People create websites for all kinds of reasons. Some do it for personal branding, others to create a professional portfolio. In fact, a large number of people are able to make a decent living from their websites through blogs, affiliate marketing, etc.
At any rate, creating an appealing and modern website can be challenging, especially if you aren’t quite tech-savvy or want to create one from scratch. However, the following points cover all you need to know to succeed in your endeavor.
Let’s get started!
Step 1: Picking A Platform
The first thing you need to do is to choose a platform for your website, which is also called a content management system.
There was a time when building websites were something that’s possible for only individuals skilled in the trade. This was when the majority of websites required programming from scratch, and you had to create each website page individually using technologies like HTML, CSS, JS, etc. However, times have changed.
Today, even a school-goer can create his own website in a day! There is such a huge demand for website development, that a number of software companies have launched user-friendly platforms. These include WordPress, Blogger, Drupal, etc. The following highlight the distinctions:
- HTML, CSS: Viable option as the programming required is very basic and easily learnable.
- Drupal: Offers a wide range of tools and customization options. You can even use any of the popular Drupal themes to make your job even easier. Still, you must learn the basics first before you get into it.
- WordPress and Blogger: Both these platforms are extremely popular for website creation. However, WordPress has nearly 59% market share and hosts a number of major websites such as Forbes, The New York Times, TechCrunch, Sony Music, and more. It also has an excellent community support and a wide range of plugins that can help you create the exact website you want.
The majority of people who are new to website building prefer WordPress. So, let’s go with it for this guide.
Step 2: Domain Name, Hosting Service
No matter what platform you pick, you will always need two things:
Domain Name
this is the name of the website which is usually in the format www.YourWebsiteName.com. Since no domain name can be used twice, it’s possible that the name you are interested in is already booked. So, you may need to put on your thinking cap and use some other variations.
For instance, if you www.alanmiller.com isn’t available, you can pick www.alanwrites.com or www.writeralan.com, etc.
Note: You can also choose a different extension other than .com, such as .uk, .us, .net, etc. However, it’s best to stick with .com as it’s more of a norm and easily remembered.
Hosting Service Provider
There are a number of companies that offer affordable and reliable website hosting services such as GoDaddy, Bluehost, etc. Plus, they offer different subscription plans for different types of users.
If you want a basic personal website that does the job, then you would want to pick a starter option that would cost around $3-$5 a month. However, if you want to create a bigger website with better features and higher storage, then you can pick the premium packs.
Step 3: WordPress Installation
The majority of popular website hosting service providers offer easy WordPress installation support. All you have to do is log into your account and go to the control panel. You will find a WordPress icon there. If you can’t find it, you may search it entering the name the search box.
Note: If the easy method doesn’t work, you can go for manual installation too.
The installation should not take more than a few minutes. Once that’s done, follow these steps:
- Login your WordPress account (you can create one if you don’t have one already).
- Go to dashboard and click the Appearance tab on the left. Click “Themes” and pick one that’s appropriate for your website. You can also download a WP theme from third-party websites and upload to your website if you like too.
- Add pages. Depending on what kind of website you want, you can add the following ones: About Me, Contact, Services, etc.
Using WordPress isn’t difficult. You will find most of the stuff you need easily accessible. Still, if you want, you can read the documentation available on the WordPress official website.
Step 4: Designing a Logo
There are tons of websites on the Internet today, both personal and commercial. So, if you want yours to stand out or even make a decent impact, then you absolutely need a logo.
The good news for you is that you don’t have to spend hours learning about logo designing. You don’t even have to spend hundreds of dollars to appoint a graphics designer to make it for you. There are many new-age logo designing software with which you can create unique, attractive, and fitting logos for your website in minutes. Learning how to make a logo is also simple and easy with a software like these.
You can easily create a logo by sharing the details such as the fonts, colors, icons, etc. with the program of your choice, and once your logo is ready, you can upload it to your WP website by following these steps:
- Log in your WordPress account.
- Click “My Sites” on the top-left of the page.
- Select “customizer” and click “Site Identity
- Click “Add Logo” button which would open the Media Manager
- Upload the logo image.
- Click “Set as logo” and then “Save and Publish” button
Wrapping it Up
At this point, you have registered your domain name, obtained hosting space and required features, created a unique logo, and created different pages for your website. That’s all that there it is to create a personal website!
You can continue working on your website by changing the design, content, etc. You can also market your website through a variety of methods such as social media marketing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), etc. Good luck!