How to create a website: The complete guide for beginners

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Are you planning to create your own website or a simple homepage, but don’t know exactly how and where to start?

You’ve come to the right place!

It doesn’t matter whether you want to use the website privately, for your company or for a club. The size of your budget doesn’t matter either.

In this article, I’ll show you the best and easiest ways to create a website – and discuss free and paid methods.

But don’t worry. You can get a professional website online for less than €10 per month.

With these detailed instructions, you’ll learn how to create a website – and have your self-made homepage online in no time.

Are you ready? Let’s go!

In this article

• Define website type
• Select website tool
• Find your domain

In order to successfully create your website, you first need to understand what type of website you need.

Broadly speaking, there are three types of website:

1. The classic website is particularly suitable for introducing yourself, your company or your organisation on the internet.
2. A blog, on which you regularly publish up-to-date content, can be used privately or to earn money from writing as a topic blogger. A blog can also be a useful marketing tool for companies.
3. An online shop is used to present and sell products on the Internet.

I will explain more about the individual types of website below.

Of course, mixed forms are also possible, such as a company website with a connected blog or a blog with an integrated shop.

However, I advise you to focus on the primary goal of your project at the beginning. This will allow you to choose the website tool that best suits your needs. Once your website is online, you can always expand it to include other areas.

Classic website

A classic website is the right choice if you want to present yourself, your organisation or your company on the Internet.

For most companies today, their own homepage is the most important figurehead in the digital sector. It is part of the basic equipment for marketing activities.

Interested parties and new customers can find out about you or your company, your goals and services or offers on your website.

Creating your own website or having one created also makes it possible to be found via search engines such as Google.

The classic website ranges from a digital business card or landing page with just one page to extensive websites with 20, 30 or more subpages.

A standard website is the right choice if …

• you want to present yourself or your company professionally online
• you want to advertise your offer effectively
• you want to attract interested parties or new customers
• you want your website to be online within a few hours
• you want to limit the time and effort required for website maintenance

Blog

A blog is a kind of diary on the Internet. Blog is short for web log, a combination of the terms web for internet and logbook.

Unlike a traditional website, a blog does not just contain a few static subpages. Instead, articles are published there regularly – usually in chronological order.

Another special feature of a blog is that the integrated comment function invites visitors to enter into dialogue with the author.

While blogs were originally mainly used by private individuals to write down their thoughts and experiences – in diary form with images or video material – the spectrum has now broadened.

Creative people, sportspeople and book or travel fans, for example, blog to regularly tell others about their projects or hobbies – and, in the best case scenario, to generate passive income through advertising revenue.

Companies can use the blog as a digital mouthpiece and position themselves as experts on their specialist topics, for example.

The blog can also be a sub-section of a larger traditional website.

A blog is the right thing if …

• you have something to share on a regular basis
• you want to present yourself as an expert in a subject area
• you want to interact with visitors
• you want to generate passive income

In this article, I’ll show you how to create your blog with WordPress.

Online shop

If you want to create a website primarily to sell products or services, you need an online shop.

Thanks to easy-to-set-up shop systems, you can benefit from the eCommerce trend even as a beginner and manage your online shop from your desk at home.

And you can cover a much larger catchment area online, e.g. the whole of Germany or Europe. You can also reach new customers through targeted online marketing.

It is important to build trust with potential customers. Attractive images and meaningful descriptions are essential for this.

Shopping platforms such as Amazon or Etsy are an alternative where you can offer your products.

Although you benefit from their wide reach, this also comes at a price: the providers charge high fees from the retailers and therefore make your online business less profitable than it would be with your own shop.

What’s more, the competition is always just a click away.

Creating your own online shop is therefore becoming increasingly important for sustainable success in eCommerce.

Your own online shop is the right thing if …

• you want to sell your products online
• you want to reach new buyers
• you want to sell your products independently of large platforms such as Amazon, Etsy & Co

Before you start creating your own website, you need to decide which method is right for you.

So: How do you create a website?

In simple terms, there are 5 different ways to create a website:

1. Website builder – perfect for beginners
2. WordPress (or other CMS) – For blogs and more complex website projects
3. Online shop system – To sell online
4. Have a website created – Simple, but expensive
5. Programming your own website – Only for professionals

I will explain methods 1-4 in more detail below so that you can decide which method is right for you.

Method 1: Website builder – achieves the best results for beginners

Modern website builders are usually the best choice for creating a standard website. Here you can quickly learn how to create a website.

While the modular systems were still slow and sometimes clumsy a few years ago, they are now very sophisticated and offer professional solutions for most typical use cases.

A large budget is also not necessary.

You don’t need to have any prior technical knowledge or master a programming language to programme the website.

This is because these tools are based on modular design templates created by professional web designers.

With just a few clicks, they can be customised to suit your project – using drag & drop and text editing, directly in your web browser.

The website should clearly present you and your services. You therefore need to provide your own texts and informative photos to create the website.

If you want to expand the functionality of the website later, you can also add blog and online shop functions with all website providers.

