Is it possible to build a website yourself?
Are you considering taking on the challenge of creating your own website or simply weighing up your options?
Either way, this article will explore DIY website builders and outline everything you need to know to answer the question “can I build a website myself?”. To save you time, the answer is YES… but should you? Lets see…
Can I build a website with no experience?
Building your own website is within reach for many individuals, thanks to the availability of user-friendly website builders and online tutorials. While it's not an overly complex process, it's essential to approach it with realistic expectations.
DIY website building allows you to create a basic website relatively quickly and affordably. With the right tools and a bit of patience, you can set up a simple online presence to showcase your work, promote your business, or share your ideas.
However, it's important to understand that DIY website building have limitations, especially if you require advanced features or customization. While it's possible to create a functional website yourself, it may not always meet the same standards as a professionally designed site.
That’ being said, for individuals with limited resources or time constraints, DIY website building can be a practical solution. It provides an opportunity to learn new skills and take ownership of your online presence without breaking the bank.
In summary, building a website yourself is a viable option for those seeking a basic and quick online presence. While it may not offer the same level of customization or refinement as a professionally designed site, it can serve as a valuable starting point for your online journey.
What Do You Need to Know to Build a Website?
Creating a website with a website builder is an accessible option for beginners, requiring only a basic understanding of website components and design principles. Here's what you'll need to know to get started:
Website Components
You can think of website components as the building blocks of your webpages. Think navigation menu’s, hero sections, content sections, FAQ’s, images, forms, checkouts and so on.
To begin with, it would be exceptionally beneficial to understand what the basic components of a website are as there are the fundamental components to create a website.
Most website builders should come with the basic components built in but understanding these elements will help you structure your website effectively within the builder.
Choosing a Website Builder
Choosing the website builder that’s right for you is very much a personal choice based on your needs, preferences, and circumstances.
It’s important to research and select the builder that meets most of your criteria and caters to your level of design skillset the most. Some factors to consider are as follows:
Ease of Use
Opt for a website builder with an intuitive interface and easy-to-use tools, especially if you have limited technical knowledge or experience.
Most website builders will allow you to demo their technology, or offer some sort of free trial. Consider playing around with these offerings and determine which one you like the most.
Templates and Design Options
Look for a platform that offers a variety of templates and customization options to create a website that reflects your brand or personal style.
If you’re not very versed in web design then I would suggest searching through the templates they offer and finding the one that most matches your requirements.
This will allow you to make very few edits, or none at all if you can live without it matching your vision perfectly.
Features and Functionality
Consider the features and functionality offered by the website builder, such as ecommerce capabilities, blogging tools, SEO optimization, and integrations with third-party apps.
Don’t just consider the front end, because the back end is where you’ll be spending most of your time once the website is live.
For example, if you’re looking to build an ecommerce website, then look into what the back end metrics will provide you on each platform. Some platforms might provide you with simpler information that will enable you to make more informed business decisions.
Cost
Evaluate the pricing plans and subscription options offered by the website builder to ensure they align with your budget.
Consider any additional fees for domain registration, hosting, or premium features. Most website builders will likely include domain reg and hosting, but it’s still good practice to check.
All website builders will charge you more money for advanced features or if you reach a certain threshold for specific things, like monthly visitors or sales.
Make sure you understand the full picture of costs for each of your options.
Getting Familiar with the Builder
Once you've chosen a website builder, take some time to explore its interface and features in more depth.
Most website builders offer intuitive drag-and-drop editors, making it easy to customize your site without any coding knowledge.
Even if you’ve gone through the demo’s and free trials there will invariably be intricacies of the builder that you will have missed, so now’s the time to understand the full scope of what you’re able to do.
Familiarizing yourself with the builder's tools is key to a smooth website-building experience.
Selecting a Template
Choose a template that aligns with your website's purpose and style preferences. The more closely aligned to your requirements the better.
