The Ultimate Website Builder's Checklist (Read This Before You Start)
This guide aims to give individuals and small businesses a non-technical overview of the website creation process. This guide is not for those who are trying to build a multi-level website for a huge corporation. Neither is it made for your best friend, who wants a single page online wedding invitation.
Step 1: Determine the purpose of your website
Before you even begin scouting for website designers or web builders, you must determine the primary purpose of your website. Do you want it to tell a story about your company or display your portfolio? Do you want to drive traffic, collect leads, and turn those leads into sales? Or will it be used to look for volunteers or ask for donations? Defining the primary purpose will guide you on some crucial decisions you’ll have to make later on, such as your website’s features, which web builder to use, and more.
Step 2: Pick which platform you want to build your site on
Choosing the right platform for your business can be tricky and downright confusing. If you’re planning to build the website on your own, choose your platform according to your website building capability. If you know a bit of HTML, CSS, or other coding languages, you may go with WordPress. However, if you've never coded before in your life, it is best to go with beginner-friendly web builders such as Wix and Squarespace.
Step 3: Choose your domain name
This is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make. A domain name is essentially your address and branding on the internet so make sure people remember you. Make it short, unique, and easy to spell and pronounce. Avoid using acronyms, abbreviations, and numbers to prevent confusion. It should also be relevant to your business, as it obviously adds credibility to your business.
While you’re at it, you need to decide on your top-level domain. Do you want your URL to end up with a suffix like .com or .net? While you can use a non-traditional top-level domain, most SEO experts recommend a '.com' TLD since it is the most popular and most people are familiar with it.
Once you have decided on your domain name, confirm its availability by going to a domain registrar such as GoDaddy. You can also buy and manage your domains directly with your chosen platform such as Squarespace, Wix, and Weebly.
Step 4: Pick a web host
A “host” is basically a server or an online storage center that houses the content of your website such as the images, videos, and more. While hosting your own website is possible, it will be too expensive especially for a small business. Thus, shared hosting makes more sense. You can have a separate host from your platform but why bother with the extra work? Many website builders nowadays offer a plan that includes free domain hosting for the first year.
If you choose to build your site with Wordpress, we recommend Bluehost.
Step 5: Build your website pages
This is probably the most fun part of the website creation process. A creative website’s pages are goning to be different from a business website. At its core though, your site will have a homepage, an About Us page, and a Contact Us page. You also need to decide whether your website needs a blog or a Privacy Policy page. If you plan to sell your products or services, of course, you should have a dedicated page for each product.
Your website will also need a logo, optimized and professional images and videos, as well as high-quality content. Ucraft and Wix offer a logo maker and stock images for free but you may have to hire a professional content creator or copywriter to effectively get your message across.
Step 6: Decide on the payment processor and set it up
If you’re planning to accept payments on your website, then you must integrate a third-party payment processor. Many platforms offer an in-house shopping cart or seamlessly integrate with external payment processors such as Stripe and PayPal.
Step 7: Publish your website
Before publishing your website, you will need to test, test, and test! Make sure every page works on major browsers like Google Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer, and Firefox.
More than half of website traffic is generated via mobile so make sure that every page of your website looks fine on mobile. Fortunately, many website builders automatically create a mobile-optimized version of your website.
If it is an e-commerce shop, it is critical that you ensure that the add-to-cart button is visible. It would be best if you can make a dummy purchase just to see that the buying process is smooth and you actually receive the payment.
Step 8 Promote your new website
So you finally have a brand-spanking’ new website! As you click on that “Publish Site” button, you imagine people visiting your site in droves eager to shop and give you their hard-earned moolah but….
Crickets.
What were you expecting? Unless you’re an already known brand with a loyal following, chances are, no one outside your circle of friends and family even know your website exists. You need to reach your audience by promoting your website via Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and other social media sites.
You may also integrate your Instagram post on your website or add social media widgets. You can also hire a professional social media manager or do it yourself.
