After publishing my first small coding projects on GitHub, something shifted for me. Seeing my work live — even though it was basic — made the entire learning process feel more real. I realised I wanted a space that belonged to me, not just a profile on someone else’s platform. I wanted somewhere to document my progress, share what I’m learning, and eventually showcase future projects as they develop. That thought stayed in my mind for days: I am on a journey — and I need a home for it.

Experimenting Locally Before Going Live

Before building anything publicly, I wanted to understand how websites are structured in practice. My first step was experimenting with LocalWP, which allowed me to build and test a WordPress site privately on my MacBook. This gave me the freedom to learn how pages, themes, and plugins work without risking breaking anything live. Working locally also helped me understand how WordPress organises content differently from writing raw HTML, CSS, and JavaScript in VS Code.

Once I had a feel for the basics and knew I wanted to go further, I decided it was time to build a real site — something people could visit.

Buying a Domain and Setting Up Hosting

Taking the next step and purchasing my own domain felt like a milestone. I bought my domain through Namecheap, and then chose Hostinger as my web host. Connecting the two, installing WordPress, and seeing my own domain load in a browser was a moment of pride. It was the first time I felt, I have built something that exists beyond my own laptop.

At this stage, I didn’t feel ready to have visitors yet, so I enabled a maintenance page while I worked behind the scenes. That gave me space to focus on creating meaningful content before sharing the site publicly.

Choosing WordPress and Astra

Although I plan to build full websites from scratch as my skills progress, I chose WordPress for my first personal site because it allowed me to move quickly from idea to execution. The Astra theme appealed to me because it is lightweight, flexible, and doesn’t force a heavy visual style. I could adjust layouts, fonts, spacing, and colours without feeling restricted.

I created five core pages:

• Home — the introduction to who I am
• About — my story, background, and motivations
• Portfolio — currently marked Coming Soon
• Blog — where I write about my progress and learning
• Contact — a simple way for people to reach me

Seeing the pages come together helped me visualise how my skills and experience will expand over time. This website isn’t just a static portfolio — it’s something that will evolve as I learn.

Preparing the Blog Before Going Public

Before making the site visible, I focused on writing my first posts. I wanted the blog to represent where I started and where I’m heading, rather than being empty when visitors arrive. Writing about my journey from library books to online learning, small coding projects, and my current qualification course helped me reflect on how far I’ve already come.

Publishing those posts also gave me confidence. The website no longer felt like an empty shell — it had purpose.

What Comes Next

My site now has the foundations of a digital home, but it is still early days. I will continue improving its design, structure, and functionality as my technical skills grow. Over the next few months, I plan to:

• finish my Level 2 coding qualification
• add more projects to my GitHub
• expand my portfolio page when I have work to showcase
• improve the site layout using more custom CSS
• integrate analytics and essential policies before going fully live

This website represents more than just a personal project — it marks the point where I stopped learning in isolation and began sharing my journey with others. As I continue developing my skills, the site will grow alongside me.