How to make a website in 2024: Complete step-by-step guide

"Getting" your website online can be daunting, but if you follow the right steps, it can be easier than you think. 

You don't need to be a web design professional with years of experience to build a great looking website. And, it doesn't have to cost a fortune either!

I've been building websites for over ten years and studying hosting and builders for nearly as long.

There are two ways you can build a website. The first option is to use a website builder , that is, a platform designed to be easy for anyone, even those without experience or technical skills.

The second way is to use the WordPress platform . 

This one may take a bit longer, but it's pretty easy if you're technically inclined and gives you more flexibility.

If you're short on time, you can go to Fiverr and hire a professional designer to build you a WordPress website for just $5 .

In this guide I'll break down both options for you, so read on to find out which is the right choice for each.

Option 1: Using a Website Builder

The website builder is an online tool that facilitates the development of a website. These tools can be quite powerful, even though they require no technical or coding knowledge, making them suitable for beginners and useful for professionals.

The intuitive interface and flexible features make it easy for builders to create a great website design in hours or even minutes. Most the best website builders are very reasonably priced, and many of them offer subscriptions or free trials so you can test without risking losing money.

The builders come with pre-designed templates that set the style, layout and color scheme of the site. All you have to do is choose one, add your own content and images, and customize it to your own brand.

Depending on the provider, you'll have access to different methods of building and editing your site. I prefer drag and drop editing because it gives you more control over the layout while keeping the process simple . You can position elements wherever you want or add new elements by simply dragging them into place.

Some builders offer various apps to choose from. This is an easy way to add functionality to your site or integrate it with another service. You can add a mailing list, an appointment scheduling system, a live chat box, or just about anything else you can imagine, usually at no extra cost.

Although there are a lot of website builders on the market, their quality varies greatly. My favorite is Wix because it offers hundreds of templates and great flexibility with tons of free (and paid) apps. To see other great alternatives, check out our guide to the best website builders .

Using a website builder: Step-by-step guide

1. Decide what type of website you want to build

With most website builders, you can create almost any type of page. It can be a personal website, a blog, an online portfolio or an (interactive) CV. Entrepreneurs may need a website to showcase their business or an online store to sell their products or services.

You don't even have to limit yourself to one goal. For example, you may want to create a website for your company that also contains a portfolio and an online store. With the right builder, the possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

2. Choose the right website builder for your needs.

Builders have different advantages and functions, so you need to choose the right tool for your needs. For example, while most builders come with certain types of features or add-ons for online stores, tools like Shopify are designed specifically for e-commerce. However, in these cases features for general use, such as blogging, are very limited.

From my point of view, the most flexible website builder is Wix. It has great e-commerce features, loads of apps, and its drag-and-drop editor gives you full control over your website's layout. Wix is ​​at the top of our list of the best website builders, and I'll be using it to demonstrate the steps needed to build a website in this guide. But that doesn't mean it's the only option – these steps apply to most quality website builders.

Website builders recommended by us

Not sure which builder to choose? Here are some recommendations for different purposes.

• If you need full design freedom and easy editing capabilities, Wix is ​​my top recommendation because of its flexibility and functionality. The free plan is outstanding and allows you to build a fully functional website (despite some limitations).
• The most beginner-friendly tool on this list, SITE123 allows simple and fast website creation .
• If you work in creative (photography, design, copywriting) then Squarespace is the best choice . Its quality templates are perfect for showcasing your creative talent.
• If you have an agency and want to create a website that attracts clients and conveys trust, IONOS offers a simple design with professional results . It also comes with easy-to-use e-commerce tools.
• If you need a great online store with advanced eCommerce features like inventory tracking, product variations, and business analytics, you can't go wrong with Shopify . It has hundreds of apps and tons of tools that will help you increase your sales.

3. Choose a subscription

Most website builders offer a free subscription or at least a free trial. If you're just starting out, or if you're on a tight budget, the free membership may be the best solution. Free memberships give you the chance to test a website builder without any initial investment.

