Creating a website can seem like an overwhelming task, but it’s not as complicated as it looks!
This article will walk you through how to create a website in Sri Lanka, from choosing a domain name to adding content.
We’ll also provide tips on making your website stand out from the crowd.
So whether you’re starting a business or want to create a simple website, this guide is for you.
Will I need technical skills?
Creating a website does not require technical skills.
An essential part of creating your site is coming up with an idea! Don’t worry-we’ll provide tips on making your site stand out from the crowd, even if you aren’t technologically savvy.
In this guide I will teach how to create website without needing of any technical skills.
Choose a goal for your website
When you’re setting up your site, the first thing to do is ask yourself why you want it.
How are you planning on using your site?
There are two main reasons for creating a website-either you plan to use it as an online presence/outlet (for example, if you want to share photos with friends and family or post your art online), or you want to use your site for business purposes (for example, if you’re creating a website for an upcoming event).
This will help you decide what your website should be used for and what content you should include.
If you’re not sure what you want your website to be used for, think about the purpose of your website and brainstorm some ideas.
Choose and register a domain name
Choosing a domain name is the first step to creating your website.
Your domain name is what visitors will type into their browsers to access your site (for example, www.mywebsite.com).
When choosing your domain name, make sure you think about how easy it will be for people to remember and find your site!
Don’t forget to check if your preferred domain name is available by typing it into something like Namecheap’s Domain Availability Checker.
You need to decide on the best domain name registrar and select the right extension for your site.
Several domain name registrars are available, so it’s essential to do your research before choosing one.
Popular domain name registrars include Namecheap, Porkbun, Godaddy, Namesilo, etc.
When you’re choosing a domain name registrar, make sure to consider the following factors:
- Price: How much does the registrar charge for domain names?
- Ease of use: How easy is it to use the registrar’s website?
- Customer service: How helpful is the customer service team if you have any questions or problems?
- Features: What features does the registrar offer (for example, do they offer web hosting services?)
- Reputation: How reputable is the registrar? How many people have had issues with them, and how quickly were they resolved?
Ideally, the registrar you choose should offer all of these features.
However, consider that price can be a deciding factor for most people; you’ll want to find a registrar that provides good customer service without being too expensive.
If your domain name is available, register it by purchasing a new domain from a registrar.
How to register a domain name
Once you’ve chosen your domain name, the next step is to register it.
This can be done by purchasing a new domain from a domain name registrar.
Most registrars offer a variety of domain name extensions (such as .com, .net, .org, etc.), so make sure to choose the extension that’s best for your site.
The process of registering a domain name is usually straightforward.
You’ll need to provide some personal information (such as your name and address) and payment information (such as your credit card number), and then you’re good to go!
Select and buy website hosting
Now that you’ve chosen and registered your domain name, the next step is to select a web hosting service.
Web hosting services provide storage space for your site on its servers to access online.
How much bandwidth and storage you need depends on the type of website you want to create and how many people visit your site.
Many web hosting services are available, so it’s essential to do your research before choosing one.
Popular web hosting providers include Namecheap, WPX Hosting, HostGator, Bluehost, and more.
When you’re choosing a web host, make sure to consider the following factors:
- Price: How much does the host charge for hosting services? How often will you be required to pay (monthly, yearly, etc.)?
- Ease of use: How easy is it to use the web host’s website? How many options for technical support (FAQs, live chat, phone support)? Will setting up your site with them be easy or difficult?
- Customer service: How helpful is the customer service team if you have any questions or problems? How quick are they to respond? How easy is it to get in touch with them (email, phone, live chat)? How knowledgeable and experienced are they? How many support options do they offer (FAQs, phone support)?
- Features: What features does the web host offer (for example, are they compatible with WordPress? How many email addresses does each plan come with?) SSL certificates? and more.
- Reputation: How reputable is the web host? How many people have had issues with them, and how quickly were they resolved? How long has the company been operating?
