How To Make A Website For Complete Beginners (2024)

Making a website might seem challenging for beginners.

But with the right help, anyone can do it.

You don’t need any technical skills; this blog contains a step-by-step guide to help you.

By the end of the day, you’ll have a great website ready to go.

Define Your Purpose
Choose A Domain Name
Select A Web Hosting Provider
Choose A Website-Building Platform
Set Up Your Website
Design And Customize Your Website
Add Content
Integrate Essential Features
Test Your Website
Launch Your Website

1. Define Your Purpose

Before we teach you how to make a website from scratch, we must define your purpose.

This will help you decide how your site should look and what content should include.

Defining your purpose can also make your site more effective and easier to navigate.

Ask yourself:

What is the main goal of my website?

Do you aim to share personal stories, promote a business, or showcase a professional portfolio?

Who is my target audience?

Are you targeting potential customers, prospective employers, or a specific hobbyist community?

What content will I be providing?

Will you be providing informative blog posts, selling products or services, sharing personal projects, or a combination of these?

For example, if you’re starting an online store, your primary goal is to sell products.

Therefore, the goal is to provide detailed product descriptions, high-quality images, and an easy checkout.

Knowing this will make the shopping experience efficient for your customers.

A clear purpose guides the creation and organization of your website’s content.

Defining your purpose empowers you to make confident choices about its structure and features.

2. Choose A Domain Name

Your domain name is your website’s online address (e.g., yourwebsite.com).

It’s how people find you online and represent your brand.

Purchasing a custom domain name is crucial to your brand’s visibility.

Avoid using a domain extension from a free website builder (e.g., yourwebsite.wordpress.com).

Here are some things you need to keep in mind when choosing a domain name:

Keep it short and memorable: A shorter name is easier to remember and type.
Reflect on your brand: The domain name should match the business’s name or content you offer.

For instance, if you’re creating a travel blog, you might choose a name like “JoshTravels.com.”

Choose a domain extension: Select a common and widely known domain extension like .com.

Or use something more specific, like .org for organizations or .edu for educational sites.

If your target audience is in your country, use your country’s domain extension.

For example, if you live in the United Kingdom or Australia, use .uk or .au.

Once you’ve selected a domain name, check its availability and register it with domain registrars like Namecheap, Dreamhost, and Cyberwrath.

3. Select A Web Hosting Provider

You’ll need web hosting after you purchase a domain name.

Web hosting is a service that lets you claim your online identity (domain name) and build your website.

Web hosting is the backbone of your website, storing all its essential files and keeping it accessible online.

Unlike free website builders with limited features, web hosting grants you greater control and customization.

With web hosting, you can access various content management system software, like WordPress, Magento, Joomla, and others.

These CMS allow you to customize your site according to your needs and preferences.

These providers have key differences, particularly in plans, reliability, and website loading speed.

Some offer plans with different features and storage options for small and high-traffic websites.

You can upgrade to a more advanced plan if your website grows.

Choosing the right one ensures your online store runs smoothly, securely, and efficiently.

Here are some popular and trusted web hosting providers:

For beginners, a shared hosting plan is the best choice.

It is usually sufficient and cost-effective.

Here at Cyberwrath, we offer a beginner-friendly shared hosting plan that fits your budget and comes with all the features you need to get started.

We also offer a variety of web hosting plans to cater to different needs.

4. Choose A Website Building Platform

If you’re tight on funds and can’t afford to buy a domain name and web hosting, don’t worry.

There are free website builders that offer a variety of tools and themes for creating a website.

They offer user-friendly interfaces, pre-designed templates, drag-and-drop features for easy customization, and AI tools.

This lets anyone, even a web designer, create a fully functional and visually appealing website.

Artificial intelligence has further enhanced the website creation process, allowing you to create a website in minutes.

These platforms make building and managing your website easy without costing you a dime. Here are a few popular options:

These free website builders are a great alternative to buying a domain name and web hosting.

However, keep in mind that they have limited features.

If you need more features, you can upgrade to a paid plan later.

Select a theme that aligns with your vision and customize it to reflect your brand identity.

For example, WordPress offers a variety of themes for different industries, from real estate to finance.

These platforms provide a comprehensive solution that makes it quick and easy to establish an online presence.

5. Set Up Your Website

You may have the essentials: a domain name and web hosting.

Get ready to set up your website.

This step will provide an overview of the website setup process.

Remember, the steps might differ slightly depending on your chosen hosting provider, but generally, you will need to:

1. Log in to Your Web Hosting Account:

Locate your web hosting provider’s login credentials (usually username and password) you created during signup.
Navigate to your provider’s control panel, where you’ll manage your web hosting account and access website-related tools.

2. Install Your Chosen CMS:

Once logged in, locate the section dedicated to application installation within your control panel.
Search for your desired CMS name within the control panel’s search bar or software section.

Installatron or Softaculous Applications Installer

3. Configure Your Website Settings:

After successful installation, your CMS will guide you through a basic setup process.

This typically involves providing essential information like;

Website Title: The name that appears at the top of your browser window and search engine results.
Username & Password (Admin Panel): This is where you’ll manage content, settings, and user accounts (if applicable).

Make sure to choose strong, unique passwords for security.

Email Address: This will serve as the receiver of admin notifications and for other purposes.

6. Design And Customize Your Website

After successfully setting up your website, it’s time to unleash your creativity.

Every CMS has a vast selection of themes and templates.

You can choose one that closely matches your vision or use it as a foundation to personalize your site.