However, the downside is that free memberships often come with a lot of restrictions . You will be limited to using the subdomain provided by the builder (eg username.wixsite.com/company). This is not a problem if you create a website as a hobby, but if you use your website for business, you need a custom domain name (company.com) that is easy for customers to remember.

Also, if you're using a free plan, the site will have the builder's branding all over it, which can look unprofessional.

Free plans also tend to restrict the amount of traffic you can use, and many useful features (like installing apps or accessing e-commerce tools) can only be reserved for paying customers. If you're serious about the site, you'll need to upgrade to a paid subscription.

It is important to know the type of website you want to build before choosing a subscription. Thus, you can select one that best fits your budget, but at the same time meets your needs. For example:

• If you want to sell online, you'll probably need to choose a specialized e-commerce subscription (or at least one that comes with the necessary e-commerce tools). Wix has several general and business/ecommerce plans to choose from, but you can only accept online payments with business/ecommerce plans.
• If you want to showcase your work using lots of videos or high-resolution images on your website, you'll need a subscription with more storage and bandwidth. For example, Squarespace gives you unlimited photo storage with every plan, including the cheapest one.

I recommend choosing the cheapest plan that gives you all the features you need at the moment. If your needs change along the way, you can always upgrade to a higher-priced subscription.

4. Getting started: Choose a template

The first step in the process is always choosing a template. All website builders use templates (some builders call them themes, but they mean the same thing) as the building blocks for your new website. The templates are designed to work on all types of devices and allow you to launch your website in a relatively short amount of time.

The template sets the overall style and look of the site (it can be customized later), giving you a framework that you can customize by adding your own content.

Most website builders have libraries of templates that you can browse even before signing up. The templates are arranged in categories, as you can see in the screenshot of the Wix template gallery. The categories are not at all restrictive (for example, you can use a portfolio template for a blog), and each of them contains templates that are designed specifically for different types of websites.

The best templates look fantastic the first time. In my opinion, Squarespace has some of the most amazing templates in the industry.

Choose the template that best suits your vision 5. Customize the template

In fact, you don't necessarily need to bring any customization to the template you've chosen. However, no matter how well designed, the customization of the site is what makes it truly its own and sets it apart from other websites (especially those that use the exact same starting point). For starters, you can change the template's colors and fonts to match your company's branding.

Although builders offer different levels of customization, one of the huge advantages of using such a tool is that it greatly simplifies customization. Although each website builder has its own editor, everything I'll illustrate with Wix can be done with similar steps with other builders.

Changing fonts

Changing fonts on Wix involves just clicking on the text you want to change and then pressing the Edit Text button . You can edit each text box separately or use the Save Theme option to apply font changes to the entire website.

With Wix, you can choose different fonts for different types of text – for example, you can choose one font for Heading 1, to use as the main heading (as in the template below), and another font for subheadings. You can even set a different font for paragraph styles.

Wix gives you a great level of customization of global text styles Some website builders only allow you to change the font style for the entire website, not for specific headings and individual paragraphs. While this does limit your options somewhat, I recommend keeping a consistent style throughout your site anyway.

Changing colors

You can easily change the font color in the text settings box, but you can just as easily change the color of other elements, such as column backgrounds. You can use a solid color background using the color picker as you can see in the screenshot below.

Wix automatically creates complementary color palettes to match the theme, but you can change the palettes using the "change site colors" option. You can also add your own colors depending on the brand.

Wix offers the ability to easily change colors and backgrounds

Moving elements on the page

Drag-and-drop builders make rearranging page content a breeze. Wix is ​​unique in the level of control it gives you over the layout of your pages, but other drag-and-drop editors offer similar features.

Other editors use the up/down button method for moving sections around the page. Block editors fall as a way of working between the two, with pre-designed blocks (text, image, video, columns, etc.) that you can arrange in a grid, giving you more flexibility than simply moving the content up or down. However, it doesn't offer as much room for maneuver as a drag-and-drop editor.

What I particularly liked about Wix is ​​the Zoom Out and Reorder feature . This allows you to view the entire page and move sections and/or elements much more easily. Below, you can see how easy it is to move content using this tool.

