Introduction
Embarking on the journey to create a website can be both exciting and daunting, especially for beginners. But fret not, intrepid internet explorer!
We’ve crafted a comprehensive guide that will hold your hand as you navigate the ever-evolving landscape of the world wide web. In this article, we’ll explore the steps needed to bring your vision to life, from selecting the perfect domain name to making your site visually stunning.
So, let’s dive in and create a website that captures your unique essence!
What Makes a Great Website
A good website can help you achieve some goals. A great website can help you sell your product, connect with customers, attract new followers, and blast your sales. Today we’re going to focus on creating a great website.
Creating a Great Website In 5 Simple Steps
With the right resources and planning, it’s easy to create a great site that will help you reach your target audience. Here are 5 tips to get started:
- Choose your niche: It’s important to choose a niche from the beginning. Before thinking about creating the next Amazon, keep in mind that even Amazon started selling only books before moving to other products. So choosing a niche is mandatory for your success.
- Choose a domain name: After deciding what niche you’ll dive into, it’s time to choose a domain name. We recommend including a relevant keyword in your domain name. Let’s say you choose the fitness niche, it would be great if your domain name will be “fitnessworld.com” or something like that. Use this tool to easily find your domain name. After you decide about the domain name, go to Namecheap.com or GoDaddy.com to secure your domain name.
- Choose a good hosting: Next step is buying secure and fast hosting for your domain. Our go-to recommendation is SiteGround because is fast, and secure, and you get an 80% discount on your first year. Learn more about SiteGround here.
- Install WordPress & choose a theme: Most hosting companies offer WordPress 1 Click Install so it will be easy for you to install it. Next, it’s time to choose a theme. Our recommendation is to choose a lightweight theme such as Astra Theme or GeneratePress. Try to focus on performance and speed rather than design. Visitors won’t have the patience to wait more than 5 seconds for your site to load, even if it’s beautiful.
- Optimize for performance & test it: After installing the theme, add some plugins, add some text, and maybe some images as well, the final step is to optimize your website. The attention span of a human is lower than a goldfish’s attention span: only 8.25 seconds. So you have very little time to captivate your audience. That’s why is crucial to have a fast, mobile-first website.
1. Choosing a Niche
Before you start building your website, the first step you should take is to choose a niche. Now, although is true that many folks out there are choosing something they love, we would recommend you choose something that other people love, and that you’re resonating with it.
Why is that?
Because we assume you’re plan is to make money. And if you want to make money, you have to offer people what they’re looking for, solve their problems, and so on. This is not about you, it’s about your audience.
You have three main niches you can choose from if you want to make money:
- Business & (obvious) money
- Health & care
- Dating & relationships
Of course, from these three you can go even deeper and choose a sub-niche, like “crypto & stock investing” if we’re talking about the money niche.
Whatever your choice, choose it wisely, and don’t forget to use Google Trends to tap into what people are excited about.
2. Choosing a Domain Name
Now, with effective tools like Instant Domain Search, you can easily find your domain name and buy it on NameCheap.com or GoDaddy.com.
Furthermore, you can use GoDaddy’s free Domain Value Appraisal tool which can be a powerful tool to verify the estimated value of the domain you choose.
To choose the best domain name for your business, keep in mind the following:
- Keep the name sweet and short, under 15 characters
- Try to include a keyword in your name
- Choose the .com extension because is the king of web extensions (and is easy to optimize it for SEO)
3. Choosing a Good Hosting
You’ve bought your domain name, now it’s time for you to choose a web hosting. As we said earlier, our recommendation is SiteGround.
SiteGround is the perfect choice for anyone, either a beginner or an advanced user. And that’s because they have fast, high-performing servers, with great layers of security, and robust features.
If you choose SiteGround, here’s what you have to do:
Step 1: Choosing a Plan
SiteGround has three plans, StartUp, GrowBig, and GoGeek.
We’re using (and recommend) the GrowBig plan because it fits our current needs but we have clients using the GoGeek plan for their e-commerce shop.
In the end, feel free to choose whatever plan is good for your needs. What you need to know about each plan:
- The StartUp plan is perfect for people that are starting now and have one website (maybe a blog or a simple presentation website).
- The GrowBig plan is a great value-for-money offer, including the option for multiple websites and the Ultrafast PHP that greatly improves website speed.
- The GoGeek plan is perfect for people with e-commerce and larger sites, that need more server resources and GIT integration.
Step 2: Add Your Domain
Here you can choose to add your domain or register a new domain. Since you’ve already bought your domain, select “I already have a Domain”, write down your domain name in the box, and then click on the “Proceed” button.
Step 3: Complete the Order
One of the best things about SiteGround is that, unlike many other hosting providers, their discount applies to any of the initial periods chosen during the signup process.
What that means is that you’re able to lock in a low price for a one-year period, instead of three or five years like other hosting providers.
Meta Media Agency is a loyal, long-term SiteGround customer so if you’re going to buy your hosting using our link (yes, that’s an affiliate link), you’ll have the chance to lock in an 85% discount on any package you might choose.
