No matter what type of site you want to make, your website should represent you or your business in the best light possible. This is often easier said than done; it’s not uncommon to get burnt out when building a website from scratch or using a website builder.
Fortunately, this guide will show you how to build a website from scratch while maintaining your sanity. Keep reading for expert tips on getting started, or check out our website launch checklist for additional steps on getting your site publish-ready.
How to make a website from scratch
01. Define what type of website you want to make
Any website you create begins with a clear website goal and target audience. By identifying your niche and purpose, you can take steps towards building a site that not only looks pretty but performs as you hope it will.
The first step to building a successful website is figuring out its purpose. Start by asking yourself what's the main goal of your site? Do you want to sell products, share information or build a community? Whatever it is, having a clear goal will guide your decisions as you move forward.
Next, think about who your website is for. Who will benefit most from what you're offering? Create audience personas to get a clear picture–include details like demographics, interests and challenges they face. You can also gather insights by running surveys or having one-on-one conversations. The better you understand your audience, the easier it'll be to design a site that grabs their attention and keeps them coming back. Be clear about what makes your website unique. Highlight the benefits and solutions you offer that set you apart from the competition and connect with your audience on a deeper level.
Everything from your site layout to content should ladder up to your intended impact. For example, a portfolio website will naturally look different from an online store. A portfolio will include pages showcasing your work and a prominent “Contact Me” form—whereas an online store will have product pages, payment pages and maybe even print-on-demand integrations that are intended to monetize your website.
Consider also researching other websites in your target market, including their design and functionality. Start with your competitor sites to understand if there are some things your website must have. Take a look at your competitors to spot trends and uncover gaps in the market. See what they're doing well and where they might be falling short–this can help you find opportunities to stand out and offer something different.
Finally, set clear, actionable goals to stay on track. Define specific benchmarks–like website traffic, engagement rates or conversion metrics–to measure your progress. These targets help evaluate what’s working and guide you in refining your strategy for even better results.
Depending on your goals, there are different types of websites that you may want to consider creating and various elements worth adding to your site:
Note that one site may serve multiple purposes—in which case, you'll want to be very clear about the primary goal of your site. For example, Cleverchefs' catering company uses its site to share its brand story. While the site serves to attract new bookings, its main focus is to educate existing prospects on what sets Cleverchefs apart. Since their website represents the ethos of their company so well, it has become an incredibly helpful tool in closing clients who share similar values and appreciate what they do.
Expert tip from business owner Nick Collins, founder of Cleverchefs
"When I ask my clients why they chose us over our competitors, they usually say it's because of our website. I think they can really feel our passion through the way we connect with them and stand out as a creative catering company."
02. Choose your website builder
A website builder is a popular and affordable solution that enables you to set up, design, personalize, publish and manage a website without having to use code. The best platforms help you get a site set up and launched quicker and without fuss—while also offering 24/7 support and built-in features that make scaling easier.
Expert tip from Esin D. Habif, product marketing lead (outbound) at Wix.com
"What often gets forgotten when talking about choosing a website builder is the capabilities of the infrastructure that’s promised to you—the reliability of the hosting, the level of security that’s in order to protect your visitor’s data, and of course your site's speed. Even if infrastructure is not the first thought that comes to mind when it comes to making a website, if it’s not robust enough, it can cause large headaches for website owners when trying to scale a website later on."
With the right website builder, you won’t have to deal with the mountains of minutia that other DIY site owners may face (e.g., installing security features by hand, fixing bugs on your own, etc.). Low-code-no-code software takes care of web development for you, so you don't need to know how to code to customize your site's design. Modern-day website builders will also include AI-powered capabilities, allowing you to work faster and smarter than ever.
Learn more: Website builder vs. CMS or Wix vs. GoDaddy
That said, while there are several solid players in this website-building industry, you’ll want to make sure that you do your due diligence before investing in the right website creation software. Making the wrong choice could leave you with serious regrets down the road.
Sign up for Wix today.
Here are some key factors to consider so that you end up with a website builder you love:
Customizability: A good website builder should offer the customization you need to start and design your website according to your unique brand and vision. For example, do you envision creating a static website or a dynamic one? Look for builders that offer a range of layout options, as well as the flexibility to tweak the design and functionality to your liking. Wix, for instance, offers hundreds of designer-made templates in addition to AI-powered site creation that can be easily modified for your brand. Furthermore, its WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor lets you preview your changes in real time as you go.
