A good website is essential for building a solid online presence. For small business owners, a well-designed website can be a powerful marketing tool, letting you reach a wider audience, inform visitors about your offerings, and establish credibility in your industry. As a creative professional, an online portfolio can help you display your work, show off your skills and style, and attract new prospects and projects.
Without a website, you risk missing out on opportunities to connect with your target audience. Fortunately, with a user-friendly site builder, website building is relatively straightforward. Here’s how to plan, build, and launch your website.
Table of contents
How to create a website from scratch
- Define your purpose and goals
- Plan your structure and layout
- Develop your website
- Select a domain name
- Choose a web hosting provider (if needed)
- Create and add engaging content
- Implement additional features and functionality
- Test, refine, and optimize
- Launch your website
- Plan for ongoing maintenance and updates
Creating a website from scratch may seem daunting, but it’s a manageable task with the right tools and guidance. Here are some simple steps to help you build your own professional website from the ground up:
1. Define your purpose and goals
Whether you’re creating a business website to advertise your pet grooming services or an online store to sell bespoke jewelry, take a moment to clarify your website’s purpose before diving into the technicalities. Identify your target audience and their needs to guide your decisions throughout the development process.
What are the goals you want your site visitors to achieve? It might be purchasing products, contacting you for more information, or reading your content. Defining objectives early on helps you create a focused, effective website that meets your business needs and your audience’s expectations.
2. Plan your structure and layout
Create a logical site structure by organizing your content into categories and subcategories. This helps users navigate your website easily, and it helps search engines understand your site pages’ hierarchy.
For example, a website for a wedding photography business might include a home page, an About page, pricing information, galleries to showcase your work, and a contact form. However, a conference website could be a single page with event details, speaker photos, and registration and payment functionality.
Sketch out a wireframe—a site blueprint—or use a tool like Figma to visualize your layout and ensure a consistent design across your pages. Consider additional website settings, such as responsive design for mobile devices and accessibility features for users with disabilities.
3. Develop your website
You can either code your website from scratch or use a website builder. When coding your website from scratch, you work on both front-end development, which focuses on the visual elements that visitors see and interact with on your web pages, and back-end development, which handles the behind-the-scenes logic that powers your website. You can hire a web developer or write the code yourself in a text editor, using a framework or content management system (CMS) to simplify the process.
Alternatively, website builders offer an intuitive way to create a professional site without writing a single line of code. Most website builders feature a drag-and-drop editor, letting you customize website templates to suit your needs. To choose the right website builder, consider your website’s required features. For example, Shopify is designed for ecommerce, while Wix and Squarespace are excellent options for professional portfolios.
4. Select a domain name
Your domain name is the URL visitors use to access your site and can be a crucial aspect of your brand identity. (It’s also displayed in the page title and browser tabs.) When choosing a custom domain name, opt for a short, memorable, and relevant name that reflects your brand or business.
Many website builders offer a free domain for the first year, while others require you to purchase a custom domain separately. You can buy one through a domain name registrar like GoDaddy, Namecheap, or Google Domains. Once you’ve obtained your domain name, register it and configure your domain name system (DNS) settings to point to your website’s hosting provider.
5. Choose a web hosting provider (if needed)
If you use a website builder like Wix or Squarespace, web hosting is typically included in your plan, so you probably don’t need to purchase it separately.
If you’re coding your site from scratch, choose a web hosting provider. A web hosting service stores your website’s files on a server, making them accessible to visitors online. Popular options include Bluehost, HostGator, and SiteGround. When selecting a web hosting provider, consider reliability, uptime, security, customer support, and scalability to ensure your website runs smoothly as it grows.
6. Create and add engaging content
Crafting compelling content engages visitors and encourages them to explore your website further. Ensure each web page has a clear purpose. For an online store, include high-quality product photography and detailed product descriptions. If you’re promoting SaaS software, add product screenshots, a video demo, and customer testimonials to build trust and credibility.
Incorporate visually appealing elements like images, videos, and infographics. Plus, consider interactive content like quizzes, polls, or calculators to keep visitors engaged and encourage them to take action.