Using Wix's Drag-and-Drop Editor to Rearrange Sections 6. Add Your Own Content

To add your own content, simply replace the "placeholder" text and images in the template with your own text and images. It may take a bit longer if you have a larger amount of content, but the process is very simple.

If you don't have your own images, most website builders offer some sort of image bank that allows you to instantly add free images.

How to add text

You can add new text sections to pages with just a few clicks. In Wix, use the Add tool on the left toolbar and then select Text from the pop-out menu.

I recommend that you first set up the main areas where you want to add the text and only then add the rest of the content. You can use the free Lorem Ipsum Generator to create filler text until you've finished your own text.

Choose from a wide variety of text styles How to add an image

Just like adding text to your website, adding images is incredibly easy. In Wix, open the Add menu , select Image (just below Text ), and choose from the range of image sources. You can also upload your own images, use free images and illustrations provided by Wix, search the Unsplash database, or choose premium images from Shutterstock (which costs extra). Then just place the image where you want it on the page.

You can also use the Add Image tool to add a logo. I have some tips on logos later in this article.

If you're using free images from Wix or Unsplash, they may already be optimized – meaning they've been compressed to take up less space and not slow down your site. If you're using your own high-resolution images, it's a good idea to reduce the file sizes before uploading them. This can be done very easily with a free tool, for example our Image Compressor .

Wix offers several ways to add images to your website How to add a page to your website

Most templates come with several pre-designed pages, for example Home , About Us and Contact . If you want to add more pages (perhaps one for Services or My Projects ), you can do so by clicking the Menus and Pages button in the left toolbar and selecting the Add Page button at the bottom of the menu that appears.

Adding a new page to Wix couldn't be easier When you add a new page to your website, it will automatically appear in the navigation menu.

7. Add apps

Apps are third-party or native programs that help extend the site's functionality. Although not all website builders offer apps, some ( Wix, for example) have hundreds of apps to choose from . Many of these are free, but even paid apps often come with a free version or a free trial.

You can use apps to add additional features to your site in minutes. For example, from the Wix app store, you can add features like online booking, live chat, newsletter sign-up, social media integration, and more.

The Wix app store offers hundreds of options to extend your site's functionality. To add apps to your Wix site, click on the App Market (its icon is shaped like four small squares and can be found in the left toolbar). From here, you can search for a specific app or browse the categories to find new ideas.

Once you've found the app you need, click on it and then select Add to Site.

With a few clicks, install apps directly from the Wix App Market

After installing the application, it will be immediately available on the page. In this example, I added the Rollover Image Effects app for advanced image editing, and it was live on my page in 30 seconds!

8. Choose a domain name

Before publishing your site, you will need to choose a domain name. If you have a free plan, you will need to use a subdomain (eg username.wixsites.com/websitename). If you sign up for a paid annual subscription, most builders will include a free custom domain name for the first year.

Most website builders offer the option to register and configure your domain name. This means that you only need to choose the best domain name for your website. A suitable domain name is absolutely crucial, so don't rush this step! Even if you've found the perfect name, one of the biggest problems you'll face is its availability.

If you're having trouble, read our complete guide to choosing a domain name !

9. Test and publish the website

Once you've added all your content and chosen your domain name, it's time to launch your website online. With most website builders, you just need to click a button (or two).

Don't rush to hit Publish – it's a good idea to use Preview to make sure your site looks perfect before it hits the internet. The preview allows you to see the site exactly as your visitors will see it, without the distractions of the editor. In addition, if there is any place where you forgot to add the content or you have a blank page that you forgot to fill in, the site preview can help you fix everything in detail before the site users catch the mistake.

Most builders will also allow you to preview the mobile version of the website. Make sure your site works and looks good on mobile devices too .

After publishing your site, you can easily view and share it.After pressing the Publish button , your site will be live and you can start promoting it!

Comparison table of website builders

Website builder	Free subscription	Drag & Drop	Applications/Integrations	Template	Starting price
Wix	✔	✔	✔	Over 800	€ 0	Read the review
Squarespace	✘	✔	✔	Over 140	€ 14.36	Read the review
Hostinger Website Builder	✘	✔	✔	Over 100	€ 2.68	Read the review
IONOS	✘	✔	✘	18	€ 5.39	Read the review
SITE123	✔	✘	✔	Over 240	€ 0	Read the review
WordPress.com	✔	✘	✔	Over 140 natives Thousands of third-party templates	€ 3.59	Read the review
webnode	✔	✘	✘	110	€ 3.50	Read the review
Shopify	✘	✘	✔	70	€ 26.03	Read the review
BigCommerce	✘	✘	✔	200	€ 26.03	Read the review

Frequently Asked Questions Website builders

Which website builder is the easiest to use?

There are several very easy-to-use website builders, for example IONOS and SITE123 . However, Wix is ​​my top recommendation because it manages to give you a lot of design freedom while being impressively easy to use. In addition to being incredibly intuitive, it also has more features than almost any other builder.

Will my website appear in Google and other search engines?

Yes, your sites will appear in search engine results. But it is not enough to appear, the site must also rank as well as possible in the search results. All website builders come with SEO (Search Engine Optimization) features that will help you improve your search engine rankings.

In some cases, you will only be limited to adding your own meta descriptions and titles. However, other website builders come with more advanced SEO features. For example, Wix offers the SEO Wiz utility, which gives you personalized recommendations and step-by-step instructions for getting your site noticed.

Will my website look good on mobile devices?

The simple answer to this question is: Yes. Most site builders either give you options for mobile responsive templates (meaning your sites will automatically adjust to the screen size of mobile devices) or come with a mobile view editor so you can edit separately the mobile version of the site. If you want to check the mobile adaptability of your websites, you can use our free Mobile Responsiveness Check Tool .

Do I need a dedicated eCommerce builder?

This depends on how many products you plan to sell and the purpose of the site. For a regular blog that also sells merchandise on the side, a regular website builder with e-commerce features is more than enough.

This is because eCommerce builders are generally so focused on selling that their blogging tools aren't that great. Wix gives you a perfect combination of both , with great content creation tools and a powerful set of eCommerce tools. Wix gives you advantages for both situations  thanks to its excellent content creation tools and powerful e-commerce toolset.

However, if you plan to sell more products through your own online store, I highly recommend a dedicated ecommerce builder like Shopify . Ecommerce builders have more powerful sales management tools, and some even let you sell through Instagram and Facebook.

Can I hire someone to build my website?

Yes, you definitely can! If you don't have time to build your own website or prefer to have a professional take care of it, you can hire a designer for just $5 on Fiverr , the best place to find low-cost freelancers.

Option 2: Use WordPress

Website builders are the easiest way to have a website developed, but they can be a bit more expensive than using the WordPress platform with a web hosting subscription. If you're looking for a budget option and don't mind a slightly more technical site building process, then WordPress may be the perfect choice.

That said, there are two versions of WordPress: WordPress.com , which is a simplified version, and self-hosted WordPress. In this section, I will discuss self-hosted WordPress.

WordPress is not very easy to use as a website builder, but it won't cause you any problems . Its huge range of free templates and plugins gives you almost unlimited options for customizing your site. Although the process is a bit more difficult you don't necessarily need to know how to code or have a lot of experience to build a great looking website.

You should note that the backend of the WordPress platform is available in Romanian, which means that you will be able to build your website easily.

If you'd rather have your WordPress site built by a professional, then you can always hire a developer on Fiverr for just $5 . Learn more about this below.

Step-by-step guide

1. Choose a hosting plan

While WordPress itself is 100% free, you do need to sign up for a web hosting service to get your site online (unlike website builders, which include hosting in subscriptions). For more details, you can take a look at our list of the best web hosts of 2024.

There are plenty of hosting options available, but here are the tools that consistently exceed our expectations.

