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In our day and age, everyone should have a website, and if not everyone should learn how to build a website. We live in an era where more than 80% of the population is connected to the Internet (that, of course, is true in western civilization).
The more people are connected to the Internet, the more the industry will expand due to their economic engagement with the web. And as the common economic logic will confirm the more economic interest there is, the more people will want to get a piece of the pie.
The earlier you learn how to build a website, the bigger your chances are to achieve success (whatever that means for you). You’ll get, of course, experience, your website will have the opportunity to become famous, and to develop way before all the others, which will, sooner or later, step in the field.
When learning how to build a website there are a few things that you must know. In this article, we’ll cover all you need to know to build a website. Plus, a 6 mandatory pages that every website should have.
What do You Need to Build a Website
Idea: Of course, the idea is the first thing you will need to build a website. If you want it to be sustainable. The idea is not to just decide that you want to have a website. You need to know what kind of website it will be, and how it will make money if this is the goal.
Whether you are building the website to make money, or no, you’ll definitely want to figure out how the website will get traffic. Whatever you are creating, you’ll want the Internet ‘surfers’ to land on your web property, one way or another.
Thus, when starting, decide how you’ll broadcast your work.
If you want to make money online, but don’t have any concept ready, check out these 6 ideas for an online side business. And make sure to check the article on everything you need to know when creating a business website.
Hosting: Once, you’ve brightened up the idea, and you are about to start, the first thing you need to secure, is web hosting for your project.
Yes, choosing a hosting for your first web project could be confusing. But there are some rules that you could follow when trying to figure out How to Choose a Web Hosting Service.
Except in the rare cases where your first project is huge, it is most likely the case where your website will match perfectly with AwardSpace’s free web hosting. And if that is the case, you can earn money with free web hosting.
Domain: Although with AwardSpace’s free hosting, our users have the opportunity to get free sub-domains, which they are able to keep until they decide differently, we highly recommend you to get your own domain. Big companies own their domains for a reason.
And if you are still not sure, here is how to register a domain name.
CMS: If you never had the opportunity to build your own website, and thus to learn how to build a website on your own, you may prefer to use a CMS for the creation of your first one.
Once, you’ve done so, the chances are, you’ll see no reason to stop using the so-called content management systems for every web project that may follow. These systems are so intuitive and easy to use that there are hardly any reasons not to use them, except in case you are an expert web developer. Then – maybe. Although, there are a lot of web developers that are using CMS for their web projects. It is just easier to do so.
And if you are about to use a CMS for your website, here are 5 reasons to use WordPress, over any other.
How Long Does it Take to Build a Website
And while for most of what these marketers claim is not possible to take a magical pill and to obtain our longings in a matter of minutes, there are things that we really can do for that amount of time.
We can make a decision. To read the last chapter of a long forgotten book. To call someone that we really care for, and to share that with him/her.
And, in a matter of minutes, we can build a website. Twenty minutes to be exact.
You can check our article on how to make a personal website to find out how to achieve it for this amount of time.
How to Build My Own Website
The answer to this question is the whole purpose of the current article. We’ve already covered how to choose the right hosting and the right CMS.
Although, WordPress is indeed easy and straightforward content management system, there are a lot of things that are not as intuitive as they could be. Especially if you never had any contact with it.
To build your own website, and to customize it so that it meets your expectations, you may need a direction or two. If, after you’ve read the current article and those, linked from it, you still need help to build your WordPress website, check out the WordPress Tutorials that we’ve assembled.
They’ll surely help you answer the question ‘how to build my own website’.
To build a WordPress website you will most likely end up using an already created WordPress theme. And choosing a theme is as important as the type of website you are about to create. Here is how to choose a WordPress Theme.
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6 Mandatory Pages When You are About to Build a Website
As everything, to build a website also has its tweaks and knacks. Creating a website is as much an art, as it is science.
You can and should give your best when choosing(or creating) the design of your pages, yes. But it is equally important to follow some guidelines, so you won’t miss anything while building your first website. There are some pages that every website should have:
1. Home Page
As if you have a brick-and-mortar shop, it is crucial for the existence of your business, to properly select who will greet and say goodbye to your customers.
The home page of your website is the page that will greet them. In fact, it is impossible not to have a home page. Yet, it is possible for any type of page to be conditioned as a home page.
Your home page should be well designed, but not better, nor differently than any other page on your site. But this is your website saying “Hello!” to every user. This is the place where you make it easier for people to get to know you, your website, your business, your blog.
There are some exceptions. If you have a news website or an online magazine, or a blog where everything you offer is your content, it is perfectly fine to make the home page a feed of your last articles. The same goes for the e-commerce websites – your best sellers, and/or newest products do have a place on the home page.
2. About Page
Taking the time to create an about page will make it easier for you, your users, and Google to understand the direction you are going in. If properly crafted, the about page will help you establish trust with your customers-to-be. It may be a source of inspiration, showing you the right path, when you are lost. Just make sure that once you’ve created it, make sure your about page never gets outdated.
3. Contact Page
There are a lot of reasons to add a contact page to your website. You need to provide your users with the opportunity to contact you. And, sooner or later, they will.
It’s better to have a contact page and nobody to use it, instead of not having one, and your users to want to contact you.
This page is as necessary, like any other in the list.
4. Product Page
If you are selling products, or services through your website, make sure every one of these products or services has their own page. This will make it easier for users to make their decision, and to buy whatever you are selling.
Furthermore, you can take advantage of the existence of these pages and implement On-page SEO. Thus, making it a bit easier for people to find you in the search engines.
5. Blog Page
If you want to learn how to create a website, to create a blog… it is a bit obvious that you need a blog page, ain’t it?
But to be able to position your business or yourself better on the web, creating a blog is a must. It will give you not only the opportunity to become visible on the search engines but even more importantly, you’ll show your customers that you know what you are doing.
And if you decide to help your potential clients, and write articles that people that use your products may need to be answered, more power to you. The more helpful you are, the more people will come to your place and buy your products.
Create a blog for your business. Make it useful and helpful.
6. Privacy Policy
Every website that has a privacy policy page is more credible than any website that doesn’t have such a page. And since the 25th of May this year, if you have even one customer from Europe, you are obligated by law to present them with information about what type of information you are collecting and how exactly you use it.
Thus, a privacy policy is a must. That way you won’t have problems with the law. And you’ll be more credible in the minds of the users of your website.
Bonus 7: F.A.Q. Page
Depending on the type of website, especially if you are about to build an e-commerce, an F.A.Q. page is a must. When you learn how to build a website, try to think about the UX, and how the users will have the least amount of reasons to contact you. You don’t want users to contact you for the same thing over and over again. Check out our article on how to build FAQ page.
Final Thoughts
To learn how to build a website is not only important, but it is easy as well. Of course, if you need any additional advice, you can ask in the comment section below.
If you are interested in learning more, check out some more of the articles on our blog:
