A Beginner’s Simple Guide to Easily Build a Website on Your Own

“Can I build a website by myself?” and “What do I need to prepare for it?”—these are questions that many beginners often ask. And for good reason! The abundance of information and platforms out there can feel overwhelming. But here’s the good news: creating a website today is easier than you might think.

This article is designed to remove that initial confusion and walk you through everything you need to know as a beginner. If you’re new to this journey, read on—we’ve got you covered. You can also jump straight to the tutorial section at any time.

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Do I Need Skills in Coding or Web Development?

The short answer? No.

Many people want to start a blog, build a website for their business, or launch an online store—but hesitate because they think they need to learn coding. Thanks to modern website builders and CMS platforms, you don’t need any technical skills to get started.

There are drag-and-drop builders, ready-made templates, and user-friendly dashboards that make website creation accessible for everyone. For example, even my 70-year-old father created a small blog for his bicycle repair shop—with just a little help from me.

But with so many platforms available, it’s easy to feel lost. You might have contacted a web design agency and been scared off by their pricing. Or maybe you asked a friend for help, but still don’t know what to do next. Don’t worry—this guide will help you move forward with confidence.

How Websites Work with Website Building Platforms

The most common tools for building a website fall into two categories:

• Online website builders like Shopify, Weebly, or Squarespace
• CMS (Content Management System) software like WordPress or Joomla

In my opinion, these tools have revolutionized web development, making it accessible to everyone, regardless of their technical background.

To start, let’s explore a simple blueprint as below for how websites work with these builders.

1. Choose Your Domain and Platform
   Decide between a CMS like WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal, or an online website builder like Shopify, Weebly, etc. Each has its strengths, so consider your needs and preferences.
2. Select a Theme or Template
   Most builders offer a variety of templates tailored to different types of websites. Choose one that fits your vision and customize it to your liking.
3. Add Your Content
   Input your text, images, videos, and other content into the template. This step is often as simple as dragging and dropping elements into place.
4. Customize Design and Layout
   Use the builder’s tools to tweak the design, layout, and color scheme. Make your website unique and aligned with your brand.
5. Set Up Essential Features
   with some plugins or modules: Add features like contact forms, social media integration, and e-commerce capabilities if needed. Many builders offer plugins or modules for these functionalities.
6. Publish Your Website
   Once everything looks good, publish your site. The builder will handle the technical aspects of making your site live on the internet.

These steps outline a straightforward process for creating a website with builders, eliminating much of the confusion and complexity that often deter beginners. By following this blueprint, you can create a professional-looking website without needing extensive technical skills.

Are There Any Free Methods to Build a Website?

The answer is yes, but with limitations, and you can’t use all essential functions.

As I know, most beginners search for free ways to start a website because they’re unsure if paid platforms are worth the investment. In my experience, if you want a long-term and stable website for your work or business, you should choose a paid option. Here’s a breakdown of the types of free options available:

1. Free Trials: Many platforms offer a free trial for a certain number of days. After the trial period expires, you’ll need to pay for a monthly or annual subscription.
2. Free Plans Forever (Basic or Starter): These plans allow you to build a website but come with many limitations. Essential features often require upgrading to a paid plan. However, these free plans can serve as a trial before you commit to a paid version.
3. Open Source Software: Platforms like WordPress offer free open-source software for creating websites. While the software itself is free, you still need to purchase a domain name and hosting services.
4. Ad-Supported Free Builders: Some online platforms offer free builders with all essential features but insert their logos, brands, and advertisements on your site. You cannot link a custom domain or remove these elements unless you pay for an upgrade.

If you’re determined to create a website at no cost, you can certainly try some of these options but don’t spend too much time on them.

For a long-term and stable website, I suggest opting for a paid solution. Here are some of the easiest and most affordable ways to build a website for beginners:

• WordPress: Offers flexibility with numerous plugins and themes, you can use WordPress to build any type of website, such as a personal blog, content display website, or even a forum and an online store website.
• Weebly: Provides an intuitive drag-and-drop builder with various plans.
• Shopify: Known for its leading eCommerce website building business and ease of use.

There are many platforms and builders available, each with its unique features. It’s important to understand the differences between them to determine which one best suits your needs. By exploring your options, you’ll be able to choose a platform that offers the best balance of cost, features, and ease of use for your personal or business website.

The Most Popular Builders for Building Sites (No coding)

Basically, The platforms can be divided into two groups or types, you don’t need to know coding skills to use them.

1. CMS Software Platforms (content management system)

The first type is CMS software. CMS stands for Content Management System, which is designed for enterprises or the web.

You can download these software programs, add, modify, and remove content as you wish, and install them on your local computer, server, or web hosting. By linking your custom domain, you can choose a theme and start your website. Based on market share statistics, the most popular CMS software for creating websites is WordPress, which was used by more than 42% of all websites on the internet as of 2024.