Once the website has been published, you can use the Website Creator to take care of search engine optimisation (SEO) and marketing.

A virtual assistant takes you by the hand and supports you with the structure and design of your new website.

How to create your website with a website builder:

1. Decide on a provider that suits you (I’ll introduce you to the best website builders in a moment)
2. Choose a suitable website design template (template/theme)
3. Customise the design to your wishes or brand
4. Customise the homepage with photos and text
5. Publish your website

Conclusion: With a website builder, you are in good hands with a website project of simple to medium complexity.

Only if you have particularly complex requirements for creating a website or are technically experienced would I advise you to use a CMS such as WordPress (method 2).

Which website builders can I recommend?

1&1 IONOSSquarespaceWIXJimdo

1&1 IONOS

Attractive pricing

IONOS has recently caught up with the competition and offers a very flexible and powerful website builder.

The IONOS MyWebsite builder may take some getting used to for beginners, but there are many good templates for small companies and organisations.

The tariffs are favourable in comparison.

However, there is no free trial version for website building.

IONOS MyWebsite*

Squarespace

For design lovers

The high quality of the website templates speaks in favour of Squarespace. This is why the website builder for creating your own website is also popular with designers and photographers, for example.

However, Squarespace is somewhat more expensive than the other providers.

Squarespace*

WIX

The popular all-rounder

WIX offers an intuitive and beginner-friendly solution, the largest selection of website templates and a huge number of additional apps.

That’s why WIX is the No. 1 on the market for website builders.

There is even a permanently free version that allows you to create and publish your website completely free of charge, as long as you can live with a discreet reference to WIX.

WIX.com*

Jimdo

Particularly simple and streamlined

The provider Jimdo stands out in terms of ease of use. With the setup wizard, you can have a first version of your website online in just a few minutes.

A free version for creating a free website is also on board, but this is more suitable for testing purposes.

Jimdo*

Method 2: WordPress – if you have bigger plans or want to blog

WordPress is the world’s most popular website CMS (content management system). It is used by over 40 per cent of all websites, especially for creating blogs. We also operate “Websitewissen.com” with the WordPress CMS.

Originally started as a blogging platform, WordPress has developed into a powerful tool for website creation.

WordPress is backed by a large community that takes care of the development of ready-made design templates, so-called themes, as well as plugins for functional enhancements.

Unlike a website construction kit, the structure of a website can be customised using widgets or plugins or even access to the HTML and CSS code.

And this is the big challenge when using WordPress. The great flexibility in creating your own website requires more time to learn the range of functions.

How to implement your website project with WordPress:

1. Decide on a suitable web host – preferably a WordPress host with 1-click installation
2. Configure the basic settings of your WordPress installation
3. Choose a theme that suits you
4. Customise the design to your wishes or brand
5. Create the individual pages and link them in the menu
6. Customise the layout of your website with photos and text
7. Expand the functionality as required with plugins

In short: WordPress is the better choice if you primarily want to blog professionally or create a complex professional website.

¹ wordpress.com has a free plan if you want to test WordPress first or create your website for free. However, the premium tariffs are too expensive in comparison.

² For an ambitious project for which you need high performance and individual configuration options, I recommend Raidboxes.

Method 3: Online shop system – if you want to sell online

If you want to expand a simple website with a simple online shop module, you can also achieve this with standard website builders.

However, if your focus is on eCommerce, a dedicated online shop system is the right choice for creating your online shop.

Similar to website builders, you can create a complex online shop with just a few mouse clicks. Free themes are available for this purpose.

The most popular provider of online shop systems is Shopify.

Shopify includes many functions that make it easier for you to set up an online shop.

Shopify is a comprehensive control centre for your shop. You can use it to manage everything related to a functioning online business, from inventory and accounting to marketing.

You can also set up a blog, start email marketing or attract customers with voucher codes.

As with the website builders, Shopify does not require any website programming. Programming skills are not required to create an online shop. Registration, setup and operation are simple.

There is a separate app store for expansion. The Shopify POS, with which you can manage sales in a physical shop, is interesting for users with a local location.

If you only want to try it out once, you can test it for 14 days free of charge.

How to implement your shop project with Shopify:

1. Create a Shopify account
2. Choose a suitable theme
3. Customise your shop to match your brand
4. Add products and product categories
5. Configure the settings (payments, shipping, tax, notifications)
6. Add pages with background information, blogs and legal information
7. Put your online shop live

To summarise: Shopify is the best choice if you want to build a truly comprehensive online shop. Otherwise, you can also use a – cheaper – website builder.

Method 4: Have a website created – convenient but expensive

If you don’t have the time or inclination to create your website yourself, you can also use a professional service provider.

There is a large selection of different service providers who create professional websites for small companies or organisations, e.g:

• Local web designers or freelancers
• Online service providers who look after many customers at the same time
• Small and large advertising agencies

The prices for having websites created by web design service providers vary greatly

Depending on the level of experience or target group of the service provider – and depending on your wishes – the prices for having websites created can range from a few hundred to several tens of thousands of euros.It is important to know that web designers usually use one of the systems described above themselves (i.e. website builder, WordPress or shop system).

