided on this page as they help to support this free tutorial!
Step 1: Signing up for Elementor Hosting
The first thing that we need to do is to signup for elementor hosting. Use the button down below to signup and to help support this tutorial.
Elementor keeps changing the way that the signup works. You might see the pricing page first, or you might be invited to choose a design first. You will find instructions down below as to what you need to select for each of these options.
Which Elementor Hosting Pricing Plan Should You Choose?
From the pricing options choose the Basic Plan. This is all that you need to get started. It should be $9.99 a month. (let me know in the comments if the price has changed)
Enter in your payment information.
Choosing A Design Starting Point
After Signing up you should be taken to a “choose your design” page or “choose a website kit” page. You might also see this page before choosing a plan either way here is how to select the correct template for this tutorial.
On the choose a design page left drop down where it says “All Categories choose “Wire Frame”. Then select “Blog Wireframe 1” and click “Start With This Design”. (If you aren’t presented with this option here, don’t worry we can add this template in easily later.)
Add in where they can put in the “Blog Wireframe 1” Template
Finishing The Signup Process
Next you will be asked to add in your webistes name. This won’t be the final address for our website, this should just be the name of you blog.
Later we will need to sign up for a domain name, or if you already know what domain name you want you can check out my tutorial on how to sign up for a domain name. The company I recommend in this tutorial also makes it easy for you to connect that domain to Elementor Hosting.
You might also be asked to choose a webkit here. You will follow the same instructions above in the choosing a design starting point section.
Next Elementor will start setting up your website! They will also send you an email giving you details about how to sign in to your hosting account. Which is also where you will sign into the back end of your website.
After receiving this information you will be taken directly to the back end of you website.
Step 2: Basics of the WordPress Dashboard and Adding Pages, Categories and Tags
Let’s move on to understanding the heart of your food blog – the WordPress dashboard. This section will guide you through the basic features and functionalities of this powerful tool. Whether it’s crafting a mouthwatering post about your latest culinary adventure or managing categories for easy navigation, the WordPress dashboard is your command center.
What You’ll Learn in this Section:
- Dashboard and main controls for WordPress
- Importance of turning off site blocking for search engines
- Elementor plugin settings
- Deleting a plugin: Deactivation and deletion process
- Permalinks and URL structure
- Adding Pages and Posts
- Managing Categories and Tags and how they can effect your SEO
- Creating Menus for easy navigation
Basics of the WordPress Dashboard
Let’s dig deeper into all the features this powerful platform has to offer. The WordPress dashboard is full of options and customization tools, so it can be daunting at first. Don’t worry though – I’ll walk you thru everything you need to know to get started.
Adding Pages, Posts, Categories and Tags
Now that you’re familiar with the basics of WordPress, it’s time to start building your food blog. To do this, you’ll need to know how to add pages, posts, categories and tags. Pages are used for more general content such as contact information or an about page. Posts are used for individual recipes or stories related to food. Categories are used to group related posts together, while tags are keywords used to describe each post.
We’ll also take a look at how these elements can effect the Search Engine Optimization (or SEO) of your website. SEO is essential for boosting your website’s visibility on search engines and increasing traffic to your site.
Step 3: Designing The Main Look of your Food Blog Website.
Creating a Home Page, Global Styles, Header and Footer
Now that you have a better understanding of the WordPress dashboard, it’s time to design your food blog home page. This is where all the hard work will come together and create an eye-catching, interactive space for your food blog visitors.
What You’ll Learn in this Section:
- Setting up a professional homepage layout with Elementor blocks
- Implementing a grid-style layout for recipes
- Creating interactive sections to highlight your content
- Adding blog and social media feed sections
- Working with fonts, colors, and other design elements
- Inserting custom news letter signup sections
- Setting up a custom header and footer for your food blog
- Creating menus and navigation links
- Designing footer with sections (contact information, social media icons, etc.)
Managing Global Styles in Elementor
Elementor is the design tool that will bring your website to life. Elementor has a global style editor, which allows you to customize the main design elements of your site with just a few clicks. This includes fonts, colors and layout options. With this feature you can ensure all pages on your food blog have the same look and feel while keeping them unique in terms of content.
Editing the Header in Elementor
The header is the first thing people will see when they visit your food blog, so make sure it looks great and is easy to navigate. You can customize elements such as font size, colors, background images and logos. Don’t forget to add links to pages like contact and about us.
Designing Your Food Blogs Home Page
Your homepage should be an introduction to your content and give readers the information they need to start exploring your website. This includes a description of who you are, why readers should trust you.
Remember to keep it simple! Too many elements can make the homepage of your food blog look cluttered. Stick with a few key design elements and photos to create a captivating website.
Editing the Footer in Elementor
The footer is an important part of your website’s design and can help establish credibility with readers. It also provides a great opportunity to include contact information, social media links, and other useful items like a newsletter subscription box.
Step 4: Editing the About Page and Contact Page
Your about page is a great place to introduce yourself, your background and the story of your food blog. This page will give visitors an in-depth look into who you are and why they should read your content and most importantly how they can relate to you and your story.
On the other hand, your contact page is where potential customers can reach out for inquiries or collaborations. It’s important to make sure all the contact information is up to date and easily accessible.
What You’ll Learn in this Section:
- Crafting an engaging About page
- Editing the Contact page
- Adding blog feeds to other pages.
Step 5: Creating a Recipe Index Page
Welcome to the next step of our journey: creating a recipe index page! The purpose of this page is to provide your viewers with a convenient space to explore the various categories and groupings of recipes you have created. By designing this page, we aim to enhance user engagement, encourage longer website visits, and ensure easy access to the fantastic content you’ve created. So, let’s dive in!
What You’ll Learn in this Section:
- Designing a recipe index page with Elementor
- Setting up categories and tags for easy navigation
- Creating an interactive layout to showcase recipes
Step 6: Designing a blog feed and Single blog post templates
One of the most powerful features of the Elementor Builder for WordPress is the ability to design any part of your website. This includes creating blog feed templates, single post templates and more. The goal of this section is to create a consistent look for all the content your food blog offers. You will also see how you can create alternate styles that you could use for different categories and tags. This could be a great way to feature similar content or to target promotions to readers of specific types of content.
What You’ll Learn in this Section:
- Designing a custom post template with Elementor
- Creating an eye-catching blog feed page layout
- Tailoring post templates for different categories and tags.
Creating a Blog Feed / Archive Page Template
When designing your blog feed page, it’s important to keep in mind that the user experience should be intuitive and easy to navigate. Basically you want to keep it simple. Think about what kind of information you want to display, such as date published, recipe category, photo thumbnails etc.
Designing a Single Post Page Template
Your single post page template should allow readers to focus on the content without being distracted by unrelated elements. To achieve this, make sure to include all the essential information in an intuitive and easy-to-read way. This includes recipe title, author, date published, category, photo thumbnails etc. We will also add a sidebar where you can add promotional material, additional reading suggestions and advertisements.
Step 7: Final Clean Up
We are almost there with our food blog website! the final bit of clean up that you should consider is removing or editing the automatic popup on the home page. Here is how you do that.
You’ve Built a food blog!
Congratulations! You have now finished the tutorial and know all the basics of designing your own food blog. You have now created a professional food blog website with WordPress and Elementor. You have a great starting point here, but you also know how to customize it to fit your needs. Below you will find next steps where you can learn how to get and connect a custom domain name to your website as well as how to add SEO-friendly recipe blog posts.
