How to Develop a Website: A Step-by-Step Guide
These days, anyone can create a website, regardless of their level of technical skill. We know it may seem like a daunting task, but there are tools available today that make the process much easier. This article will walk you through the different steps in the process of creating a website.
There are two options for creating a website: using a website builder or using WordPress. Website builders like Wix, Squarespace, and Weebly are arguably the best way to get online for tech newbies.
Step 1: Choose your website builder
Huge numbers of people use website builders to build a site. Wix has well over 3 million paid subscribers and Shopify recently passed the 1.2 million mark.
Why? Website builders allow anyone to create a website, regardless of their technical skills.
Some do this through “templates,” others through drag-and-drop interfaces. Some even dabble in artificial intelligence, which builds the site for you.
Choosing the right website builder is therefore very important. Different creators serve different needs. Progressing with the right choice is essential to creating a website that will fully satisfy you.
Step 2: Choose the appropriate plan
Once registered on a website top employee monitoring software builder, you need to subscribe to a plan. Website builders tend to offer multiple packages. Different sites have different needs, and plans ensure you don’t pay for what you don’t need.
Is it possible to create a website completely for free?
It’s entirely possible to create a website for free, but it does come with some downsides. Free accounts on website builders neglect the use of many important features. They don’t allow custom domains, and your free site will have ads for that website builder. If you want to learn more about building a website, the free options are worth checking out. However, if you want a feature-rich professional site, it will be necessary to shell out at least a few dollars a month.
Step 3: Choose a domain name
The domain name is the part of the URL (the long address in your browser’s search bar) that identifies a web page: in this case, your website. You can register them separately on sites like GoDaddy and Namecheap, but website builders offer to do this for you when you call them.
The domain name is one of the main means by which a site presents itself on the Internet, it is therefore particularly important.
Step 4: Choose your template
Templates provide a framework for your website. We can thus obtain a beautiful site without having to hire a designer. Templates dictate the color code, what your homepage header and menu bar look like, as well as the width of the content area on your site. It is therefore essential to choose the right one.
Step 5: Customize your template
As we mentioned in the previous step, templates provide a framework. Given how many people make use of builders to build a website these days, chances are there are sites that use the same framework as yours. You should at least fill the template you have selected with your own content. And of course, some level of personalization will be required to effectively stand out.
It’s almost always possible to play around with templates as part of the free trials, so you can get a feel for the ease of customization without spending a dime.
Step 6: Preview and test your website
Once your template is chosen and customized, you will probably want to publish it and put your website online.
How to preview your website?
Website builders make it really easy to get a preview of your site. It is usually enough to press the preview button on the editor mode to see how your website will look. Most offer a toggle to verify operation on different screen sizes.
Practical tip: Don’t be the only one testing your website. You will miss some of its flaws. Seek an outside perspective. Ask family members and friends to test your site and give you feedback.
Step 7: Publish!
Once all of this is done, you should be ready to get started. Before hitting the “Publish” button, let’s recap the steps taken to reach this stage:
It is done? Perfect. Hit “Publish”! Your site is now available worldwide. Of course, you can still customize and develop it, but you’ve already started. It’s fantastic!
Try two or three website builders and see where they take you. Your only risk is to create a fabulous site.