How to Build a Website Without Coding: Beginner's Guide

Building a website no longer requires coding skills. With no-code website builders, anyone can create a professional site using drag-and-drop tools. Here's what you need to know:

• Why No-Code? Save up to 80% on development costs, build faster, and make websites accessible for all skill levels.
• Top Platforms:
• Wix ($14/month): Great for small businesses and beginners.
• Squarespace ($12/month): Ideal for creatives and portfolios.
• Webflow ($12/month): Best for advanced design control.
• Key Steps:
1. Define your goals (e.g., sales, lead generation).
2. Create a sitemap for clear structure.
3. Choose a mobile-friendly template and customize it to reflect your brand.
4. Add features like contact forms, e-commerce tools, and SEO optimizations.
5. Regularly update and monitor your site for performance and security.

Quick Comparison:

No-code platforms make website creation simple and affordable. Follow these steps to get started today!

How to Make a Website | Step by Step

Picking a No-Code Website Builder

Choosing the right no-code platform is the next step to creating your website. Here's a breakdown to help you decide.

Top Platform Features

Here's a quick comparison of three popular website builders:

How to Pick the Right Platform

Use the table above as a starting point, but also consider these critical factors:

• Infrastructure Reliability

A platform's infrastructure can make or break your website experience.

"What often gets forgotten when talking about choosing a website builder is the capabilities of the infrastructure that's promised to you - the reliability of the hosting, the level of security that's in order to protect your visitor's data, and of course your site's speed. Even if infrastructure is not the first thought that comes to mind when it comes to making a website, it can cause large headaches for website owners when trying to scale a website later on."

• Esin D. Habif, product marketing lead (outbound) at Wix.com [1]

• Purpose-Driven Selection

Different platforms excel in specific areas:

1. Squarespace is ideal for visually-driven portfolios.
2. Wix is great for e-commerce integration.
3. Webflow is perfect for intricate, custom layouts.
• Budget Considerations

Entry-level plans range from $12–$14/month, but remember to factor in costs like transaction fees, premium templates, extra features, and domain registration.

• Support and Resources

Make sure the platform provides solid customer support, detailed documentation, tutorials, and active user forums.

"As a creator or entrepreneur, you're often wearing multiple hats. You're designing the website, you're optimizing for SEO. This means you need a website builder that makes it easy and very learnable for you to do all of those things, on the same platform and still deliver as if working with experts in those fields."

• Esin D. Habif, product marketing lead (outbound) at Wix.com [1]

• Customization Options

Each platform offers different levels of customization:

1. Wix: Beginner-friendly drag-and-drop.
2. Squarespace: Structured design framework.
3. Webflow: Advanced design control for detailed layouts.

Website Setup Basics

Before diving into website design, it's important to lay a strong foundation. Here's how to get started.

Setting Website Goals

Start by defining 3–5 primary goals that align with your business priorities. A clear focus helps guide your website's development. One helpful approach is the SMART framework, which ensures your goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Here's a quick example:

When setting goals, think about your audience. Research their:

• Online habits and browsing preferences
• Challenges they want solved
• Favorite types of content
• Device usage trends
• Factors influencing their purchase decisions

Once you’ve nailed down your goals, you can move on to organizing your website’s structure.

Creating Your Site Map

A sitemap acts as a blueprint for your website, ensuring a clear structure and avoiding design headaches later. Tools like Miro or Canva can help you create professional sitemaps quickly.

"Site mapping a website is like an architect producing design drawings for a house – it gives everyone involved in the project a framework to follow and makes sure you don't come up against any design snags." - Irwin Hau, Director, Chromatix [2]

Key sections to include in your sitemap:

• Homepage: This is your website’s first impression. Highlight your value proposition, showcase key products or services, and include clear calls to action.
• Main Navigation Pages: These are the core pages, such as About, Products/Services, Blog, and Contact. They form the backbone of your structure.
• Supporting Content: Add sections like FAQs, testimonials, or resource libraries to help visitors make informed decisions.

