From concept to launch: How to build a website from scratch

Building a website takes time and effort, and with the human mind’s tendency to wander off, it’s easy to lose focus. Where do you start? What truly matters? And how do you ensure that your website actually serves a purpose?

This guide will show you how to create a website without feeling overwhelmed. You’ll discover the difference between a website for business goals and a site for brand awareness, education, or community building, how to create a website that addresses your needs and the needs of your audience, and what tools can help you in building your website.

How to know what type of website you need

In this section of the guide, we’ll go through the first steps of building a website and start by identifying your goals and audience.

Define your purpose

Let’s define your goals first. Why do you want to create a website? Do you need a digital place to showcase your work or sell products? Are you going to appeal to businesses or consumers? All of these questions must be answered before you jump into action.

Your website must have a specific purpose, which usually falls into one of these categories:

Sales: A website for business goals attracts leads and eventually converts them into clients. These websites may have multiple landing pages to appeal to different segments of their target audience, a gallery of products, a section for clients’ testimonials, etc. The ultimate goal here is to create a frictionless user journey that leads potential customers from awareness to action.

Brand awareness: This type of website revolves around a brand, be it a product or a person. For instance, a fashion brand might create a website to showcase its collections. In this case, the website structure and content must focus on this brand’s design philosophy and story.

Information: Some websites are designed primarily to inform. These could be online libraries or news sites 

Interaction: These are forums or membership sites. If you want to create a website like this, you have to put community features first.

When building a website, you might chase several goals. A sales-y website may contain educational content and have forums to spark discussions around the industry you’re in. However, it’s better to start with only one goal. This may feel like you’re not thinking big, but it will help you focus.

Identify your audience

This is one of the most important steps. People interact with sites differently based on their interests, where they live, and even the generation they belong to. If visibility is your goal, you need to create a website not only for yourself, but for them too. 

The question is: How do you discover who these people are, especially when you're building a website from scratch and have no Google Analytics data to rely on Here’s what you can do:

1. Create an ideal customer profile (ICP) based on demographics, interests, and behavior. Think about what kind of person would not only want to visit your website, but also perform an action on it (watch a video, subscribe to an email digest, book a demo, etc.). Avoid using yourself as a reference point: instead, rely on data from surveys and market research tools to define key traits. Here’s a great read about discovering your ICP.
2. Browse websites that you consider competitors and inspiration. Check out their About Us, Testimonials, and Case Studies pages for insights on their target audience. If they have a presence on social media, go through their followers. Study customer feedback in comments, reviews, and discussions. Google Reviews, G2, and Yelp are also great platforms to investigate customer portraits.
3. Join relevant Facebook groups, Slack channels, or Reddit discussions to interact with potential users.

The info you collect doesn’t have to be perfect. As soon as you make a website, you’ll be able to use more refined tools for that particular task. For example, if you build a site with Readymag, you can use its integration with analytics platforms like Google Analytics and Hotjar to gather insights on website visitors.

Think of budget

Some platforms are free, while others require a budget for hosting, domain names, and features. 

Consider long-term costs, such as:

• Domain name
• Hosting
• SSL certificate (if you’re opting for a paid certificate with additional features)
• Website builder, CMS, and/or web development services
• Premium themes or templates
• Third-party integrations

No-code tools for website creation like Readymag include some of the above costs in their pricing, such as custom domains, hosting, SSL certificates, and other features. This all-in-one setup makes budgeting easier since everything is bundled into one clear cost.

Consider scalability

Remember what we talked about in the ‘Define your purpose’ section? A site can serve multiple purposes, especially if it’s a website for business needs. As your audience grows, your site needs to keep up.

That’s why choosing a platform that scales with you is a must. With Readymag, advanced plans offer increasing capacity for website visits. Your site stays fast and accessible as your traffic grows.

Choose a domain name and web hosting plan

When learning how to create a website from scratch, start by selecting a strong domain name that’s short and memorable. One of the best practices here is to avoid hyphens and numbers.

Great domains get sold fast, so you’d better check your ideas for availability and register your domain quickly to secure your online identity.

Next, choose a reliable hosting plan. Look for features like high uptime, security protections, regular backups, and scalability. Don’t forget that this is a long-term investment.

Shared hosting is affordable for small sites, while VPS hosting offers better performance for growing businesses, and dedicated hosting provides maximum speed and control for high-traffic websites. You can also get hosting with Readymag. Еvery plan includes free hosting, while paid plans also offer a one-year .xyz domain and an Entri discount.

Select and customize a template

When learning how to create and build a website, using a pre-designed template can help speed things up.

A good template provides a structured layout, responsive design, and built-in features. Customization allows you to make the template your own. Most website creation tools let you change colors, upload custom fonts, adjust layouts, and add interactive elements like buttons and hover effects. Readymag’s templates, for example, offer flexible design options, and you can create visually striking websites in no time.

If you use a template, the process of making a website from scratch becomes much easier, and you still get a unique website.

Organise site structure and architecture

A well-structured website improves user experience and SEO. Both of these are key to making users notice your project and explore it, so you need to put yourself in their shoes when mapping a layout. 

There are several options you can go with:

Hierarchical structure: The homepage serves as the main entry point and leads to categories that further break down into subcategories. This layout is common for business sites. 

Sequential structure: This structure guides users through a step-by-step process. This kind of website is perfect for online courses. 

Matrix: This allows users to navigate freely based on their interests. A matrix website is commonly used for news sites and knowledge bases.

Database-driven structure: This relies on a database to store and display content dynamically. This structure is a natural pick for an e-commerce store.

To create and build a website with strong architecture, start by planning a clear layout, organizing content logically, and ensuring smooth navigation.

