Create A Website From Scratch In 5 Simple Steps

In today's digital age, businesses or individuals looking to establish their online presence must create a website from scratch. A visually appealing website attracts visitors and leaves a lasting impression on them. However, simply creating a beautiful website is not enough. It must be optimized for search engines to ensure it reaches its intended audience.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) plays an integral role in website creation by assisting your site to reach greater ranks in search engine results pages (SERPs). You can increase your website's visibility and drive organic traffic by implementing effective SEO strategies.

Strikingly, an intuitive platform, allows you to create a website from scratch without any coding knowledge. With its user-friendly interface and customizable templates, Strikingly makes it effortlessly easy to create a website from scratch.

Setting clear goals for your website is essential before diving into the design and content creation process. Whether you aim to showcase your portfolio, sell products online, or provide valuable information to your target audience, defining your objectives will guide you throughout your website creation journey. The following are 5 tried and tested steps on how to build a website from scratch.

Create A Website From Scratch #Step1 - Planning Your Website

When building a website from scratch, careful planning is key. In this section, we will discuss the important steps you need to take to plan your website effectively.

Identifying Your Target Audience

Before diving into how to build a website from scratch, it is crucial to identify your target audience. Understanding who your website is intended for will help you tailor your content and design to meet your audience's needs and preferences. Consider age, gender, location, interests, and online behavior.

Conducting A Keyword Research For SEO Optimization

Conducting keyword research is essential to ensure your website ranks well in search engine results and attracts organic traffic. Identify relevant keywords commonly searched by your target audience and incorporate them strategically throughout your content. It will help search engines understand the purpose of your website and improve its visibility.

Defining Your Website's Purpose And Structure

Clearly defining the purpose of your website is crucial for designing a website and content creation process. Determine whether you want to showcase products or services, provide information or resources, or engage with visitors through a blog or forum. Once you have a clear purpose, you can start structuring your website by organizing pages and sections accordingly.

Creating A Wireframe For Designing A Website

Before diving into the visual aspects of designing a website, creating a wireframe as a blueprint for its layout and structure is helpful. A wireframe lets you visualize how different elements will be placed on each page and ensures the user experience flows smoothly. You can use various online tools or even sketch it out on paper before moving on to the next step.

Image taken from Strikingly

Create A Website From Scratch #Step2 - Designing A Website

The next step to consider when creating a website from scratch is designing. Designing your website is crucial in creating an online presence that captivates and engages your target audience. With the right design elements, you can make your website visually appealing, user-friendly, and optimized for a seamless browsing experience. Here, we will explore the key aspects of how to create a website from scratch using Strikingly.

Designing A Website #1 - Choose A Visually Appealing Theme In Strikingly

When creating a website from scratch, selecting the right theme sets the tone for your entire site. Strikingly offers various visually appealing themes that cater to various industries and niches. Choose a theme that aligns with your brand identity and resonates with your target audience. Whether looking for a sleek and modern design or a vibrant and playful layout, Strikingly has got you covered.

Designing A Website #2 - Customize Your Website's Layout And Colors

Once you've chosen a theme, it's time to customize your website's layout and colors to reflect your unique style. With Strikingly's intuitive drag-and-drop editor, you can easily rearrange elements on your pages and experiment with different color schemes to create a cohesive look and feel. Consider using complementary colors that evoke emotions related to your brand or industry to leave a lasting impression on visitors.

Designing A Website #3 - Optimize Images And Videos For Faster Loading Times

In today's fast-paced digital world, users expect websites to load quickly without delays. Optimizing images and videos is essential for improving loading times while maintaining visual quality. Use image compression tools or plugins provided by Strikingly to reduce file sizes without compromising image clarity. Additionally, consider hosting videos externally or compressing them before uploading them onto your site.

Designing A Website #4 - Create A User-Friendly Navigation Menu

A well-designed navigation menu is crucial for guiding visitors through your website seamlessly. Ensure your navigation menu is easy to locate, preferably at the top or side of your pages. Use clear and concise labels for each menu item and organize them logically to help users quickly find the necessary information. Strikingly allows you to easily create a user-friendly navigation menu that enhances the overall user experience.

Image taken from Strikingly

Create A Website From Scratch #Step 3 - Creating Engaging Content

You can’t create a website from scratch and not add content to it. Several key factors must be considered when creating engaging content for your website. From writing compelling headlines and subheadings to incorporating relevant keywords and using eye-catching visuals, these strategies can help capture your audience's attention and keep them engaged. Adding call-to-action buttons and forms can also encourage conversions and drive user interaction.