Ideally, you’ll want to find a web hosting provider that provides good customer service, offers affordable prices and plans, doesn’t make their support too challenging to access, and provides the features you need.
TIP: Shared hosting may be a good option if you are just starting, as it’s often the most affordable.
Some web hosting services offer free domain name registration when you purchase a domain name and hosting plan together-this can be beneficial, as it ensures your site is ready to go right away.
Some examples include Bluehost and Hostinger.
Once you’ve chosen a web host for your site, make sure to contact them and ask what the setup process is like.
How easy it is to set up your site with them will depend on what type of server they use and whether or not you need any technical support (for example, if the host uses a cPanel and you’ve never set up a website before, some sort of help may be necessary).
You should also make sure to save the customer support phone number of your web host, as you may need it later down the line.
How to connect your domain name to web hosting
Now that you’ve chosen a domain name and web host for your site, the next step is to connect them.
We need to set up name servers with our domain registrar.
Name servers help direct users’ web browsers to the right place when they type in your domain name, so basically, they tell where your website is located on the web.
To set up a name server, you need to copy the name server details provided to you by your host and enter them into your domain registrar’s website.
Once done, wait at least 24 hours for changes to fully take effect.
This is because some name servers are cached globally, so it may take a while before your domain starts working with them.
Once this is done, you should visit yourdomainname.com and find that the website is propagated correctly to your new hosting account.
You check whether your website is propagated using dnschecker.org.
It will show you if your domain is propagated properly to the hosting account.
If it doesn’t after 24 hours, you might have made a mistake entering the name servers.
Double-check them and try again or contact domain or host support.
Selecting & installing a website builder (CMS)
The next step is to decide on a content management system for your site.
A content management system is a program that helps you create and manage content on your site.
Back in the old days, website builders were expensive and difficult to use.
These days they’re free inexpensive, and easy to use.
There are many different ones, but some popular options include WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, and more.
Most web hosts will install one for you when you sign up with them, but if yours doesn’t, you might want to use a site like Bluehost to find one for your needs.
When choosing a website builder, you first need to decide what type of site you want.
- How complex, functional and unique does it need to be?
- How many pages will your site have?
- How much content will you be adding in total?
- How savvy are you with web design?
- How much time are you prepared to dedicate to your site?
- How many people will be accessing it (if it’s a business website, for example)?
You should keep in mind these things when selecting the right website builder.
My favorite is WordPress, which is open-source and free.
It’s the most popular CMS globally and intuitive to use.
I love it because it has a huge community and so many resources to download, plus countless plugins & themes you can add on.
WordPress is also very flexible and allows you to customize it to fit the needs of your business.
You can also use it for personal projects to create your blog or online portfolio.
OR use it for commercial projects, create an online magazine, e-commerce store (sell products directly from your website using WordPress), or business website.
WordPress is also mobile-friendly, so your site will work well on all devices.
These are some of the reasons I love WordPress, and even this website uses WordPress.
How to install WordPress
So now, let’s look at how you can install WordPress onto your domain.
There are two ways to do this.
The first is to install WordPress manually on your domain’s root folder.
Go to WordPress.org and download WordPress.
Transfer the files from the zip folder you downloaded to your web host’s directory by FTP using something like Filezilla.
In other words, connect to your site via FTP and find a folder called public_html inside it.
Inside that folder, upload the WordPress files you just downloaded.
Then go to your domain, and it will open the installation page.
Follow the instructions.
This is how you can install WordPress manually onto your domain root folder, but it’s not the easiest nor most time-efficient method (but very secure).
The better way of doing this is to use a WordPress installer.
There are a ton of WordPress installers out there, but I recommend one called 1-click Installs to install your site.
1-click installs allow you to choose from 500+ plugins and themes from the App Store before installing them for you in seconds.
Go to 1-click install and locate WordPress, then follow the instructions.
It’s really simple and takes a minute to complete.
There is no technical knowledge required to use it.
Setup your WordPress website
Once you’ve installed WordPress, you need to set up the website.