Once you’ve chosen your desired theme, you can start designing your website.

Design and Appearance

Colors: Select colors that align with your brand identity and create an aesthetically pleasing webpage.
Fonts: Choose readable and professional fonts that complement your overall design.
Logo: Place it on your website’s header.
Favicon: It is an icon that appears in browser tabs.
Layout: Experiment with layout options to optimize the arrangement of content and images.
Additional features (if needed)

Choosing the right theme is crucial, so take your time to browse other options.

Experiment and consider different themes –– after all, you can always switch later if needed.

With your theme in place, you can start customizing your website:

Customization

1. Content Creation and Page Structure:

Add Pages: Create essential pages like Home, About Us, Services, Products (if applicable), Blog, and Contact.

Guarantee that every webpage serves a clear objective, ensuring it delivers informative content to the audience.

For instance, an About Us page contains your business’s history, mission, team profiles with photos, and awards.

2. User-Friendly Navigation:

Create Menu/s: Design a clear and concise navigation menu that allows visitors to find the information they seek.

Prioritize essential pages in the main menu for easy access anywhere on your website.

Consider using submenus to organize content logically.

Bonus

Sidebar Menu: If your template has a sidebar, customize it properly.

You may add categories for easier blog post navigation, highlight recent or popular posts, and include a search bar.

Breadcrumbs: A breadcrumb is a navigational trail indicating the user’s current location within the website.

Usually, an e-commerce or a business website benefits from this feature.

Implementing breadcrumbs enhances the user experience by making navigating to previous sections easier.

These steps can effectively customize your website to represent your brand and achieve your goals.

7. Add Content

A website with no content is like a roadmap with no destination.

It might provide basic information but not tell the audience about your brand, services, or what makes you unique.

While the design might be impressive, it won’t keep the audience engaged for long.

Engaging content allows you to converse with your audience, answer their questions, and showcase your expertise.

1. Add Content:

Fill each page with well-written content relevant to your audience’s interests.
Focus on providing value and addressing their potential questions or needs.
Use clear and concise language, high-quality images, infographics, or videos.

2. Add Blog Posts (if applicable):

If you plan on writing a blog, ensure your blog posts are easy to find.
Add a dedicated Blog page to your main menu.
Create blog posts or articles that provide valuable information.
Regularly updating your blog with fresh content can help attract and retain visitors.
Consider a “Latest Posts” section on your homepage to showcase recent blog content and attract visitors to explore further.

For instance, if you’re running a cooking blog, start with a few detailed recipes, complete with step-by-step instructions and high-quality photos.

Add categories like Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner to help readers find the type of recipes they’re looking for.

Implementing these strategies can elevate your website from a simple platform to a captivating resource that informs and engages.

Invest in content that resonates with your audience.

Use inviting headlines and include keywords to help your content rank well in search engines.

8. Integrate Essential Features

Depending on your website’s purpose, you might need to add some essential features:

Contact Forms: Allow visitors to get in touch with you easily.

Consider including general inquiries and commission requests, or add a live chat feature for instant customer support.

Social Media Integration: Add social media buttons to connect with your audience.

Linking your social media accounts is a smart move to advertise your site’s products or services.

SEO Tools: Optimize your website for search engines to increase your site’s performance and visibility.

Install an SEO plugin to help you add meta tags, descriptions, and keywords to your pages.

Support Ticket: Add a dedicated support ticket option for website-related issues or technical difficulties.

This allows visitors to submit detailed reports about problems they encounter while browsing your website.

Separate support tickets from general inquiries to avoid cluttering your inbox.

Mailing List Signup: Build a loyal following and keep your audience engaged.

Include an email signup form to collect visitor contact information.

This lets you send newsletters with updates on new projects, upcoming events, or special promotions.

There are plugins and templates on your website builder or CMS that you can install to help you integrate these features.

Experiment with different features and content to find out more about what suits your site.

9. Test Your Website

Before launching, review your site thoroughly.

Don’t get too excited about launching your website without checking for possible errors.

Make sure to;

Check for typos: Double-check for typos and grammatical errors.

Make sure your texts are accurate.

Test all links: Click every link to ensure it directs users to the intended destination.

Broken links can lead to frustration and a negative user experience.

User Testing: Test your site on different devices and browsers to ensure it functions well.

Ask friends or family to navigate your site and provide feedback.

Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTMetrix to analyze your site’s speed and identify areas for improvement.

A slow-loading website frustrates visitors and hurts search engine rankings.

Testing helps you catch these issues before your visitors do.

10. Launch Your Website

Once everything looks good, it’s time to launch!

Share your website with the world by promoting it on social media, email newsletters, and other channels.

Here are some tips for a successful launch:

Announce it on social media: Share the news with your followers and encourage them to visit and share your site.
Email your contacts: Email your list announcing the launch and inviting them to check out your new website.
Monitor traffic and performance: Use analytics tools to track visitor behavior and make necessary improvements.

You can use Google Analytics and Google Search Console to see the most popular pages and how visitors find your site.

Install a Google Site Kit plugin on your website to integrate Analytics and Search Console easily.

Installing this will help refine your content marketing strategies and get real-time results.

Keep an eye on user feedback and be prepared to make adjustments based on what you learn.

I hope this beginner’s guide to making a website has been helpful.

Now I’d love to hear from you:

What type of website are you going to make?

What website hosting provider is suitable for your website?

Are you going to use an AI website builder?

Or do you have any questions about website building or specific features mentioned in this guide?

No matter what it is, feel free to share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.