How to create a website from scratch in 11 steps (for beginners)

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1 Apr 2024

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 burn 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.

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How to make a website from scratch

01. Decide 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.

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.

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:

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 setup, design, personalize, publish and manage a website without having to use code. The best platforms help you get a site setup and launched quicker and without fuss—while also offering 24/7 support and built-in features that make scaling easier.

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.

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 site. This will have enormous effects on conversion rates and overall interest and engagement with your brand.

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.

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.

05. 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.

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.

06. Add your 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 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 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.

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.

07. Fill your pages with 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.

You’ll also have the ability to utilize additional SEO tools like Ahrefs and Semrush.

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. In fact, as of April 2021, over 50% of internet use comes from cell phones and tablets. 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.

Learn more: How to make a website mobile-friendly

08. Find and purchase a domain name

Now comes one of the most exciting parts of making a website—choosing 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 creators like Wix offer free domain names with a premium 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.

After choosing a domain name, you'll next need to consider your web hosting service options. From shared hosting to cloud hosting, there are several different hosted services to choose from. Wix sites all come with reliable and secure hosting for high uptime on all user sites.

Learn more: Website name ideas

09. Review 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. Avoid this situation. Make sure to dot your Is and cross your Ts before publishing. Here are some key tips to help you out:

Resist the urge to skimp on planning. Outlining how to plan a website is the foundation of a successful website strategy. Take the time to clearly define your website's purpose, target audience and content strategy. Mapping out your site structure and creating a content calendar will help you stay organized. Rushing into design and content creation without a plan can lead to a disjointed website that confuses visitors.
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. Make sure to test all pages, links and embedded media in addition to spell-checking content. Do this on desktop and mobile view.
Get a fresh pair of eyes to review your work. Ask a friend or colleague to take a look at your website and give you notes on initial impressions, user experience, clarity of content and effectiveness of the 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.
Don’t forget about SEO. Rushing through SEO or ignoring it altogether can hinder your website's discoverability. Research relevant keywords for your niche, optimize meta titles and descriptions and regularly create fresh, valuable content. Ignoring SEO or rushing through it can result in your site not ranking well on search engine results pages, which can significantly hamper its visibility and, consequently, its success.

10. Promote your website

Once your website is live, you need to let people know about it. 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.

11. Establish healthy site maintenance habits

Much like a work of art, a website is never truly "finished." It's an ever-evolving entity that demands regular attention to maintain peak 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 not only survives—but thrives—in the competitive digital landscape.

Keep your website updated. 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.
Monitor your website traffic. Every published Wix website has Wix Analytics included in the Dashboard, which gives you actionable information about your website. Learn which content is working best and how your visitors behave, then use these insights to act. This information can help you improve your website and make it more user-friendly.
Secure your website. 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.
Back up your website. 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.

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 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.