There is a reason around 71% of businesses worldwide have a website. In today’s day and age, where the world is more connected than ever, a digital presence is an absolute must for businesses to thrive. While traditional offline marketing channels remain important, online channels including websites, social media, etc, allow businesses to build a robust digital presence to reach a wider audience and attract new customers.
That said, designing a website can be time-consuming and a complicated endeavour for businesses that do not understand the intricacies of web design. Thanks to technology and the onset of web design tools, designing a website from scratch has never been easier.
Even then, designing a website requires meticulous planning and starting the journey can get a bit confusing. If you are wondering how to design a website from scratch, you are in luck!
This blog takes you through some of the most important steps to keep in mind while designing a website (from scratch).
What You Need To Design a Website
let us go through a few things you will need to design a website.
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Web Builder
A web builder allows you to create design and build websites from scratch without coding experience or technical expertise. You can browse through different free or paid templates and customise them as per your requirements.
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Domain Name
You will need a domain name, which serves as the virtual address for your website. It is crucial to find a domain name that aligns with your company’s name and identity.
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Reliable Web Hosting
The next thing you will need is a reliable web hosting service to ensure your website is safe and secure and prevent unwanted downtime.
Designing a Website Is not Complicated: Follow These Steps for Seamless Execution
Now, to the crux of the matter; how to design a website from scratch.
1. Objective of Website
Before you get going, it is especially important to understand the objective of building a website. Are you creating a website to sell products and services, highlight your portfolio, or publish blogs? Your purpose will define the path you will take while navigating through the web design process.
2. Target Audience
The next step is to define your audience. Your website should resonate with what your audience wants and the type of content they consume. Understand the pulse of your audience by identifying their preferences, pain points, and interests. This is the time when you think of how you can differentiate from other competitors and stand out. For instance, if you are selling products or services, you must know what your audience is looking for and how you can cater to their needs.
3. Pick a Trustworthy Website Builder or Content Management System (CMS)
Now that you know your audience and objective, you must pick a trustworthy and reliable website builder or a content management system (CMS). These tools allow you to choose the unique features your site needs to attain the defined goals. You can also use these tools to design your site’s structure, publish content, and adjust as and when required.
Most website builders are user-friendly and loaded with intuitive features to ensure a seamless website design process.
The best way to build a website from scratch is by relying on a website builder that does most of the job for you. If you are experienced, can write basic code, and need a more advanced website, you will need a more robust platform capable of handling your unique requirements.
4. Choose a Layout
After defining the objective and picking a website builder, you must know your site’s layout and how the content will appear to users. Most website builders come with a drag-and-drop editor which gives you the freedom to define your site’s layout and customise the pre-existing templates depending on the look and feel you are going for. The idea here is to ensure your audience finds the most relevant information as soon as possible without scrolling a lot.
5. Create Relevant and SEO-optimised Content
It is now time to create and publish engaging, relevant, and SEO-optimised content. The type of content you publish will depend on your website’s goal. Your website content should include a mix of videos, images, and text. However, the goal of publishing content is to direct your audience to take the desired action with minimum inconvenience.
Apart from the visual appeal, your content should also search engines friendly. Add relevant keywords and follow the best SEO practices to improve your site’s visibility.
6. Test, Preview, Launch
T-0! It is time to launch your website. Well, not just yet. Before you do that, you must ensure your site looks exactly how you want it to, the pages are responding as intended, and all the links are working perfectly. Is everything in order? One way to check this is by testing your website in the preview mode. Eliminate errors (if you find any), make last-minute adjustments, and get ready to launch your website once you are satisfied.
Final Words
Whether you plan to highlight your work with a portfolio website or sell products through an e-commerce site, the steps remain the same. Well. Building a website from scratch is not rocket science, but it is not a walk in the park either. It requires patience, a lot of trial and error, a vision, and a lot of research.
You can either hire a freelancer, or an in-house developer or outsource web development to a developer, depending on your budget and requirements. We hope this blog serves as a good starting point for people learning how to design a website from scratch.
Transform your online presence with our expert web design services. Contact us today to start building your perfect website from scratch!
Frequently Asked Questions
Do businesses really need a website?
Yes, in today’s day and age, a website is an absolute must for businesses to establish an online presence, reach a wider audience, and attract customers.
How long does it take to build a website?
It can take anything between a week to three months to build a website from scratch depending on the website type, size of the site, and number of complex elements incorporated into the site.
How much does it cost to build a website on my own?
On average, it can cost around $500 to $1200 to build a website from scratch. This includes domain registration, plugin subscriptions, hosting fees, and additional charges to customise your site.