Our best hosting recommendations for WordPress sites

• Hostinger – One of the cheapest hosting providers on the market, Hostinger is ideal for those on a budget. Its excellent speeds (which we thoroughly tested) and one-click WordPress installer make it our top recommendation. If you opt for managed WordPress hosting, you'll benefit from enhanced security and WordPress-optimized servers.
• InterServer – With its low monthly price and unlimited storage, InterServer is a great solution for those with growing businesses. Since its servers are located in the US, it provides ideal upload speeds for the American audience.
• A2 Hosting – Offering standard shared hosting or managed hosting for WordPress, A2 Hosting is a "green" company that aims to reduce its carbon footprint. It offers great speeds and is great for security, thanks to its own “HackScan” threat detection and removal tool, which is included for free.
• Nexcess – If you don't mind spending a little more but getting premium managed hosting in return, Nexcess probably offers the best hosting option for running a WordPress site. With Nexcess, you can be sure every aspect of the hosting process is handled by consummate professionals
• Kinsta – Managed hosting (meaning someone else does all the heavy lifting) and fast speeds make Kinsta a fantastic choice for almost any use, as long as you don't mind spending more. Despite its fantastic value for money, Kinsta is still quite expensive. However, you can be sure that you are paying a premium price for a premium service.
• InMotion Hosting – Another very good US hosting choice is InMotion Hosting. This service sacrifices some (not very much) of InterServer's speed in exchange for top-notch support. If you are looking for great US hosting that is also extremely reliable, InMotion may be the right choice for you.

When choosing a hosting for a WordPress website, you should look for certain features:

• SSL certificate. The SSL certificate makes your website secure, which is certified by the padlock icon in the address bar of the browser. Most web hosts will include one for free. After your site is available online, you can verify that your SSL certificate is working properly with the SSL Checker tool .
• WordPress optimization. The best WordPress web hosts have servers optimized specifically to improve performance so your pages load faster.
• Security features. Some web hosts charge you extra for essential security, so you should try to find one that includes important features like malware protection, firewalls, and automatic backups.

2. Choose a domain name

This process is almost the same for WordPress as it is for website builders. Some hosts include free domain names with annual subscriptions, but not all do. If you choose hosting that doesn't offer a free domain name, it will probably be cheaper to buy the domain name from a separate registrar than through that hosting service. On some domain stores, you can pick up a domain name for as little as $1.

3. Use a one-click installer to install WordPress

Some hosting plans come with WordPress pre-installed. If your chosen subscription doesn't offer this benefit, don't panic – you can use the one-click installer provided by your hosting service.

The term "One Click" should not be taken lightly, but it is not far from the truth either. With just a few clicks, these tools configure all the scripts and databases needed to make WordPress work perfectly on your websites. You just need to find a username and password to use to log in to WordPress after the installation is complete.

Different hosting services may use different one-click installers, but essentially they're all the same, and they're all very easy to use.

Most WordPress installers will be similar to this one from SiteGround 4. Access WordPress through your hosting control panel

The exact way you access WordPress may vary depending on the hosting you choose. However, in most cases you will find the option to manage your WordPress site in your hosting control panel. You can see my demo using SiteGround. In the image below, you can see that there is a button for automatic login to my WordPress site's control panel. Other hosting services may require you to enter your WordPress username and password to log in.

SiteGround offers a one-click login option for the WordPress control panel If this is your first time using WordPress, the control panel may seem a little confusing, but don't panic. It's actually quite easy to navigate. Below is a screenshot of the control panel with all the important items labeled.

The WordPress control panel is easy to use once you know where everything is!WordPress uses a different jargon than website builders, so to make things easier, here's a brief description of the different sections of the WordPress control panel:

WordPress element	what is he doing	The equivalent of website builders
Posts	View, edit and add new posts to the website (see more information about posts and pages below)	BLOGS
Mediate	View, edit and upload new images and other types of media files (eg videos)	Gallery
page	View, edit and add new pages to your website	page
Theme installer	View existing themes, search for free themes from the WordPress repository, and add third-party theme templates	Template
customize	Customize your site's colors, fonts, layout, and more (depending on the theme) with a live preview of your changes	Design
Theme settings	Not all themes include this section, but premium themes usually have a larger range of settings that aren't available in the customizer view	Unavailable
Plugins	View and enable/disable existing plugins, search and install plugins from the WordPress Repository, and upload third-party themes.	Applications
settings	Change basic settings such as title/subtitle, date format, and permalinks (URL structure of pages and posts).	settings

5. Choose a theme

WordPress themes are very similar to website builder templates. The biggest difference is that in WordPress, themes control more than the overall style or look of the site. A particular theme may also include certain plugins (or "required plugins.")