Back-office tools/business capabilities: Beyond just website design, when it comes to starting a website, a website builder should provide the back-office tools that you need. This might include features like eCommerce functionality if you need to create your own eCommerce website, inventory management, appointment scheduling and customer relationship management (CRM) tools. Create your list of must-haves and the tasks that need automating as you evaluate your options.
AI capabilities: AI is all the rage these days—and for good reason. When you’ve got a full-time job or business to run, AI tools can simplify the process of creating and maintaining your website. For example, Wix’s AI site builder can help you produce a fully functional website in minutes. It makes sophisticated decisions on your behalf regarding your web design, site copy and user experience, while setting you up with the right business apps; you can always edit your site as desired, but can save yourself hours of setup time.”
Third-party integrations: Chances are, you already have a favorite platform for emails, advertising or other functions—or perhaps you’re a retailer who wants to expand to new sales channels like Amazon. Seek website builders that integrate with your favorite tools and channels, or that offer sufficient alternatives. Explore your options in marketplaces like Wix’s App Market. (Note that you can also use Wix Headless to access Wix tools from any application.)
Security: Website security is paramount to protect your site and user data. A reliable website builder should offer security features like SSL certificates, regular backups and security monitoring to safeguard against cyber threats and data breaches.
Speed: Website loading speed significantly impacts user experience and SEO rankings. Choose a website builder known for fast-loading websites. Look for built-in capabilities like content delivery networks (CDNs), which speed up content delivery; streamlined code; and image compression.
Reliability: A reliable website builder should provide consistent uptime and minimal downtime. Read reviews and check the builder's uptime statistics to give yourself peace of mind knowing that your website and online presence will be accessible to visitors around the clock.
Support: Most of us don’t realize how important support is until it’s dire. As you evaluate your options, you’ll want to check that customer care is accessible in your time zone and that you can resolve issues before they snowball. Look for website builders that offer various support channels, including a knowledge base and self-help resources. For example, Wix has a 24/7 support team as well as a robust library of how-to articles, YouTube videos and communities to help you find whatever answers you’re looking for.
Expert tip from Esin D. Habif, product marketing lead (outbound) at Wix.com
"As a creator or entrepreneur, you're often wearing multiple hats. You're designing the website, you're optimizing for SEO. This means you need a website builder that makes it easy and very learnable for you to do all of those things, on the same platform and still deliver as if working with experts in those fields."
Building a website for your business, passion project or side hustle should be easy and exciting. With Wix, you can customize and launch a professional website in minutes, no coding needed. We’re all about simplifying the process so you can focus on what matters most–bringing your ideas to life. So why wait? Let’s get started on creating the website you’ve always wanted.
03. Pick and register a domain name
Now comes one of the most exciting parts of making a website—picking a domain name.
Your domain is like your website’s address and permanent home on the web. When an internet user enters your domain name, or website URL into a web browser, it connects with a web server who identifies your domain by its IP address and then delivers your site to the user. This process is also referred to as a Domain Name System.
Choosing a domain name doesn’t need to be too complex. While your name needs to be memorable and unique, domains (top-level domains) and subdomains typically include the name of your website and/or the name of your business followed by an extension like .com or .org. If you are struggling to come up with the perfect name for your business, try a website name generator to help get the ball rolling.
All domain names must be registered with a domain name registrar or registry, where the owners of any domain name can be searched and found.
You'll also need to consider what domain extension you want to use:
Website builders offer free domain names with a paid website building plan. This is advantageous because it will improve your website’s credibility to both people and search engines. It will show visitors that you’re a professional, trusted brand and allows people to find you more easily online.
Learn more: Website name ideas
04. Choose a web hosting plan
An important step in building a website is choosing a suitable web hosting plan. Web hosting stores your site's data, including its HTML files and images, on a server managed by the hosting provider. When a user enters your URL in a browser, or clicks on it, a request is sent to the server and your site is then served.
While many providers offer hosting services, the most straightforward, reliable and secure approach is to choose a website builder that includes hosting as part of their infrastructure. For instance, Wix includes free web hosting with every site. This saves you from having to research and choosing between hosting plans, leaving you free to focus on building and managing your website. Evaluate the hosting infrastructure, including server locations, scalability and performance, to ensure that it aligns with your website's needs.
