Category: Building Websites

It’s less about what a personal website is and rather what a personal website does. They’re a way to show the world who you are, what you can do, and why you do it.

Think of it like an online dictionary definition of yourself. If someone was searching up your name and your personal website came up (as it should), it should reflect everything there is to know about you and your work.

And, depending on your work, the website will change. Writers may want to prioritize blogging while artists will need a website builder with plenty of gallery and image options. Your website is the online representation of yourself, so take some time to consider how you want to put yourself out there.

Once you’re set on the path of creating a website, there’s an important step that has to be taken first: securing your domain name. This is the address at the top of the search engine and is very important in helping others find your website.

The best advice for personal websites is to use your own name. It’s super clear who the website belongs to, it’s easy to remember, and it looks more professional overall.

The great thing about domain registrars is that they offer different types of domain extensions. Though “.store” is best suited for ecommerce, Domain.com also offers “.net” and “.co” if that’s something you’d prefer. Source: Website Builder Expert

The next step is to search for it in a domain registrar. We recommend using sites like Domain.com and NameCheap, where you’ll pay an annual fee of around $10 to $15 per year. Website builders like Wix or GoDaddy often offer a free domain for a year when you build with them, and you can always connect a third-party domain if you’ve already purchased one.

But, what of the Muhammads and John Smiths of the world? If your name has already been taken from a domain registrar, what can you do? The first step would be to add relevant keywords: put blog or artist at the end to make it more specific (this also helps with SEO and getting your site seen by more people).

If you’re still having trouble and can’t use your name, you may have to develop something original. In that case, here’s some quick guidelines for picking a domain name:

• Short and simple: a concise domain name is easier to remember
• Easy to spell and pronounce: avoid complex or uncommon terms
• Avoid hyphens and numbers: it’s harder to remember and type in
• Consider the extension: select a domain extension (.com, .org, .net, etc.) that fits your website’s purpose and target audience nicely
• Research trademark and copyright issues: make sure you’re not infringing on any existing trademarks or copyrights

Once your domain is secured, now’s the time to pick your website builder. It’s here that you’ll pick a template, fill your site with content, generate traffic, and continue to update and upgrade your website once it’s published. A big decision!

Different website builders are suited for different website types, but pretty much every builder can manage a personal website. Therefore, you can have fun and play around with finding the exact website that suits your specific style.

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If you need a bit of help (or just don’t have the time), then here are our top three recommendations for a personal website:

Now that you’ve chosen your website builder, it’s time to pick a template. A template is a pre-made website design you can edit and customize as little or as much as you want. They’re useful for showing you how a website should look – but whether you follow their example is up to you.

These are just some of the over 900 templates available for you to choose from on Wix, all fully optimized for performance and user experience. Source: Website Builder Expert

Most website builders today have two options for templates: you can either pick from a selection of pre-made templates across a range of industries or have a custom template generated for you thanks to AI. 

I was greeted by this screen when opening up GoDaddy, which let me tailor my template based on the options shown. Source: Website Builder Expert

The debate of editor vs ADI is a long one. With an AI-generated template, you skip all the indecision and get something generated for your exact needs. Simply answer a short questionnaire about what industry you’re in and the name of your website and the AI does the rest. However, from our first-hand experience, these AI sites are never as strong design-wise as some of the professionally designed templates available on the likes of Wix and Squarespace.

When browsing through the template library, I found Squarespace’s designs striking and modern. Source: Website Builder Expert

What matters is what looks best to you – and the purpose of your personal website. If you need it to look professional, then perhaps a super flashy template won’t look the best. On the flip side, a dull website isn’t going to showcase your artistic ability the way one designed by the artist will.

All the pieces are in place – now is the time for actual website building! Once you’re in the editor, you’ll get a choice of various elements to add to your website. Depending on your website builder, the choices can be overwhelming and, in all honesty, a little scary.

But don’t be intimidated! We can walk you through the optimal way to create your site and make sure you don’t get an indecision episode:

1. Add Static Content First

Before you begin uploading work, set up the pages you need first. We recommend a Contact Us page with all of your details and an About Me page that tells people a little about you. Once these pages are done, it’ll be easier to plan the rest of the site around them.

I could easily find where to add new sections or pages, and I appreciated the pre-set options offered by Squarespace. Source: WebsiteBuilderExpert

2. Upload Your Best Work

Once the structure of your site is finished, you can start adding your work. Try and organize it in an easy-to-navigate way, utilizing drop-down menus and shortcuts.

3. Proper Text Formatting

Make sure you use headings and sub-headings when writing copy on your site. It’s not only good for readability but for SEO as well. Additionally, don’t go overboard with the copy either. Too much text may drive visitors away.

4. Don’t Go Crazy

Too many elements on one page might slow your website down, ruining someone’s visit and potentially impacting your search result ranking, as site speed is a major factor in SEO. Visual clarity is king for websites, so try not to overstuff your site with unnecessary features (if you can resist the temptation!).

When designing a website in Wix, I was presented with a whole host of customization options. Source: Website Builder Expert

5. Mobile Devices

You can’t guarantee what technology people will be visiting your site from. Over 60% of all internet traffic comes from mobile devices, so you must cater to them. Try visiting your site once it’s published on other devices to see if it looks good. If not, back to the editor!

Once your website is all ready, you can press publish and have your site live on the internet. Amazing…now what? Well, now you’ve got to try and get people to visit your website!

If you’ve been following our guide closely, your website should already be fairly optimized for SEO, but there are a few extra things you can do to really boost it, such as adding alt text to the images on your site. It’s super important to always be monitoring these things since SEO affects where you show up on the search results page – you wouldn’t want someone else’s site appearing ahead of you!

When looking through Wix’s SEO offerings, I came across a handy SEO setup checklist that takes you through the entire process. It spots issues, offers recommendations, and even tallies up your completed tasks. Source: Website Builder Expert

If you want to take a more active approach to getting traffic to your site, many website builders have several marketing tools you can use to attract people, such as:

Social Media

Posting to social media is important to start building your online presence. Add your new website to existing profiles, start promoting, and even cross-post content across multiple social channels. Keep it updated with new information (or, if you’re blogging, post regular content).

