Beginners Guide: How To Build A Website 2021

If you’re thinking about creating a website for your business or considering upgrading your current website, you might be wondering how to build a website. There are so many options available that you might not know where to start – especially if you don’t know anything about websites or how to build them.

So we’ve made it easy by creating a beginner’s guide to website building. It answers all of the most frequently asked questions about websites, guides you through creating your own, and has everything you need to know how to build a website for your business successfully.

Why Do I Need A Website?

Having a website can help to drive more customers and sales for your business. And having a website and online presence in 2021 is even more important than before. Did you know that 71% of people are doing more online shopping due to the Coronavirus pandemic?

So if websites are getting even more important to UK businesses, now is the perfect time to make sure you have one that has your branding and works seamlessly for your customers.

But a website that has all the functionality you need, is branded, and optimised for mobile users comes at a cost. And as a small business, it’s a cost you may not be able to afford. So here are a few ways you can build your website whether you’re on a budget or not.

How To Build A Website

If you want to build a website for your business you have two options: 

  1. Hire A Professional Website designer 
  2. Build A Website Yourself 

There are pros and cons to each, however, for most small businesses the decision to hire a professional or to build your website on your own will depend on time and cost. 

How To Hire A Website Designer

You can hire professional website designers to build your entire website for you. Usually, these professionals consist of a website developer, a graphic designer, a content writer, and an SEO consultant. They all have individual and quite specific skills in order to build you the perfect website, but what do they all do and do you really need them?

1. A Website Developer
They will have coding ability and will actually build your site

2. A Graphic Designer
They will make the website look great and add your branding

3. A Content Writer
They will write compelling and clickable copy usually in the brand tone of voice 4. An SEO Consultant
They will optimise all of your pages to rank in Google, including technical and on-page aspects.

These professionals are specialists and usually have a cost to match. Each one may have a £50+ per hour charge. So, although it is quicker to hire professionals, it typically costs a lot more. So if you’re on a budget or are a small business, you probably won’t have the spare money to spend in paying several people to build your website. So can you build a website on your own if you don’t have specialist skills or coding ability?

How To Build A Website On Your Own

These days you can build a website on your own without needing to know how to code. There are lots of different options available that have a user-friendly page builder functionality that allows you to drag and drop elements and text to build your page exactly how you want it.
Try building a website yourself with our free software. You’ll see just how easy it is to get your business online.

What Is The Best Way To Build Your Own Website?

To decide whether you should and can build your website yourself, or whether it’s better to hire a professional, you need to consider a few questions

How Difficult Is It To Create A Website On Your Own?

In 2021 it’s not actually difficult to create a website on your own. You don’t need to know code to use a page builder – it can be as simple as drag and drop.

The ease of creating your website is a big factor on most businesses decisions to build it themselves. They often hire a professional, like an SEO specialist, just to check it over before it goes live.

How Long Does It Take To Design A Website?

The downside to building a website yourself is that it does take time. Although it’s not hard to build using a page builder, creating pages and making them look the way you want them can take a while. Especially if you’re a perfectionist.

That’s why some software, like our 4 Contact UK gives you the option to ask us to build parts of your site for you. If you run out of time, or get stuck, or don’t have the ability to write compelling or SEO optimised copy, all you need to do is ask and we can do it for you.

The time it takes to build your website may play a big factor in deciding whether to build it yourself or hire a professional. Especially if you do get it wrong it can take a professional twice as long to fix.

How Much Does It Cost To Hire A Website Designer?

Web designers can charge upwards of £50 an hour in the UK depending on location and experience. Considering the amount of time it takes to build your website, their invoice can be quite costly.

That why some companies, like 4 Contact, offer a flat fee depending on a pre-agreed timescale. It means you can budget accordingly and there are no unexpected costs or invoices.

The cost of a website designer does discourage a lot of people, who end up building their website on their own. If you do decide to build your website on your own, consider the idea of paying a professional to check it over once you’re done. It’ll keep costs down but make sure there are no costly mistakes.

How Much Does It Cost To Build A Website UK?

Creating a website could cost anywhere from a few hundred pounds to tens of thousands of pounds. The cost really depends on your budget and how you want your website to look and work.

A Bespoke Website
A bespoke website is completely custom made by developers for your business. It can look however you want it to look and
As a guide, there are several costs involved in having a bespoke website made:
1. Domain Costs
2. Development Cost
3. Designer Cost
4. Copywriter Cost
5. SEO Optimisation Cost
6. Image Cost

 How Much Does A Website Cost Per Month: 2021?

Don’t forget that a website costs money to keep live each month. This includes things like domain hosting, emails and security. Buying cheap when it comes to hosting, is not recommended, anything lower than £5-£7 a month will likely make your website slow and not rank so well in Google.

Some website builders, like our 4 Contact UK website builder, builds all of this cost into one easy monthly fee.

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