Josh McJannett, co-founder of the beer company Dominion City Brewing, placed a significant focus on design when he and his partner decided to launch a seltzer brand with an entirely new brand identity. He extended the design across every touch point—from the new City Seltzer website built on Shopify to the eye-catching cans. “City Seltzer feels more like a New York deli. It's light, it’s bright, it’s fun. I think that was a real deliberate choice to differentiate those things,” Josh says on the Shopify Masters podcast.
7. Implement additional features and functionality
To ensure your website is user-friendly and functional across desktop and mobile devices, incorporate responsive design and optimize your site’s loading speed. Implement intuitive navigation menus, advanced search functionality, and customizable contact forms to improve user experience. Consider adding live chat or AI chatbot support for instant assistance.
For online stores, integrate ecommerce functionality like shopping carts, payment gateways, customer accounts, wish lists, and product reviews. Prioritize security with SSL certificates and regular backups to protect your website and user data.
8. Test, refine, and optimize
Before launching your website, test its functionality, usability, and compatibility across browsers and devices. Test your site speed and mobile optimization to ensure a smooth user experience.
Implement search engine optimization (SEO) best practices by incorporating relevant keywords, optimizing meta tags and descriptions, and ensuring your site is mobile-friendly. SEO is an ongoing process, so iterate and adjust once your site is live to improve your rankings on search engine result pages.
9. Launch your website
Once your newly created website is ready, share it with the world. Set up Google Analytics to track website traffic and gain insights into how visitors browse your site. Promote your website across your social media platforms, email newsletter, brick-and-mortar store, and relevant online communities to attract your target audience. Consider running Google Ads or investing in local SEO to boost visibility and drive more traffic to your site.
10. Plan for ongoing maintenance and updates
Regularly updating your website with fresh, high-quality content helps maintain strong rankings on search engine results pages (SERPs). As a website owner, develop an ongoing SEO strategy that includes keyword research, content creation, and link building.
Monitor your website’s performance and user feedback to identify areas for improvement, and keep its software and security features up to date to ensure a safe and smooth user experience.
Tips for learning how to create a website
Learning how to create a professional website from scratch can be a valuable skill. Here’s how you might go about it:
Pursue independent learning
Independent learning options might be the way to go if you prefer a self-paced, flexible approach to learning how to build your own website. There are countless resources available online, such as blogs, YouTube tutorials, and web design courses, that can teach you the necessary web development skills.
While this option allows you to learn at your own pace and can be cost-effective, it requires strong self-motivation and discipline, as you won’t have the guidance of an instructor or immediate support when you encounter challenges. Popular learning platforms include Udemy, Coursera, Codecademy, and FreeCodeCamp.
Register for a web development boot camp
Web development boot camps are intensive, short-term programs specializing in various development aspects such as websites, apps, or front-end and back-end technologies. Each program focuses on different programming languages and skill sets based on your interests and goals. These programs often focus on practical, real-world projects and can be completed in weeks or months.
While boot camps can be a faster and more affordable option than a degree, they may not provide the same depth of knowledge. Popular boot camps include General Assembly, Flatiron School, and BrainStation.
Enroll in a degree program
Pursuing a degree in computer science, web development, or a related field can give you a comprehensive understanding of the website creation process. These programs teach you how to build a website but also cover topics such as programming languages, database management, software development, and the underlying theoretical foundations of computing.
This option offers a structured learning environment, expert guidance, and hands-on experience, but it can be time-consuming and expensive.
Create a website from scratch FAQ
Is it good to build a website from scratch?
Building a website from scratch can be rewarding, but website builders like Shopify, Squarespace, and WordPress can be cost-effective and suit the needs of many individuals and businesses.
How much does it cost to develop a website from scratch?
The cost to develop a website from scratch ranges based on the complexity of your website, from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on whether you’re using a site builder as an individual or working with an agency to create a more complex, custom site.
How can I learn how to build a website from scratch?
To learn how to build a website from scratch, you can pursue a degree, enroll in a boot camp, or opt for independent learning options like certificates, online courses, and YouTube tutorials.