Relevant Links

Seeking out links back to your personal website from trustworthy and noteworthy publications isn’t just good for publicity – it’s great for helping your website rank for relevant terms in search engine results, too!

A great way to do this is with Guest Blogging. Pitch content for popular online publications, ask other creators if they’d like to collaborate and start generating links back to your website. It’s ideal for building up your profile, and has excellent benefits for your site’s SEO health, too!

Email Marketing

Use an email opt-in tool to obtain email addresses and start to make contact. This could help connect you with potential future employers, and build those all-important connections. You can also start writing and releasing email newsletters, which are superb ways of delivering your content straight into someone’s inbox.

GoDaddy offered me a good selection of email marketing options, such as abandoned cart recovery and newsletters. Source: Website Builder Expert

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

This strategy involves paying to place your personal website at the top of search engine results pages, such as Google, Yahoo!, and Bing. It works on a model called pay-per-click (PPC), whereby you “bid” on the amount you’re happy to pay for each click-through to your website. It’s competitive and expensive – but it can also be highly effective.

For our detailed How-To guides, we rely on our first-hand experience building websites to inform the advice and steps we give. Our rigorous research methodology is updated annually, which includes a six-week building boot camp for all of our writers where we get up close and personal with each provider we talk about.

For this specific guide, we wanted to consider the reasons why users create personal websites, and uncover which website builders accommodate the desires of these users. This included looking at blogging features, gallery options, ease of use, and the cost-effectiveness of the premium plans. Cross-referencing this with our research, we landed on Wix, Squarespace, and GoDaddy as three website builder recommendations for personal websites.

So, whether you’re applying for jobs, hoping to progress professionally, or simply sharing something important to you, creating a personal website will only benefit you in the long run. And remember – your online presence can have a huge impact on your prospects and exposure to the people you want to be connected with, so getting it right is important.

With a little help from us and some hard work, you’ll be well on your way to creating a unique personal website!

Photography is a varied art form, with plenty of different subjects and styles to choose from. It’s important to make a choice, though, and narrow down your focus so that you can become really good at the types of photography you’re interested in.

Choosing your niche is also important because it will help you build a recognizable personal brand. If you define yourself as a wildlife photographer, for example, then your name is more likely to be remembered in those circles than if you were a generalist who was okay at a few different genres.

Viktor Balaguer is one photographer who has chosen his niche in landscape photography.

Just as you have to understand yourself and which niche works best for you, you also need to know who your ideal readers and followers are, and the kind of content they want to see! This is because the more satisfied your audience is with your work, the more likely they are to share your name with friends, or even purchase work if you’re looking to sell digital downloads or prints of your photos.

The best way to develop this understanding is to conduct audience research. Before you’ve built up your own following, you can start by researching photography enthusiasts in general – for example, their demographics and interests.

This works to your benefit in other ways, too – if you ever get stuck for inspiration, you can use what you’ve learned about your audience as a jumping-off point for your next photo. For example, if you know your followers are interested in street photography, you can head downtown for a walk and see what you end up capturing.

Some blogging platforms are more photography-focused than others. Some of the best ones are:

• Squarespace: Has really sleek templates for showcasing photography.
• Wix: Great for beginners because it’s really easy to use.
• WordPress: Can store large volumes of media, which is great if you have a large portfolio.

All of these platforms offer plugins and apps to enhance a photography site. Wix’s “Photo Albums” feature lets you display each album in its own mini-site, while Squarespace’s full-screen slideshows make it easy for your work to take center stage.

Photography blogging is all about the visuals – but it’s not just the photos themselves that are important! 94% of first impressions on a website are related to its design, so you want to make sure that yours is ticking all the right boxes!

The easiest way to do this is by using a website builder with excellent photography templates.

Squarespace offers plenty of sleek, professional photography templates.

A quality photography template will include some blank space so that your work can really shine without being overwhelmed by background noise. It will also place the images front and center, or in a sleek gallery format.

Of course, once you’ve figured out how to start a photography blog, the next step is to make sure your photography is the best it can be! If you’re passionate about the niche you’ve chosen, this will be an easy step.

One way to boost the quality of your photographs is to read up on technique. If you’re stuck for inspiration, the rule of thirds is a good place to start. It’s a general rule in visual arts that states an image should be divided into nine equal parts, using two horizontal lines and two vertical lines.

The nine squares outlined on this camera screen are following the rule of thirds.

In photography blogging – just like any blogging, really – consistency is very important for connecting with your audience and building trust. By maintaining a consistent posting schedule, you’ll be giving people a reason to check back in with your blog for a reliable stream of new content.

You can improve your consistency by creating a content calendar – basically, an advance plan of what you’re going to post and when. You can do this by hand if you prefer, or use online apps like CoSchedule to help you.

Search engine optimization, or SEO, covers all of the things you can do to make your photography blog rank better in Google results. There are a few SEO basics specifically related to images that will be particularly useful for a photo-heavy blog, such as:

• Using relevant file names: Automatically-generated file names, such as IMG_2348, are not good for SEO because they don’t give search engines any information about a photo. Try to give your images relevant names instead – for example, a portrait could be named “girl smiling” or similar.
• Adding alt tags: Alt tags are descriptions of your image that are used to help anyone using a screen reader to tell what is being depicted. They’re very important for accessibility, and they also give search engines more context about each picture.
• Compressing images: Compression is a part of the image optimization process that we mentioned earlier, and it makes images easier to load – thus improving your website’s speed.

Once you’ve got your blog all set up, it’s time to promote it so that you can showcase your work and attract interested followers.

Social media is one important way you can promote your blog. Instagram in particular is great for photographers because you can grab people’s attention by posting your best work there. You can put the link to your blog in your Instagram bio to drive traffic to your site.

