Are you looking to create a website for your small business so you can find new customers online? Making a small business website has become quite easy, and you can do it all by yourself without hiring a developer. In this article, we will show you how to easily create a small business website (step by step).
Unlike the old days, building a small business website has become quite easy. You can do it all yourself without knowing any code or hiring a developer by following our step-by-step guide.
Here is a summary of what you will learn:
The biggest mistake most beginners make is choosing the wrong platform to build a business website. Fortunately, you're here not to make that mistake.
WordPress is the most popular website builder in the world. It powers 31% of all websites on the Internet, including millions of small business websites worldwide.
The great thing about WordPress is that it gives you access to thousands of pre-made website templates, extensions, and plugins. You can create almost any type of website without having to learn to code.
With that said, let's look at how to easily create a small business website using WordPress on a budget.
You will need the following three items to create a small business website.
Clever? Let's start.
There are two types of WordPress available. WordPress.com which is a hosted solution, and then you have WordPress.org aka hosted WordPress itself. See our full comparison of WordPress.com vs WordPress.org to understand the difference.
We will be using self-hosted WordPress.org because it will give you instant access to all WordPress features right out of the box.
Next, you will need a domain name and a WordPress server to make a website.
We recommend using Bluehost to set up your website. It is one of the largest hosting companies in the world and an officially recommended WordPress hosting provider.
Normally, you will pay $14.99/year for a domain name and website hosting starts from $7.99 per month. This is a lot of money if you are just starting out.
Fortunately, Bluehost has agreed to offer our users a free domain name, free SSL, and 60% off website hosting. Basically, you can get started for $2.75 per month.
→ Click here to claim this exclusive offer from Bluehost ←
Let's go ahead and buy a domain name and hosting.
First, you need to visit the Bluehost website in a new browser window and click the green "Get Started Now" button.
On the next page, you will be asked to select a pricing plan. The Basic and Plus plans are the most popular options among small business owners.
Click the 'Select' button to choose a plan and proceed to the next step.
Now, you will be prompted to choose a domain name for your website.
Tips for finding a domain name for your business website
Domain names are crucial to the success of your website. You should spend some time choosing the perfect domain name for your business, but don't overthink it.
Do you need more help? Check out our guide on how to choose the best domain name for your business website.
After choosing your domain name, you will be prompted to enter your account information such as name, address, email, etc.
Below that, you'll see some additional hosting options that you can purchase. We don't recommend buying these extras right away, so go ahead and uncheck them. You can always add them later if needed.
You will then need to add your payment information to complete the purchase.
After completing your purchase, you will receive an email with details on how to log into your web hosting control panel.
Bluehost will automatically install WordPress for you, and you will be able to login to your WordPress site directly from the hosting panel.
Once you are logged in, you will see the WordPress admin area. This is where you will manage your website, change settings, and add new content.
Now that you have WordPress installed, you need to create a summary of your website content. Good small business websites are simple and follow a standard website design.
Simply go to Pages »Add New page to create a new page in WordPress.
Don't worry about content, text, and images at this point. Just adding a simple title, some text, and a couple of images would do the trick. You can always edit these pages and add more content if needed.
These are some of the most common pages used in designing a small business website.
Also, you can create more pages if needed. For example, you can create a separate blog page, individual pages for each service or product, and more.
By default, WordPress comes with a basic template that you can use. If you don't like the default theme, there are thousands of free and paid WordPress themes for you to choose from.
You can take a look at our selection of the best WordPress themes for business websites. If you need more help, check out our tips for choosing the perfect WordPress theme for your website.
We recommend looking for a simple design that looks good and has all the right elements.
Typically, a business website has a navigation menu at the top. The home page usually has a welcome message with a call to action button, which is followed by other content.
Once you have chosen a theme, you can go ahead and install it. For detailed instructions, check out our beginner's guide on how to install a WordPress theme.
Every WordPress theme comes with different settings to customize its appearance. Many of these options are located under Appearance »Customize page in the WordPress admin area.
From here you can add navigation menus, change colors, add or remove different sections, and more. Once you're happy with the design, don't forget to click the Publish button at the top to save your changes.
If you can't find the theme that suits your needs, you can use one of the popular drag and drop page builders for WordPress to create a custom layout for your needs.
We recommend using the Beaver Builder or Divi theme.
WordPress plugins are like apps for your WordPress site. You can install them to add new features to your website, such as contact forms, Google Analytics, sliders, and more.
There are over 50,000 free plugins available in the WordPress plugin directory alone. This means that whatever feature you want to add, there's a good chance you can find a plugin for it.
Below are the plugins we install on each website:
Do you need some cool plugins for your website? See our expert selection of the essential WordPress plugins for business websites.
For detailed instructions, check out our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Now that you have a WordPress site, you may want to step up your game and learn more tips to improve your website.
WPBeginner is the world's largest free WordPress resource site. The following are the useful WordPress resources that you will find on WPBeginner, all of them are completely free.
You can also use Google to find answers on WPBeginner by simply adding 'wpbeginner' to the end of your search term.
If you can't find an answer, feel free to contact us through our contact form. We will do our best to answer your question or point you in the right direction.
We hope this article has helped you learn how to create a small business website. You may also want to see our complete guide to WordPress SEO for beginners.
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