Sure, you’ve probably had a small blog before, and you definitely have multiple social media accounts. But have you ever set up your own website?
This could be your own e-commerce site, a blog site about any subject, or a portfolio site for your work. Having your own website is beneficial in many ways, but people are often put off by believing it’s complicated, expensive, and thinking you need coding expertise to set up your own website.
That’s not entirely true. Follow our simple guide to building your own site, dedicated blog or shop – and see how easy it can be done!
1- Sign Up for a Website Platform
To start, we believe WordPress is an amazing resource. It contains all the pre-built themes, templates, and how-to guides to get you up and running in a flash.
What’s more is that it’s so popular that there are thousands of YouTube videos that teach you how to get to grips with the basics comprehensively. Practically all coders and graphic designers know how to work to WP standards, meaning that if you want to get customized graphics for your site, designers will instantly know how to craft for your needs.
Alternatively, there are dedicated portfolio sites like Contently, and online shops like Etsy ready and waiting for you to sign up and add your content or items; easy as that!
2- Choose Your Host
For beginners, the best idea is to go for either WordPress, cloud-based or a shared server.
Even if you build your site through WordPress, you can choose to host it on another platform. What this means is that if your site gains a lot of traffic, your website will be able to handle it. WordPress points you in the direction of servers it partners with!
Another good option is to look at a web host comparison site to get the best deal. MangoMatter is a UK-based site that shows you the hosts it recommends best, on a rating scale for the price, ease of use and performance. Learn more about web hosting.
3- Name Your Domain
You’ll also need a domain name – for instance, yourname.com. Domains come at different rates, and many of them are already taken in this day and age. So, be creative! Custom domains start from as little as £1 per month – but some are totally FREE.
4- Custom Graphics
Ever wondered how people customize their sites to look like no one else’s, add new pages, and get a cute logo? Either they know graphics themselves, or they’ve paid a professional to create it for them.
Obviously, when you’re a beginner, you’re unlikely to have stacks of cash to pay a web designer. So, look a little smaller scale and get someone who’s just starting out to design you a website template and some eye-catching graphics. (Of course, you still need to pay them – but students or new designers won’t charge as much as established artists)!
5- Content is Key
Once your site is ready, you’re going to need to fill it! You need bold headlines, snappy slogans, and informative content.
Think about how people will find your site – what would they type into Google? It might be helpful to ask a friend what they think, before deciding on a keyword. (When you’re first starting out, SEO is a minefield! Don’t worry about doing keyword research just yet).
Include your relevant keyword in your URL, title headings, and peppered throughout your content, but not too much. This helps people find your site when searching through Google. Look up beginner’s SEO guides for more on this.
6- Self-Promotion
Before anyone else will, you need to promote yourself! Use your social media accounts to their best advantage and let everyone know about your new site. Post Instagram stories about new products in your shop. Tweet the link to your new article. Share your new video on Facebook.
In fact, create a dedicated Facebook page, Instagram profile, and YouTube account for your site, separate from your personal pages. Basically, increase the presence of your site all over the Internet, and people will be more likely to find you. Remember: more followers equals more clicks, equals more sales.
Building and owning your own website is not as complicated as it seems and even if you have no experience with just a bit of knowledge you’ll be able to do it.
Contributor post
Thank you Sylviane for an excellent introduction to launching a WordPress site. I would recommend that you keep your first site very simple, follow the guidance of a YouTube video and take care choosing a theme. I use Tempura for my site.