Domain Name Selection

Your domain name is a major part of your brand identity. The .com extension is still the go-to choice, used by about 70% of websites [3]. When picking a domain, keep these tips in mind:

Do:

• Choose something short and easy to remember.
• Incorporate keywords relevant to your business.
• Verify trademark availability.
• Consider local relevance (e.g., adding city or state names).

Don't:

• Use numbers or hyphens.
• Go for overly complex spellings.
• Pick something that limits your future growth.
• Forget to check if matching social media handles are available.

For extra protection, register variations of your domain, including common misspellings, alternative extensions (like .net or .org), and location-specific versions.

Once your domain is locked in, you’re ready to move on to designing and customizing your website.

Building Your Website Design

Once the foundation of your website is ready, the next step is creating a design that represents your brand and keeps your audience engaged.

Choosing a Template

The template you choose can have a big impact on your website's functionality and how users experience it [4]. Here's a quick breakdown of what to look for based on your website type:

When picking a template, keep these points in mind:

• Mobile responsiveness: A must-have, as mobile traffic is a major source of visitors [6].
• Loading speed: Look for templates designed with speed in mind.
• Customization options: Choose one that lets you tweak layouts and design elements to fit your needs.
• Built-in features: Check if it includes forms, galleries, or other tools your site requires.

After selecting a template that checks these boxes, you can start tailoring it to your brand.

Making Design Changes

Once your template is set, it's time to make it your own.

"You need to be sure your online space is unique and customized to your business goals and very individual target audience." – Giada Correale, Brand and Web Designer at Miel Cafè Design [5]

Here’s how to personalize your site:

1. Brand Colors

Apply your brand colors to key areas like headers, navigation menus, buttons, and backgrounds.

2. Typography

Pick fonts that reflect your brand's personality while staying easy to read. Stick to 2-3 font families for consistency:

1. Headlines: Use bold, attention-grabbing fonts.
2. Body text: Opt for clean, simple fonts for readability.
3. Accent text: Add decorative fonts sparingly for special touches.
3. Visual Elements

Incorporate custom graphics and images to reinforce your brand identity:

1. Use high-quality PNG or SVG logo files.
2. Add a custom favicon for browser tabs.
3. Include branded photography and maintain a consistent icon style.

Once your design elements are in place, focus on organizing your content for clarity and engagement.

Content Layout Tips

"Good web design is about more than just aesthetics... It involves a user-friendly layout, clear navigation, and a clean interface that clearly communicates the content." – Kristopher Tabaie, Web Developer at Lesar UK [6]

With human attention spans averaging just 8 seconds [7], it’s crucial to make your content easy to scan. Here’s how:

• Break text into short, digestible paragraphs.
• Add descriptive subheadings to guide readers.
• Use plenty of white space to avoid a cluttered look.
• Create a clear visual hierarchy to lead the eye naturally.

"An easy-to-read website makes for a pleasant user experience and creates loyal and satisfied customers. Find the right balance between content, style, and functionality. Avoid clutter, let the content breathe a little, and use images or videos as support for your content." – Vlad Stoica, Head of Design at STOICA.CO [6]

For effective content organization:

• Place important information above the fold, where users can see it immediately.
• Use consistent spacing between sections for a polished look.
• Establish clear content hierarchies with headings and subheadings.
• Position CTAs (Call-to-Actions) where they naturally align with the user’s journey.
• Ensure text is readable across all screen sizes.

Adding Website Features

Enhance your site by including features that improve user experience and align with your goals.

Basic Website Tools

You can use no-code tools to easily implement these essential features:

• Contact Forms
• Include fields for name and email.
• Add a message box and a privacy policy checkbox.
• Set up an auto-response confirmation.

"When I ask my clients why they chose us over our competitors, they usually say it's because of our website. I think they can really feel our passion through the way we connect with them and stand out as a creative catering company."