Email newsletters are also a great tool to have in your content marketing arsenal. You can add a form to your blog to collect the email addresses of interested readers, and then stay in regular communication by sending them monthly or weekly updates on your work!

The above tips are the ultimate guide for anyone wondering how to start a blog for photography. Let’s recap the steps here:

1. Define your photography niche
2. Identify your target photography-enthusiast audience
3. Select a photography blogging platform
4. Create a captivating visual design
5. Create stunning visual content
6. Plan your photography content calendar
7. Optimize your visuals for SEO
8. Promote your photography blog

If you’ve read this far, you’re definitely prepared to give it a (snap)shot yourself. Best of luck!

Before you dive into creating a website for your business, you need to map out a few things first. Here are three questions to ask yourself:

1. Why do you need to make a website for your business?First of all, you need to identify why you want to build a business website. Would you like to grow your presence online? Promote your services? Showcase your creative works to potential clients? Figuring out the key motivations behind your website will help you later on, since you’ll be able to identify key website features that’ll help you achieve your goals.

1. Who is the target audience?After establishing why you’re building a business website, start thinking about who you want to visit your website. Identify your audience’s age range, gender, location, interests, and lifestylefirst. From there, you can work out what their unique needs might be and how your business website can bring value to them.

1. What will your branding look like?Your website’s looks are essential to its success. To stand out from the crowd, make sure your brand identity is eye-catching, memorable, and represents your business well. Logos, fonts, color schemes, and tone of voice are important aspects to cover. Altogether, they should accurately represent your brand’s personality and give website visitors a clear idea of what you stand for.

Need some ideas? Be inspired by these 7 brand identity examples.

Your domain name is how people will find your business website online, so make it count. Since it’s one of the first things people see, ensure that it’s clear, catchy, and memorable (just like our own domain, “websitebuilderexpert.com”).

But how do you get a domain? Well, some website builders let you access a free domain for your first year. For instance, Wix’s paid plans include a free domain for 1 year, letting you choose from suffixes like “.com” or “.net”.

However, at renewal, you’ll need to pay an annual fee ranging from $20-$70to keep your domain running. This gives you two options: you could either stick with your website builder and pay the annual fee, or switch to a domain name registrar for more choice.

Domain name registrars are great if you’re looking for flexible pricing options. I recommend Domain.com, since it has a large number of domain suffixes to choose from.

Domain.com had some unique domain suffixes I hadn’t seen anywhere else, like “.ai”. If you need a specific domain ending for your business, you’ll find it there. Source: Website Builder Expert

As a general rule of thumb, I suggest opting for a “.com” suffix if it’s available. This is because it’s the most recognisable and professional domain ending. If you think of one of the biggest brands in the world, it’s likely that their website ends with “.com”. If you’re using Domain.com, this suffix costs $11.99 for the first year and rises to $21.99 per year at renewal.

How Do I Come Up With a Good Domain Name?

Struggling to choose a domain name? Here are three key tips to help you out:

1. Is it short?Effective domain names are between 6-14 characters long. Names that are too long are trickier for users to type down, making it difficult to access your website.
2. Does it make sense?Your domain should have a logical connection to your website. For instance, “booking.com” tells you exactly what the website is for (holiday bookings).
3. Are there unnecessary characters?Avoid using numbers or hyphens since this can make your domain look messy.

If you already have a business name, it’s best practice to make it your domain name too (if it’s available). This is so pre-existing customers who are already familiar with your brand can easily access your website. For instance, if your business name is “best domains”, you could easily convert that into “bestdomains.com” or “bestdomains.org.”

Though you don’t need a business email address to set up your website, it will help you establish a professional presence online and leave website visitors with an easy way to contact you. Conveniently, business emails are easy to create, with a number of free and paid options available.

For best results, I recommend Google Workspace. Though it’s no longer free to use, you can create your own professional email from as little as $6 per month (billed annually),while its 14-day free trialwill help you try before you buy.

If you get an email with Google Workspace, you’ll also receive additional features depending on your plan. When looking at the plans available, I thought that the video meetings feature was great for businesses who hold regular meetings, online conferences, or webinars. Source: Website Builder Expert

Want a professional email without spending a penny? Read our guide to getting afree business email.

What Does a Good Business Email Look Like?

The best business email addresses end with the name of your business. In fact, you can have multiple email addresses for different areas of your business, so long as they end the same way:

• [email protected]
• [email protected]  
• [email protected]

Each of these emails clearly indicate what they’re used for, also ending with the name of the business. I know that I could contact “[email protected]”to receive information on a specific query and that it’ll be sent to the correct company.

Make sure any business email addresses are easily discoverable from your website, newsletters, and social media pages. This is so customers know how to contact you!

Now for the serious part: choosing the right website builder for your business. Since there’s so much choice, I’ve decided to highlight only two website builders that we found were excellent solutions for small businesses during our research and testing. Both Wix and Shopify are powerful platforms that make it easy to set up without any technical experience.

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Shopify Summary

Our top-rated website builder for small businesses, Shopify is best for ecommerce stores that are scaling up or have a large inventory already. It comes with a host of powerful sales features, ranging from over 100 payment gateways to substantial discounts on merchant shipping costs.

I was impressed by the huge amount of sales features on Shopify. I could access them all from my dashboard, including Shopify Payments, the platform’s all-in-one payments solution. Source: Website Builder Expert

Whether you’re selling gym wear or pet accessories, Shopify’s huge list of sales features are adaptable to your needs. You can use Shopify Magic to generate product descriptions, or set up international shipping across different markets if you’re selling overseas.

Wix Summary

Just behind Shopify comes Wix, a popular website builder that we scored highly for its impressive website features that span bookings, ecommerce, and marketing.If you want a website builder that will provide you with the tools necessary to get set up and start growing your business online, this is the builder to go for.

Notable features include Wix’s AI tools, in particular, Wix ADI. This AI website builder generates a unique design based on your responses to specific prompts, such as “what are you building a website for?” Since it addresses your key needs, you’ll end up with a professional website that’s a suitable fit for your business.

