November 15, 2020
21min Read
Domantas G.
How to make a website is one of the first questions that pops up to every new webmaster. After all, the foundation used to create your site will dictate the flow and growth of your online project. So, it’s important to make a solid plan and study every available option.
In this guide, we will cover how to create a website using:
Each path is unique and carries a set of pros and cons. Which is why we’ll try to highlight the most important website building aspects to ease the decision-making process.
Here are our five easy steps that cover everything you need to know on how to make a website:
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First things first, you need to decide what your website will be about. There are lots of website ideas out there for the taking. And with the right execution, they have the potential to make solid money online.
Start by deciding the primary purpose and functionality that you wish to have. Some of the most popular website types include:
Once you have a clear goal in mind, picking the right hosting and website building platform will be easier.
Before you make a website, you’ll need to come up with a catchy name.
To get a domain name for your site, you should:
Finding the right name can be quite challenging. Here are a few great tips that will aid you:
For more in-depth coverage, check out our complete guide on how to buy a domain name.
The next step in your website creation journey is picking a proper host. While there are various types of web hosting out there, the one that you need depends on the size of your online project.
Here on Hostinger, we offer three unique options that cater to websites of all shapes and sizes. Let’s do a quick rundown to see which one hosting plan is right for you.
Best suited for small and medium-sized websites, shared hosting is a type of server that houses multiple users. Think of it as public transport, such as a bus or a train.
All websites use the same pool of resources from one physical server. This unique setup allows having affordable pricing but also comes with stricter limitations. Mainly to provide a smooth ride to every passenger and ensure that a single user does not use up too much power.
Shared hosting offers a variety of tools that will help you make a website, starting with:
Generally speaking, shared hosting is a great start for any website or online project. If you don’t expect a lot of traffic at first, this solution is the perfect place to begin.
One of our newest additions, cloud hosting aims for the simplicity of shared hosting while delivering the power of a virtual server.
With the help of cloud computing technology, this solution provides the highest available uptime by keeping a copy of your website on several servers that work together in harmony. In case one of the servers goes down, the remaining ones in the cluster ensure that everything is up and running.
In addition to every shared hosting perk, you’ll also get:
Businesses that rely on their website’s uptime reap the highest benefits. If you expect large traffic spikes right off the bat, cloud hosting is the way to go.
Aside from that, eCommerce stores, large-scale projects, news websites with lots of new and recurring visitors will find cloud hosting most suitable.
If you’re looking for power without the technical struggle, cloud hosting is the right pick.
Short for a virtual private server, VPS is a unique web hosting alternative that brings more control and freedom to the table. Though it does require server management skills and knowing your way around the terminal.
Overall, VPS hosting provides the most customizations out of all the options. Everything from the operating system to the software stack will be within your control thanks to root access.
With shared/cloud hosting, the servers are preconfigured and changing certain things (such as the software stack) will not be possible.
However, VPS grants root access and the complete freedom to build your own foundation. If you need a custom solution, then virtual servers are something that you should consider.
Now the real work begins. The process of how you create your website will depend on the foundation that you choose. The idea that you wish to execute will also play a role in the final decision.
Keep in mind these different types of sites:
Holding the title as the most popular content management system, WordPress empowers its users to create any type of website. While a lot of people use it for blogging, you can make anything from an eCommerce store to a review website, using a wide range of customization features and plugins.
The main benefits of choosing WordPress as a platform include:
With Hostinger, installing WordPress is as easy as it can get. The latest version of the script is available on the hpanel in the Website section, under Auto Installer.
Enter the required details and your CMS will be ready to use within minutes.
Be mindful during this process, as you’ll have to create your administrative user and enter a few other basic settings.
Once the setup is done, navigate to yourdomain.com/wp-admin to find the WordPress dashboard.
To access it, fill in the credentials that you specified during the installation process.
Within this back-end panel, you can control everything related to your WordPress website, content, and users.
One of the many perks of making a WordPress site is the wide range of themes. Whatever design your idea needs, you’ll surely find it.
The official WordPress theme repository alone holds over 7000 unique options. You can find them all in the Appearance › Themes section of the dashboard.
If you select the Add New button, you’ll be able to preview and install all themes from available in the WP theme repository.