From shared hosting to cloud hosting, there are several different hosted services to choose from. Wix sites all include reliable and secure hosting, meaning high uptime for all user sites. This is an important consideration when picking a hosting provider both as a small business owner or enterprise site.
05. Pick your template
The visual layout of your website is its most important element. You’ll want to take your time exploring your options before settling on the visual imagery and design. To get started, take a look at this database of professional website templates to see which one fits your vision best.
Whether you’re looking for portfolio templates, model portfolio examples or templates for an online store, there are dozens of customizable options to choose from. These range from simple website templates to more complex ones.
As you plan out your site, note what your competitor sites look like and check out other visual platforms, like Pinterest and Instagram. All of these examples will provide insight into what fonts, colors and web design styles and trends your audience gravitates towards. However, avoid copying what’s already been done. Rather, gain an understanding of the visual language you want to pursue and check that it resonates with your intended audience.
Expert tip from Anna Suntsov, blog and social team lead at Wix.com
"The most important thing before building a website is good research. Know what you want to do and collect strong inspirations that will contribute to your design."
Alternatively, build your website with AI
If the process of choosing and customizing a template feels daunting, or you simply don’t have the time, Wix’s AI website builder can simplify your work even further. Just answer a few simple questions about your goals and Wix will create a custom-made, fully functioning site for you in minutes.
The AI site builder combines our decades' worth of experience in web design with the best tech that AI has to offer. The result: a builder that not only creates a site that's appealing to your customers but also equips you with all the web pages and widgets you need to run your business.
Try our AI website builder for free.
06. Customize your template to your brand
Your website is the face of your personal or business brand and is often the first touchpoint that people have with you, so you’ll want to make sure that it's uniquely yours. Before you get lost in the details, establish clear branding guidelines to keep your anchored. These guidelines should shape your site design—as well as the nitty-gritty details like the tone of your microcopy, your logo placement and the color of your buttons.
A great way to get started is by creating a simple idea map with a pen and paper. In the center of your map, write down the type of site you plan to make. Think about the words and phrases that describe the vibe you’re going for. Write each phrase in separate circles stemming from your initial idea.
Once you’ve broken down your brand into individual components, it will be much easier to tackle larger tasks. Reflect on this map as you design your first logo or ruminate on the right types of imagery to include on your site.
Remember, a well-designed website is visually appealing, easy to navigate and aligned with your brand identity. Taking the time to get this right can pay dividends in the long run.
From a more tactical perspective, here are several steps you’ll want to take when personalizing your site.
Craft a website color theme
The use of color is not only for making your site look nice. Your color palette should align with your brand identity. Color psychology is important to take into consideration, as colors have the power to affect and evoke specific emotions and behaviors.
For example, blue has become a common color used in branding corporations and businesses, particularly in the tech field—most likely because blue is associated with stability and reliability. However, blue can also reflect sadness, hence the term “feeling blue.” Orange, for example, is generally paired with feelings of freshness and vitality. Keep in mind that the feeling correlated with a color also depends on the shade and what other colors it’s paired with. These are both important points to consider when choosing your website color scheme.
To get started, consider your website goals. Think about the vibe you want to create and the emotions you want to convey, especially if you’re starting a business. The more aligned your web design is with your overall branding, the more people are going to connect with your company and your website. And the stronger the personal connection, the more time they’ll spend on your business website. This will have enormous effects on conversion rates and overall interest and engagement with your brand.
Keep in mind that choosing your color theme doesn’t mean you’re stuck with that palette forever, so try out different options and see what speaks to you. With Wix, for example, you can adjust your site’s colors at any point by clicking on the Site Design icon on the left side of your editing screen. From there, you can choose your base colors, accent colors, text colors and more.
Pick the right web fonts
Just like colors, typography can also play a key role in evoking feelings. When choosing the best fonts for your website, there are a number of things to consider.
First, like all other elements on your site, your font choice should match your branding. Browse different typefaces to find one that reflects your unique personality, whether you’re youthful and contemporary or have a more traditional approach.
The three primary types of fonts include:
Serif: Fonts with a small line attached to the ends of each letter.