Select and Install a WordPress Theme
A theme is the design of your site, and WordPress comes with a default theme.
But there are tons of other free and premium themes out there you can choose from.
Selecting the right theme for your site will make all the difference in the overall look and feel, so be careful when choosing one.
When you’re choosing a WordPress theme, make sure to consider the following factors:
- Design and look – How modern and appealing does the theme look to you? How complex is it? How easy is it to customize a design that can be changed according to your tastes?
- Functionality – How many different page layouts does the theme allow for? How much customization can you do? How good is the SEO of the theme? How easy is adding new pages and posts on your website with this theme design?
- Theme support – How well are the creators of this WordPress theme responding to user feedback? How quickly are they fixing any bugs in the theme software? How often are they releasing new updates to the theme with additional features and bug fixes? How many times have other users downloaded this theme? How popular is it on the WordPress themes directory website? How good is the support offered if you need help setting up or customizing your site design?
- Theme security – How often is the theme software updated to prevent hacking and security issues? How many downloads does the theme have that you can see on WordPress.org? How popular is it? How good are the ratings and reviews for this theme?
- Theme price – How much is this theme? How many features and customization options do you get with the price it costs? How good is its value for money? or is it free?
- Optimization and speed – How well is this theme optimized for speed? How small and efficient is the theme file size? How many KB does it take up? How fast can your site load with a very lightweight theme design without bloated code, images, or unnecessary scripts? How well does it work with browser caching and CDN? How many resources can a theme handle before it starts slowing down your website performance?
- Compatibility – How compatible is this theme with other plugins and themes you might want to add to your site in the future? How versatile is this theme with all major web browsers and mobile devices? How well does it work for international audiences with a different language setup on their computer browser or device? How many languages does this theme support and more?
In summary, you want a WordPress theme that offers the best design, has excellent functionality, has excellent support to back it up, is secure and optimized for speed while being compatible with other themes.
Once you’ve chosen a theme that fulfills all these requirements to the best of your satisfaction, now install it by going to the Appearance > Themes section in your WordPress admin area.
Customize your site design with options and settings from the theme.
This is where you get to customize how your website looks when visitors come to it by choosing colors, fonts, layouts, and more.
Your chosen theme should give you many options for this, so play around with the design settings until you get exactly what you want.
Customization options will be different from theme to theme, so you’ll have to go through each setting and check out the other offered possibilities.
Choose and Install Appropriate WordPress Plugins
WordPress plugins add extra functionality that you can add to your site.
Plugins can do anything from adding slideshows, seo, and features to your site.
WordPress has over 59,000 plugins available to install. That’s a lot of options that you can browse through and choose from!
Plus, more are added each day as developers enhance the WordPress plugin library.
Plugins can be free and paid, and some offer free basic versions while their premium versions give you more features.
You can install as many plugins as you like, but sometimes too many plugins slow down your site speed and make it difficult to update and fix anything if there’s a problem with any plugin.
When you’re choosing a WordPress plugin, make sure to consider the following factors:
- How many downloads does the plugin have?
- How popular is it?
- How good are its ratings and reviews?
- How often is the plugin updated to fix bugs, improve performance and add new features?
- How well is the support offered?
- Is it free, or is there a paid version? How much is this plugin?
- Will it work on your theme, and does it offer the features you’re looking for?
- How compatible is this plugin with other plugins you might want to install later down the road?
- And more.
What common plugins to install on WordPress websites?
Some plugins you might need to install on a fresh WordPress site includes:
Contact Form plugins
Lets you add contact forms to your website.
This is a good plugin if you are looking for something simple to get started with while also being easy to customize.
It lets you create all kinds of contact forms by creating new fields, pages, and more which gives you great flexibility in how you want people to submit their contact form and the data you want to record.
SEO Plugins
Helps your site rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs).
These SEO plugins help your site with SEO essentials such as meta tags, title tags, page titles, sitemaps, and more, so you don’t have to do it yourself.