Even though website builders are easy to use when with drag-and-drop functionality, if you are not skilled in web development then the more you change the template, the more likely you are to mess something up.
This is especially true with margin and padding of elements. A key issue we see amongst DIYers is they’ve included elements via a drag and drop; made it look how they want on desktop, and then on other screen sizes the elements are all over the place.
So our key tip when using website builders is to find a responsive template that you can live with, or just need to make minor amendments to, and just change the images and content.
Customization Options
Experiment with the customisation options provided by the website builder such as font’s, colours, image affects, and out of the box layout configurations.
This will allow you to add a bit of personality into your website within reason (i.e. the constraints of the builder) without breaking the design across multiple screen sizes.
If you have a reasonable understanding of web design principles then you can experiment with the layout customization options further by adjusting their parameters, like padding, margin, etc.
While customization may vary depending on the builder, most offer a range of options to suit your needs.
Adding Content
Populate your website with content, including text, images, and multimedia elements.
All website builders should offer easy-to-use content editors that will allow you to directly click on the element you want to change and there should be options that appear to enable you to.
Despite the interface being relatively intuitive, you should also consider the actual content placement according to your template.
If your template has sparce text and you amend it to be multiple long paragraphs, the chances are that the end result will no longer look as good.
If this is the case then I would strongly suggest editing your content down but also changing your template to something more appropriate for your content.
Responsive Design
With the prevalence of mobile devices, ensuring your website is responsive across all screen sizes is imperative.
Website builders will use this point to sell you on their platform, and technically there are mobile responsive, especially the templates.
However, as previously mentioned, when you amend the templates it’s very important that you check the design across multiple screen sizes to ensure it’s still responsive.
A tip for this is to not just use the settings within the builder, but instead load your website up on an a private/incognito browser and adjust the size of the of browser width manually.
This will let you identify any issues on screen sizes that don’t match the breakpoints in your website builder.
What pages does every website need?
When building a website, certain pages are essential to providing visitors with key information and guiding them through their journey.
Let's explore how many pages a simple website should have by taking a look at the bare minimum pages that every website should include.
Homepage
Your homepage serves as the gateway to your website and should provide a compelling introduction to your brand, business, or project.
Include a clear navigation menu, a brief overview of your offerings, and prominent calls-to-action to guide visitors deeper into your site.
It’s best to think of the homepage as a brief combination of all the key points of your other website pages without covering everything that’s on those pages.
For example, see the below points on what a homepage could look like:
- The main benefit your customers have from choosing your business
- 2 or 3 key points of why they should choose you (selling points), e.g. free delivery, easy-to-use, etc.
- 2 or 3 main services/products with brief descriptions and images, with a link to your services/products page
- A brief summary of who you are, with a link to your about us page
- Testimonial / review section, choosing 2 or 3 of your best reviews to showcase
About Us
The About Us page offers an opportunity to share your story, mission, and values with your audience.
Introduce yourself or your team, highlight your expertise and unique selling points, and establish credibility and trust with your visitors.
Include pictures of yourself and team to show you’re real people.
Services or Products
If you offer 1 service or product, dedicate a page to showcase it in detail. Provide descriptions, pricing information, and compelling visuals to help visitors understand what you offer and why they should choose you.
If you offer multiple services or products, create dedicated pages for each in the same way mentioned above. But also include what’s called an archive page.
This archive page will have a brief overview of all your services or products allowing the customer to see everything you offer.
Contact Us
Make it easy for visitors to get in touch with you by including a dedicated Contact Us page.
Provide contact information, such as email addresses, phone numbers, and physical addresses, along with a contact form for inquiries or messages.
All website builders should come with the functionality to easily add a contact form so don’t be daunted by that. The phone number and email should just be simple links.
Testimonials or Reviews
Incorporating a Testimonials or Reviews page can help build credibility and trust with potential customers or clients.
Feature positive feedback, testimonials, or reviews from satisfied customers to showcase your track record and reliability.