Sans serif: More standard, block-like typography without small lines at the ends of each character.
Script: Has a more elegant feel, with each letter connecting fluidly from one to the next.
You can also check out our article on the best fonts for websites for more details on how to choose the best one for your site.
Whatever you go for, make sure that your font is readable on both desktop and mobile devices. Remember to keep in mind Google safe fonts. Pro tip: When it comes to fonts, remember to stay consistent throughout your website. On Wix, you can easily accomplish this by going to the Site Design icon on your side panel and managing text through the Text Theme tab. That way, your content will appear uniformly across the site.
Add other branding elements
When it comes to creating a professional site that wows, the magic is often in the details. As you look to strengthen the branding on your site, don’t overlook these elements:
Logo: Place your logo prominently in your header and as needed across your site. Wix's logo maker simplifies the logo design process, allowing you to create a logo that represents your brand and perfectly matches the aesthetic of your site.
Favicon: A favicon is a small icon that appears in the browser tab to the left of your URL when someone visits your site. Adding a favicon to your Wix website is a simple process that adds another layer of professionalism to your user experience. Just go to your site editor, click on “Settings” in the top left of your screen and scroll down to “Favicon.” Here, you can upload, adjust and save your favicon image. Then, just publish your site and behold—your brand new favicon.
More tips: Learn the ins and outs of building a website using the Wix Editor with this online course.
07. Build your site structure
A pretty site means nothing if it’s clunky and difficult to navigate. Before releasing your site to the world, check that your site makes it easy for visitors to find the exact pages that they’re looking for. There are several main components to bear in mind, as listed below.
Create your sitemap
Your sitemap is the blueprint of your site’s architecture. It includes all the pages and content you plan to create, so web crawlers like Google can better find and understand your pages. A sitemap typically needs updating whenever you add pages or move pages around, but systems like Wix automatically create and update your sitemap for you.
Optimize your navigation menu
Your navigation menu guides your human visitors to the right pages on your site. It’s usually displayed as a horizontal or vertical bar on your site with links to several different pages. As a general rule of thumb, your site should be organized in a way that enables a visitor to move from one page to another in three clicks or less.
But your main menu does not—and should not have to—include all of your site pages. Link to the most important or popular pages from here, and provide an easy way for visitors to get back to where they started. (One of the best ways of achieving this is by adding a clickable logo at the top of your page that leads visitors back to the homepage.)
Check how your favorite sites design their navigation menus for inspiration. You may, for instance, want to include a mega menu that’s more visual in nature and allows users to hover over a main menu category to see subcategories of links.
Alternatively, if you’re creating a simple website with fewer pages, you can have a simple anchor menu at the top of your page that links to specific pages or specific sections on a page.
You’ll also want to spend time optimizing a mobile version of your menu to make sure everything translates clearly to phones and tablets.
To set up a menu in the Wix editor, just head to your side panel on the left side of the editor and click on “+” at the top of the panel to add an element. Then, select "Menu & Anchor" from the drop-down and choose your desired style.
Expert tip from Adi Huri, product manager at WOW for Wix.com
"Keep in mind that the menu is the map of your website. By adding the right pages to your menu, in the right order, it can be the heart of your website’s success."
Prioritize key content
Make sure the most important content on your site is easy to find–it’s crucial for delivering a great user experience and meeting your goals. Highlight the information your audience is looking for, like your services, contact details or pricing, and place it front and center on your homepage or navigation menu.
Don’t forget to include clear call-to-actions (CTAs) on essential pages to guide visitors towards actions like making a purchase, signing up or reaching out. Regularly check your site’s analytics to see how users are interacting with your content and make adjustments as needed to keep things running smoothly.
Don’t ignore your footer
While your navigation menu is the primary navigation tool visitors will use to traverse your site, you can use your footer strategically to provide additional links and information. Your footer offers prime real estate to reinforce important content or show other areas of your site that your main menu doesn’t cover (think: contact information and direct links to your social media profiles).
In the Wix editor, you can easily drag and drop widgets and other elements directly into the footer. You can also easily adjust its size by dragging the border up or down.
Design with scalability in mind
As your business grows, so will your website. You'll need to accommodate new pages, features or increased traffic without compromising performance. That’s why it’s smart to plan a site structure that’s ready to grow with you.
