5 Practical Steps to Build Your Website
Whether you want to start writing content online, grow your business, or build your portfolio to help with your career, having a website is your first step to get your work seen. I’ve worked with many small business owners in the past and found that most times, when they explain their pain point, 9/10 out of ten times, the answer I get is: “I just want people to notice my business”.
To help you create your first website, there are several steps I found to work best when I was thinking about the same and I usually have a small obsession of not spending money so the idea of creating a website to meant – $150 per year to cover all the costs, but when I broke it down to cost vs reward, I found that not doing it will only affect the people who I can be helpful to by not seeing my content, so I did it. I prepared a quick and easy guide with 5 Easy Steps to Start Your Website and begin sharing your work.
1. Plan Your Website
Your first and most important step is to plan what your website would look like and what things you want people to see first. To do this, start with a notebook and list 3 things that will be helpful for your potential customer to see when they open your page. You can start with these questions: Who am I? What can I help my clients with? Why should they contact me? It’s just like a Resume, but for your clients.
Sharing a few examples of some very clear and concise websites that can help you pick yours:
- Marques Brownlee (http://mkbhd.com/): A content creator and a tech personality showing his work
- Keyes (https://keyesla.com/): Real Estate Agent in Los Angeles, CA has a website that’s straight to the point and what his clients want – Properties in LA
- FreeTrade (https://freetrade.io/): a commission-free trading platform showcasing their App.
2. Buy a domain name
If you don’t know what domain name you should use, simply use 2 letters of your first and last name + what you do. Example: DEmarketing.com.
When you are ready with your domain name idea, you can purchase one from the below domain providers and search for your desired name:
- GoDaddy (https://uk.godaddy.com/)
- BlueHost (https://www.bluehost.com/)
- HostGator (https://www.hostgator.com/)
All of these 3 providers also have hosting packages, which brings us to the next point.
3. Get Hosting
As you purchase your domain, you will also be offered to buy hosting in the same package. Hosting is simply the place to host your content whether that’s your portfolio, blog or your business website. I personally recommend checking out the offers available at the above providers. To me a selling point of a hosting plan is customer service & ease of WordPress installation, because you can always reach out to the provider via chat or a call so when considering purchasing hosting, check your options thoroughly, but also don’t overthink it too much. As long you as you can contact someone when you have problem and the host is reputable, make the choice.
4. Set up Your Website
When you already secured a domain and a hosting provider, it’s now time to set up your website. To do this, follow these simple steps:
- Log in to your hosting provider’s account
- Click on your Domain Name
- Look for a section to access your backend domain management
- Install WordPress
- Then go to your domain and add /wp-admin in the end of it. It should like this: www.mydomainname.com/wp-admin and log in to your WordPress
- You can edit your website
5. Publish your First Piece of Content
When you complete Steps 1-4, you should now be ready to release your first article/blog or edit your website.
Your content can include blog posts, articles, imagery, videos and a lot more! You are ready to go! Now, all you have to do is publish your first page. If you need any help with setting up your website, always feel free to message me on twitter at @dylaneftimoff. I love answering your questions!
Don’t forget to also subscribe to my Tuesday Briefs for more tips on website building.
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