In the Themes panel, you can find all the themes you have installed The default theme that WordPress comes with is pretty basic, so you'll probably have to look for another one. Fortunately, the WordPress theme installer makes this process extremely easy. You can go to the WordPress theme repository, where you'll find thousands of free themes available in an instant, or you can even install multiple themes and use the customizer to see how they look on your site before activating them.

Search, install and activate free themes from the WordPress repository In addition to the free themes offered by WordPress, you can also purchase several thousand other premium themes from other stores such as TemplateMonster and ThemeForest .

6. Add plugins

Plugins are similar to applications offered by website builders. They add additional features to the site that are not included in WordPress. For example, you can install a plugin for creating a contact form (eg NinjaForms) or build an online store that uses WooCommerce. For any function you can think of, there's a good chance there's a plugin to fulfill it – from SEO to creating an online portfolio.

In the plugins panel you can view and manage your installed plugins or add new ones Use the search box to find the plugins you need. There, you'll also find information about each plugin and whether it's compatible with the version of WordPress you're using, what features it has, and what other users think about it.

Find and install plugins easily in WordPress Installing a plugin is only one click away, but the plugins will only work on your site after you click the "activate" button in the plugins panel.

7. Create your first post

One of the most common questions I get about WordPress is about the difference between pages and posts. In essence, pages have static content (ie, content on the website that doesn't change or changes very often, such as the "About Us" page). Posts are more dynamic. These are displayed on the "Blog" page or on the category pages of the website. The key difference between pages and posts is how WordPress displays them.

The editor for creating posts and pages is exactly the same, so the creation process is also identical. In the image below, you can see that when you click on the "posts" panel of the control panel, you'll see a list of existing posts (some themes come with "demo" content) and a button for Add New Content in the above.

The panel for posts in WordPressIf you click on Add new content , you will reach the editor. WordPress's default editor was pretty simple, but the Gutenberg version that was released with WordPress 5.0, along with 6.0's new features, gives you even more flexibility. Gutenberg uses "blocks" to create posts and pages, along with layouts (columns), sections, and containers.

You can add more blocks using free plugins in the Gutenberg editor, or even change the way you edit your site with third-party website builder plugins.

Block plugins in Gutenberg extend the features of the WordPress editor The block types included in the standard Gutenberg editor are:

• Paragraph
• Title
• Quote
• Image
• List
• Cover image
• Gallery
• Presentation
• Table
• Buttons

To choose a block, you can click the "+" icon next to each paragraph area or type "/" in the blank space labeled "start typing or type / to choose block".

WordPress post and page editor 8. Publish your website

Unlike other website builders (such as Wix ), WordPress does not have a dedicated Publish button for the entire website. As soon as you create your WordPress site, it will be live on the Internet . However, there are three different places you'll find Publish buttons in WordPress.

These are:

• In the customizer, where you'll see a button at the top of the panel that saves your changes and causes your customizations to be reflected in the live version of the site.
• At the top right of every new post you create. Until you press the Publish button, the post will remain only a draft and will not be visible. If you come back later to make changes, you must click Update to have the changes reflected in the live version.
• At the top right of every new page you create. As with posts, content is only a draft until published, and when you make changes, you must click Update.

The three areas where you need to click Publish in WordPress

Consider paying $5 for a web developer and save yourself time and nerves

If you're short on time or don't want to deal with the issues that might arise when building a website in WordPress, then hiring a professional to build your site (and perhaps maintain it) may be a better choice. hello

Hiring a developer may seem expensive, but thanks to the Fiverr platform, there's no need to spend a fortune. I just did a quick search on Fiverr for full WordPress website builder and found tons of professional designers offering to build your site for as little as $5!