Some website builders will allow you to directly integrate reviews from websites like Google or TrustPilot which should allow you to automatically copy over your existing reviews from other platforms.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Anticipate common questions or concerns your visitors may have and address them on a dedicated FAQs page.
Providing answers to frequently asked questions can help alleviate doubts and streamline the decision-making process for your audience.
Doing this is called removing friction from your purchase funnel. Certain customers will need a little more help to get over the line and having a dedicated FAQ page will hopefully close out any of their remaining concerns.
How many sections should a website have?
Structuring your website into distinct sections is essential for organizing content effectively and guiding visitors through their journey.
In terms of the number of sections a website should have, it’s difficult to give a one-size-fits-all answer as it’s heavily dependent on your specific business and website.
However, what we can do is provide an overview of the most common sections that appear on websites.
This should prompt you to think about whether these sections are suitable for you (some of them absolutely should be) and whether you feel these common sections cover everything you’d like to.
Navigation Menu
The Navigation Menu serves as the backbone of your website, providing visitors with easy access to different sections and pages.
Clear and intuitive navigation enhances user experience and encourages exploration. Don’t use a hamburger menu on desktop like a lot of designers like doing.
This is an absolute must to include on your website.
Header
The Header section typically appears at the top of each page and contains essential elements such as the logo, branding elements, and contact information.
It helps establish brand identity and consistency across the site. It is normally on the same row as the navigation menu but doesn’t necessarily have to be.
This is an absolute must to include on your website.
Hero Section
The Hero Section is the first content area visitors see upon landing on your website.
It often features a striking image or video along with a compelling headline and call-to-action, capturing visitors' attention and inviting them to explore further.
This is the key section above-the-fold the capture visitors, so it’s incredibly important to use a high-quality image/video and a compelling yet descriptive headline.
Call-to-Action (CTA)
A call to action is what the name suggests. Think about what action you want your customers to take on your website.
This can be a booking or a purchase or whatever else you deem to be a conversion. You should also be aware of the customer journey through your website though.
Most customers won’t click on your website and immediately book/purchase without looking through it to determine if you’re a good fit for them.
So, consider what a customer would want to see to get them comfortable. An example might be that they would want to see your portfolio first. Remember, each page can have a different CTA.
Portfolio or Gallery
For creatives or businesses showcasing their work, a Portfolio or Gallery component allows you to display examples of your projects, products, or achievements.
Gripping visuals demonstrate your expertise and attract potential clients or customers. Consider showing before, progress and finished product photos if they suit your business.
Testimonials or Reviews
Incorporating a Testimonials or Reviews component adds social proof and credibility to your website.
Positive feedback from satisfied clients or customers helps build trust and confidence in your brand or offerings.
Contact Form
The Contact Form enables visitors to reach out with inquiries or feedback directly from your website.
Including a contact form streamlines communication and encourages engagement with your audience.
You should definitely have a contact form on your contact page, but don’t forget you can include a contact form on your other pages as well if it’s suitable. Again, consider the customer journey.
Sidebar
A Sidebar section, if applicable, can provide additional navigation links, search functionality, or promotional content.
This is most often seen on blog websites, or the blog section of websites, but it’s exclusive to it. Consider whether a sidebar would benefit your visitors in navigating your website.
It offers valuable real estate for highlighting important information without cluttering the main content area.
Social Links
Integrating Social Links allows visitors to connect with you on various social media platforms, extending your online presence and facilitating social engagement.
A common thing you see is social links in the header or hero section of website, but why would you want to drive people off your website to social media when your website is where they’ll convert.
Include icons or buttons linking to your profiles for easy access but put them lower down your page, or, better yet, in the footer.
Footer
The Footer section appears at the bottom of each page and typically contains secondary navigation links, contact information, social media icons, and copyright information.
There will be pages on your website that should be accessible but don’t directly relate to it’s main purpose, for example your T&C’s and Privacy Policy.