Here are the top 6 best open-source CMS (Content Management System) software for building websites:

• WordPress
  The most widely used CMS. Originally for blogging, it’s now a flexible, open-source platform that can create blogs, business sites, portfolios, magazines, online stores, and more—thanks to its massive plugin ecosystem.
• Joomla
  A free, open-source CMS suited for small business sites, online magazines, publications, and e-commerce. Offers a balance between ease of use and customization.
• Drupal
  Also free and open-source, Drupal is ideal for business or informational sites. It’s more complex but very flexible, with thousands of modules to expand its features.
• Magento (Adobe Commerce)
  Built for e-commerce, Magento comes in free (open-source) and paid (Commerce) versions. It’s powerful enough for everything from small shops to large marketplaces.
• OpenCart
  An open-source e-commerce platform that’s easy to use and manage. Great for small to medium-sized businesses, especially those running multiple storefronts.
• PrestaShop
  A user-friendly, open-source e-commerce platform, popular in Europe. It supports multiple languages and is great for small to medium-sized businesses selling online.

These CMS options offer a range of features and flexibility, making it easier for you to build and manage your website efficiently. Just keep in mind that you’ll need a hosting plan to store everything for CMS building website. You can click the button below to find the right hosting for you.

2. Online Website Builders

Online website builders offer greater convenience compared to the aforementioned open-source CMS software. With online builders, there’s no need to download or install anything. Instead, you simply create an account on their website, choose and subscribe to a plan (although the subscription price is often higher than hosting costs), link your custom domain, and select a template to get started with your website. Technically, online builders are also a type of CMS, but they operate entirely online.

here are some popular online builders:

• Hostinger Website Builder is an easy-to-use online tool that simplifies website creation. It features a drag-and-drop editor, allowing users to build and customize their sites without coding. With plenty of templates and design options, users can create professional websites in no time.
• Shopify is a leading e-commerce platform from Canada, known for its multilingual backend and user-friendly interface. It offers a wide range of third-party extensions, making it scalable for businesses of all sizes.
• Ecwid is a simple and popular e-commerce builder that operates as a SaaS platform. With its easy-to-use interface and transparent pricing, it’s an ideal choice for beginners looking to start an online store.
• Jimdo is a website builder from Germany, tailored for small businesses and freelancers. It offers easy website design without coding, providing all the essential features for entrepreneurs to establish an online presence.
• Weebly is a versatile platform for building websites and online stores. Its drag-and-drop tools make it easy to use, and since it was acquired by Square in 2018, it offers seamless integration with Square’s payment processing.
• Squarespace is an all-in-one platform that helps users create professional websites, blogs, portfolios, and online stores. Known for its stunning templates and intuitive drag-and-drop editor, Squarespace is perfect for those looking to build a stylish online presence.

There are many website-building platforms available, and I can’t list them all here. However, you can check out the top 6 mentioned above. They have a large user base, which means you can easily find plenty of information, such as reviews, comparisons, tutorials, and solutions.

Which Platform is The Best One For Starter?

Choosing the best platform for your website depends on your specific requirements.

1. If your goal is to create a blog, WordPress is undoubtedly the top choice, as it was originally designed for blogging purposes. while, If you prefer using an online builder, we recommend Hostinger website builder or Weebly due to its versatile plans and user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, making blog creation a breeze.
2. For business pages, news and magazine sites, and other informational websites, WordPress.com is our primary recommendation for its scalability and ease of use, WordPress also offers a wide range of themes and plugins to customize your site according to your needs, Hostinger builder and Weebly are good choice for these sites too.
3. If you’re planning to launch an e-commerce store, all of the aforementioned platforms can facilitate online selling. However, for beginners, we highly recommend WordPress + WooCommerce or Shopify. Both WordPress and WooCommerce are free, with WooCommerce being one of the most popular e-commerce plugins for WordPress, while Shopify is the most professional solution for e-commerce online stores.

While some online builders also offer e-commerce functionality, We have also compiled a comparison of online store builders to help you find the best fit for your business.

Why WordPress? Despite its drawbacks, WordPress offers numerous advantages. Let me explain further.

Why WordPress is The Best Platform for Starting a Website

First, Let me show you some statistics reports from W3Techs:

The market percentage of WordPress in 2022 has doubled compared to 2013, and this growth trend continues. While WordPress was initially developed as a blogging tool in 2003, it has evolved beyond blog creation. Today, it is utilized by numerous renowned brands such as BBC, Walt Disney, Sony, and many others that cannot all be listed.