Based on my unique needs, Wix ADI created an ideal website for my business. It came with a professional theme, a section to book meetings from, and a section to showcase client testimonials. Source: Website Builder Expert

Which Pricing Plan Is Best for Me?

Once you’ve found a website builder you’re interested in, you need to look at the pricing plans available and see which one is best for you. To give you an idea of the kinds of plans on the market, we’ve broken down the costs for Shopify and Wix.

Shopify’s three main plans range between $29-$299 per month (billed annually). They all come with powerful sales features, such as point of sale to integrate in-person sales with your store, analytics to track your store’s progress with, and the ability to sell unlimited products.

Though Shopify’s plans seem expensive at first, the powerful sales features – such as substantial shipping discounts on your postage costs – do make up for it. If you have a store you’d love to scale online, this is the way to do it. Source: Website Builder Expert

To test out Shopify’s features, you only have a 3-day free trial. However, you can also access your first month for $1 – an inexpensive way to give the platform a spin!

For smaller businesses, I recommend the Basic plan priced at $29 per month (billed annually).You’ll still receive powerful sales features, while it’s also a brilliant starting point for new businesses who anticipate growth further down the road. For instance, you’ll have access to 3 international markets, helping you dip your toes into selling overseas.

As your business expands, you could switch to the Shopify plan at $79 per month (billed annually). On this plan, you’ll receive upgraded features such as increased discounts on your shipping costs, alongside the ability to add additional accounts for your staff members.

In contrast, Wix’s premium plans, which range from $17-$159 per month (billed annually), are all suitable options for creating your business website. However, I would recommend the Core plan for a great balance between affordability and the quality of features. 

Costing $29 per month (billed annually), on this plan you’ll unlock website analytics, 50GB storage space, the ability for website visitors to create accounts, and a site chat that prospects can use to message you.

I was drawn to the Core plan because of the upgraded marketing features. For instance, you can send out ten lead capture forms instead of four. This means you have more chances to impress customers with interactive quizzes or surveys. Source: Website Builder Expert

It takesonly 50 milliseconds for visitors to form an opinion on your website. If your design is messy or littered with pop-ups, people are more likely to leave. Fortunately, most website builders come with numerous templates to choose from that are both practical and stylish.

As soon as a visitor enters your website, your business branding should be as clear as day. Make sure that your unique tone of voice, font style, color schemes, and imagery are consistent across your website.

To show you just what you could achieve, below are some examples of eye-catching business website designs from Wix and Shopify users, and why they work so well:

• Brand: Floof Cotton Candy
• Website Builder: Shopify
• What I loved: I was immediately hit by Floof’s playful color scheme after opening their landing page, giving me a clear impression of what they sell. The varying shades of pink not only pack a punch, but also allude to the brand’s pastel-colored cotton candy cake.

• Brand: Generation She
• Website Builder: Wix
• What I loved: Generation She, a business connecting Gen Z women with tech roles, is an inspiring website to navigate. I was immediately drawn to the empowering tagline and bold imagery that made me want to find out more about what the business stands for and how it works. As you scroll down the homepage, you’ll also come across photos of women business owners and a link to their podcast – all very clickable!

• Brand: Adored Vintage
• Website Builder: Shopify
• What I loved: This vintage clothing website pairs a muted color scheme with minimalist fonts and rich imagery to achieve an old-timey feel. I liked that I could dive straight into their clothing catalog from the homepage, while the professional photos grabbed my attention and inspired me to keep looking for the perfect dress.

• Brand: Dopple Press
• Website Builder: Wix
• What I loved: This photographic printing studio has a clear brand identity. I was immediately drawn to the quirky illustrations and playful fonts, which gave me a positive first impression of the business. Though the website’s design is unconventional, it didn’t affect the page’s functionality since I could still navigate the landing page without any issues.

Need more design ideas? Head to ourhow to design a website page!

Business Template Features To Look For

It’s not all about looks. Your template should also be equipped with key features that will enhance the user experience:

• Contact forms – These make it easy for prospects to get in touch with you. You could add a form to your landing page, “Contact Us” page, or both.
• Testimonials– Customer reviews add social proof to your website. You could feature testimonials from previous customers, or let website visitors add their own reviews. This is especially useful if you’re selling a product or service, since a positive review can be the difference between someone buying an item or leaving it in their cart.
• Call to action buttons – When a visitor browses your website, what’s the main thing you want them to do? Is it to sign up to your newsletter? Or purchase a product? Whatever it is, you can use eye-catching CTA buttons to inspire visitors to take the actions you want them to.
• Search bar– Visitors may come onto your business page to look for something specific, so you can give them a helping hand by adding a search bar to your website.
• Navigation bar – If you have multiple pages on your business website, you need to help visitors get from point A to point B. That’s where a navigation bar comes in handy. Whether you opt for a horizontal or dropdown navigation bar, it should enhance the user experience by keeping website navigation simple.

With Wix, I could add a contact form to my business website in one click. The form came in a variety of styles that were adapted to my site’s look, making it easy to keep my branding consistent across all pages. Source: Website Builder Expert

Once you’ve set the foundation of your website – your template – you can start filling it with useful business content. This includes going through your website and replacing the placeholder content that the website builder has added with your own. But what needs to be included?

