If you still don’t have a website for your business, then you are missing a lot. Recent studies have shown that 80% of consumers research a business online before visiting in person to make a purchase. Further studies show that 57% of consumers prefer to shop online. And these figures are expected to rise. So as a business owner, you cannot afford not to have a website.
A website will not only help increase your online presence, but it will also help increase sales. Whether you are just venturing into business, updating your outdated website, or developing your brand, creating a website can be quite challenging, especially if you lack the technical knowledge. In that case, you can hire professionals such as WPcustomify to assist you.
If you are equipped with the right tools and systems, creating a website can be quite straightforward. To make it easier for you, we have compiled a step-by-step guide to help you create a website successfully. Keep reading to explore them
Choose your website platform/builder
The first thing you should do is to consider the type of website builder you need. Website builders basically help anybody even if they lack technical skills to launch a website. They provide pre-designed templates and extensions you require to create a custom site. These website builders take care of the technical aspects and let you pay attention to design and content. There are free website builders as well as those that charge specific fees. Some of the most popular website builders include WordPress, Wix, Shopify, etc.
The best website builder for your business will depend on your website’s needs and goals. But generally, when choosing a website builder for your site, consider factor such as:
- Ease of use
- Cost
- Features
- Design flexibility
- Customer support
Choose a hosting plan
Once you have settled on a particular web builder, the next thing is to choose a hosting plan. Web hosting is a service that can enable you to run your website on the internet. The service provider, also referred to as web host, will store your data and website on a device called a server, which keeps up and running.
When it comes to open-source software such as WordPress, there is a bunch of hosting providers available. Each one may provide different types of hosting, including shared hosting, managed hosting, and VPS. Each of the hosting plans has its unique features. So it’s good to go through them before you can settle on one.
Choose a unique domain name
Regardless of the type of website you choose to build; whether business or a personal blog, you will definitely need to have a domain name. The domain name is basically the name of your website and address. This is the address people will use to try to find your site on their web browsers. Your domain name should be as unique as possible. You should also choose it carefully as it is the only way people will remember your website or brand.
When choosing a domain, consider these elements:
- The domain name should be easy to say and spell
- It should be precise and sweet
- Use your name if possible
- Avoid using numbers and hyphens
- Use .com, .org, or .net.
Buying a domain name shouldn’t be much of a problem because there are a bunch of domain sites that offer these services. Once you have chosen your domain name, you need to register it.
Customize your website design and structure
Now it’s time to make your website more fun by selecting a nice design and customize it.
To customize your website, you need to:
- Choose a theme for your website:Themes allow you to change the look and feel of your website. Themes consist of images, templates, modules, etc. Depending on the platform you choose, there are plenty of themes available in their official theme directory. So carefully go through them and choose one that is related to your industry.
- Install the theme
- Add a logo
- Change the website’s color scheme and fonts
- Add a side bar
Write content
This is one of the crucial steps when it comes to creating a website. Pages are essential to your website. And now that they have been set up, what do you want to do with them? There are different pages that you should include on your website. These include:
- Homepage/landing page: which is the first page your visitors will see when they visit your website
- About us page: which basically explains what your website is all about
- Contact page: where you include all your contacts that the customers can contact you through
- Blog page: where you include all your recent blogs, or you can use it for your company’s news and announcements.
At this stage, it’s very imperative to make good use of keywords. If you are stuck, you can check your competitor’s website to understand better how it is done.
Install add-ons
Add-ons are also known as apps, modules, extensions, plugins, integrations, depending on the platform you are using. If you are using WordPress, you can download the Wordfence Security plugin for a firewall that can protect you against malware, attacks, and or any other threat. These add-ons typically extend the functionality of your website.
Final words
Congratulations! You have just learned how to create a website on your own. However, the job doesn’t stop there; you have to learn how to increase traffic to your site and monetize it. One of the best ways you can increase traffic to your site is by writing high-quality content that will keep visitors returning to your site. High-quality content will also be shared widely, hence increasing traffic. More traffic means more conversions, and more conversions lead to more sales.