In case you wish to make changes, you can head over to the Appearance › Customize section.
Overall, choosing the right design out of 7000 contenders can get difficult. To narrow down your option, take a look at our collection of the best free WordPress themes.
Essentially, WordPress lets you upload and create three types of content:
1. Pages – with this section, you can create static pages that don’t expect a lot of changes. For example: About us, Contact us, Home, etc.
2. Posts – a section that allows you to create dynamic content, such as articles, blog posts, and guest publications.
3. Media – such as images, videos, and audio files. After the upload, you will be able to attach these resources to your posts and pages.
Another huge perk of WordPress is the sheer amount of plugins that you can use to implement new features and functions. You can get started in the Plugins section, where you can choose Add New to install fresh plugins. All existing ones can be found within the Installed Plugins section.
Here is a list of 11 great WordPress plugins that can come in handy when building your website:
1. Yoast SEO
This plugin covers the basic search engine optimization needs of every website.
A reliable tool that makes transferring WordPress websites a walk in the park.
3. WooCommerce
A powerful plugin that can turn your WordPress site into an eCommerce store.
WooCommerce will enable you to:
For in-depth coverage, check out our complete WooCommerce tutorial.
HTTPS is slowly, but surely becoming a new standard for all websites. For example, Google Chrome marks websites as ‘not secure’ if they use HTTP.
Here on Hostinger, you can purchase lifetime SSL certificates and install them in just 1-click. But if you want to use HTTPS with WordPress, you will have to do some extra work. The cool part is that Really Simple SSL can do it for you. It will:
5. Jetpack
An all-in-one toolkit with lots of useful features developed by WordPress creators. Use it to gather useful statistics and accomplish other advanced tasks such as:
Give visitors the opportunity to reach out to you with a neat looking form. The plugin will enable you to:
7. Wordfence
An extension aimed at hardening the security of WordPress sites. With the help of Wordfence, you’ll be able to:
Enhance the navigation of pages and posts by automatically generating a table of contents section.
While the plugin may seem simple, it has a range of configuration options. You can:
9. TinyPNG
Well-optimized images can speed up your site by a great deal. It’s also one of the simplest WP optimization tasks. The plugin created by TinyPNG will let you:
10. bbPress
Depending on your project, setting up a forum may be a great idea. And there’s a perfect plugin for this occasion. Using the bbPress extension, you can:
If that’s something you plan to do, our guide on how to set up a forum with WordPress may come in handy.
11. Beaver Builder
Sometimes, you may need to add an extra touch to a page and the default WordPress editor is not enough.
Beaver Builder enables an additional interface that will let you design every page the way you want. Easily change textbox positions, apply CSS/JS, and more.
However, WordPress is planning to change the default editor to the new one, Gutenberg.
You now know how to create a website with WordPress and understand the basics.
Want to give it a try?
Joomla is another well-known CMS in the market. Being the second most popular pick, Joomla has been a rival to WordPress for a long time. And for good reason.
As a content management system, Joomla empowers you to:
The simplest way to install Joomla is through an Auto Installer. Here on Hostinger, you can find it in the control panel.
Fill in the basic details and create an administrator user to proceed with the installation.
That’s all it takes to set up Joomla CMS. The next step is building your actual website.
To find the back-end of your Joomla site, navigate to yourdomain.com/administrator URL.
Enter the administrative credentials created during the setup to access your dashboard.
And there you have it. A simple layout where you can control every aspect of your Joomla site.
First things first, you will need an eye-catching template to capture the attention of every visitor. Joomla includes two themes by default, but they are quite minimalistic and may not give you all the essential features.
While Joomla does not offer an inbuilt theme library within the dashboard, you can still find many of them on the web. A few notable places include JoomDev and ASTemplates.
To install a Joomla template, you will need to navigate to Install Extensions section.
You can choose three unique set up methods, which are:
Important! Be cautious when using templates from 3rd party or untrusted sources. We recommend sticking with the communities that you know and trust.
Joomla CMS lets you create three types of content straight out of the box:
1. Articles – the basic publication units of Joomla (such as WordPress posts). You can attach every post to a certain category and add tags, which can help keep things more organized.
2. Categories – will let you group your article publications based on certain criteria. This will keep your visitors more engaged by letting them find related content much easier.
