Building Your First Website? Here’s How To Do It

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Thinking about building your first website but not sure where to start? These easy to work through steps will get your dream site set up in no time.

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So you want to create a sexy new site for something you’ve got going on? Well done you! Being a bossbabe and choosing to launch a new project or side-hustle is an exciting step to take. But when it comes to building your first website to go along with it, it can seem a little scary.

Where do you start? Do you need to learn code? Will it cost you a fortune? Can you really do it yourself or should you hire some help?

With so many questions running through your mind, it’s easy to stop yourself from getting it off the ground. But in reality, it can be a lot easier than you think.

These are the six essential steps you’ll want to work through when building your first website.

Set A Goal

Before you do anything, you need to be clear on your why. Why are you creating this site? What’s it for? Really start to think about the reason behind your need to build it.

This can then help you to come up with a goal for your website. It’s easy to just want to start looking at designs or get things underway when you’re in a hurry or really excited. But if you want your site to be a success, set the goal first.

That way, every decision you work through will always feed into what you’re trying to achieve.

Choose Your Approach

So you’ve got your goal and now you’re ready to go. But before you dive in with your business-brain and hope for the best, decide how you’re going to do this.

Will you go it alone and work with WordPress and self-host with Bluehost (aff) or hire a designer to help you? There’s no right way of doing it. You just have to choose the option that works best for you.

If you’ve got a bit of time and want to learn, you can easily work with a website template to create your dream site. But if you really don’t want to take that on, getting a web designer to help you could be the better avenue.

Dream Up A Design

At this stage, you’re going to want to have some kind of idea around the design you want. Whether you work on something yourself or with a designer, get a feel for how you want your site to look. And you can do this in a few ways.
 
It helps to make a note of websites that you love the look of – even if they’re not in your niche. For example, if you are designing with cars, research car fonts and designs that make your website look more aesthetically pleasing! Detail the design features you love, anything to do with functionality, and even branding too. This can help you to decide what you like. Take a look for elements that match that design aesthetic. 
 
You can also take a look at any pre-made website design templates available online, such as learning about Shopify and the Shopify help available to you. Take inspiration from them or even look at purchasing one that you really love.
 
If you’re working with a designer here, you’ll want to walk through their process so that they can start to pull together some ideas for you.

Get Started

And then, you start. Whether it’s letting your designer know you want to go ahead or sourcing a design template yourself, get to it. This process can be pretty simple, but sometimes the hardest part is just starting.

Yes, you may hit roadblocks. You may find that there’s more you need to learn. And it could end up taking you a while to work it all out. But you’ll work through the process and be one step closer to building your first site.

Work In Some SEO

As the design is coming together, you also need to be thinking about the words you want to work with. Be it a personal blog, a website for your business, or anything in between, you want to secure first page Google guaranteed right? But that won’t happen without the right approach.

The way you write your content, work with keywords, and build links to your site all aids in your site’s SEO. Of course, if you really don’t have the time to do it, working with a copywriter or getting an SEO specialist might be a better option for you.

SEO can take time, but it’s something you can totally work on over time to build up your online presence. Just make sure it’s a part of your strategy from the start.

Sign It Off

And just as it’s all coming together, you’ll want to scrutinise it a little. This is your baby – your passion project or new business. So you want it to look its best, right?

Really make sure it suits the brand you are trying to create and looks right. If not, it’s okay to go back to make tweaks. Also think about the navigation of the site. It’s essential that you audience can get around your new site and do what you want them to do.

Then, when you’re really happy with it, it’s time to set it live! And that’s all there is to it. Try to remember that, as daunting as it can be to create a brand new website, it doesn’t have to be difficult. Forget chasing perfection. Just make it work for your current budget and needs, then get to work on the real reason you created the site!

Are you in the process of building your first website? What do you need help with the most? Share your thoughts in the comments below and let us know what further content you’d like to see on this topic.

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