First of all, you may want to add different pages to your website. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• “About Us” page – To build trust with potential customers, you need an “About Us” page. Use it to let visitors know more about your business, its goals, and most importantly, the person or team behind the brand. This is your chance to reach out to potential customers, so make sure your words count.
• “Contact Us” page – If a website visitor is inspired to reach out, they’ll no doubt head to your “Contact Us” page. On this page, you should include key ways for prospects to get in touch with you, such as your email address, physical address, phone number, external social media accounts, and even a contact form for specific enquiries.
• FAQ page– This page should be filled with valuable information for your audience, providing them with quick answers to commonly asked questions. When filling in this page, put yourself in the shoes of your target audience. What will they need guidance on?
• Products page– Opening an ecommerce site? If that’s a yes, then you need a dedicated products page. On this page, you could list featured products, or your entire inventory that users can filter via variants like “colors” or “sizes” or specific categories like “shoes” or “bags.”
• Services page– If you’re offering services, you’ll need a page listing exactly what you offer. For instance, a beauty salon owner may want to list the services they provide (french manicures, blow outs, etc) alongside a detailed description and prices. You could also install your bookings functionality on this page, letting visitors book their next appointment once they’ve scanned through each service.
• Bookings page– Whether you’re a beauty professional offering treatments or a financial expert offering consultations, a bookings page will be the hub for all things appointments. On this page, you can integrate your website builder’s booking tool to get started. Wix has a built-in booking tool that’s accessible on the Core plan and above, while Shopify’s app store has free and paid booking integrations to install on your website.

Since Shopify is a dedicated ecommerce platform, all of its templates come with a professional products page. I could immediately hop onto the editor and start tweaking its design. Source: Website Builder Expert

When creating a business website, you also need to add additional functionality to your page. Some platforms, such as Shopify, come with an app market where you can install apps onto your website. They cover a variety of functionalities, ranging from social media integrations and testimonials to live chat bots or Google maps.

For instance, there are thousands of Shopify apps to choose from. When setting up my test store, I could use filters to browse through Shopify’s selection and find appropriate apps for my store. Though many apps required payments to use, some came with free trials and free plans. Because of these varying prices, you can find apps that fulfill your business’ needs and are still suitable for your budget.

Shopify apps took a few clicks to install. When adding Trust Badges Bear to my test store, all I had to do was click install, and then I was redirected to this new section on my dashboard. From there, I could adjust the settings as I pleased. Source: Website Builder Expert

On the other hand, website builders can also come with a large number of built-in features. Wix is a brilliant example of this. Though Wix has its own app store, it also offers numerous in-built tools your business can take advantage of. Here are three that could be useful for your business:

1. Wix Hotels – Announced in Wix’s April Review, this hospitality solution lets hotel businesses easily manage their services in one place. You can accept reservations and payments, manage rooms, and connect your business with websites like Booking.com.
2. Wix Restaurants– In the restaurant industry? If so, you can use Wix Restaurants to create an appropriate website for your business. This feature comes with professional menus to showcase your dishes and beverages, and the ability to take and manage orders online.
3. Wix Bookings – Be it group sessions, classes, or intro calls, you can use Wix Bookings to set up appointments through your business website. You can also accept payments from clients, send out email or SMS reminders to attendees, and update your schedule via your booking calendar.

With Wix Bookings, I could set up my own calendar so clients can see when my services are held and when I’m out of office. With this tool keeping everything organized, it would be easier for business owners to spend time on other areas of the business. Source: Website Builder Expert

What About Marketing Features?

When looking at website features, I encourage you to check out marketing tools too. From email marketing to social media integration, these tools will help you grow your online presence and introduce your business to new audiences online. These are the key marketing features to look out for:

1. Social media marketing – Since platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram are home to over one billion monthly active users, you need to grow your business on social media too and tap into this huge user base.

Both Wix and Shopify make it easy to connect your business website with social media. For instance, Wix lets you create and share content on other social platforms like Facebook, and add links to your social media platforms on your website through social bars. These social bars feature social media icons that link out to your other pages.

Meanwhile, Shopify is well known for its multichannel selling opportunities. You can connect your store with TikTok and sell your products there, or access its Starter plan – priced at $5 per month (billed annually) –  and sell on social media accounts without the need for a storefront.

2. Email marketing– According to our email marketing stats, 99% of users check their inboxes every day! Make sure your business appears in your customers’ inboxes by investing in email marketing. Both Shopify and Wix come with powerful email marketing tools.To get you started, you’ll find a variety of templates and customization options that help you create emails designed to impress.

Depending on your business, you could send out company updates, product updates, news on special events or webinars, special discounts codes, or intel on industry-related news stories.

3. Search engine optimization –an effective SEO strategy will ensure that your business website is visible on search engines.

When a user searches up a keyword or query that’s related to your business, you’ll want your website to appear in the search results. For example, if you’re a pet grooming business, you could target the keywords “pet groomer” or “mobile pet grooming” and see if you appear in Google.

If you’re new to SEO, there are free online tools that can help. For instance, I recommend downloading Keyword Surfer, a free Chrome extension that will assist you in finding the right keywords to target. It not only shows you relevant keywords for a search, but it also shows you how many times each keyword is searched for every month.

Need an intro to SEO? Consult ourSEO basics article. 

You may be dying to publish your business website, but there are still two crucial things to do before going live: optimizing and testing out your website. The former step will ensure your business page is set up for search engines, while the latter will guarantee that your website works and provides visitors with a positive user experience.

Thankfully, these key steps aren’t as intimidating as you might think. When it comes to optimization, I recommend spending some time adding your chosen keywords into your website copy, making sure yourwebsite load times are speedy, and seeing if your page is mobile-friendly.All of these factors influence your website’s ranking on search engines, so make sure it’s all running smoothly.

Once you’ve optimized your site, you can then conduct your final tests. You need to test your website thoroughly and ensure that there are no glaring errors. As a starting point, look out for these common issues:

• Broken links – Ensure that your website links work, especially if you have important call to action buttons placed throughout your page. For instance, you wouldn’t want to miss out on a sale because a customer clicked on a “Buy Now” button that led to a “404 Error” page.
• Missing images – No one wants to see blank spaces where a vibrant image should have been. Go through each page of your website and make sure that all of your photos load fully. If they don’t, you may need to double check the media’s origin or optimize your photos to a lower file size.

Completed all of these checks? If that’s the case, go ahead and publish your website – congratulations!