This also makes sense. That way, you can update the website you have created yourself later on.

The providers of website builders usually also offer the option of booking a web designer who specialises in their builder via their platform.

No matter which type of service provider you choose: You should have an idea of exactly what you want. This is the only way to properly assess a web designer’s offer.

Ask yourself whether everything you need is included and what follow-up costs you will incur, e.g. for website hosting, the domain or subsequent updates.

Even if you have your website created, you may be faced with tasks such as the delivery of text and image material.

Comparison portals such as “BetterBusiness” can help you narrow down your requirements and compare offers.

This is how you proceed if you want to have a website created:

1. Make a note of your wishes and requirements. (How should your website be designed? How much content do you have? Is your site multilingual? What other functions do you need? What budget do you have available?)
2. Find a suitable web designer for you. Comparison portals such as BetterBusiness can be helpful here.
3. Look at the experience, portfolio and technical skills of your candidates.
4. Agree the terms and conditions. (Do images and texts have to be supplied? What do subsequent changes cost? What is the schedule?)
5. Ask to see interim results for approval so that you can influence the outcome.

Tip: You can also utilise the advantages of a website builder if you want to have your website created by professionals. Ask the service provider which construction kit or CMS they work with.

On the BetterBusiness comparison portal, you go through a short questionnaire and then receive non-binding offers from certified web designers.

A domain is an Internet address, e.g: https://websitewissen.com

Users can reach your website on the Internet via the domain.

A subdomain is part of a (main) domain and could look like this, for example:

https://websitewissen.hauptdomain.com

You can get such a subdomain with the free tariffs for website creation from the website builder providers, e.g. Jimdo:

https://yourpage.jimdo.com

A subdomain can be sufficient for private websites. However, if you want to use the website as a company, association or for a blog, I advise you to use your own main domain.

Your own domain, such as your-company-name.com, is easier to remember and looks much more professional.

It also allows you to communicate professionally by email with customers and business partners using your own address(contact@your-company-name.com).

Although your own domain is not completely free, it doesn’t cost the earth either.

The costs for the domain and hosting are often already included in the paid tariffs of the website builder providers. You can also link an existing domain there.

What do I need to consider when choosing a domain?

Choosing the right domain is an important part of creating a successful website.

You should therefore take your time when choosing a name. After all, you want to keep this domain for as long as possible.

The domain name is only one of many factors for ranking in search engines. However, domain extensions and keywords can have a positive influence.

Criteria for a good domain name:

• Choose a short domain name (no longer than 20 characters)
• Avoid special characters
• Avoid words that are difficult to understand or unusual spellings
• The domain name should match your business
• Protected brand and company names are taboo (copyright infringement)
• Take your time and test your favourites on friends & acquaintances

A domain can be changed at any time afterwards. However, this involves a lot of effort and can cost you customers and places in the Google ranking.

How to register your domain

1. Check availability2. Check trademark rights3. Register your domain

1. Check availability

It makes sense to register your desired domain as early as possible. That way you’ll have it for sure.

It’s easiest if you register the domain with the provider where you want to use the website builder or host the WordPress CMS.

You can also transfer the domain if you decide to use a different provider later on.

Check with your preferred provider to see if your desired domain is still available:

IONOS Domainsuche*Jimdo Domainsuche*Squarespace Domainsuche*WIX Domainsuche*

2. Check trademark rights

Before you register a domain, you should check the domain name for an infringement of trade mark rights.

A trade mark is infringed if there is a risk of confusion. The trade mark and domain do not have to be identical. In the same industry, a high degree of similarity is sufficient.

You should avoid using names of celebrities or well-known companies and brands. You should also steer clear of misspellings (typo domains).

The owners of a trademark can demand injunctive relief and compensation if a trademark infringement has occurred.

Check your domain in a search engine for trade mark rights.

You can also register your own domain as a trade mark, preferably as a word mark. 

Markenchk.de

3. Register your domain

I will explain how to purchase and register a domain using the WIX homepage builder as an example.

It works in a similar way with other providers or web hosts.

Once you have registered with WIX, you can start with the free plan without having to worry about a domain.

You publish your website on a WIX subdomain, but you can switch to one of the premium plans with an integrated domain at any time.

After creating your website, WIX offers you the option of buying a new domain or connecting an existing domain. You can also carry out this process in the “Domains” section of your account.

Firstly, check whether your desired domain is still available. If so, you can register it.

The costs for the first year are included in the price of the Premium plan.

You then assign the purchased domain to your website. If you have previously published a WIX website with a subdomain, WIX will automatically redirect from this to the new domain.

IONOS MyWebsite*

Do you have any further questions? Then feel free to write them in the comments below and I’ll answer them as soon as possible. Please don’t be shy: no topic is too specific, no question too daft!