Starting your own website or blog isn’t as difficult as it once used to be. Thanks to the presence of platforms like WordPress and web building tools, anyone with little to no programming knowledge can start a website or a blog. In fact, even an ecommerce site can be started with just one click.
If you are thinking about starting a website for your business, you will need to do a basic ground work to get your first project off the ground. Let’s walk you through the procedure:
1. Think of a name and url.
Think of a name for your business that is relevant to what you’re offering and is also easy on the tongue. In addition to this, the name must be available as well. If you’re starting a personal website, yourname.com can be a good option.
In case of organizations, you may choose .org domain, however, you may need to show some documents to get an .org domain. You can go here to check if the URL you need is still available.
2. Think of your target audience.
Next is to think of your target audience as your website must be prepared keeping users in mind.
Today’s audience likes visual aspects, so a lot of graphics and videos should be used on your video. In addition to this, your website must be mobile friendly as well since more people now use mobile devices than desktop computers.
3. Buy your hosting.
The next step is to purchase hosting. You may buy monthly, quarterly or yearly hosting, based on your requirements and budget. A good option is godaddy.com, it has several options and the system is also very secure.
4. Let’s start building now.
Now is the time to build your website. If you purchased your domain from a reliable hosting provider, you may get access to their own site builder (somewhere paid, somewhere free). However, you can look for third-party site builders. It is a free-to-use site builder that enables you to create your own templates that can be downloaded and uploaded to your server. You may also update your website live. There are several other site builders as well out there for you to choose from.
The biggest benefit of using a site builder is the ease to add and remove elements you need and preview your website before you put it up live. People are now moving away from traditional web designing tools like Dreamweaver and using tools like SITE123 as they are specifically made for web designing purposes.
5. Two Minutes Websites!
As mentioned earlier, you can now build your website within minutes. There are several ways to do so. Let’s discuss a few:
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WordPress
WordPress is one of the largest growing platforms with around 19% of all websites now using WordPress. It’s a free to use platform with several incredible features. It’s also very easy to use which is one of the main reasons why a lot of many use WP to host their sites.
You do not technically need to build a website when you use WordPress. This open-source tool comes with preinstalled templates to choose from. WordPress allows you to upload everything from images to videos (hosted on your site or elsewhere).
You can even start an ecommerce store on WordPress thanks to plugins available from Shopify and other such ecommerce platforms. While some of these plugins are free, most come at a price. You can also select from a variety of paid themes to give your website a new look.
Being an open-source platform, WordPress gives you incredible customization options making it one of the best choices to start your own website. Most hosting providers also provide one-click installation which only takes a few minutes to complete. However, many experts believe that it is not the most secure platform out there.
Some famous websites using WordPress include CNN, Forbes and Sony.
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Joomla
Joomla is a CMS that works quite like WordPress, however its only downfall is that you need a bit of technical knowledge to master it properly.
It is perfect to create ecommerce sites or websites that have membership programs. It also comes with thousands of free plugins and themes with option to purchase paid versions with added features. The tool is being used by big names like Harvard and Linux and offers some pretty cool features.
It takes around 10 minutes to install properly, and is considered a safe tool to use.
The Final Verdict on How to Build a Business Website
You can use WordPress if you want a blog styled website. Joomla can be your go-to option in case of social media sites and ecommerce stores. However, if you wish to have a professional site that’s also easy and affordable to manage, then the best option is to create your own website with a sitebuilder.
This way you have complete control over what to add or remove on your site and you can also change the layout according to your own taste without having to go through themes or purchasing additional plugins.