The findings in this article are supported by our in-house website builder research, which compiles over 200 hours of data collection. These findings were categorized into six key criteria, reflecting what users need most in a website builder. They are weighted as follows:

1. Website Features (30%)
2. Design Functionality (25%)
3. User Experience (17%)
4. Help & Support (10%)
5. Value for Money (10%)
6. Customer Score (8%)

We took these key criteria into account when choosing which website builders to feature in this article. For instance, website features are most important for readers, so we made sure to include a website builder with the best features on the market: Wix.

Well done for making it this far! You now know how to approach the process of creating a business website in seven easy steps.

Remember, the work doesn’t stop once you’ve published your website. You need to keep monitoring all aspects of your page, from site visitors to SEO performance, and make sure your website is succeeding online. To do so, I recommend connecting your website with Google Analytics, because it comes with advanced tracking tools that can tell you more about your website visitors and their behavior.

Keen to discover other website builders on the market?Get stuck into our guide to the best website builders and find the right fit for your business website today.

There are three main ways to build a website:

• Use a website builder – approx. $2.99 to $299 per month
• Build with WordPress – approx. $11 to $1,000 upfront, with additional ongoing costs
• Hire a web designer – approx. $1,000-5,000+ upfront, with additional ongoing costs

I recommend using a website builder because of their user-friendly editors, built-in features, and responsive customer support. In most cases, you’ll get web hosting, security, templates, and more, all wrapped up in your website builder plan.

Building with WordPress comes with additional costs, such as plugins, hosting, and premium templates, and choosing to hire a web designer can be a very costly process (which we’ll discuss in more detail later). Because of these factors, website builders will be my primary focus in this guide.

There are three main ways to build a website:

• Use a website builder – approx. $2.99 to $299 per month
• Build with WordPress – approx. $11 to $1,000 upfront, with additional ongoing costs
• Hire a web designer – approx. $1,000-5,000+ upfront, with additional ongoing costs

I recommend using a website builder because of their user-friendly editors, built-in features, and responsive customer support. In most cases, you’ll get web hosting, security, templates, and more, all wrapped up in your website builder plan.

Building with WordPress comes with additional costs, such as plugins, hosting, and premium templates, and choosing to hire a web designer can be a very costly process (which we’ll discuss in more detail later). Because of these factors, website builders will be our primary focus in this guide.

We regularly test website builders to bring our readers up-to-date recommendations – part of our research involves reviewing pricing plans and the costs involved with getting set up online.

So, how much do the best website builders cost? Take a look at our top-performing builders to compare:

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Wix	Squarespace	Shopify	GoDaddy	Hostinger
Overall Rating 4.8	Overall Rating 4.6	Overall Rating 4.4	Overall Rating 4.3	Overall Rating 4.3
Starting from $17 $15.30 with code ‘TAKE10’	Starting from $16 $14.40 with code “WBE10”	Starting from $29 $1 for first month	Starting from $9.99	Starting from $11.99 79% off in early Black Friday sale: $2.49 + 3 months free (for 48-months)
Free plan or free trial Free plan	Free plan or free trial 14-day free trial	Free plan or free trial 3-day free trial	Free plan or free trial Free plan	Free plan or free trial 30-day free trial
Number of templates 900+	Number of templates 150+	Number of templates 150+	Number of templates 200+	Number of templates 150+
View Wix	View Squarespace	View Shopify	View GoDaddy	View Hostinger

Our top-rated website builders start from as little as $2.99 per month and go up to $299 per month (billed annually) if you’re looking for more advanced plans. Usually, pricing will be cheaper if you choose an annual subscription instead of paying month-by-month.

If you’re looking for the most affordable builder, Hostinger offers the cheapest plans on the market right now. That said, GoDaddy is the best value for money, offering affordable plans (including a free plan) and beginner-friendly features to help you get online quickly.

When testing GoDaddy, I got my website up and running in minutes. Source: Website Builder Expert

Ecommerce Pricing: Starting From $20.99

Standard website builders come equipped with features such as email marketing and SEO to help you showcase your work and promote your website online. However, if you want to sell products or services, you’ll need added ecommerce functionality.

Our top ecommerce website builders for 2024 range from $20.99 to $299 per month (billed annually). These plans are pricier than general website builder plans since you get access to sales features, like abandoned cart recovery, as well as additional support for your online store.

Can You Build a Website for Free?

You can build a website for free which is great for anyone on a tight budget. That said, I recommend upgrading to a premium plan as soon as possible to distance yourself from the limitations of a free plan. The most common of these include:

• Ads displayed on your website – this can make you look unprofessional or amateurish
• A preset domain name, such as www.accountname.wixsite.com/siteaddress
• Basic features which usually include low storage and bandwidth allowances
• No ecommerce functionality so you can’t sell online

My free test website with Wix had quite an obvious banner ad at the top of the homepage. Source: Website Builder Expert

Using a free website builder is great for testing, but little else – you can play around in the editor and try the builder’s features to see if it’s the right fit for you. It’s also a great opportunity to improve your building skills without any financial pressure. Still, you’ll want to upgrade to a paid plan to unlock advanced features and remove ads.

Hosting is an essential cost that can’t be overlooked. Luckily, website builders are a handy all-in-one solution since they include web hosting with your plan – this means you don’t need to source or manage your site’s hosting. If you use a platform like WordPress, you’ll have to pay for web hosting separately.

Here’s a quick breakdown of web hosting costs:

• Using a website builder – $0
• Using WordPress – $2.95+ per month

There’s an overwhelming number of web hosting providers out there, so we’ve tested the very best to help you find a suitable host for your website. Overall, Bluehost is our top-rated option, with pricing starting from $2.95 per month. It’s even recommended by WordPress.

For basic shared hosting, you can expect costs between $1 and $25 per month – most websites start on this type of hosting since it’s the cheapest and often includes a free domain name and SSL certificate. However, it’s also the least reliable and security can be rocky, so if you want better resources for your site, VPS hosting ranges from roughly $2 to $230 per month. Dedicated hosting plans start from around $50-150 per month, but these higher prices will only be necessary if you’re hosting a very large website.