These plugins work with your theme to ensure everything looks good and is written in the way search engines understand.
Security/Spam Plugins
Helps keep hackers away from your site by securing it, preventing spam/hacking attempts, blocking attacks, and more.
You’ll want to install one of these even before you’ve published your site, so you have a secure site from the start.
Backup/Optimization Plugins
Helps create daily, weekly and monthly backups of your website to help you restore it in case something goes wrong with your site or if you want to move it to another host or domain name.
Optimization plugins will also help optimize the site’s load times and keep it running smoothly.
Task scheduling plugins
Lets you schedule tasks that you want to automate for the future.
You can set up tasks for your site like optimizing images, changing meta tags, and more without having to do all of it yourself manually.
Page builder plugins
Lets you create new pages, posts, and other content by using a visual interface rather than just the standard WordPress editor.
This makes it easier to build your site since everything is adjustable and customized with simple drag ‘n drop features that let you add elements like images, slideshows, buttons, text blocks, and more wherever you want them.
eCommerce plugins
This lets you sell products and services straight from your WordPress site, where visitors can pay online without having to leave your page.
WooCommerce is the most popular eCommerce plugin that integrates with your WordPress site to create an online store.
It makes it easier for you to sell products, accept payments, track inventory, create coupons, automate email marketing campaigns, and more, all in one place.
Social media plugins
Lets you easily share your content with social media sites like Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.
You can display a follow or share button near the top of your website to encourage visitors to follow you on these sites even if they don’t have an account.
This helps increase traffic from social media sites directly to your WordPress site, leading to a significant increase in site views and subscribers.
Pop-up plugins
Lets you display messages, offers, calls to action, or anything else you want on your website that is shown when a visitor first comes to the page before they can view the regular content.
You can display pop-ups with offers like free downloads, coupons, sales, and more to help motivate visitors to take the next step on your website.
More
Many more plugins available can be installed depending on what you need for your site, but these are some of the most common types.
Look at the WordPress collection to find all the plugins available to install on your WordPress site.
Make sure you install only the plugins that are needed for your site.
How to install a plugin to WordPress?
To install a plugin, go to Plugins > Add New in your WordPress admin area and search for the plugin you want to install.
Note: Make sure to only install plugins from reputable sources like WordPress.org or trusted developers. Before installing any plugin, carefully read over the reviews and ratings to identify any possible security risks before installation.
Some plugin requires setting up before you can use and setting up a process for each plugin according to its purpose.
Create Pages for your WordPress website
Once you have installed the theme and set up the necessary plugins.
The next step is to create Pages for your website.
Click on pages > Add New to create new pages for your site.
You can start designing a page layout using elements like text, images, buttons, etc.
To add Content (Text or Image) to the page, click on the placeholder box and select the element you want to use.
You can move these elements by dragging & dropping them to any place on the page.
Once you design the page layout, click on the Publish button to save your changes.
Note: If you are using a custom page builder like Elementor, you can create a page layout using its various elements.
You can set up on-page SEO using SEO plugin settings.
How to set up the header and footer in WordPress?
It depends on the theme; if your WordPress site has header and footer support, you can customize it by adding widgets, menus, logos, etc.
You can add a Header widget to insert the top bar menu with logo etc.
To add the Footer widget, go to Appearance > Widgets.
If not, you can use the WordPress plugin to create the header and footer area.
Create a menu on your WordPress website
Menus are needed for navigation of the website.
It helps the visitor to navigate and explore your site easily.
To create a menu, go to Appearance > Menu and click on Add New button
Add a new menu name, Select theme location, add items for that menu.
Once you are done, click the Save Menu button; now, you can see the created menu in the list. If not, you can reorder the menu in priority order by dragging and dropping.
Create sidebar on your WordPress website
Sidebar is used to display widgets like Contact forms, Social Icons, Recent posts, etc.
It helps visitors quickly find the information they need and tell them about your website.
To create a sidebar, go to Appearance > Widgets and click on Add New button to select a suitable widget for your site.
