Complete Guide To Launch A New Website. Are you planning to create your website? Congratulations! You’re already on your first step to success. And you do not need to hold this thought for any reason. We know you must be thinking that it’s easier said than done, and after all, it’s you who have to take care of the budget, hiring developers, and so on. But what if we tell you that you can launch your website without the help of developers or coding knowledge? Yes, it is possible to create a basic website without coding. Though for complex functionalities (which can be added later), you will need a developer. In this blog post, we are going to provide you with stepwise instructions on how to set up your website from scratch.
Step 1: Buy A Web Hosting
Just like you cannot build a house without land, you cannot build a website without hosting. Web hosting is buying digital space on remote servers upon which you create your website. When you create files on your desktop, those can only be accessed on your system, by buying digital space through hosting providers allows you to access and share those files (here website) anywhere & anytime.
There are multiple hosting providers, offering alluring plans & discounts. You need to keep these three factors in mind while choosing your hosting provider:
Uptime: It is the time when your site is running and is accessible to users.
Site Speed: It is an important factor for both Google ranking & retaining your audience. Users usually leave slow loading websites.
Customer Service: If your website faces any issue, your hosting service provider must be there to help you through.
Step 2: Domain Name
You might have a name for your business, but is it available to create a website? If you haven’t already checked for a domain name, you must now. If you have some potential names in your mind, check for their availability on some domain provider.
It is a wise idea to buy the domain name from your web hosting provider, as most of the hosting packages include a free domain for a year and can help you save cost. In case a .com domain name is not available, you can go with .org, .io, or .tech based on availability. Most of the .com domains are already taken, and sometimes it becomes impossible to find one in your niche. These substitute prefixes can be very helpful in such cases.
Though, are you finding it hard to think of the perfect domain name that reflects your brand & goals? Some tools can spark your creativity and generate domain names at zero cost. All you need to do is enter 1-2 keywords that are most relevant to your business and the domain name generator will help you with some amazing names & will also check their availability.
Step 3: CMS Platform
CMS is a content management system that acts as a medium between you and the hosting server. Using CMS, you can edit all the data you store with the hosting server and make real-time changes to your website.
A CMS allows you to make edits using your domain. You can add new features or update a website in less time and easily. There are tons of CMS available in the market, each having its unique strengths & weaknesses. Some of the most popular ones are WordPress, Drupal & Joomla. These CMS systems are supported by huge plugin banks and communities that make the lives of users easy. For custom requirements, you will need a developer who can bring together different technologies and has an extensive knowledge of coding languages to build your website. This is a critical stage, and it is advised for you to explore all the possible platforms for your website and choose the one that best suits your business requirements.
Once you have your CMS setup, you can find your link on the internet that can be accessed by anyone. However, there’s of course nothing on the website, and that’s what you need to get started with at this stage. You can install themes for all popular CMS systems. These are basic layouts that can later be edited & improved according to requirements.
You can find some themes within the CMS you are using, or for better options, you can search the internet. You need to download and install the external themes in your CMS so that you can activate them to get started.
Step 5: Website Editing
Once you’ve activated the theme in your CMS, it’s time for editing without messing up everything. If you’re careful while playing around with all those elements, you can avoid a website breakdown.
The first & most important step in this phase is to use a child theme. A child theme is a style theme where you can edit & customize the look of your website without disturbing the rest of your themes.
You can use CSS for your child theme for customization. Here’s why:
Fewer chances of website breakdown: You always have the option to remove child theme files in your hosting, if required.
Prevents Updates: WordPress offers updates from time to time for security reasons. Whenever you update your theme, it erases all the changes you’ve made, requiring a redo. This won’t happen with a child theme and can save you loads of time & effort.
One of the biggest mistakes that businesses make is thinking of marketing as an additional cost. Most businesses aim to focus only on key operations in the initial stage, but how will your audience see your website if it’s not able to reach them. Below is a checklist of must do’s to market your website to the audience:
Logo: Get a logo designed for your brand if you don’t have any already
Create a website copy: You can start with the basic pages like About Us & eventually start filling in other pages as you go to communicate your message to your audience.
Google Analytics: This helps in analyzing your website traffic & tracking visitors. This might not be useful right away but can be your go-to tool once your website is up & running.
Marketing Strategy: A well-thought marketing plan can substantially boost your website visitors. You need to see how, where & when you should reach out to your audience to make it a success.
These steps will work as a roadmap to your eventual goal of website development. A lot of research & effort goes into it, which can be quite tedious. However, you can find insightful videos & blogs shared by people to help you through each stage of your website development. For more related information, stay tuned!
