Are you looking to create a website for your small business so you can find new customers online?
Creating a website for a small business has become quite easy and you can do it all yourself without hiring a developer.
In this article, we’ll show you how to easily create a small business website (step by step).
Step 0. Before creating a small business website
It is important to have your own website to control your online presence, instead of relying on social media or other platforms. A professional website makes a better impression on your customers and customers.
Fortunately, unlike the old days, creating a small business website has become quite easy. You can do it all yourself without knowing anything about coding or hire a developer by following our step-by-step guide.
Here’s an overview of what you’ll learn:
- Choose a domain name for your small business website
- Buy website hosting
- Install WordPress
- Make a content outline for your small business website your small business
- Choose a template to change the design of your site
- Add more features by using plugins and extensions
- Resources to get help and improve your WordPress Skills
What is the best platform to build a website for small business?
The biggest mistake most beginners make is choosing the Wrong platform to build a business website. Fortunately, you’re here, so you wouldn’t make that mistake.
WordPress is the most popular website builder in the world. It works with more than 43% of all websites on the Internet, including millions of small business websites worldwide.
WordPress is not just a blogging platform, but a complete blog management system. content (CMS).
The best thing about WordPress is that it gives you access to thousands of pre-built website templates, extensions, and plugins. You can build almost any type of website imaginable without learning to code.
That being said, let’s take a look at how to easily create a small business website using WordPress on a limited budget.
Step 1. What you need to create a small business website
You will need the following three elements to create a small business website.
- A domain name – this will be the name of your website, such as wpbeginner.com
- Website Hosting Plan – this will be the home of your website and where all your files will be stored
- 60 minutes of your time
Ready? Let’s get started.
Step 2. Setting up your small business website
There are two types of WordPress available. WordPress.com, which is a hosted solution, and then there’s WordPress.org, also known as self-hosted WordPress. See our full comparison of WordPress.com vs WordPress.org to understand the difference.
We will be using self-hosted WordPress.org because it will give you instant access to all WordPress features out of the box.
Next, you’ll need a domain name and WordPress hosting to create a website.
We recommend using Bluehost to set up your website. It is one of the largest hosting companies in the world and an officially recommended WordPress hosting provider.
Typically, you will pay $14.99/year for a domain name and a website hosting service starts from $7.99 per month. This is a lot of money if you’re just starting out.
Luckily, Bluehost has agreed to offer our users a free domain name, free SSL, and 60% off website hosting. Basically, you can start for $2.75 per month.
→ Click here to claim this exclusive offer from Bluehost ←
Let’s go ahead and buy a domain name and hosting.
Step 3. Choosing a domain name for your small business website
First, you need to visit the Bluehost website in a new browser window and click on the green button ” Get started now.”
On the next page, you will be asked to select a pricing plan. The Basic and Plus plans are the most popular options among small business owners.
Click the ‘Select’ button to choose a plan and proceed to the next step.
Now, you will be You will be asked to choose a domain name for your website.
Tips for finding a domain name for your business website
Names domain names are crucial to the success of your website. You should spend some time choosing the perfect domain name for your business, but don’t overthink it.
- Stick to .com because it’s easier for users to remember (see .com vs. .net, which is better)
- Your domain name should be related to your business (eg stargardening.com)
- If your preferred domain name is not available, try adding a geographic location next to it. This increases your domain’s visibility in local search results (for example, stargardeninghouston.com)
- Keep it simple, short, and easy to pronounce.
Do you need More help? Check out our guide on how to choose the best domain name for your business website.
Step 4. WordPress Installation
After choosing your domain name, you will be prompted prompt you to enter your account information such as name, address, email, etc.
Below, you’ll see some additional hosting options you can purchase. We don’t recommend buying these extras right away, so go ahead and uncheck them. You can always add them later if needed.
You will then need to add your payment information to checkout.
After completing your purchase, you will receive an email with details on how to log in to your web hosting control panel.
Bluehost will automatically install WordPress for you, and you will be able to log into your WordPress site directly from the hosting control panel.
Once you have launched login, you will see the WordPress admin area. This is where you’ll manage your website, change settings, and add new content.
Step 5. Creating a Content Layout for a Small Business Website
Now that you have WordPress installed, you need to Create an outline of the content of your website. Good small business websites are simple and follow a standard website layout.
Simply go to the Pages » Add New page to create a new page in WordPress.
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Don’t worry about content, text and images at this point. Just adding a simple title, some text, and a couple of images would be nice. You can always edit these pages and add more content if needed.
These are some of the most common web pages used in designing a small business website.
- Home Page: This is the welcome page of your website. Add your company name with a call to action to your services/products or contact page. Please provide a brief description of why your customers should choose you.
- About Us: Your customers want to know more about the people behind a business before they can make a decision. Create an about us page to tell users who you are, what your business values are, and what relevant experience you have in your industry.
- Services/Products – Create a page for List details about the services or products you are offering. Add a header for each service/product and provide a short description. You can also add prices or ask users to contact you for a quote.
- Contact Us – This is the page your users will need to contact you. You will need to add a contact form so that users can contact you directly. Additionally, you can add your company’s physical address or phone number. Looking for a business phone service? We use Nextiva for our online business.
Also, you can create more pages if needed. For example, you can create a separate blog page, individual pages for each service or product, and more.
Step 6. Choose a website design
By default, WordPress comes with a basic template that you can use. If you don’t like the default theme, there are thousands of free and paid WordPress themes to choose from.
You can take a look at our selection of the best WordPress themes for business websites. If you need more help, check out our tips for choosing the perfect WordPress theme for your website.
We recommend looking for a simple web design that looks good and has all the right elements.
Normally, a commercial website has a navigation menu at the top. The home page typically has a welcome message with a call-to-action button, followed by other content.
Once you have chosen a theme, you can go ahead and install it. For detailed instructions, check out our beginner’s guide on how to install a WordPress theme.
Each WordPress theme comes with different customization settings to change its appearance.Many of these options are found on the Appearance » Customize page in the WordPress admin area.
From here you can add navigation menus, change colors, add or remove different sections and more. Once you’re happy with the design, don’t forget to click the Publish button at the top to save your changes.
If you can’t find a theme that fits your needs, you can use one of the popular drag