More than a billion websites are out there—and that number will only grow as content-hungry millennials enter their prime years of internet use.
If you don’t have a website today – it’s almost as if you don’t exist.
So it’s time to learn how to make your first website!
Make a plan for your website
A plan for your website is a blueprint that outlines how you want your website to look, feel, and function. A good plan will help you decide what content to create, what type of content to create, and how your website should be structured.
It will also help you determine which tools you need to build things properly.
So, I recommend deciding immediately on your domain name, hosting provider, and additional features.
When choosing a web hosting provider, there are two critical decisions to make: what type of plan you need and which one is the best for your needs. This decision will determine how many resources (such as bandwidth) you’ll have available on your website.
There are many different plans with varying features, costs, and benefits. Make sure to select a plan that’ll power your website properly.
You will need a domain name and a web hosting plan to create a website. The process of purchasing one is as simple as selecting your registration.
If your first choice isn’t available, select another option. You can also try typing in the domain name to see if there are any errors or other problems before committing to anything else with the site design itself.
When registering your domain, it’s a good idea to get domain privacy, which hides personal information from being published online. This is helpful for individuals who want to remain private about their lives, but it should be kept on a hosting plan so that the company can still use the website when needed.
Our web hosting provider of choice for 2023 is Skystra, as they offer the best bang for the buck as per our latest hosting provider reviews.
Decide on your domain name and logo
Before creating your new website, it is essential to decide on your domain name and logo. A unique domain name and logo can help immensely when marketing online because it will be easier to remember what the website is about. Furthermore, having a professional-looking site with a lot of content will give internet users more incentive to visit the site than competitors’ websites.
The short-term goal is to ensure your website has the right domain name and branding. The long-term goal is to have a brand that will help you stand out in a crowded market.
Sometimes, the domain you choose may not be available, so you’ll need to choose another one.
You’ll also have to decide on your logo and colors because these elements help define brand identity and create a proper online presence.
Decide on the kind of website you want to create
The website design process involves making a lot of changes. We are moving from the idea of designing a website as an extension to a product or service, and now it’s more about building something that has meaning.
Before you start designing your site, decide on everything that will be included, like what kind of audience you’re trying to reach out to and how you want to drive traffic to your website.
Once you’re clear on what you want to achieve with the design and purpose of the website, design it.
Make sure to be creative and make use of your skills.
For example:
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A portfolio website is a place to showcase your art, and a business website can help manage and grow your business.
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An online store is a place where you sell products.
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A blog is a place where you share knowledge with the world.
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A resume website helps grab the attention of potential employers, while an event website helps with weddings, parties, and company events like company parties and conferences.
Once you decide on the type of website you’d like to create, you can move to the technical aspect of your website, whether you want to build it using a template, WordPress, or a website builder.
Use a good website builder
One of the best ways to build a website in 2023 is using a website builder like Squarespace, Wix, and Shopify. These sites are perfect for personal websites, small business websites, and online stores.
If you’re just starting to build your site, you might choose one of these because they have powerful functionality and intuitive drag-and-drop editors.
If you’re an advanced user, then a website builder might also be your best option because it just works.
The four most important categories I consider when choosing a website builder are templates, functionality, price, and ease of use.
Many website builders are designed to be easy so that you can build a quick solution, but they’re not necessarily the best option.
There is always more than one way to do something, and you should always consider your own requirements when choosing what type of service and website-building platform would work best.
Use WordPress
Online platforms such as WordPress offer a lot of options for creating websites. With an enormous user community and an almost unlimited amount of tutorials available on creating a WordPress website, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better platform.
WordPress is a flexible and powerful content management platform.
It can be a bit more complex than the basic website setup offered by other platforms, but it can be customized to fit your needs.
If you are relatively new to the blogging world, I recommend you check out free hosting options to start off.
The WordPress platform offers a variety of file management options for both developers and non-developers, including the option to host your website or blog on it.
In addition to the free website software, WordPress offers an extensive library of themes and plugins that let you customize your website pretty quickly and easily.
