Do you want to build a website from scratch, but don’t know how to? In this 6 step guide, we will guide you through the process of building a website from scratch.
The steps are as follows:
1. Choose on Which Platfrom to Build a Website From Scratch
2. Find a Domain Name and Host
3. Set Up a Website and Start Designing
4. Add Content
5. Optimize Your Website for Search Engines
6. Launch Your Website
Let’s dive deeper into each step.
1. Choose on Which Platfrom to Create a Website From Scratch
The first step in designing a website is to choose your website platform. There are many website platforms available, such as WordPress, Wix, and Squarespace. Each platform has its own strengths and weaknesses, so it’s important to choose the one that best suits your needs.
Forbes recently made a good list of the top 10 website builders in 2023.
2. Find a Domain Name and Host
Once you have chosen your website platform, the next step is to find a domain name and host. Your domain name is the address that people will use to access your website. They can be purchased from domain registrars.
Your host is the company that will store your website files and make them available online. So in other words, the host makes your website accessible for people around the world.
3. Set Up a Website and Start Designing
After you have chosen your website platform and found a domain name and host, the next step is to start designing. There are many different applications meant for web design, such as Figma or Adobe Dreamweaver. Here are the steps for designing a website:
1. Sketch out a wireframe
Sketch out a website wireframe to have an idea of where to put different elements, how big fonts to use on segment etc. If you are a beginner, use max. 6 different sized fonts. Don’t think too much about the colors or images at this point.
2. Create a style sheet
Create a single image in which you will add the general styling of the site (minimalistic or busy etc.), font, different font sizes, colors and button styles.
3. Design the website
With the help of the style sheet, create the final website design for all pages. Make sure to prioritize mobile users, as more people access the internet on their mobile devices than on desktop computers. Be sure to use intuitive design. Place navigation options at the top of the page and use a consistent color scheme throughout your website.
Step 4: Add Content
Once you have set up your website and designed it to your liking, the next step is to add content. This includes text, images, videos, and other media that will make your website engaging and informative.
Step 5: Optimize Your Website for Search Engines
After you have added content to your website, the next step is to optimize it for search engines. If you are using a website platform such as WordPress, you can add an SEO plugin such as Yoast SEO that helps you to optimize your website’s content for search engines.
Your website should load fast on all devices.
Load times can be checked and troubleshot with tools like Google PageSpeed Insights.
Your website should follow logical URL and site structures.
Organize your website’s content into categories and subcategories to make it easier for users to find what they’re looking for. Use descriptive URLs that accurately reflect the content of each page on your website.
You should build backlinks.
Building backlinks, in other words links from other websites to your websites, makes you rank higher in search engines. Building backlinks gets a lot easier when you make unique and high quality content as people are willing to link to your content.
Step 6: Launch Your Website
The final step in designing a website from scratch is to launch your website. You should consult your hosting service company’s guide to launching the website. Many website hosts make the setup process of websites quite easy.
And that is how to build a website from scratch!
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