You’ll need to also submit your website to major search engines and pay attention to your SEO. Work on your SEO from the get-go by making use of your platform’s SEO tools. This will help your site generate organic traffic early on.
Before you even begin scouting for website designers or web builders, you must determine the primary purpose of your website. Do you want it to tell a story about your company or display your portfolio? Do you want to drive traffic, collect leads, and turn those leads into sales? Or will it be used to look for volunteers or ask for donations? Defining the primary purpose will guide you on some crucial decisions you’ll have to make later on, such as your website’s features, which web builder to use, and more.
Step 2: Pick which platform you want to build your site on
Choosing the right platform for your business can be tricky and downright confusing. If you’re planning to build the website on your own, choose your platform according to your website building capability. If you know a bit of HTML, CSS, or other coding languages, you may go with WordPress. However, if you've never coded before in your life, it is best to go with beginner-friendly web builders such as Wix and Squarespace.
Step 3: Choose your domain name
This is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make. A domain name is essentially your address and branding on the internet so make sure people remember you. Make it short, unique, and easy to spell and pronounce. Avoid using acronyms, abbreviations, and numbers to prevent confusion. It should also be relevant to your business, as it obviously adds credibility to your business.
While you’re at it, you need to decide on your top-level domain. Do you want your URL to end up with a suffix like .com or .net? While you can use a non-traditional top-level domain, most SEO experts recommend a '.com' TLD since it is the most popular and most people are familiar with it.
Once you have decided on your domain name, confirm its availability by going to a domain registrar such as GoDaddy. You can also buy and manage your domains directly with your chosen platform such as Squarespace, Wix, and Weebly.
Step 4: Pick a web host
A “host” is basically a server or an online storage center that houses the content of your website such as the images, videos, and more. While hosting your own website is possible, it will be too expensive especially for a small business. Thus, shared hosting makes more sense. You can have a separate host from your platform but why bother with the extra work? Many website builders nowadays offer a plan that includes free domain hosting for the first year.
If you choose to build your site with Wordpress, we recommend Bluehost.
Step 5: Build your website pages
This is probably the most fun part of the website creation process. A creative website’s pages are goning to be different from a business website. At its core though, your site will have a homepage, an About Us page, and a Contact Us page. You also need to decide whether your website needs a blog or a Privacy Policy page. If you plan to sell your products or services, of course, you should have a dedicated page for each product.
Your website will also need a logo, optimized and professional images and videos, as well as high-quality content. Ucraft and Wix offer a logo maker and stock images for free but you may have to hire a professional content creator or copywriter to effectively get your message across.
Step 6: Decide on the payment processor and set it up
If you’re planning to accept payments on your website, then you must integrate a third-party payment processor. Many platforms offer an in-house shopping cart or seamlessly integrate with external payment processors such as Stripe and PayPal.
Step 7: Publish your website
Before publishing your website, you will need to test, test, and test! Make sure every page works on major browsers like Google Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer, and Firefox.
More than half of website traffic is generated via mobile so make sure that every page of your website looks fine on mobile. Fortunately, many website builders automatically create a mobile-optimized version of your website.
If it is an e-commerce shop, it is critical that you ensure that the add-to-cart button is visible. It would be best if you can make a dummy purchase just to see that the buying process is smooth and you actually receive the payment.
Step 8 Promote your new website
So you finally have a brand-spanking’ new website! As you click on that “Publish Site” button, you imagine people visiting your site in droves eager to shop and give you their hard-earned moolah but….
Crickets.
What were you expecting? Unless you’re an already known brand with a loyal following, chances are, no one outside your circle of friends and family even know your website exists. You need to reach your audience by promoting your website via Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and other social media sites.
You may also integrate your Instagram post on your website or add social media widgets. You can also hire a professional social media manager or do it yourself.
You’ll need to also submit your website to major search engines and pay attention to your SEO. Work on your SEO from the get-go by making use of your platform’s SEO tools. This will help your site generate organic traffic early on.