These links should live in your footer along with a set of links to your most important pages.
How long does it take to make a small website?
If you don’t want to customise website templates then you can build a website in a day. If you have a bit more skill and want to customise your template further, then you could build a website in a week.
It’s highly dependant on what your goals and needs are, but we’ll run through the stages of a building a website with a website builder and provide a rough guide on how many hours on average it takes to build a website.
Planning and Setup (1-3 hours)
The first step in building a website is planning and setup. This involves selecting a website builder platform, choosing a template, and setting up your domain and hosting.
Most of this time will be used in determining which website builder is the right fit for your abilities and requirements.
With the user-friendly interfaces of website builders, once you’ve selected one, the remainder of the set up shouldn’t be more than an hour.
Design and Customization (4-8 hours)
Once your website's foundation is in place, you'll spend time customizing the design to fit your brand and preferences.
This includes selecting colours, fonts, and images, as well as arranging page layouts where appropriate.
While website builders simplify the design process, customization can still take several hours to ensure your site looks professional and cohesive.
Content Creation and Integration (5-10 hours)
Content creation is a crucial aspect of website development. These are the text, image and video elements that will convince visitors to convert so don’t scrimp on pulling this together.
Depending on the complexity of your content, it may take a few hours to create and integrate content for each page.
This includes formatting text to optimize readability across all types of users and screen sizes.
Development and Implementation (6-12 hours)
With the design and content in place, the next step is building and implementing your website using the website builder's tools and features.
This process involves adding pages, configuring navigation, and integrating essential elements such as contact forms and social media links.
The time required for development varies based on the complexity of your website and the features you choose to include. But you will also be limited on the features provided by the builder.
Review and Testing (2-4 hours)
Before launching your website, it's essential to thoroughly review and test it for functionality and usability.
We suggest you open your website in private/incognito windows to bypass any browser caching so you can see the site as if you were a first-time visitor.
We also highly suggest you take a look at your website on your phone and any tablet devices you might have to check its responsiveness outside of what the website builder shows you.
Allocate a few hours to test all features, check for broken links, submit forms, check email responses, etc. Check everything a user can do on your website essentially.
Launch Preparation (1-2 hours)
As your website nears completion, take time to prepare for its launch. This includes finalizing domain settings, configuring SEO options, and optimizing for mobile responsiveness.
One thing people always seem to miss is the favicon when using website builders. This is the logo that shows on the browser tab of your website. Make sure you set this.
Website builders often offer built-in tools to streamline this process, reducing the time required for launch preparation with the trade-off being limited customisation.
Post-Launch Optimization and Maintenance (Ongoing)
After launching your website, ongoing optimization and maintenance are necessary to ensure its success.
This includes monitoring performance metrics, making updates as needed, and staying informed about industry trends.
Dedicate time regularly to optimize your website for better results and user experience, but to also resolve any issues that appear on your website in the future, which they invariably will as with all websites.
Summary
To summarise, building a small website using a website builder can typically be completed within a week, with the total time investment ranging from 19 to 39 hours, depending on the complexity of your project and the level of customization required.
While website builders simplify the development process, it's essential to allocate sufficient time for planning, design, content creation, and testing to create a professional and effective online presence.
Conclusion
Throughout this guide, we've explored the process of building a website yourself, leveraging the power of website builders to create a professional online presence.
We began by addressing what you need to know to build a website with a website builder. Outlining the main items that you should familiarise yourself with before starting your journey.
Following on from this we explored the pages that a simple website should have as a minimum and the common sections found on websites to enable you to build a solid backbone to your site.
Finally, we pulled together an average timeline of how long it will take to build a website by looking at each of the crucial steps required throughout the process.
To conclude, it’s possible to build a website yourself with no experience by using website builders, allowing you to share your message and build your brand. It is important to remember, however, that even though it’s possible, there are limitations to website builders that will either be significant to your business or not depending on your specific goals and requirements.