How To Create Joomla Website

[Tosha Dickason]

Joomla is an open-source content management system (CMS) for publishing web content. Like many other CMS, Joomla lets you build a website without using HTML or CSS. That and its zero price tag makes it a favorite option among many businesses and non-profit organizations.

In this step-by-step Joomla tutorial, we will learn how to use the platform to create whatever website you need. We will cover how to install Joomla on your server and give you an overview of its functionality.

Aside from that, you only need to check if everything is as you like and if your server environment passes the requirements of Joomla. When all of that is the case, you can click Install. Joomla will then set up the CMS on your server. Once finished, you will see this screen:

On the left, you find shortcuts to frequently used parts of the admin area, such as creating new articles, changing the menu structure, or installing extensions. On the right is important information about the state of your site.

There are free and premium (paid) Joomla templates available. However, finding one can be tricky. Unfortunately, the CMS does not have a central directory for this. Therefore, you need to look to shops to find them. Many of those who sell premium themes also offer free versions you can test drive. Here are a few places to get started:

Either drag and drop the file into the field or click the Or browse for file button to find it on your hard drive. Select it and Joomla should do the rest by itself. Alternatively, you can also install the template via its URL if you know where the package is located.

In the settings, you can make adjustments to things like colors, fonts, logos, sizes, and much more. In this case, the template even comes with its own settings page that we get to when we hit Template Options.

Then, go back to your list of templates and click the Preview button (the eye icon). This will then display all available positions on your page where you can add modules and the names of the positions.

Here, you can see all modules currently active on your site plus the positions, pages, users, and languages they are assigned to. To get rid of anything already on your site, such as the login form and breadcrumbs, simply click the downward arrow button under Status and select Trash.

Then, go to the Modules menu, create a new module via the green button in the upper left corner, and choose Custom as the type. This allows you to create your own content block using a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor.

This is simply a tool for creating and formatting content that lets you view what you are doing. Unfortunately, if we went over all of the options on this screen, the Joomla tutorial would get way too long. However, if have ever used a word processor, everything should look very familiar.

In addition, you can hover over any of the icons to get a description of what it does. This way, you should be able to quickly figure out how to write and format text, insert headings, images, and other media, and anything else it has to offer.

When you are done, make sure that when you save, Status on the right is set to Published and that you pick the correct template location under Position (pay attention that you also select your active theme!). In this case, we also want to hide the module title.

You can use this same method to insert other things into Joomla pages like blog posts (we will talk about that later in the tutorial), banners, menus, images, and iframes. In addition, you can also add new modules via extensions (more on that below as well).

Create and format content the same way as you did earlier. When you are done, under Alias you are able to determine a permalink (meaning page URL). It often makes sense to put a keyword here instead of using the article title. Under Status make sure that it is set to Publish before saving.

Under Menu Item Type, select Article > Single Article. Then, under Select Article, you can choose existing content on your site via Select and then clicking on the title of the one you want to assign.

Now you only need to input a Menu Title at the top (which is the text that will appear in the menu) and make sure the menu to assign it to is selected on the right. When you now save and close, you can use the three-dot icon on the left to drag menu items around and change their order.

The final thing we want to talk about in this Joomla beginner tutorial is extensions. With their help, you can bring new features and functionality to your site. You find them in the official Joomla extension directory.

Just input a search term, use the categories or the advanced search to find what you are looking for. With more than 6,000 available extensions, it can be difficult to make a choice, so you can start with collections like this:

Once you know what to install on your site, you have several ways of doing so. You can find all extensions under Extensions > Manage > Install. When you are there for the first time, at the top, use the option to set up Install from web. When you do, it gives you access to everything in the Joomla extension directory right from your back end.

Click on any extension and then hit the Install button (twice) to automatically load it onto your site. Should this not work for you for some reason, you can simply download the extension or copy the URL where it is located. After that, you are able to use the Upload Package File and Install from URL tabs to get it on your site.

For this example, we have installed the popular JCE content editor. With it present and active and after setting it as the default editor under System > Global Configuration, the content creation experience changes notably.

Of course, there is a lot more to learn. However, you now know enough about how to use Joomla to start exploring on your own. If you want to dive deeper into the platform, here are some recommended resources:

Choosing the right domain name is essential for your future brand. This is the name that all users will type to connect to your website so make sure to pick a domain that is unique, memorable, and recognizable.

Many hosting providers offer free domain registration along with the hosting plan. Some will even go a step further and keep renewing the name for free as long as you remain a client. Switching a provider, the domain remains your ownership and you can choose to transfer and manage it elsewhere.

The default Joomla themes are good for starters but far from sufficient for most business projects. Luckily, you can choose and install one of the thousands of free and paid alternatives available on third-party websites like ThemeForest and Template Monster.

Choose the Upload Package File tab and drag-and-drop your template archive into the designated area. Alternatively, you can click the Browse for File button and select the ZIP file. After a few seconds, the installation should be completed and you will see the new template along with the default ones.

In the Templates submenu, you can also see the installed templates along with previews of how they look and a quick tour. If you click on a template name, you can access its files and modify them as per your needs.

You can alter the HTML and CSS files, upload new images, and even change the template structure. Bear in mind, however, these options are only suitable for advanced users as they require a bit of coding knowledge. Changes to your core theme files can break your entire website, so be sure to handle this with extra care.

The directory can easily be found within the Joomla dashboard. Extensions from third-party sources are installed by opening the Extensions menu in the top ribbon and selecting Manage > Install. After you select the downloaded ZIP file, Joomla will automatically upload and install the necessary data.

In the Modules menu, you will find a column that indicates the position of each widget. Some options are self-explanatory (i.e. header or footer) but others might appear very confusing (i.e. position 1)

The content you publish on your Joomla website is delivered in the form of articles. All saved articles are available from the left sidebar and under the Content menu on top.

Using the sidebar on the right, you can change the article status and category. The tabs above the editor allow you to add media files and configure your publishing options.

To add a new one, click on New and enter the new menu item title. From the Menu Item Type, you have to select Articles > Single Article. Then, click the Select button below and pick the article you want to add to this menu. You can also create a new article on the spot.

A: Joomla is a completely free and open-source platform. You can download a copy from its official website at and install it manually, or use an automatic installer if your hosting plan offers one.

A: The whole point of using a CMS is you can create and manage a website from a simple web interface. Joomla is an intuitive solution that allows you to create your very own website without writing a single line of code. It might not be the easiest to get the hang on but you can master it even without being a programmer.

A: Joomla can power a wide range of projects. You can use it to create anything from a personal blog to a complex portal for large corporations. The extra features provided by additional extensions and plugins can further add to its versatility.

joomla.com is a domain name used to allow individuals to create personal instances of the Joomla CMS in subdomains of the form alice.joomla.com, bob.joomla.com and so on. The subdomains are managed by the CloudAccess.net hosting service. With your own subdomain you can build and maintain a completely free Joomla website for an unlimited time. The free site features all of the Joomla CMS core functionalities that make building a website easy and flexible.

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