Writing Compelling Headlines And Subheadings

The first step in creating engaging content is to craft compelling headlines and subheadings that grab your readers' attention. Your headlines should be concise, intriguing and give a glimpse of your content. Using catchy phrases or posing a thought-provoking question can entice readers to click through and explore further.

Subheadings are equally important as they break up your content into digestible sections. They should provide a clear overview of the following information, making it easier for readers to skim through the content and find what they want.

Incorporating Relevant Keywords In Your Content

To optimize your website for search engines, it's crucial to incorporate relevant keywords throughout your content. These keywords should align with what your target audience is searching for when searching for information about your website's topic.

You can increase the visibility of your website in search engine results pages (SERPs) by strategically placing these keywords in headings, paragraphs, and meta tags. However, it's important not to overdo it or use irrelevant keywords just for optimization. The key is to strike a balance between keyword usage and natural readability.

Using Eye-Catching Visuals To Enhance Your Message

In today's digital age, where attention spans are shorter than ever, using eye-catching visuals can significantly enhance the impact of your message. Images, videos, infographics, or even GIFs can help convey complex ideas or evoke emotions more effectively than words alone.

When selecting visuals, ensure they are relevant to your content and align with your brand's aesthetic. Additionally, optimize the file sizes of your images and videos to ensure faster loading times, as this can greatly impact user experience.

Adding Call-To-Action Buttons And Forms For Conversions

To encourage user interaction and conversions on your website, it's essential to incorporate call-to-action (CTA) buttons and forms strategically. CTAs prompt visitors to take a specific action, such as signing up for a newsletter, purchasing, or requesting more information.

When creating CTAs, use clear and concise language communicating the benefit or value of taking the desired action. Additionally, ensure that your forms are easy to fill out and require minimal effort from the user.

Image taken from Strikingly

Create A Website From Scratch #Step 4 - SEO Optimization Techniques

Several key techniques can greatly improve your website visibility when optimizing your website for search engines. Here, we will explore some essential strategies to help you maximize your website's SEO potential when you create a website from scratch.

Optimizing Your Website's Meta Tags And Descriptions On Strikingly

Meta tags and descriptions are crucial in telling search engines what your website is all about. You can better the chances of your site appearing in relevant search results by optimizing these elements on Strikingly.

To optimize your meta tags and descriptions on Strikingly.

• Use relevant keywords. Incorporate targeted keywords naturally into your meta tags and descriptions to increase the relevance of your content.
• Keep it concise. Ensure that both the title tag and description accurately summarize the content of each page while staying within character limits.
• Write compelling copy. Craft engaging meta tags and descriptions that entice users to click through to your website.

Implementing Proper URL Structure And Formatting

The structure of your website's URLs plays a vital role in user experience and SEO optimization. Following proper URL formatting techniques, you can make it easier for search engines to crawl and understand your site's hierarchy.

Here are some best practices for implementing proper URL structure.

• Use descriptive keywords. Include relevant keywords in your URLs to provide both users and search engines with a clear understanding of what each page is about.
• Keep it concise. Avoid using long, convoluted URLs that are difficult for users to read or remember.
• Utilize hyphens. Separate words in the URL with hyphens instead of underscores or spaces for better readability.

Image taken from Strikingly

Utilizing Internal And External Linking Strategies

Linking is an essential aspect of SEO optimization, as it helps search engines understand the relationships between different pages on your website. You can improve your site's overall visibility and credibility by utilizing internal and external linking strategies.

Here's how you can leverage internal and external linking effectively.

• Internal linking. Include relevant anchor text within your content to link to other pages on your website. It helps search engines navigate through your site and establishes a hierarchical structure.
• External linking. Linking to authoritative websites or reputable sources within your content can enhance your website's credibility in search engines' eyes.
• Use anchor text wisely. Ensure that the anchor text you use for internal and external links is descriptive and relevant to the linked page.

Integrating Social Media Sharing Buttons For Wider Reach

In today's digital age, social media plays a significant role in driving website traffic. You can encourage visitors to share your content with their networks, increasing its reach and potentially attracting more organic traffic by integrating social media sharing buttons on your website.

Here's how you can integrate social media sharing buttons effectively.