Why do so many individuals and companies choose WordPress? Here are some reasons:

• Very user-friendly and easy to use, WordPress eliminates the need for coding or web development skills. Installation is a breeze; with just a few clicks, you’re up and running.
• It’s Free! WordPress is entirely open-source, meaning you can download, install, and even modify it without spending a dime. All you need is web hosting and a domain.
• Simple and Flexible, WordPress boasts a lightweight software size, enabling smooth website performance even on smaller servers. Plus, it offers an extensive array of plugins and themes, allowing for the addition of various features and functionalities with stunning designs.
• Scalable for Multiple Purposes, Today’s WordPress isn’t limited to blogging; it can also be used for news and magazine sites, business websites, company pages, e-commerce websites (with the WooCommerce plugin), and much more, thanks to its multitude of plugins.
• You Own Your Data, Since your website is hosted on a web server, you have full ownership and control over your data. This means you can easily back up, migrate, or save your entire website data as needed.
• Easily Accessible Solutions, With a vast community of users, WordPress offers an abundance of resources, including articles, videos, forums, and tutorials. If you encounter any issues, a quick Google search will likely yield a solution, as WordPress powers roughly one-third of all websites worldwide.

I believe I’ve covered the key reasons why WordPress is such a popular choice for website creation, although there are certainly more. You’ll understand the appeal once you give it a try—it’s hard not to love!

As a beginner, you might find online builders more appealing initially. In that case, I suggest starting with Hostinger Builder or Ecwid, as they’re particularly beginner-friendly. Ultimately, for beginners, I recommend choosing between WordPress and Weebly—no other platforms. The final decision depends on you and your specific needs or business requirements.

What Do You Need to Build a Website exactly

1. CMS Websites: To get started with a CMS software, you’ll need to have a custom domain name and web hosting. How do websites work with CMS software?

In simple terms, it’s Custom Domain Name + Web Hosting + CMS Software = Your Website.

2. Online Website Builders: With an online website builder, all you need is a custom domain name, but you’ll need to sign up for a plan to start building your website. How do websites work with a builder?

It’s Custom Domain Name + Online Builder = Your Website.

What is Domain (Name)?

A domain serves as the virtual address of your website, allowing visitors to find you online. It typically takes the form of mysite.com, mysite.net, or mysite.org. When creating a new website, you’ll need to select a custom name for your domain, replacing ‘mysite’ with the name of your choice. We highly recommend opting for a domain type like ‘mysite.com’.

For more information and to find the best domain name registrar for starting your website, check out this article.

What is Web Hosting?

Web hosting is akin to a house or home for your website; it serves as a server where all data and files of your website are stored. When visitors access your website, the information they see is retrieved from the web hosting.

If you’re planning to build a website with CMS software like WordPress, you’ll need web hosting to install WordPress and store the data. However, if you opt for an online builder, you won’t need web hosting as all the data will be stored on the server of the builder provider.

For more information on selecting the best web hosting for starting your website, check out this link.

How Much Will It Cost to Build a Website？

This is perhaps the most common question among beginners. Let me walk you through it:

• CMS software
  1. Domain, your custom name web address, like mysite.com, USD$9.99~15/year (we are using Namesilo to manage the domains, It is the cheapest domain we ever used on the web, USD$11.99/month, no hidden fees, you can check the post 5 TOP domain registrars comparison to learn more details);
  2. Web Hosting, where you can install your CMS software and store website data and files, the price is from USD$1.99/month, the lowest is Hostinger shared hosting, $2.99/month for the premium plan, but the average hosting price is about USD3/month, You can host all your data, and backup and migrate your website with web hosting. For more information, refer to our comparison of web hosting services.
  3. WordPress and woocommerce(if you are going to create an online store) or other CMS software, most of them are free or have free versions.
• Online site builder
  1. Domain, your custom name web address, like mysite.com, USD$9.99 ~ 15/year;
  2. For paid plans, the average price is about USD$25/month for key features to finish a website, however, hostinger website builder offers a very low price for users, hostinger again, hah. some companies may offer free domains, but not all, You can’t host your data.

As you can observe, creating a website with CMS software is considerably more affordable than building with most of online website builders.

So, how much does it cost to build a website with WordPress?

On average, the domain price is approximately USD1 per month, and the average hosting price is USD3 per month, totaling around USD5 per month for starting.

This cost is lower than that of a cup of coffee in most parts of the world. By spending less than the price of a cup of coffee each month, you can own a website. And the potential value that the website could bring to you is immeasurable. Even if it doesn’t generate any profit, it’s still just the cost of one cup of coffee, right? Take action now.

Conclusion – Website Creation for Everyone

This article introduces whether it is worth spending time to study free website creation, how to choose the best website platform, and how much it costs for beginners to build a website, I think you can learn how websites work with all the information and have a good starting to create your website!

In conclusion, the key to easily unlocking website creation for everyone lies in leveraging the right tools, platforms, and resources. By making informed decisions and utilizing the wealth of available options, anyone can bring their vision for an online presence to life.