If you're ready to create or up-level a website for your small business, you've come to the right place! I'm going to walk you through the exact steps that I recommend on how to build a website from scratch, with ZERO CODING involved.
1. Purchase a domain
First things first! You'll want to purchase a domain for your new website if you have not yet already done so. Domains cost around $10/year, and I recommend godaddy or google for purchasing these. I do recommend choosing a short, easy to remember domain name and using a .com if possible.
2. Define your website goals
The next thing you'll need to do is define your website goals. What is the main purpose of your website? What kind of functionality will you need? Who is your ideal client or customer and how do you plan to serve them? The answers to these questions will help determine which website platform is best for your business.
3. Choose a website platform
Now that you have your goals in mind, it's time to select a website builder to fit your needs. When making this decision, these are a few things you should look for in a website platform:
- Intuitive and easy to use
- Design flexibility
- Great customer support
- Zero coding (much faster learning curve)
I highly recommend Showit, because it ticks all of these boxes (and many more!). You can view the pricing for Showit here. If you have a full ecommerce shop, then I recommend Shopify.
4. Create your website branding
The next step is to create your website branding if you do not already have branding established. You'll need to select a color palette, fonts, and a logo to incorporate into your website and across all of your social media platforms. Keeping your branding consistent wherever you show up online is key!
5. Craft your website content
Creating the content for all website pages is the next step. Content is a collection of copy(text) and images to use on your website. I recommend working on this page by page, section by section to avoid burnout and overwhelm. Keep the content simple to start, and after launching you can always add more and refine what you have. For photos, I recommend using a mix of branded photos and stock photos (if needed).
6. Design your website
Finally! I know it seems like a lot of work to get to this point, but your hard work will pay off and make this part much easier on you. The best way to design a website from scratch is to start from a website template, because this saves you a tremendous amount of time. After adding your branding to the template, go through the template page by page and replace all text and images with your own. I love and recommend purchasing a Showit Website Template.
7. Launch your website
It's time to test your website on all devices, and launch! You should take some time to celebrate your launch, and proudly show off that beautiful new website. You did it!
