How to Create a WordPress Website with IONOS: A 2026 Guide

Rather than rewriting the process from scratch, here is what was clearly shown in the walkthrough.

That matters because it shows this is not just a generic WordPress article. The workflow below is based on what was actually demonstrated, including the small limitations Julian ran into.

Before building the site, Julian compared the WordPress hosting plans shown on IONOS. In the recording, the page displayed a 90% discount message through his link, but pricing can change, so treat the numbers below as what appeared during the walkthrough rather than a permanent offer.

Julian picked the Starter plan because it was enough for the tutorial and could be upgraded later. He also pointed out that the main practical difference for many beginners is not the website builder itself, but storage and the number of email addresses included.

IONOS also showed a 30-day money-back guarantee in the checkout flow. That is helpful if you want to test the managed WordPress setup without committing long term.

After choosing the plan, IONOS asks for a domain. If you already know the name you want, you can type it in directly.

If you do not, Julian showed the AI suggestion tool. He entered: “hey I’m Julian Weber a YouTuber doing website tutorials” and the AI returned domain ideas. He chose the second suggestion, described in the video as tutorials by julian dot com, which the checkout showed at $10 per year.

This is a useful shortcut for beginners because it turns a vague brand idea into concrete domain options. Just keep in mind that availability will vary.

Once hosting and domain were in the cart, IONOS presented extra offers. Julian skipped them and continued with the core purchase.

That is the right approach for most first websites. Buy the hosting and domain first, then add extras later only if you know you need them.

After payment, IONOS prepared the dashboard. Julian said this took about one to two minutes.

From there, he named the project and clicked Start WordPress installation. IONOS then installed WordPress automatically, which he said took a couple of minutes. If you want a separate walkthrough focused only on this part, use this step-by-step IONOS WordPress installation guide.

This managed setup is the main reason IONOS is beginner-friendly. You are not manually creating databases, uploading files, or configuring WordPress the old way.

When WordPress launched, Julian had two options:

• Do it yourself
• With AI

He clearly preferred the AI route because it generated text, images, and structure immediately. He mentioned that he only used a one-sentence website description, though the exact sentence was not shown in the transcript.

After that, he selected:

1. A professional and friendly tone
2. Goals to grow website traffic, get email subscribers, and publish a blog
3. A multi-page website instead of a one-page site
4. A template he liked from the available design options
5. Only the Home, About, and Contact pages

That last choice is worth copying. Julian deliberately deselected pages like portfolio, resources, and services when they were not needed. A smaller site is easier to finish and usually better for beginners.

Once setup finished, IONOS generated the site and redirected him to WordPress. The admin area included an IONOS checklist with items such as connecting the domain, editing the homepage, uploading a logo, and adding a site icon.

On the front end, the AI-built site already included:

• a homepage hero section
• multiple styled content sections
• a contact page
• a blog area
• draft blog articles with prewritten text

That is a strong starting point, but it is still a draft. The structure looked useful in the video, yet the text clearly needed editing before publishing.

Julian then opened Edit site and hit one small annoyance: it initially landed on what he called a dummy page. His workaround was to go into Navigation, step back, then open Pages and select the homepage.

From there, he edited inside the WordPress Gutenberg editor. If you are new to WordPress after installation, this broader WordPress setup guide for 2026 is a useful companion.

Change global styles first

Before editing text, Julian opened Styles. This is where he changed the site-wide design settings, especially:

• color palettes
• typography
• background options
• layout settings

His advice was practical: focus mainly on colors and typography first. If you already have brand colors, you can enter the hex color code to match your branding.

Replace the AI text and images

Julian then edited the hero section directly on the page. He changed the headline to a clearer version about learning to build WordPress websites and expanded the supporting text.

He also replaced the hero image by clicking Replace and uploading a file from the computer. For stock images, he specifically recommended Unsplash as a free source.

Fix your main button

One of the simplest but most important edits was the button. Julian linked the hero button to the Contact page and changed the text to Contact me.

That is a smart beginner move because every homepage should direct visitors somewhere useful. On a first website, the contact page is often the best default destination.

A very useful part of the tutorial was Julian’s explanation of the page layout. He showed that the website is built from:

• blocks
• groups
• columns
• nested content elements like headings, paragraphs, images, and buttons

He recommended using Document Overview to understand the structure. In the example homepage, he identified sections such as the hero block, about block, blog block, and CTA block.

This matters because Gutenberg becomes much easier once you stop thinking in terms of “a page” and start thinking in reusable sections.

Julian also showed how to add new elements. From the block inserter, he browsed common content types such as:

• paragraphs
• headings
• images
• galleries
• buttons
• video embeds
• maps and other integrations

He demonstrated adding a video block in two ways:

1. uploading a video file
2. pasting a YouTube URL

He clearly preferred the second option for many cases because it avoids using up your hosting storage.

In the Starter plan shown in the video, Julian highlighted the 25 GB SSD storage limit. His warning was sensible: images are usually small, but self-hosted videos can consume space quickly.

If you upload your own video files, compress them first. Otherwise, it is often smarter to host video on YouTube and embed it into WordPress.

Based on the walkthrough, these were the clearest strengths:

• Managed setup removes technical friction. IONOS handled the install instead of making the user configure WordPress manually.
• The AI gave a real starting point. The site was not just a blank theme; it included pages, sections, images, and draft blog content.
• Gutenberg editing stayed visual. Colors, fonts, images, buttons, and layouts were easy to change on the page.
• You can start small. Julian kept only the pages he needed and chose the smaller hosting plan.

The video also showed a few realistic limits:

• AI content still needs human editing. The draft copy was usable as a base, not something to publish untouched.
• The editor flow was not perfect. “Edit site” first opened a dummy page, so extra navigation was needed.
• Starter plan storage is fine, but not unlimited. Heavy video uploads can become a problem.
• Cross-sells appear during checkout. Beginners should ignore them unless there is a clear need.

IONOS makes the most sense if you want WordPress flexibility without handling the technical install yourself. It is especially suitable for beginners building a blog, small business site, or portfolio who want AI to generate a first draft.

It is less compelling if you want a pure drag-and-drop website builder with no WordPress learning curve at all. In that case, compare WordPress alternatives before deciding.

If you want the easiest path into self-hosted WordPress, IONOS is a solid option. The strongest part of Julian’s test was how quickly it moved from plan selection to a usable AI-generated site inside WordPress, while still leaving enough control to customize colors, fonts, pages, images, and buttons.

My candid take: choose IONOS if you want managed WordPress plus AI help, and start with the smallest plan if your site is simple. Just expect to spend time rewriting the AI content, trimming unused sections, and keeping an eye on storage if you plan to upload large media files.