Want to create a website on your own? Want to learn the exact steps on how to create a website on your own?
If so, this ultimate beginner’s guide on how to create a website on your own is just for you!
In today’s digital age, having a website is a must.
If you want to be out there, promoting your services, portfolio, and business to potential customers, round the clock, a website can more than serve the purpose.
It’s like having an online brochure for customers globally to access and connect with you.
With a website, you’re open for business 24/7/365. Even when you are asleep! 🙂
However, building a website can be overwhelming for a lot.
You know, getting a design done, developing the website, adding content, and more.
The good news is that, in this article, I’ll walk you through the exact steps for creating an amazing-looking website in a matter of minutes.
While you will have to create your own content, the rest, I’ve got you covered!
And in the day and age of Chat GPT, creating content should be straightforward. 😉
Ready to create a website on your own?
Let’s jump in!
What is a Website? Why Create One?
A website is a set of publicly accessible related pages (referred to as web pages) that are interlinked and located under a single domain name.
Websites can be created by just about anyone, be it a freelancer, agency, business, or even an organization.
You can create all kinds of websites, such as a personal blog, educational site, shopping site, news, membership, forums, and a lot more.
While most websites have a good mix of text and media content, there’s no fixed rule that dictates the kind of content you can have on your website.
However, most sites follow a standard pattern of linking, i.e., from the homepage to the various internal pages within the website.
All the links will be available on what is called the menu.
You know, those sets of links you typically find on the top bar of the website.
You’d also find an additional set of links in the footer of the website, i.e., at the bottom of the website.
Some additional links you’ll find in the footer include a privacy policy, terms of service, disclaimers, and contact us.
Maybe even a physical address and copyright statement.
Two important elements while creating a website are domain name and hosting.
These are services that you’ll have to purchase.
More on these in a while. 🙂
Now that we understand the ‘what’, let’s understand the ‘why’.
Why should we create a website?
Let’s answer this through an example.
Let’s say you have your store in a particular by-lane in some locality.
I’m guessing you are dependent on the walk-ins to your store to generate business.
The more walk-ins, the more chances of converting them into sales.
What if, you could showcase your products and cater to a much wider audience?
What if, you could accept orders 24/7/365, even if you were asleep or on vacation?
Wouldn’t that increase the probability of more sales and conversions?
I definitely think so! 🙂
That is the power of a website!
A website allows you to showcase your work, portfolio, services, or your store products online.
This allows prospective customers to connect with you and in our case, accept orders.
Let’s also dwell upon these facts and figures.
(Source: Internet World Stats)
There are currently 5,385,798,406 internet users.
That is nearly 70% of the world’s population.
Imagine having just 0.0001% of these users as your loyal customers. 😄
Out of this, Asia has the highest percentage of internet users (54.2 %), followed by Europe (13.9 %), Africa (11.2 %), and Latin America / Caribbean (9.9 %).
Getting a picture of your target audience?
Ok, now digest some of these Google Facts and Figures
Google receives over 99,000 searches per second on any given day. That is 8.5 billion searches a day! (Source: Internet World Stats)
That’s a LOT! 😮
This means, if you have a website and you manage to get it on the first page of Google, or even better, in the number 1 position on Google, you’ll be getting a LOT of traffic on your site.
That’s why SEO is so very important.
Just in case you are interested, I’ve got a course on SEO. 🙂
It’s the Beginner to Advanced Course in SEO.
Now, I can go on and on, with ‘Why do you need to create a website?’
Just take my word and understand that you definitely need a website in this day and age.
The all-important question should rather be – Is it too late to start an online business?
Have we missed the boat?
And the answer is simple and straightforward – NO!
It’s, in fact, a great time to start and grow online.
Starting online has never been easier.
With the number of resources freely available and the ease at which one can kick start their website or an online business, this is as good a time as it can get.
So, what next? How do we start?
Let’s start with step 1 of this article on how to create a website on your own.
Step 1: How to Buy a Domain Name?
Well, the first step is to buy your domain name and hosting.
Before we get into buying a domain and hosting, I would like to explain what is domain name and what is hosting.
[Check out my article on the Top 10 Best Domain and Hosting Services]
What is a domain name?
Simply put, a domain name is your unique address on the web.
In the offline world, we refer to this as a mailing address and postal address.
The same, in the online world, is your domain name.
Domain names have different extensions.
For instance, the most popular one is the ‘.com’ extension.
Additionally, you have the ‘.net’, ‘.org’, ‘.in’, ‘.co.in’, and many more.