– Nick Collins, founder of Cleverchefs [1]

• Social Media Integration
• Add social sharing buttons.
• Display live feeds from your social media accounts.
• Location and Maps
• Embed an interactive map.
• Provide business hours, parking details, directions, and contact info.

For more advanced needs, look into additional features that can extend your site's functionality.

Extra Functions and Add-ons

"Site hierarchy and the information you provide your visitors with is more than just how your site looks. This will also directly impact how many visitors ultimately buy your products. You'll want to be clear about your offerings through your content, your visuals and your buttons right from the get go to ensure visitors recognize your value right away."

– Amanda Weiner, CRO expert at Wix.com [1]

Search Engine Setup

Interactive features are essential, but don’t forget to optimize your site for search engines too:

• Page Optimization
• Write unique title tags (50–60 characters).
• Create meta descriptions under 155 characters.
• Use keywords naturally within your content.

"Leveraging SEO and integrating it into the website creation process is vital. Various studies have shown that organic search is the single greatest provider of traffic to websites - with that being even more pronounced within the B2B context. To that, traffic from organic search, when done correctly is essentially built to last (with proper maintenance over time, of course) and forms a crucial part of a site's long-term growth."

– Mordy Oberstein, head of SEO branding at Wix.com [1]

• Image Optimization
• Use descriptive file names and relevant alt text.
• Compress files to maintain quality while improving load times.

These tools and optimizations help your website achieve its goals while improving its functionality and growth potential.

Website Launch and Updates

Publishing Your Website

Before launching your website, make sure it works seamlessly across all devices. Double-check all interactive features, like contact forms, navigation menus, and payment systems, to ensure they function properly.

Here’s a quick checklist for pre-launch:

• Technical Elements: Test every link, confirm forms and emails work, and check page loading speeds.
• Content Quality: Verify contact details and meta tags, check that images display correctly, and review content formatting for consistency.

Once your site is live, regular updates are key to keeping it secure and running smoothly.

Regular Site Updates

After launch, maintaining your site with frequent updates is critical. Cyberattacks affect 30,000 websites daily, with 43% of those targeting small businesses [8]. Setting up a maintenance schedule can help you stay ahead of potential issues.

Website Performance Tracking

Once updates are made, tracking your site's performance helps identify areas for improvement. For instance, pages taking over four seconds to load see a 123% higher bounce rate [10].

One success story: Venture Harbour cut load times from 2.63 to 1.53 seconds, reducing bounce rates by 41% [10].

Key metrics to monitor include:

• Page load speed: Faster pages keep visitors engaged.
• Visitor engagement time: Understand how long users spend on your site.
• Conversion rates: Measure how effectively your site turns visitors into customers.
• Traffic sources: Identify where your visitors are coming from.

To simplify tracking, tools like New Relic (offering 100 GB of free data ingestion monthly) or Datadog's Pro plan (starting at $15 per host per month) can provide detailed insights [9].

Conclusion

Main Points Review

To create a successful no-code website, focus on these key elements:

• A clear purpose with well-defined goals
• Choosing the right platform for your needs
• Adding features and tools that serve your audience
• Regularly maintaining and monitoring performance

"Just as us humans, every website has its own needs. Try to define what those are and what goals you'd like to achieve in order to create a successful website that is truly original." - Adi Huri, product marketing lead for the Wix Brand [11]

With these basics in place, you're ready to take the first steps toward building your website.

Getting Started Guide

Here’s a simple roadmap to get your website up and running:

1. Define your website’s purpose and set clear goals.
2. Pick a platform that aligns with your requirements.
3. Use a mobile-friendly template and customize it.
4. Add essential features and ensure proper security.
5. Set up tools to monitor performance across devices.

"Keep in mind that the menu is the map of your website. By adding the right pages to your menu, in the right order, it can be the heart of your website's success." - Adi Huri, product marketing lead for the Wix Brand [11]

Your website should also include:

• Mobile responsiveness and regular content updates
• Strong security practices and frequent backups
• Monitoring for performance on different devices
• Ongoing maintenance to keep everything running smoothly