Use a free website template
A website template is a pre-made design customized for different purposes—plenty of websites are dedicated to design inspiration, such as Dribble and Pinterest.
A free website template is a great way to build your new site. There are thousands of options that you can find online, which makes it easy to discover one you like and customize it with your text, images, and color. The two types of templates include multi-page websites with multiple sections on each page and single-page websites requiring less content than those with many pages.
The best way to start is by looking at the sites of other successful entrepreneurs, companies, and businesses.
Decide which pages you need
Deciding which pages you need for your business can be a daunting task. However, having a clear action plan and knowing what you hope to achieve with your website is important. It can also help if you learn more about the specific types of information included on each page.
Some pages are more important than others in creating a compelling experience for customers and potential consumers; however, all your content is still important.
Here are some pages that are essential for every type of website:
Homepage
The homepage is the first thing your potential customers will see when they visit your website. It’s essential to make sure that it reflects who you are and what you do, and people should be able to find their way around easily on this page. The homepage should also provide a fluid navigation structure so visitors have no difficulty navigating through your site’s sections and content.
Also, it’s crucial to have a logo and other brand differentiators visible on your homepage to stand out from your competitors.
This is particularly true of websites in the Ecommerce space because users increasingly use their smartphones for search queries. More information presented without having to scroll down helps increase conversions and influence visitors, increasing traffic flow through your website and revenue potential.
Blog page
The blog page is an integral part of a website, where the information is laid out and provides valuable content that keeps readers engaged. A blog post should be well-written with engaging content in a conversational tone.
Google’s first page results are full of blogs with 2000 word counts. This means that if you want your blog articles to rank, they need a 2K word count. The content should be relevant and offer value to the target audience so people will want to read what you have posted about.
A great blog isn’t just any other type of website – it must also follow specific guidelines to reach its goal and stay ranked at the top of Google search results as well.
About us page
Every website needs a few pages covering the basics to establish trust with readers. Your About page is the “most popular” page on your website and is used to convince readers why they should stick around and read more of your website.
The About Us page is where you can introduce yourself and your work experience and describe why people should trust your website.
Product and services page
The product page is the one place you can use to improve your conversions. You can lure people in with high-quality imagery of products, testimonials from satisfied customers, and concise descriptions of features on products and services.
It is predicted that by 2023, most websites will be mobile-friendly. This means that people will want more and more information from their favorite brands quickly and easily.
Ensure your site is designed with this goal in mind so consumers can easily find what they need on your website or app!
Furthermore, people will be looking for the benefits of their purchase and what they can expect from your business. To make this happen, you need to highlight your brand’s promise efficiently and have a secure checkout process on every single page of your website.
You also want to provide social sharing buttons so consumers know how much others like your product and service!
Contact us page
The Contact Us page is an excellent place to list your credentials and the industry you’re in. Your contact us page should include an introduction about yourself and your website and can be as simple as listing your email and social media accounts.
Add power features you need for your business
Once you’ve made a plan and decided on the website-building platform you want to use, registered your domain, and made a rough website design, it’s important to add power features to make your business stand out from the rest of the competition.
Your website must have an excellent design to enhance the overall user experience and increase conversion rates. It’s always best practice to include at least one of the following features on your website: text, galleries, or videos.
Don’t worry about making your website perfect right away. Instead, add design features that enhance functionality.
This is a cost-effective way to get started with implementing power features. It will help you reach more customers than before because of its added value in performance metrics and user engagement.
For example:
If you are building a website for the service industry, one feature will be essential: an online booking system. It helps increase revenue and build trust with customers by providing convenience and transparency in the process of making reservations.
Or, if you’re building a website for Ecommerce, make sure to add the online store capabilities so you can sell products and receive payments.
Publish your website and go live
Publishing your website is the last step in the process of making a website, and it’s necessary for it to show up in search results. You should publish a site if you want it to appear when someone searches for specific terms and phrases on Google.
This is a continuous process as it will take time for the site to grow organically over time, and as new events and things happen every day, you can continue building different pages on your website.
Remember to publish your website whenever you make changes or go live with it. The good news is that any updates are automatically reflected and don’t have to be published again!