Choose a flexible layout that makes it easy to add new sections without messing up your current setup. If you’re adding more content, think about expanding your categories and updating your navigation so everything stays clean and organized.
It’s also a good idea to check in on your site structure regularly. Adjust as needed to match your evolving content or business goals. By designing with scalability in mind, you can save yourself a lot of hassle down the line. Plus, it ensures your site grows with your business while delivering a smooth user experience.
Here are a few reasons why site structure matters:
Better experience: A well-organized site makes it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for, fast. This can lower bounce rates and leave a great impression on your users.
Stronger SEO performance: Search engines love a clear site hierarchy. It helps them crawl and index your pages better, which can increase your visibility in search results.
Higher engagement: When visitors can navigate your site effortlessly, they’re more likely to stick around, interact with your content and take the actions that matter most to your business.
08. Add useful pages
Once you’ve mapped out what pages you want on your site, it’s time to create them. Here’s a quick step-by-step of how to build useful and engaging pages and how to do it in the Wix editor.
Open Page Manager: Click the "Pages & Menu" icon in the left side panel to access the Page Manager.
Add page: Click the blue "+ Add Page" button to create a new page and click on whatever template suits your needs.
Name your page: Once the page is added to your site, the page name will be highlighted in the left side panel for you to edit.
Customize: Customize and build the newly created page by adding your content, adjusting the layout and refining the design.
Manage pages: Drag and drop pages in the side panel to rearrange them or click on the ellipsis icon to the right of each page title to duplicate, delete, rename, hide and more.
Subpages: Create dropdown menus by adding subpages to your main pages, enhancing site navigation.
Save and publish: Save your work regularly and, when ready, hit the "Publish" button to make your changes live on your website.
When designing web pages for your professional website, consider adding these pages:
An inviting homepage. This is the face of your website, which means that you have to make it beautiful, yet informational. You should strive to present all the crucial elements right from the get-go. This way, clients will instantly understand who you are and what you do.
A shop or gallery. This is the center of your site where visitors can browse through your products or services. Create product listings, manage inventory and process transactions all from one centralized dashboard. Dedicate time to write product descriptions that will grab potential customers’ attention. The same goes for your product photography to ensure that your items are displayed in their very best light.
A personable About page. Use this page as your online business card. It’s the spot where you can present who you are, what you stand for, your strengths, values and any other crucial information you think your visitors should know about your team and your business.
An easy-to-find contact section. Don’t leave your site visitors astray by making them search for your contact information. Dedicate a page to list contact numbers, email, social links and any other way users can get in touch with you. In addition, it’s a good practice to add your essential contact details on your website footer.
An engaging blog. By starting a blog, you’ll be able to continuously add regular and fresh content to your website. You’ll have the chance to establish yourself as an expert in your field while giving your SEO efforts a well-deserved boost. Give our blog maker a go, when you're ready to start.
Expert tip from Allison Lee, editor-in-chief at Wix.com
"Blogs don’t get enough credit for their long-term advantages. In the long run, a blog can serve as a huge traffic driver and a way to connect with future customers (case in point: our Wix Blog is the first touchpoint for millions of people who may have never stumbled onto our site otherwise). That said, a blog is a long-term commitment—it requires a well thought-out strategy and consistent maintenance."
An interactive membership area. Creating a membership area on your website serves the dual purpose of monetization and user engagement. Various membership models, like drip-feed, all-in and fixed-term, can be employed to monetize your content. You can also offer premium content, online services or downloadable materials as incentives for users to subscribe.
Easy-to-access online courses. The growing popularity of virtual classes presents an opportunity to generate income by launching a paid online course. This approach allows you to monetize your existing website traffic. Design courses that align with your expertise and cater to your audience's needs. Ensure the content is relevant and unique.
An informative FAQ page. Save yourself and your clients some time (and frustration) by including an FAQ page to provide answers to questions that may naturally come up as visitors browse your site.
An online booking system. Allow customers to schedule and pay for appointments or classes directly from your site. This way, you can spend less time playing phone tag and more time growing your empire.
A testimonials page. This provides you with the perfect place in which previous, satisfied customers can sing your praises. Nothing is more impressive to a potential client or buyer than positive, unbiased reviews.
Stay in the know—subscribe to the Wix blog for a weekly dose of web design tips, trends and updates.
