It's good to see community members helping out with these guides. I would also add that when evaluating where to get bitcoin, users should read https://howtobuybitcoin.io/ which gives a throughout walk-through for beginners. Also, bitcoin exchanges are generally grouped into three distinct groups (in my experience):
- Credit card bitcoin exchanges which can be instant but more expensive. Coinbase (USA) or Bitstamp (Europe) are good options for this.
- Sites to buy btc with a bank transfer (SEPA or Wire). Usually cheaper but slower to deposit. Users generally recommend Kraken with works will in North America and the EU.
- Places to buy bitcoin with cash which sometimes allows no verification of ID and anonymity. This can be slightly slower as you may have to buy with paypal, meetup in person, or simply go to a physical bitcoin atm. LocalBitcoins is the go-to platform for this method. There's aslo Paxful.