Another key element when building a website is getting a domain name – a custom domain name is a great way to build brand recognition and site awareness. Some website builders include a custom domain name for free (usually for the first year of your plan), but you’ll eventually need to pay to keep your domain name registered.

• With selected website builder or web host – $0 for the first year
• Standard domain cost – $10+ per year

Domain names vary in price depending on your registrar, such as GoDaddy or NameCheap, the TLD (meaning the .com part of the address), and how popular the domain name is. For example, short and common word domains, such as ai.com, sold for millions of dollars in 2023! For a general .com domain name, you can expect to pay around $10 to $20, at least for the first year.

I used GoDaddy’s domain name checker to review pricing and availability. Source: Website Builder Expert

While website builders make it possible for both beginners and experienced builders to get online, only some have the time or desire to build a website themselves. If you’ve got the budget, you can hire a web designer to do the heavy lifting.

So, how much should a web designer cost? This is the hardest price to estimate because it varies depending on a designer’s rates – it could set you back a few hundred dollars upfront, with additional fees for ongoing maintenance. Typically, web designers charge around $50 to $200 per hour.

GoDaddy revealed its Essential Web Design Service in November 2023, offering small businesses a professionally-made four-page website for a one-time fee of $499.99.

I could pay a one-time fee to get GoDaddy’s design team to build my website for me. Source: Website Builder Expert

Lots of things can impact the cost of hiring a web designer, such as complexity, the number of pages, and whether or not you want them to build the site from scratch or rework an existing template. And you’ll have to pay more if you want them to maintain your site long-term.

There’s the danger of paying too little with a web designer and getting a poor website as a result, so make sure you have the budget to hire a suitably skilled designer for your needs. If you’re tight for cash, a website builder is the more affordable option.

There are plenty of additional fees to consider when figuring out how much a website should cost. When browsing website builder plans, see if the following features are included or make a note if you’ll have to pay extra:

• Templates – For example, Wix provides 900+ templates for free but the majority of Shopify’s templates have a one-time fee that can range between $140 and $450
• Apps – You may want or need to install and pay for third-party integrations, and some features, such as Squarespace’s Acuity Scheduling tool cost extra to use (starting from $16/mo)
• Security – Most website builders provide security measures for free, such as fraud detection for payments and free SSL certificates, but these will be added costs if you opt to use WordPress
• Content – If you don’t feel comfortable writing your content or creating imagery and videos yourself, then you’ll need to hire a professional to handle the work
• SEO – SEO experts can help optimize your website for search engines but this can set you back around $50 to $150 per hour, so I recommend relying on your website builder’s built-in SEO tools and learning resources (such as Wix’s SEO Learning Hub)
• Maintenance – You’ll want to track your website’s performance with tools like Google Analytics or alternatives to GA4 and make improvements where necessary

Shopify’s premium templates can be viewed before purchase and I appreciated being able to try the different preset options when browsing. Source: Website Builder Expert

You need to spend your time and money wisely to get the best results – but the good news is you don’t need a huge budget to create a beautiful website. Of course, the bigger your budget, the more you can spend on additional functionality and templates, but this won’t be necessary for smaller or personal sites.

Here are my expert tips to save money when creating a website:

• Think about present needs first – will you need every feature right away or can you pick a cheaper plan to start with? Can you upgrade down the line when you have a bigger budget to play with?
• Use a website builder – choosing a cheap website builder is the most cost-effective way to get your website up and running
• Don’t pay for extra features you don’t need – like Goldilocks, you want to find a website builder and plan that’s just right which means not overpaying for extra features you won’t use and not limiting yourself by choosing a cheap but restrictive plan
• Choose a free template – there are plenty of beautiful templates available that don’t come with a hefty price tag in addition to your website builder plan
• Use available resources and guides – make the most of online resources to upskill and improve your building knowledge (plenty of website builders have help centers full of tutorials, video lessons, and courses)

By now, you should have a good idea about how much a website should cost.

• Website builders can cost between $0 and $299 per month, and your plan usually includes extras such as hosting, a domain name, security, and templates – the most affordable and beginner-friendly option
• WordPress can cost between $11 and $1,000+ upfrontdepending on the plugins, premium templates, and hosting provider you choose – this option targets users who want advanced creative control and have some prior building experience
• Web designers will vary in price depending on the desired workload, but you can expect to shell out $1,000 to $5,000+ upfront, and even more for ongoing support – this option is best for complex or large sites, or for people who don’t have the time but do have the budget to spend

This is why I recommend using a website builder to create a website. The costs are minimal, depending on your chosen plan, and everything’s bundled under one price tag to keep things simple.

Since you’ve already chosen what to blog about, you’re well on your way to defining your book blog’s purpose. The next step is to determine the primary objective of your book blog – in other words, what exactly you want it to accomplish.

This could be:

• Promoting products
• Building authority
• Connecting with readers

Once you have a clear purpose in mind, you can set specific goals and use them to track your blog’s success.

If you’re wondering how to start a reading blog, choosing a platform is an important step! 94% of first impressions about a website relate to its design, so you want to choose a high-quality blogging platform to present your content in the best possible light.

We’ve done our fair share of research on this matter, and we can confidently say that the top three blogging platforms are:

• Wix for its built-in blogging features
• Squarespace for its uniquely designed templates
• WordPress.org for its ability to manage lots of content

There are countless different genres of books, from sci-fi to self-help – and if you can narrow your book blog down to just one of these niches, then you’ll attract a more specific audience to your content.

Can you guess which niche this Squarespace book blogger has chosen?

Your blog name will likely become the most recognizable part of your digital brand, so you’ll want to choose it wisely! Make sure to pick a name that showcases your personality. If you’re stuck for ideas, try to think of names that are relevant to your niche.

It’s also a good idea to have your blog name either be identical or very similar to your domain name. Your domain name is the website address that readers will enter to reach your blog – ours is WebsiteBuilderExpert, for example.