09. Create engaging content
As people interact with your website, you'll want to make sure you're grabbing their attention and keeping it. The best way to do this is by optimizing and diversifying how you relay information.
Start by thinking about the various types of content you can host on your website. There's text, photography, videos, animation and so much more. Once you have a grasp on all of your options, it’s time to decide how to organize it.
Consider your content hierarchy
For your visitors to feel comfortable and at home while browsing, it’s important to keep your site as organized as possible. Think about hierarchy here: you’ll want your most eye-catching and important content to be placed above the fold (in other words, the area that’s visible on your website without visitors having to scroll).
Expert top tip from Amanda Weiner, CRO expert at Wix.com
"Site hierarchy and the information you provide your visitors with is more than just how your site looks. This will also directly impact how many visitors ultimately buy your products. You’ll want to be clear about your offerings through your content, your visuals and your buttons right from the get go to ensure visitors recognize your value right away."
Furthermore, take note that some of your readers are only skimming your content. To make their lives easier and to make your content stand out, consider how you can optimize your design so your audience can get the most out of your content.
To do so, consider which written information can be made more digestible and visual with the use of media features (videos, images and animations, infographics for example). Make certain headers and other important bits of information stand out more than others by opting for a larger font or a bright color that contrasts with the background.
Looking to create content for your website? Consider using AI tools to speed up the process for you. Read all about Wix's next steps on AI text generation for websites and AI website creation. Or, get started by understanding more about how to build a website with AI.
Consider SEO
Search engine optimization, or SEO, is the practice of optimizing your site so your pages can rank higher on search engine result pages. When launching a new website from scratch, it’s vital to set your site up for success so it can be found by Google. The more exposure you get, the more likely it is for prospective clients to find your site and book your services, buy your products or read your blog.
Expert tip from Mordy Oberstein, head of SEO branding at Wix.com
"Leveraging SEO and integrating it into the website creation process is vital. Various studies have shown that organic search is the single greatest provider of traffic to websites - with that being even more pronounced within the B2B context. To that, traffic from organic search, when done correctly is essentially built to last (with proper maintenance over time, of course) and forms a crucial part of a site’s long-term growth."
Enhancing your website's visibility on search engines like Google is essential for driving organic traffic to your pages. Fortunately, every Wix site starts out with a solid infrastructure that already exceeds the needs of search engines, giving you a strong SEO foundation in organic search. From there, Wix SEO tools make it easy for you to optimize your reach even further. Capabilities include:
SEO Assistant: Every Wix site comes with an SEO Assistant. Just put in your focus keywords for the page you’re working on, and your SEO Assistant will tell you if there’s anything you can do to further optimize it.
Keyword research: Wix provides keyword research tools to help you discover relevant keywords for your content.
On-page SEO: Easily optimize your meta titles, descriptions and headers to improve your on-page SEO.
Image SEO: Optimize your images with alt tags and compress them to improve page loading times.
AI meta tag creation: Use AI to generate optimized title tags and meta descriptions for each of your pages.
Sitemap generation: Wix generates XML sitemaps to help search engines crawl and index your site effectively.
Mobile optimization: Ensure your website is mobile-friendly for better search rankings.
Local SEO: If you have a local business, use Wix's local SEO tools to improve your visibility in local searches.
SEO analytics: Monitor your website's SEO performance with built-in analytics and reports.
Rich results: Implement rich snippets and schema markup to make your search results stand out.
Backlink tracking: Keep an eye on your backlink profile to improve your site's authority.
Consider the mobile experience
As you build your site, keep in mind that a significant amount of consumers will be visiting your site from their smartphones. According to current trends, by 2025, a significant majority of internet traffic, nearly 70%, is expected to come from phones and tablets, with most of that share attributed to smartphones alone. It’s because of this that Google established mobile-first indexing, a system in which the search engine predominantly determines website ranking based on mobile websites, not desktop.
As mobile web surfing becomes even more entrenched in our culture, it’s essential to invest time in mobile features as well as design to provide a smooth, intuitive user experience for those smaller screens. Whatever website creation platform you choose, make sure it has a mobile editor and the ability to adjust elements for mobile without it affecting the desktop version. You’ll also want a website builder that prioritizes performance and site speed. For example, Wix deploys performance-friendly website infrastructure, such as cache and lazy loading, to ensure faster sites.