Low Price Designers on Fiverr for only $5 One of the biggest advantages of Fiverr is that you can browse examples of a particular designer's projects to get an idea of ​​whether they are suitable for the type of website you want. In addition, with Fiverr you get full protection as the site does not release your payment to the freelancer until you are satisfied with their work.

WordPress FAQ

Is WordPress free?

Normally, yes. The platform itself is 100% free, but you will need to pay for web hosting and a domain name ( click here to see the full list of the best web hosts of 2024 ). If you want a premium theme or plugin from a third-party store, you'll have to pay for those as well.

Can I build a WordPress website myself?

Yes, you can build a WordPress website without hiring a developer, but if you're new to web development, you'll probably find Wix much easier (and faster) to use. WordPress is more complex, so it's easier to mess up the look of your site when you make changes to settings or by installing plugins that conflict with each other.

Hiring a developer to build your website with WordPress is not as expensive as it sounds! You can find professionals on Fiverr that will fit any budget .

What is the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org?

The main difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org is in the hosting mode. With WordPress.com , you don't have to pay separately for hosting, but you will need to upgrade to one of the more expensive plans (Business or eCommerce) to use plugins and upload themes from third-party stores.

WordPress.org is self-hosted, so you'll pay for this service separately. You have complete control and complete freedom with this version, and it can end up being much cheaper than WordPress.com.

Which is better, Wix or WordPress?

There are pros and cons. Wix is ​​more beginner-friendly , but it can cost more than purchasing a hosting plan and building your site with WordPress.

WordPress gives you a lot of flexibility and gives you more options for continuous website development, but it can be more difficult to learn and you are more likely to run into problems along the way. For example, incompatible plugins can cause the site to stop working.

Do I need a special hosting plan for WordPress, or is basic hosting enough?

You don't need a special WordPress hosting plan, as WordPress will work on any shared hosting plan that offers a one-click installer. However, there are definite advantages to choosing a hosting plan specifically for WordPress.

Dedicated WordPress hosting subscriptions can be managed or unmanaged. With unmanaged plans, hosting is pretty much the same as basic, but your site will be hosted on WordPress-optimized servers and you can get access to some optimization plugins.

Managed WordPress hosting is the hassle-free version, as the service takes care of things like updates, security updates (depending on hosting) and backups, so you can focus on building your website. See our list of the best managed hosting providers for WordPress in 2024.

How to take your website to the next level

Now that you've created your website, it's time to make it stand out. In my experience, creating websites is never finished because you will continue to update it, change elements and improve it. You want users to start visiting your site as soon as possible. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to grow your audience and give your site visitors a better experience.

Designing a Logo

You don't need to have your logo before you start building your site, but a logo makes your page look more professional and can help you build your brand.

The logo says a lot about you, so it is important not to rush in choosing it. Design trends must be considered. For example, have you thought about the impact your color scheme can have on your audience? Read more about the latest statistics on Fortune 500 logos .

There are two ways to get a logo and both are affordable. In fact, my colleague tested the main logo design services for the logo change from Website Planet. To read all about his experiment and see who won, read our full comparison of the best online logo design services .

1. Create it yourself with an online Logo Maker

You may think that the DIY method is the cheapest way to get a logo, but this is not always true. Most online logo builders can be tried for free, but you will have to pay to download and use the logo. There are some free logo builders, but they are very rudimentary and I don't recommend using them. You also need to check which of these utilities have the ability to display the logo in Romanian.

My favorite DIY logo builder is Wix Logo Maker . This tool uses AI (artificial intelligence) to generate tons of logo ideas based on your personal preferences. When you've found a design you like, you can customize everything from the fonts to the color scheme. You can even download a free low-resolution version of the logo to see how it will look on your website and social media before you make your final purchase.