3. Media – the section where you can upload pictures, videos, audio files, PDFs and other types of visual content. Later on, you can add them to individual articles.
Joomla offers a wide range of free and paid extensions that you can install directly from the dashboard. You’ll only need to install an extra module that pops up when entering the Install Extensions tab.
Once done, you’ll see a library of plugins that are grouped in categories.
Here’s a list of the eight best Joomla extensions that will enhance your workflow.
A powerful Joomla tool that will take care of all your migration and backup needs. By using this extension, you’ll be able to:
Depending on your website type, letting visitors get in touch with you is a great way to find new leads and opportunities. With the Breezing Forms plugin, you can:
3. J2Store
Once your website builds a loyal audience, you may want to monetize it or introduce a product. With the help of J2Store, you’ll be able to:
High-quality images can help you impress and capture the attention of visitors. A great way to display them is by using sliders or slideshows. DJ-ImageSlider is a free extension that will aid you in this task.
5. JCH Optimize
Having a fast website can go a long way. In addition to happier visitors, a speedy site can improve your rank in search engines. The extension will boost performance by:
6. sh404SEF
An extension that will let you squeeze the highest SEO potential from your Joomla website. Some of the major features include:
7. EasyBlog
Since Joomla is a content management system, many people use it for blogging. If the default features are not enough, this extension will contain most of the missing parts. Set up EasyBlog for Joomla and get:
EasyBlog does not offer a free version and is only available for purchase.
8. JFBConnect
Social media platforms are some of the most visited places around the web. And your site can use them to greatly improve the user experience. With the JFBConnect extension, you’ll be able to:
The extension does not have a free version and only provides paid options.
You now know the basics of how to build a website with Joomla.
Want to start right away?
Drupal is another big player in the world of content management systems. Though it’s slightly different.
While WordPress and Joomla boast that you need no coding knowledge to create a website, Drupal does it the other way around. As of today, it is one of the most powerful and secure CMS in the hands of developers.
A few notable pros of choosing Drupal CMS include:
With Hostinger, you can start your Drupal development journey in the shortest timeframe possible. Set it up in just 1-click using our Auto Installer.
Fill in the basic installation details along with your administrator user information and you’re ready to go.
To enter the back-end dashboard of Drupal, navigate to yourdomain.com/user/login URL.
Within this panel, you’ll be able to control and manage every aspect of your Drupal website.
First up, you need a good look. With Drupal, you won’t have to go look for a theme. The official theme repo offers over 2800 unique options.
You can look for templates based on your Drupal version, the theme’s status, stability, and many other filters.
To install a Drupal theme you should:
Adding posts, writing articles, building landing pages – you can do all these tasks relatively easy with Drupal. All the action takes place in the Content section.
Straight out of the box, you can create:
Overall, Drupal is packed with quite an impressive amount of functions, which is one of the reasons why it stands strong among other top content management systems.
Last, but not least, let’s talk about Drupal modules and adding new functionality to your website.
If you navigate to the Extend section from the upper menu, you’ll be able to install lots of cool features.
There is a handful of core modules included in every fresh Drupal installation. Additionally, you can find over 40000+ Drupal modules in the official repository.
To implement a Drupal module you should:
You’ve now learned how to make a website using Drupal CMS.
Want to give it a go?
Website builder is a quick and easy to use way to design and publish a site when you’re not a developer. Everything from the theme to SEO and cart functionality can be controlled within a single dashboard. It also has a drag-and-drop functionality that lets you build everything the way you want.
To build a site, no additional setup is required. All you have to do is access the Website Builder tool in your control panel.
Make sure that all other scripts are backed up/removed before use. If you publish your site with a website builder, it may override some of the existing files.
The first step will be choosing a look. You’ll be able to pick from around 200 free templates or import any type of website using an inbuilt migration tool.
Depending on what you wish to build, there are categories for every type of site out there. From simple landing pages to hotels and eCommerce stores.
Once you’ve found the perfect theme, you’ll be taken to the website builder interface.
Now the real fun begins. In the upper section of your screen, you will see a menu with all the tools at your disposal. Let’s see what website building features are on the table.