Once you're done with your site and happy with it, you may want to consider making your website an app as well.
Learn more: How to make a website mobile-friendly
10. Test and publish
Building a website from scratch can be an exciting journey, but rushing through the process is a common pitfall. In an eagerness to go live, many often overlook critical elements, potentially harming their website's performance and user experience. To avoid this situation, make sure to dot your Is and cross your Ts before publishing. Here are some key tips to help you out:
Take advantage of features like Wix’s “Site Preview” mode, which allows you to view and navigate your site as a user. This enables you to experience the user journey of navigating your site and flag issues a user might encounter. Also, you can proofread your site's content and check for spelling and grammar mistakes. Clear, flawless text boosts professionalism and credibility, leaving a great impression.
Ensure functionality across your site by testing all pages, links and embedded media on both desktop and mobile views to ensure your site is mobile-friendly. Also, check all internal and external links to ensure they lead to the correct pages. Avoid broken links to provide a positive user experience.
Test your site across multiple browsers. This means making sure you test your website on various browsers like Chrome, Firefox and Safari. This guarantees your site looks right and works perfectly for everyone, no matter their browser choice.
Ask a friend or colleague to take a look at your website and give you notes on their initial impressions, the user experience, clarity of content and effectiveness of your design. This step is imperative as someone less familiar with your content will be a much better barometer for how a new visitor would navigate your website than you can be. Allow one to two weeks for final tweaks to make sure everything works as it should.
11. Maintain and promote your website
Much like a work of art, a website is never truly "finished." It's an ever-evolving entity that demands regular attention to maintain its performance.
One of the primary advantages of using a website builder to create your site is that you can easily make additions and changes as needed in real time. By following these best practices, you can maintain a site that helps your business thrive online.
Your website can quickly become outdated over time, from its design to your keyword targeting and overall SEO strategy. Often, website designers find that they need to provide easier navigation with better bounce rates and other important site metrics. This is particularly important if you have found that sales on your online store are decreasing. Update your website as part of your website management strategy by adding new content regularly and making sure that your existing content is up-to-date.
Every published Wix website has Wix Analytics included in the Dashboard, which gives you actionable information and metrics about your website traffic. Learn which content is working best and how your visitors behave, then use these insights to fuel your marketing efforts.
It's important to keep your website secure from hackers and malware. You can do this by installing security software and by keeping your website's software up to date. It's also crucial to use a platform that thoroughly incorporates website security such as Wix, which provides a safe foundation for your website and gathers real-time insights to detect any threats.
It's always a good idea to back up your website regularly. This way, if something happens to your website, you can restore it from a backup. Wix has a feature called Site History, which automatically creates site revisions every time you save or publish. This means that you can go back to a previous version of your site any time you want. You can also duplicate your site at any time to create a manual backup in your Wix account. Be aware that the duplicated site is not automatically updated when you update your original site.
You also need to let people know about your site. You can promote your website through social media, email marketing, guest blogging or outreach marketing. Effective promotion ensures that your website reaches the right people and delivers the desired outcomes—whether you’re aiming to increase traffic, engagement or sales.
Expert tip from Lilach Goldis, social media marketing manager at Wix.com
"Identify the social media platforms your audience is active on the most and get an in-depth understanding of what it takes to rank in them. For example, converting your Instagram carousel posts into a Reel can capture attention more effectively and boost your content's impact, ultimately leading people to visit your site."
Here are some ways Wix can help you get your site out there:
SEO: In case we haven’t said it enough, SEO is imperative. For those less familiar with SEO, SEO is basically the practice of optimizing your site to help it rank better on Google and other search engines, which, in turn, bring you more web traffic. This is a crucial step in ensuring your site's success once it’s published. Although SEO is very technical and nuanced, using the right website builder can streamline the entire process. You can get an automatically optimized site with a solid infrastructure that exceeds search engine standards, alongside a suite of SEO tools. For example, Wix’s SEO Assistant gives you a personalized SEO setup plan for your site. It can make suggestions on how to tweak your content and provide explanations as to how these changes may help your rankings. For the more advanced user, Wix offers other SEO tools including a robots.txt editor, dynamic XML sitemaps and customizable canonical tags (among others). Keep in mind, however, that it takes time (and regular investment) to see the results of SEO, and your site may not rank well immediately.