Design your website

This is probably the most exciting part of building a website—you can finally execute your vision! Here are some best practices you can rely on to pass this stage with flying colors:

• Consider using storytelling techniques when you develop the concept of your website.
• A clean layout, easy navigation, and minimal clutter improve user experience.
• Use clear menus, familiar icons, and a logical flow to guide users effortlessly.
• Add interactive elements to boost user engagement: button hover effects, animation, dynamic typography, etc.
• Choose a color scheme that aligns with your brand and evokes the right emotions. 
• Follow the 60/30/10 rule for a well-structured palette: 60% primary color, 30% secondary color, and 10% accent.
• Use bold colors sparingly to draw attention to key areas like CTAs.

With the right balance of functionality, aesthetics, and color, your website will not only look great, but will also be comfortable to explore.

Create essential pages

You’ve got an idea, target audience, domain name, hosting, architecture, and design vision. Now it’s the time to bring this vision to life and create a few must-have pages, such as:

• Homepage: This is your first impression! Keep it clean and engaging, and guide visitors to key sections.
• About page: You can share the history of your company/product/mission on this page. It’s crucial if you want to set up a strong brand. It might also be a contact page (you can also create a separate page for your contact information).
• Services or products page: These pages show what you offer and prompt people to try things out. 
• Blog or Resources Page: A library of guides, how-tos, updates, and other articles.

If you're learning how to create a business website, you might need additional pages to build trust and convert visitors into customers. A website for businesses often has the following pages:

• Case studies or portfolio: A page where you show success stories to prove your expertise.
• Careers: Descriptions of job positions available at your company.
• Pricing page: This page provides pricing/plans details.

As soon as you’re done creating essential pages, you should check out how they look on different devices.

Test and publish

Before launching, test your website. There are three aspects you should check out: SEO, your website functionality, and domain & analytics. 

Here is how to ensure that SEO optimization is well-done:

• Enable SEO indexing.
• Use proper heading structure.
• Add alt text to images.
• Customize social sharing settings.

Then, review how your website functions and go through these steps: 

• Optimize site speed.
• Test all links.
• Check form functionality.
• Review legal details.

Don’t forget about the domain & analytics part:

• Set up your final URL
• Ensure SSL security.
• Add Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager.
• Display a consent popup if using cookies (GDPR compliance).
• Add a favicon.

We break down each step of website testing in this detailed checklist. Use it as a guide, and once everything looks good, hit the publish button.

How to create a website with Readymag

One of the biggest fears aspiring website owners face is lacking the design skills to create something truly eye-catching. But here’s the truth: you don’t need to be a designer to build a standout website. With the right tool—like Readymag—you can bring your vision to life effortlessly.

Read below how you can make a website from scratch with us (or watch this video instead):

• Sign up for a Readymag account and start a new project. Choose between a blank page or a template to speed up your design process.
• Use the first icon on the left panel or press M to manage pages. From here, you can rearrange, duplicate, or delete pages. This is also where you can modify SEO settings (titles, descriptions, etc). To create nested pages, simply drag and drop one page onto another.
• Design your website. Add text, images, buttons, animations & other interactive elements in accordance with your vision. Adjust fonts, colors, and layouts for a unique style. Use the Grid & Layout settings to fine-tune grids and guides.
• Click on the Devices icon or press 1/2/3 to switch between desktop, tablet, and mobile views. Add functionality with widgets by tapping on the Plus button or pressing W. You can manage existing widgets via the Layers panel.
• Customize your project further by changing backgrounds through Layers → Background. Enable Lock Layout to prevent unintended design changes and maintain consistency.
• Preview your website by clicking the Eye icon to see how it looks before publishing. Adjust settings like stacked pages, navigation arrows, and slide-in transitions for a smooth user experience.

Readymag's capabilities and advantages

Readymag offers a range of features to enhance creativity and functionality:

• Drag-and-drop editor: Readymag’s interface makes website creation seamless. It’s a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) design tool that lets you create interactive websites exactly as you imagine them.
• Interactive elements: You can add animations, custom cursors, slideshows, hotspots, and draggable objects. For example, you can try out Lottie animations with customizable playback and native effect integration or create burger menus at a much quicker pace with this Hotspot widget. 
• Advanced customization: Readymag allows you to integrate services, embed videos, and use custom HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. You can upload custom fonts or use typefaces from Adobe or type.today.
• Collaboration: If you’re working with a team, you can invite multiple co-creators with two access modes, including a safe mode that keeps design unaffected when a non-designer works on the project.

Built-In analytics & marketing tools: You can track visitors, launch ad campaigns, and capture leads within one platform.

FAQ

What is important when building a website?

Planning all the steps in advance is the most important thing. This includes defining your goals, choosing the right platform or tool, budget, and website structure & architecture. 

Do I need technical or coding knowledge to build a website?

If you choose Readymag—then no, you don’t need coding skills. But if you need to control backend processes or custom APIs, then some coding knowledge will be necessary.

How much money do I need to start a website?

If you just need a simple personal portfolio, you can start with as little as $15-$150 per year using free web design tools like Readymag, with a basic domain and hosting.

If you want to make a website for business needs with large databases and custom backend development, that’s another story. In that case, the price can easily climb to several thousand dollars.

How long does it take to make a website?

Unless you need high-end features, you can make a website in a day, especially if you choose one of Readymag’s templates. 

How do I make sure my website is secure from the start?

Use HTTPS and regularly choose a secure hosting provider.

How can I make my website unique?

See what other creators are doing. Look for inspiration like these examples of websites built with Readymag. Then, think about what you can do differently. Consider experimenting with layouts, typography, interactive elements, or storytelling techniques to engage users in a fresh way.