First up, you’ll see some basic functions, such as:
Then you’ll find a handful of advanced features that will help you design and structure your site, such as:
Last, but no less important, is the section in the upper-right. Using it, you can control even more technical aspects, such as:
If you’re doing a small/medium-sized project, this option is definitely worth a try. Plus, there are many great website builders in the market. And most importantly, anyone can use them.
You can now use our website builder to make a basic site.
Want to build it today?
You now know the various kinds of web hosting and the best tools to build a site. But the journey does not end here. In fact, it’s just the beginning.
Here are eight tips that will help you turn your project into the greatest website ever:
Perhaps one of the most important things that you must do is to decide your niche and the direction that your website will go. Without proper planning, things can start going wrong very quickly.
A good place to start would be:
Overall, you’ll reach the best result if you create a website about a topic or niche that you’re highly interested in. This will give you a chance to produce top-notch content and ensures that you’re always fired up.
It can be difficult to make important decisions without having any data to back it up. This is why gathering statistics is crucial if you want to succeed. One of the best tools to do the job is Google Analytics (GA).
You’ll get useful insights about your audience, such as how the users found your website, whether they made a purchase, how long they stayed on a certain page and more.
If you’ve never used GA, then you shouldn’t worry. Google has in-depth documentation and academy courses that will get you on the right track. You can start with:
These great resources will provide you with all the tips and tricks that you need.
Ensuring the well-being of your creation will help you avoid unnecessary downtime and issues. Which is why it’s important to check how much resources your site uses from time to time.
With Hostinger, you can view this information directly from the control panel. All you have to do is access the Order Usage section.
If more and more people start visiting your site, and you start to notice unusually large spikes – it may signal that you need more power or to reduce resource usage through optimization.
An important website growth factor will be updating it from time to time and adding new features. To do that efficiently, you’ll need two core ingredients:
There’s no website in the world that made it big without failing and retrying over and over again. The most important thing is to draw the correct conclusions and move forward.
HTTPS encryption is slowly, but surely, becoming a new standard of the web. If your site handles sensitive information (such as passwords, personal details, payment information), then it’s a MUST.
Furthermore, there are many benefits of using SSL/TLS, such as:
To use HTTPS, you must first set up an SSL/TLS certificate. We bundle a free lifetime SSL with all our annual Business hosting plans and have them available in our Power Store as well.
For a free alternative, you may follow our manual SSL installation guide.
Safety always comes first. Nowadays, you can never be too safe, especially with the various threats lurking around the web. The most common things that can affect your site are:
To protect your creation from all these dangers, you can set up security measures, such as:
Lastly, it’s important that the website hosting platform you choose is secure. For example, here on Hostinger, we utilize custom firewall rules and real-time monitoring tools to block brute-force attempts, DDoS, XSS, and other online threats. This ensures that every website is up and running at all times.
There’s nothing more frustrating than a sluggish site. Page speed and load time play a major role in user experience. As a result, faster websites not only have a higher SEO rating, but their visitors are much happier and convert more.
To see how well your site performs, use tools such as GTmetrix or PageSpeed Insights by Google.
Based on the suggestion that you get, consider checking one of the following articles:
You may also find lots of great advice by querying the received site performance recommendations in Google Search.
Last, but not least, try to be a few steps ahead. If the website that you make is business-related, decide what pages you should include. In case your plan is to build an eCommerce empire, think about your product and how to convert as many users as possible.
Try to store all your brainstorm sessions and ideas into a single spreadsheet. That way, you’ll be able to see how you progressed over time. In addition, you’ll be able to introduce everything to other people once your project gets large enough.
Congratulations! By finishing this guide you’ve explored the various ways of how to make a website.
You’ve also learned a few growth tips and introduced yourself with several awesome tools that will make you stand out in the crowd. So…what are you waiting for?
November 19 2018
I always thought you needed extensive coding knowledge to build a site. Seems like it's no longer the case. Thank you for opening my eyes, Hostinger! What a time to be alive...
July 11 2020
Ok I love your perspectives and your methods I have stolen one or another tip I have shared your article in my successful networks thanks for your content
October 01 2020
Nicely informed post. Thanks for sharing this post
Replied on November 18 2020
Always happy to help.
Tomislav T.
Replied on July 14 2020
We are always happy to help Didier! :)