• Choose prominent placements. Position social media sharing buttons strategically on each website page where they are easily visible.
• Offer multiple platform options. Provide buttons for various social media platforms so that users can choose their preferred method of sharing.
• Optimize button design. Customize the appearance of social media sharing buttons to match the overall aesthetic of your website while ensuring they stand out enough to catch users' attention. You can amplify its reach by leveraging the power of social networks by integrating social media sharing buttons into your website design.

Create A Website From Scratch #Step 5 - Testing And Launching Your Website

Now that you are at the last steps on how to build a website on Strikingly, it's time to ensure its quality, responsiveness, and functionality before launching it to the world. The section will guide you through the crucial steps of testing and preparing your website for a successful launch.

Conducting A Thorough Website Quality Check

Before launching your website, conducting a thorough quality check is essential to ensure everything functions as intended. Here are some key aspects to consider during this process.

• Check for consistent branding. Ensure your logo, colors, fonts, and overall branding elements are consistent throughout your website.
• Verify page load speed. Optimize your website's performance by checking its load speed using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix. Make necessary optimizations to improve loading times.
• Test cross-browser compatibility. Ensure your website appears and functions correctly across web browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer.
• Validate HTML and CSS code. Use online validators to check for any errors or warnings in your HTML and CSS code. Fix any issues found to ensure proper rendering across devices.
• Proofread content. Double-check all written content on your website for grammar errors, typos, or formatting issues. A professional-looking website should have flawless content.

Testing Your Website's Responsiveness On Different Devices

In today's mobile-centric world, having a responsive website is crucial for providing an optimal user experience across various devices such as smartphones, tablets, and desktops. Here's how you can test the responsiveness of your site.

• Use responsive design testing tools. Tools like Google Mobile-Friendly Test or Responsinator can help you see how your site appears on different screen sizes and resolutions.
• Check layout consistency. Ensure that the layout of each page adapts smoothly when viewed on different devices. Elements should be properly aligned, and text should be readable without zooming in.
• Test interactive elements. Verify that all buttons, forms, dropdowns, and other interactive elements are functional and easily accessible on mobile devices.
• Optimize media files. Make sure that images and videos are appropriately sized and compressed to ensure fast loading times on mobile devices with slower internet connections.

Checking For Broken Links And Fixing Errors

Broken links can negatively impact user experience and harm your website's SEO rankings. It's crucial to regularly check for broken links and fix any errors you encounter. Here's how to do it.

• Use link-checking tools. Online tools like Broken Link Checker or Xenu's Link Sleuth can help you identify broken links on your website.
• Fix or remove broken links. Once identified, update the broken links by redirecting them to the correct pages or removing them entirely if they are no longer relevant.
• Update internal linking structure. Ensure all internal links within your website are working correctly, directing users to the intended pages.
• Conduct thorough navigation testing. Test your website's navigation menu to ensure that all menu items lead to the correct pages without any errors.

Preparing Your Website For A Successful Launch

Before launching your website, take these final steps to ensure a smooth launch process.

• Set up analytics tracking. Install tools like Google Analytics or Strikingly Insights to track visitor data, monitor traffic sources, and measure the performance of your website.
• Create an XML sitemap. Generate an XML sitemap using online sitemap generators and submit it to search engines like Google Search Console for better indexing of your web pages.
• Set up social sharing options. Integrate social media sharing buttons into your website so visitors can easily share your content across various platforms, increasing its reach.
• Enable SEO settings. Utilize Strikingly's built-in SEO settings to optimize your website's meta tags and descriptions, allowing search engines to understand your content better.
• Backup your website. Before launching, create a backup of your website's files and database to ensure you have a restore point in case of unforeseen issues.

Image taken from Strikingly

Conclusion

Regular website updates and maintenance are crucial for the success of your online presence. You can keep your website relevant, up-to-date, and engaging for your audience by consistently updating it. It also helps to improve your search engine rankings and attract more organic traffic. Monitoring website performance is essential to identify areas for improvement. You can make data-driven decisions to optimize your website's performance and user experience by analyzing page load times, bounce rates, and conversion rates.

Strikingly can greatly simplify creating a stunning website. With its user-friendly interface, customizable themes, and SEO optimization features, Strikingly empowers individuals and businesses to design professional websites without any coding knowledge.

You can bring your vision to life and establish a strong online presence by following the steps outlined in this article and utilizing Strikingly. Your website will thrive in today's digital landscape with dedication and perseverance. Take action and create a website from scratch now.