Did you know there are close to 1500 different kinds of domain extensions? (Source: ICANN)
Once you do have a domain name, you need to purchase Hosting.
Consider this.
If you were to construct a house, you would do so on a piece of land.
The land holds your walls, doors, windows, and more.
In a similar manner, a hosting space is required for you to add your website, which would include files, pages, images, and videos, among other elements.
Thus, in order to create a website, you will need a domain and hosting.
There are a few free options.
However, I would advise you, not to go in for those.
In addition to showing random ads, there are a lot of features missing in such free hosting plans.
Here are a few hosting service providers that you can consider.
These are also the ones that I highly recommend.
Note: I only recommend products and services that I personally use. I have personally used all the service providers mentioned above. However, currently, I stick with WPX.
I will now go through the steps of how to buy a domain name with Bluehost.
How to Create a Website on Your Own Using Bluehost
Bluehost is a leading web hosting solutions company.
It was founded in 2003 and has more than 2 million websites hosted on their servers.
They have a vast team and is dedicated to helping customers around the clock.
My rating for bluehost: 4.8/5
Bluehost is not only one of my highly recommended hosting service providers but is also recommended by WordPress (wordpress.org).
I have been using Bluehost for the past 10 years, not only for hosting my websites but also for my clients.
So, to create a website, let’s first go ahead and buy a domain and hosting using Bluehost.
Step 1: Visit Bluehost
The first step is to visit Bluehost.
Step 2: Select WordPress Hosting under WordPress
Under the WordPress dropdown menu, select WordPress Hosting.
While you could select any of the options provided, WordPress Hosting makes it easy for you to set up WordPress and launch your website quickly.
Step 3: Select a plan
On the WordPress Hosting page, click on ‘View Plans.’
You’ll find several pricing plans available.
From a Basic plan that starts at $2.95 per month to the Pro plan that starts at $13.95 per month.
While the Basic plan allows you to host a single website, you get to host unlimited websites on the other hosting plans.
Choose a plan that best suits your requirement.
Click “Select” against a plan of your choice to proceed.
Step 4: Selecting a domain name
In this step, you can either ‘Create a new domain’ or ‘Use a domain you own.’
The ‘Use a domain you own’ is typically used if you have already bought a domain using another service provider.
In such cases, you can enter the domain name you’ve already purchased and proceed with purchasing only the hosting from Bluehost.
Once purchased, you will have to change the DNS setting in the control panel of where you have purchased the domain.
If it’s too technical, remember, I’m here to help you out! 🙂
For the ‘Create a new domain’ option, enter the domain name of your choice.
For the sake of this article, I will check if the domain name ‘justanotherwpwebsite.com’ is available.
And yes, it is!
Step 5: Create your Bluehost account
If your domain is available, go ahead and create your account on Bluehost.
If it isn’t try again with other permutations until you get a domain of your preference.
Go ahead and fill in the required details to create your hosting account.
Note: This is not your WordPress login credentials. The details you mention here will appear under the website registration details, i.e., the WHOIS info of your website.
You will also require these details to access your Bluehost dashboard, in turn, to create your WordPress website.
Long story short, keep your credentials saved securely.
Step 6: Package information
Once you’ve entered your account-related information, you get into the Package Information.
While you already have selected the plan, you get to choose the term.
The options available are for 12 and 36 months.
Select an option that best suits you.
Next, you’ll find several options under ‘Package Extras.’
You could choose to select any of the options provided or have them installed later.
For instance, the Yoast SEO Premium is a premium SEO WordPress plugin that helps you optimize your website for search engines.
Not only is there a free version of the plugin, you also have other WordPress SEO plugins, such as Rank Math that you can install later.
Likewise, SiteLock Security Essential is another option that you can install at a later point.
So, choose the options that you really require at this point before proceeding.
One such option that I recommend is Domain Privacy + Protection.
Once you purchase a domain and hosting, you will get a number of service providers cold calling you or mailing you in an attempt to pitch or sell their services.
They get your contact details from the WHOIS record of your website.
If you do select the ‘Domain Privacy + Protection’ option, your contact details will be hidden, hence avoiding such sales calls.
If you choose to unselect the ‘Domain Privacy + Protection’ option, you will get a prompt as shown below.
Select the best option for you and proceed to the final step.
Which is the ‘Payment Information’ section.
This is pretty straightforward.
Enter the relevant details and click Submit when you are done.