Once you are done, click the save button; now, the newly added widget will appear on the sidebar.
If not, you can reorder the sidebar by dragging and dropping the widget on priority order.
Setup blog & create posts in WordPress
Blog posts are used to publish articles or news on your website.
It helps keep your site’s blog up-to-date with the latest happenings and can be an excellent source for visitors to stay informed about all the changes within your company.
To create a new blog post, go to Posts > Add New. Now you can write the article,
To create Blog posts, Click on Posts > Add New.
Enter Title for your post and start writing the content of your post.
Include images, videos, or other media files anywhere you want by dragging them from Media Library to the page or post where you want to insert them.
Note: To set a featured image for your post, go to Featured Image > Set featured image.
Once you are done, click on Publish button, now the article is live and available on your website.
Get a professional email address
Nowadays, everyone uses popular email service providers like Gmail, Yahoo, etc.
But How about getting your Email address on your DOMAIN NAME.
Multiple email service providers are available on the internet and pick one you like.
- Google Apps (Provides Unlimited email accounts & storage up to 30 GB )
- Office 365 (Provides Unlimited business email account, file storage, and personal cloud storage up to 1 TB)
- Zoho Mail (Offers Unlimited email accounts with 2 GB storage)
- Buying from hosting providers like Namecheap & Bluehost.
- And more.
Professional email service providers are easy to create a professional image for your company.
How to set up email on WordPress?
You need SMTP settings to enable the email function on your site.
You can install the WordPress plugin WP Mail SMTP or FluentSMTP to enable email settings on your site.
Once you done, go to the plugin page.
Enter your Email address, Username, Password, and Server from the Hosting Provider given on the setting page of the selected email service provider.
Your WordPress site is ready
Now you have got your website live! Congrats!
I have only shared the basic setup of the WordPress website, but you can do more advanced things to create an excellent website.
Depending on your need, you can enhance the site’s user experience.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How do I choose a domain name for my website?
Choose a domain name for your website. It should be short, easy to remember, and related to your business or personal brand. E.g., You can use the Namecheap search tool to help you select the right one.
You can also choose based on words related to your business or the purpose of your website.
How do I choose a web host for my website?
Choose a hosting provider that will provide you with the features and resources your website needs to succeed. It should have easy-to-use features, so you don’t need to spend countless hours learning how to use it. Ask your friends and colleagues for referrals or search online for the best web hosting providers. You can also check How to choose the right web host for your blog guide.
How to create a website without any coding knowledge?
You can use WordPress to build your website without coding knowledge. Creating a website using WordPress is very easy, and everything is visual or drag and drop. Thanks to its powerful features and multi-purpose potential, it is the most popular website-building platform for beginners and experts alike.
How to make money from my website?
There are different ways to make money from your website, and advertising is one of the most popular ways to monetize a blog or any kind of website. You can also do affiliate marketing, sell products and services directly to your audience, etc.
How much does it cost to set up a website?
It all depends on your needs. Suppose you want to create a simple blog. In that case, it will be cheaper than creating a complete e-commerce website with many features and functionalities or even building a professional website with many features.
So the cost to set up a website will vary.
How long does it take to set up a website?
It is different for every website. How much time does it take to set up a Personal blog, or How much time does it take to set up an e-commerce site?
If you are using WordPress, it will be very easy and less time-consuming.
But if the website is complex, then it will take time.
How often do I need to update my content?
You should update your site as often as possible because it helps keep visitors engaged and more likely to return frequently.
How can I track my website visitors?
You can use Google Analytics to track your website visitors, and it will help you identify your traffic source and which keywords were used for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes.
You can use the WP plugin or copy-paste tracking code into the website.
Conclusion
I hope this guide helped you learn how to create a website if you have any questions about how to create a website.
Please let me know through the comment section below.
Website building is not difficult at all. I wish you good luck with your website creation journey.
If you find this guide helpful, then please share it with others.
Thank You! 🙂