How to Publish a Website

Step 1: Choose how you’ll publish your website

So, how do you publish a website? There are several options available. If you have a significant amount of coding knowledge, then that may be the path you choose. You can build a website from scratch if you have knowledge of JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. Unless you have a background in computer science, building a website from scratch might not be the best option. Unless you can do this yourself, you will need to bring in a developer who can help you. The advantage of using this option is that you have a tremendous amount of flexibility. You don't have to worry about tailoring your website and meeting the demands of certain plugins or software programs.

Fortunately, there are other options available. For example, you may want to use a website builder that can help you. This is a tool that has a drag-and-drop interface that you can use to create your own website without the need for coding knowledge. There are some situations where the website builder will even allow you to host your website for free, which can make the process of creating a website even easier. Some of these tools have their limitations, but there are plenty of them available. You simply need to find the right one to meet your needs.

You might also be interested in using a content management system (CMS) that can help you. This is a software program that allows you to create, manage, and edit the content on your website. Just about anyone can use a content management system, but there may be a slight learning curve. It may take you longer to learn how to use this tool when compared to a traditional website builder, but you have plenty of widgets and plugins you can use to customize your website to meet your needs.

Additionally, you can use a combination of all of the tools above to help you put together a strong website. Consider your technical expertise and the goals of your website. Then, you can find the right tool to meet your needs.

Step 2: Pick your domain name

The next step is to pick your domain name. Regardless of whether you want to start a blog, an e-commerce website, or even an encyclopedia, you need to have the right domain name. The domain name is the URL string that someone will enter to visit your website. There are plenty of domain names out there, which means you might not be able to always find the one you’re looking for. In this case, you can use tools that can help you take a look at the domain names that are still free.

When you are picking a new domain name, you want to pick a name that is representative of what your website offers and is relatively easy to remember. If your domain name has already been taken, you may want to consider changing the top-level domain. Instead of using .com or .org, you may want to pick a different one that is still available. Be careful about using one that is too obscure, as people may refrain from visiting a top-level domain with which they are not familiar.

Step 3: Choose a web hosting provider

The next step in publishing websites is to choose a web hosting provider. A web hosting provider is a service that will make sure your website works when someone visits it. If someone tries to visit your website and there is no hosting service, the page will not load. You might be able to access a free hosting provider through the tool that you use to build your website. Eventually, you may need to go with a premium hosting provider. A free service might limit the amount of traffic your website can handle at once. As your website becomes more popular, you will need to increase your bandwidth. This will require investing in a stronger hosting provider.

You need to take a look at the reviews, ratings, and limits of your hosting provider. If your hosting provider is unable to handle your traffic, this can result in slower page speeds that turn customers and visitors away. A high bounce rate can harm your search results rankings, which can make it more difficult for users to find your website organically. Make sure you use a reliable hosting provider that can grow with your site.

Step 4: Create content for your website

Before people can start visiting your website, you need to have content they can view. Content can come in various forms, including written content, videos, and images. Often, these forms of content work together. For example, if you have blog posts ready to be posted, you can include unique images and videos to capture the attention of your audience to improve readability and user experience. Additionally, you may want to create a way for them to provide you with feedback or comments after reading.

Of course, you need to choose content that will drive traffic to your website. As a result, you may want to run a search engine optimization campaign. This is the process of customizing the content on your website to meet the demands of search engines. This means conducting keyword research to figure out what terms and phrases people use when they are looking for the content that you have on your website.

If you are wondering how to do keyword research, there are tools that can help you identify terms and phrases that are helpful for you to use in your content. Remember that you need to think about not only how popular the terms are but also how competitive they are. You may have a difficult time competing with multinational corporations that are targeting the same terms.

Step 5: Design your website

The next step in how to publish a website is to design your website. Web design is crucial, as it’s how your website looks and feels when users visit. Poor web design can decrease user experience, which can turn people away from staying on your site. Some key components of web design include:

• Branding: Ensure you’re using consistent brand colors, fonts, and tone throughout your site that align with your logo, values, and mission.
• Layout: One of the most important things is that you need to make your website easy to navigate with a clean and simple layout. When someone visits your website, they can get frustrated if they cannot find what they are looking for. To ensure a good layout, include a navigation menu with buttons that work, ensure text is readable, and organize your content.
• Mobile friendliness: Additionally, you want to design your website for mobile users. Mobile use and shopping are becoming more and more prevalent, which means your website layout should fit the standard width of phone screens with text, buttons, images, and videos appearing in the right place. In fact, shoppers with a negative mobile experience are 62% less likely to make a purchase from that site in the future.

User experience (UX): Good user experience comes in many forms. To ensure your visitors want to stay, incorporate white space throughout your layout to allow their eyes to rest and focus, ensure fast page speeds, incorporate navigation tools, and use CTAs throughout to guide them through the sales funnel.

Step 6: Test your website

The next step in how to deploy a website is to test it. Before your website goes live, you need to test all of the individual buttons and links to make sure they work.

To test your website, start by clicking on everything to make sure it takes you exactly where you want to go. If you have a search function, you need to make sure it works as it should. You should also take a look at your color scheme to make sure it aligns with your brand and logo. You don't want anything to get lost in the background simply because the colors don't line up well. You might even want to have a third party test your website for you to provide you with some feedback.

Step 7: Publish your website

If you are ready to publish your website, you can hit the publish button and allow it to go live. Generally, search engines are very good about indexing your website eventually, but you may want to proactively submit your website to Google. For example, you may want to use Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools to verify ownership of your website. This could make it easier for people to discover your website using a search engine.

Step 8: Maintain your website

Of course, you also need to maintain your website. For example, as your website grows, you may have different needs as far as web hosting. You need to make sure that you work with a provider that can grow with your website. Test the speed of your website from time to time and make sure it is not too slow. If it is slow to load, you may want to invest in a better hosting service.

You also need to take a look at your links from time to time to make sure they still work. Broken links can ding your website, which can make it hard for you to maintain your web traffic. You should also keep an eye on your search results rankings to make sure they don't begin to suffer. If they start to drop, you may need to reassess your SEO campaign.

Create and publish a website with Mailchimp

Now that you know how to publish a website, it’s time to get started. With Mailchimp’s website builder, you can easily create, design, and publish a website for your needs, whether you’re opening an e-commerce store or starting a blog. No matter what type of website you are trying to build, Mailchimp has a variety of tools that you can use to make the process easier. Take a look at everything that Mailchimp can do for you, and build a website that your audience will love.