Step 7: Create a Password
On completing the payment procedure, you will be prompted to ‘Create your password.’
Please note.
You will receive a welcome email with the username ONLY.
Hence, please save the password you create here safely.
You will be required to log in to your Bluehost account in the future.
I also suggest using the ‘Suggest Password‘ option, as shown below.
It just helps you create a pretty secure password.
Again, please save your password safely.
Step 8: Welcome Email
Once you’ve completed this step, you’ll receive a welcome email with your Bluehost account details.
You could click ‘Get Started’ to proceed. 🙂
Step 9: Log in to your account
Use the credentials (username and password) and log in to your account.
This will direct you to your Bluehost account dashboard.
From here, you can create your website and email accounts, include your domain, and do more.
Explore the various options provided in your dashboard.
Don’t worry, you wouldn’t bring down a server if anything goes wrong! 😉
With this, congratulations!
You have completed the registration process and bought your domain name and the hosting.
You are now ready to launch your WordPress website.
Step 10: Setting up the WordPress dashboard
Once you have completed the registration formalities and you reach the Bluehost dashboard, you will notice a button “Log in to WordPress”.
Click on the same and you will be prompted to select your theme (as shown below).
A theme is like your website’s skin. It’s the front-end design of your website.
You may choose to select it now or can skip it for now.
We will be going through this in-depth in my next article on “How to create a WordPress website for beginners“.
Post the theme option, you will arrive at your WordPress Dashboard.
Congratulations!
You are now ready to create your website using WordPress.
If you haven’t selected a theme, the default one selected will be ‘Twenty Twenty-Three.’
Have a look at your website.
If this is how it looks, you are all set to take your WordPress development to the next level! 🙂
The next step is to build your WordPress website.
And I’ve got you covered with this in-depth article on how to create a WordPress website.
Want a free course on WordPress?
Enroll for my free course on WordPress for beginners.
FAQs on How to Create a Website on Your Own
What is a website and why do I need one?
A website is a collection of web pages that are hosted on a server and can be accessed via the internet. Having a website is important for a variety of reasons, such as increasing your online visibility, building your brand, and reaching a wider audience. Whether you’re an individual looking to showcase your work or a business looking to expand your customer base, having a website is essential.
The three most important things to keep in mind when considering the importance of having a website are:
a) Your website serves as a digital storefront that allows people to learn more about you and what you do.
b) A website can help you build credibility and establish trust with potential customers or clients.
c) Having a website can also improve your visibility in search engine results, making it easier for people to find you online.
What do I need to create a website?
To create a website, you will need a few key things. First, you will need a domain name, which is the web address that people will use to find your site. Second, you will need a web hosting service, which is a service that allows you to store your website files on a server and make them accessible to the public. Finally, you will need a website builder or content management system (CMS) that allows you to create and manage your website.
The three most important things to keep in mind when considering what you need to create a website are:
a) A domain name is essential because it is the address that people will use to find your website.
b) A reliable web hosting service is important because it ensures that your website is accessible to the public at all times.
c) A website builder or CMS is necessary because it allows you to create and manage your website without needing extensive technical skills.
How do I choose a domain name?
Choosing a domain name can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. When choosing a domain name, it’s important to choose something that is memorable, easy to spell, and relevant to your brand or business. You may also want to consider using keywords in your domain name to improve your search engine rankings.
The three most important things to keep in mind when choosing a domain name are:
a) Your domain name should be easy to remember and spell.
b) Your domain name should be relevant to your brand or business.
c) You may want to consider using keywords in your domain name to improve your search engine rankings.
What are some popular website builders and CMS options?
There are many website builders and CMS options available, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Some of the most popular website builders and CMS options include WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, and Shopify.
The three most important things to keep in mind when considering website builders and CMS options are:
a) Each website builder and CMS has its own strengths and weaknesses, so it’s important to choose one that aligns with your specific needs and goals.
b) Some website builders and CMS options may require a higher level of technical skill than others, so it’s important to choose one that you feel comfortable using.
c) Consider the pricing and payment options of each website builder and CMS before making your final decision.
How to Create a Website on Your Own: A Wrap-Up
Creating a website on your own may sound like a lot.
The design, development, testing, and a whole lot more. Not to mention, the thought of writing code could scare many away.
Fortunately, creating a website on your own is pretty straightforward.
In this article, I walk you through the exact steps of creating a website from scratch.
Over to you.
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Ready to create your own website now?
I’d like to hear from you. Do send your comments. 🙂