4. Install WordPress and Choose a Theme
Congratulations!
Now you have your site up on your hosting’s servers. Usually, it takes up to 48 hours for the DNS to propagate after you point your domain to your hosting.
You don’t know how to point your domain to your hosting? Contact us and we’ll assist you for *FREE (*ask for availability, we have limited spots).
The next step is to install WordPress and a beautiful theme for your website. If your choice was SiteGround, here are some easy steps you can follow to quickly install WordPress and a theme:
Step 1: WordPress Installation
First, you’ll need to install the application for building your website, in this case – WordPress.
When you log in for the first time in your Client Area, you’ll see a welcome message and a button “SET UP WEBSITE” which will take you directly to the installation process.
In the next step, select “Start New Website” and WordPress as your application of choice.
Finish the installation process by choosing (or not) the extra services. You can always add extra services later, from your Dashboard.
Once the WordPress installation has finished you will be prompted to the WordPress Starter wizard.
Just click on Start Now. You can choose a theme from a wide selection of free SiteGround-curated, modern, and professionally designed themes.
You can always change to another theme after everything is installed.
Our recommendation is Astra Theme. It has both a free and a paid version. Something we’ll always tell our clients is to focus on performance rather than design.
From our point of view, Astra has both a great design and it’s also fast and lightweight. That’s why it’s our number 1 recommendation to our clients.
Some plugins you can use for making your life easier are:
- Elementor Free: Is a drag & drop page builder that you’ll find in the WordPress Plugins Directory. Very user-friendly and intuitive.
- Cookie Notice: This plugin is mandatory to showcase that your website is compliant with the CCPA and GDPR.
- SiteKit by Google: Very useful plugin that will help you connect Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Google AdSense (if you’re planning to use it), and PageSpeed Insights all together to keep an eye on your metrics.
- Security Plugin: Just as the Cookie Notice is mandatory for your website, a good security plugin is also mandatory for your site’s security (and your peace of mind). Hint: if you opt-in for SiteGround, you can easily install SG Security plugin and you’re good to roll.
Important: For a better performance, we don’t recommend you installing more than 12 plugins. The more plugins you have, the greater the chance to slowing down your website.
5. Optimize for Performance & Test It
Well done, you’ve reached the final step!
Now you’ve created a brand new website, and you’re ready to conquer the world!
Right? Not so fast, though…
Before “conquering the world,” you must be prepared to…optimize your website for speed & performance.
As we mentioned earlier, the human attention span is low, and nobody (besides your friends and family) will have the patience to wait for your site to load.
So what you need here is a powerful plugin to do the heavy lifting for you. If you’re familiar with WordPress and its plugins, you might think we’re going to recommend you WPRocket, WP-Optimize, or W3 Total Cache.
Wrong.
Although all three plugins we mentioned above are great, there’s a new player in town that is even better: RabbitLoader.
From our point of view, this is by far the best performance plugin because it will optimize your website fast and you’ll start seeing improvements within minutes.
Download the free version from the WordPress Plugin Directory, and give it a try.
Conclusion
Creating a website in 2023 is easier than ever, thanks to a wide array of beginner-friendly tools and resources at your disposal.
By defining your purpose, choosing the right niche, domain, hosting, and carefully crafting your design and content, you’ll be well on your way to establishing a strong online presence.
As you embark on this exciting journey, remember to keep your target audience and goals in mind, and don’t be afraid to let your creativity shine. Happy website building!
P.S. We would love to see what you’re building and how it works. Please send us an email or contact us, and one of our colleagues will take a look at your website and get back to you with suggestions for improvement, free of charge.
F.A.Q.
Q: How much does it cost to create a website?
A: The cost varies depending on your chosen platform, domain, and hosting plan. You can create a basic website for free or invest in premium features for a more polished result. For example, if you go with our recommendations, the costs would be as follows:
- .com NameCheap domain: Use the PROMO code NEWCOM598 and buy your domain for just ~$5.98
- SiteGround GoGeek plan, using our discount: ~$60
- Astra Theme: you can try for FREE, then upgrade for as low as ~$47
- RabbitLoader performance plugin: try for FREE, then upgrade for ~$9.97/month
Bottom line, the costs are around ~$100, even lower if you don’t need a premium Theme and you’re okay with a free theme.
Q: How long does it take to create a website?
A: Well, this is entirely up to you, your skills, and the complexity of your website (like Elementor). Simple websites can be built in a few hours, while more complex designs may take days or weeks to complete. But if you need help from a professional team, you can always contact us and we’ll be happy to help.
Q: Do I need coding skills to create a website?
A: No, many website builders offer drag-and-drop editors that require no coding knowledge. However, learning basic HTML and CSS can give you more control over your site’s appearance and functionality.
Q: Can you guys help me create a website?
A: Although our focus is on Search Engine Optimization, Pay-Per-Click, and custom solutions rather than development, if we like your project, we might be able to help you create it from scratch. Contact us, and let’s talk about it.