Email marketing: Whether you're an eCommerce business, a blogger or an entrepreneur, it’s essential to build and maintain strong customer relationships. Email marketing tools enable you to create and send professional email campaigns to your subscribers and drive traffic to your site. Send newsletters, promote new products, create trigger emails and share exciting updates with your audience.
Blogs: Blogging is a powerful content marketing strategy. With SEO-rich blogging capabilities, you can create and publish engaging blog posts that not only captivate your audience but also rank well in search engine results. When selecting your website builder, look for built-in SEO features to ensure your blogs are optimized for maximum visibility.
Advertising: Unlike SEO which takes time to yield results, ads can help drive immediate attention to your site. It’s worth experimenting with Google Ads, Facebook Ads and others—but avoid spreading yourself too thin. Use the tools at your disposal in your website builder, and test different targeting and campaign types. For example, you could use Instagram ads to retarget website visitors, in addition to Google search ads to engage new visitors who are searching for sites like yours.
How to make a website with AI
Making or designing a website with AI involves using artificial intelligence tools and services to enhance different aspects of your site, such as design, content creation or user interaction.
Take Wix ADI, for example. Launched back in 2016, it gives every Wix user the option of creating a website in mere minutes by simply providing some upfront information about what your site should include. "Wix ADI offers smarter AI tools deeper down in the journey, like personal recommendations and business growth tools,” says Marine Levy Belder, a product marketing manager at Wix.
Wix ADI serves as the foundation for Wix's AI website builder—an even more powerful way to create a site that’s tailor-made for you. Learn more about Wix's ever-evolving AI capabilities in this letter from our CEO, Avishai Abrahami.
Be inspired by these websites made with AI via Wix ADI:
How much does it cost to build a website from scratch?
The cost of building a website from scratch is influenced by several key factors:
Design: Custom designs require more time and expertise, raising costs compared to using pre-made templates. The same is true if you choose to use a web designer to plan and design your site, rather than going for a DIY approach.
Functionality: sometimes features like eCommerce capabilities, custom forms, databases and interactive elements increase costs. This is not true for all features, or website builders, so it's worth doing your research.
Website builder: Costs vary between DIY platforms, like Wix and more custom-built websites, like Wix Studio.
Content creation: Both on-page copy, images and video can cost you if you outsource them to professionals rather than creating your selves.
Hosting and domain: Robust hosting services and domain registration can vary in price based on performance and security needs. With a Wix site, hosting is included; domain names are available with a paid plan.
Marketing: Investing in marketing services to drive traffic and improve visibility can significantly affect your website building budget.
With Wix, you can create a website for free or opt for a paid plan that can cost from $17 a month, depending on the type and exact features. This plan will include a custom domain, 24/7 customer support and hosting services.
What are some common mistakes to avoid when creating a website from scratch?
While creating a website by yourself can be very manageable, even if you don't have design or coding experience and especially if you use a website builder - it's worth taking into account some common pitfalls associated with building a website.
These include:
Neglecting your user experience (UX) design
Focusing on design and how it looks, over functionality
Ignoring accessibility guidelines and design
Not optimizing for SEO from the start
Failing to preview and test every part of your site before going live
How to learn to create a website
When it comes to learning web development and creating a website from scratch, you have a few main options to explore.
Bootcamps
Bootcamps offer intensive, short-term programs focused on teaching practical skills relevant to web development. They typically cover HTML, CSS, JavaScript and frameworks like React or Angular.
Computer science or software engineering degrees
Pursuing a degree in CS or software engineering from a university provides a comprehensive understanding of computer science principles, including web development. These programs cover a wide range of topics beyond web development, such as algorithms, data structures and software engineering principles.
Independent learning options
There are also ways for you to learn on your own. Some of these include online courses and tutorials, books, coding bootcamp prep programs and opportunities to contribute to open-source projects.
Streamline the process of creating your website with Wix's website builder.
Create a website from scratch FAQ
Can anyone create a website from scratch?
If you choose a website builder that essentially provides the infrastructure of your site, yes. You don't have to know coding to make a website, you just have to use the right website platform. With Wix, your entire site infrastructure is taken care of, including advanced levels of security, including public key certification via TLS, so you can focus on what matters: your design and content.