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Intro
Creating a website for beginners can be a daunting task for many. If you’ve never managed a website or if you do not know how to build one do not worry. Most of us are not web developers and we hold little to no experience in creating a successful website. Although the internet has been around for decades our understanding of how websites work is extremely limited. Whether it is looking at a template or clicking a button the majority of online users only scratch the surface. Unless a person majored in computer science or is self taught, HTML and CSS are foreign concepts. The average website user has no idea what concepts like algorithm, user interface, domain names and webhosting are. Before you feel anymore overwhelmed, I will help you to recognize which features to consider when creating a website.
Pricing for beginners creating a website
Having a website is a financial investment that can end up paying off over the long haul. If you have never spent a dime on a website and are already wondering about the cost do not worry! A major misconception people have is that they need to overpay for a quality website. In reality, pricing varies by the hosting company and the type of site you are using. If you want a website to blog I recommend Bluehost, Hostinger, ionos and HostGator. Hosting companies charge less than $10 USD a month for a basic site. If you’re launching an ecommerce site then you will end up paying monthly between $10 USD and $15 USD. These companies include features such as SSL, domain, storage space and an option to upgrade your plan.
Website speed is significant for beginners
Believe it or not, the speed of a website determines whether its performance is reliable or inefficient. The loading speed of web pages needs to run quick enough. Search engines are going to rank your website at the bottom if it runs slow. A slow running website is going to put users off. People who surf the internet generally do not have a lengthy attention span. If a website takes its time loading they are just going to move on to other things. The speed of your website should not take longer than three seconds to load. You can test your site’s speed by using online tools such as Google PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix.
Beginners and website management
When hosting a website you need to be able to provide constant maintenance to it. This task can appear daunting, especially if you have a multitude of responsibilities on your plate. The good thing is that webhosting companies provide necessary tools to make website maintenance a lot easier. Website builders like WordPress and Wix come with plugins, addons and apps that can be download to help in the managing. Once you become used to these features website management will consume less of your time.
Website security
A website on the internet has to be secure. There are people who are skilled at hacking websites. You shouldn’t fall victim to the schemes of those who are looking to extrapolate data from you. Preventing confidential information like banking details and log in passwords from being made public is a must. You also want to avoid your website becoming infected with malware. Malware is bad software that will ruin your site. Building trust with the average visitor of your website is important. If your site is not secure people are not going to have any interest in it. In order for your website to be protected it needs an SSL certificate, a strong password, and other security features.
SEO and website traffic
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and it is the bread and butter of web traffic. To be able to receive regular traffic effective SEO is a must. It is not enough to build a website and expect it to rank high on search engines without any optimization. A way that you can optimize your site is by using particular keywords and tags on its pages. The type of phrases that you should use are those that your target audience is searching for. You can start by typing keywords into Google search related to your niche. Another way to improve SEO is through Google Search Console. This is a free web service that helps optimization. You can also improve the SEO of your website by promoting it on social media.
Mobile friendliness
With a large percentage of people using smart phones to browse the net your website needs to be mobile compatible. It would be detrimmental for you not to consider how your website would work on mobile devices. You run the risk of losing out to other websites in your niche that are mobile friendly. For your website to excel it has to have a layout that fits mobile screens, its font has to be readable, it has to be simple to navigate and its loading speed has to be reliable. A website builder shows how a site’s layout looks on mobile devices. If you are creating your website from a code editor like Visual Studio Code then you can use CSS to customize your site. Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test is a tool that I recommend.
Good design
The right design to your website gives an excellent first impression and a positive overall experience. I am not suggesting that your site look like the virtual equivalent of the Mona Lisa, but it needs to be able to get and retain the attention of people. A simple layout that is not outdated and easy to navigate will go a long way. Website builders usually have extensive libraries of free template themes that you can use in your design. You can even custom design your own template if you are not satisfied with what you find on the internet.
Conclusion
Now that you got a thorough understanding of what features you need after reading this article on creating a website for beginners, the next step that you need to do is to apply these elements. There are a number of YouTube videos and blog articles all over the internet that touch on the topic of which webhosting company or website builder to choose from. Depending on your experience in creating websites, the amount of time that you put in and the type of website that you create, the entire process will take you anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months.