2. Hire a designer

Hiring a logo designer may seem expensive at first, but on Fiverr, you can get a professionally designed logo for just $5 . Most designers on Fiverr show examples of logos they've created, so it'll be easier to find someone with the style you're looking for. We also tested the logo designers on Fiverr and were really impressed with the quality of the logos created.

In addition to the logo, you will also need to generate a favicon. This is the small image you usually see in browser tabs next to site names and in bookmarks. You can create a favicon in seconds with our great favicon generator .

Website optimization

Even if you build a fabulous website, it won't appear on the first page of the search engine results pages (SERPs) without optimization. Website optimization involves search engine optimization (SEO) by analyzing traffic and understanding what your audience is looking for.

For SEO, you can use some great tools that make optimization easier. One of the best tools out there is SEMrush (read our Guide to SEMrush and learn more), but there are other options if SEMrush is out of your budget. We've reviewed some of the best SEO tools to help you choose the right one for you.

Creating the right content for your website can seem challenging, but by using analytics tools and learning more about your audience (where they live, age, gender, and so on), you can tailor your content better. Read our Guide to Google Analytics and learn how to get the most out of the analytics tools. You can also use tools like Answer the Audience to find out what users are searching for. Read our Guide to Responding to the Public and learn more about this topic.

Grow your audience with Email Marketing

Email marketing is one of the best ways to grow your audience , especially since there are tons of tools that can help you succeed in your marketing efforts.

Email marketing has the power to grow your business fast. In addition, it has a high click-through rate (CTR), up to 100 times higher than social media channels such as Twitter. You can use email marketing to offer discounts and promotions to your customers, encourage them to learn about your business, and provide free resources to get visitors to sign up for your mailing list.

To get the most out of email marketing, you'll need to think about the frequency of your emails, the use of automated emails, and what they will contain. For more tips, check out our collection of top email marketing stats .

We've tested and reviewed the best email marketing platforms . Don't have time to read all the reviews? Don't worry, here's an overview of our favorite email marketing solutions.

• ActiveCampaign – Without a doubt, this is the best performing email service on the market. It's the industry leader for automation, has over 880 integrations, and the best drag-and-drop editor we've tested. With so many features you'll need some time to get used to it, but with the help of the knowledge base and support team, it's worth a try.
• Sendinblue – Offering SMS marketing as well as email marketing tools, Sendinblue has an affordable and easy to use solution. It even has a pretty generous free subscription. You can create automated emails, add workflows and use the option to "send at the best time".
• AWeber – With a unique drag-and-drop campaign builder, AWeber gives you everything you need for successful email marketing. It's very beginner friendly, but also has more complex features like split testing and can connect to over 5000 apps with Zapier.
• Constant Contact  – With hundreds of email templates and a 30-day free trial (60 days if you're in the US), Constant Contact can be a great choice. It's great for creating automated emails and it's very easy to use, meaning you can get started right away.
• Benchmark Email  – With support for multiple languages, Benchmark Email is a great choice for non-English speakers. It also has a free plan that allows you to send up to 3,500 emails per month. It's great for beginners, but it also has more advanced tools that you can use as you get familiar with the platform.
• GetResponse  – More than just an email marketing application, GetResponse is a multi-functional platform that incorporates marketing, customer relationship management (CRM) and webinar functions. It also offers a 30-day free trial.

Conclusions;

Phew! We have covered a lot of information in this article. To summarize, here are some key points from this guide to creating your own website:

• Website builders are a great starting point if you are a beginner. Wix  is ​​one of the most flexible of all, allowing you to start with the basics and add more advanced applications later.
• WordPress is often considered more difficult than website builders, but it offers much more freedom. It is also a cheaper way to get an active website, with several cheap hosting plans available .
• If you don't have time to build your website yourself, you can hire a developer on Fiverr for just $5 . Who said you have to break the bank to work with a web developer?
• Publishing the site is not the end of the building process. You can continue to optimize and promote your site with SEO, analytics and marketing tools.

Anyone can build a website, and it doesn't matter if you're a beginner or on a tight budget. Have fun building your favorite website!

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