The cost of a domain name will differ depending on the extension you choose (.com, .net, and so on). If you want to take extra steps to secure your website, you can also purchase an SSL certificate.

Now is your chance to let even more of your personality shine through! If you’re using a website builder like Wix or Squarespace to design your blog, you can customize elements like the color scheme, fonts, and positioning without any knowledge of code. In fact, you can literally drag and drop text boxes and images wherever you want them to go!

Wix offers a wide selection of blogging templates to choose from.

Now that you’ve chosen your niche, you’ll be able to hone in on the specific interests and preferences of your audience – and you can tailor your content accordingly.

To conduct some good research on your audience, it’s worth looking into the target demographics of the genre your book blog is about.

This beauty blog seems to know that its audience is curious, socially engaged, and interested in more than just makeup.

For example, those aged 65 and over are 46% more likely to read historical fiction, while those aged 15 to 24 are two-thirds more likely to read fantasy and adventure books.

As you plan your blog content, identify potential topics that are relevant to your niche and of interest to your readers. For example, if your audience are big horror fans, then you’ll want to schedule some timely content in the lead-up to Halloween every year. It doesn’t have to be holiday-specific, of course – if you’re running a romance blog, you can write a list of the summer’s best beach reads, and so on.

It also helps to have your finger on the pulse in terms of the latest bestsellers and popular authors in your chosen genre. You could write a review of a hot new release, or rank a successful author’s books from your favorite to your least favorite.

You want to make sure to get as many eyes as possible on your book blog content, and keyword research is a great way to accomplish that. It might even give you some trending topic ideas, too!

Keyword research is a search engine optimization strategy, meaning it’s one way you can help your blog rank higher in Google search results. 68% of online experiences begin with a search engine, so appearing on the results pages can help grow your audience massively.

You can use online tools like WordStream or AnswerThePublic to find out which book-related keywords have a high search volume – or in other words, which keywords have the most people searching them in Google!

It’s important to write attention-grabbing headlines for your blog post since these will be the first clue people get as to what you’ve written about, and whether or not it’s something they’ll want to read.

We’ve written our fair share of headlines here at WBE, so here’s a short list of the most important qualities of a successful one:

• Keep it short and sweet to avoid any text getting cut off in previews.
• Make it memorable and intriguing so that readers will click.
• Make it specific so that people can tell right away if your content is relevant to them.

It goes without saying that to write a quality book blog, you’ve got to actually read the books you discuss! But other factors contribute here too. For example, you can make your content more relatable by including some personal anecdotes, like how you first got interested in a particular genre.

You also want to make sure you keep the quality content coming on a steady schedule. Online content calendar tools like CoSchedule and Trello can help with this, as can content batching!

Making sure readers engage with your content is important for your blog’s success, especially if you want to monetize it further down the line. It’s also really satisfying to get feedback on what you’ve created!

Below are some ways you can foster reader interaction:

• Ask questions that they can respond to in the comments section.
• Link to social media platforms where they can follow you.
• Let them vote on what your next blog post should cover.

If you follow some of the tips above about fostering reader interaction, then you’ll be sure to build a sense of community on your blog.

You can take this a step further by hosting book-related webinars, Q&As, or book clubs to further connect with your audience in real time!

This book blogger creates in-depth plot summary videos on her YouTube channel.

Blogging is a great marketing tool for small businesses, and it’s also a great passion project for anyone looking to share a personal interest with the world. Some of the clearest benefits of starting a book blog are:

• Connecting with like-minded readers
• Growing your online audience
• Creating your personal brand
• Making money through your blog

If you’ve read this far, you now know how to start a blog about books and make it a success. If you have any additional tips and tricks of your own, share them in the comments below – after all, we’d love some reader engagement!

Here are a few pointers:

1. Have you established yourbrand identity?: Your brand’s unique identity covers various elements like your name, logo, color palette, and copy. These elements must set you apart from competitors, so consider how the visual aspects of your website can create a cohesive and recognisable experience for users.
2. Do you know yourtarget audience? Attract the right crowd to your bookings website by establishing your target audience. If you’re struggling with this task, imagine your audience’s age range, gender identity, interests, lifestyle, and location. Will your service resonate with the kinds of people you’ve envisioned?
3. What kind of bookings are you taking?Depending on your services, you will need different booking features on your website. For instance, if you hold monthly classes, you’ll need to be able to take recurring bookings. Or, if you offer workshops that are in popular demand, you’ll need to have a waitlisting function. These factors will influence the website builder you opt for, so keep them in mind!

The number of website builders on the market can feel overwhelming. For that reason, we’ve narrowed your options down to two platforms. Home to excellent booking integrations, bothWix and Squarespace are our top picks for beginners. Either platform will help you create a professional booking website. 

Wix Summary

The best website builder on the market, Wix comes with brilliant features you can use when creating your booking website. Its Wix ADI tool can generate an AI-driven website template based on your needs, while you can also add a number of integrations to your booking page through its bustling app store.

Wix is also a suitable platform for hotels. In Wix’s April Review, it unveiled its new hospitality solution Wix Hotels. If you own a hotel business, you can now accept payments and reservations in one place, or connect your business with popular websites like Booking.com.

Squarespace Summary

Squarespace is a brilliant fit for design-conscious business owners.Boasting the most stylish templates on the market mixed with great design tools and a drag-and-drop editor, this builder makes it easy to look professional online.

It also comes with Acuity Scheduling, a built-in booking system, so you can set up appointments as soon as you choose your template.

Because Squarespace is also theeasiest website builder to use, I recommend this platform for one-person businesses.Even if you have limited time or resources to dedicate to your booking website, setting up won’t be difficult due to its user-friendly interface, and you’ll also encounter some useful onboarding tutorials along the way.

What Do You Need in a Booking Website Builder?

Need help choosing a website builder? If that’s the case, spend some time assessing each platform and exploring the features they offer. Do these features fulfill your unique needs?

Here are some features to look out for:

• Calendar syncing– Busy schedule? If you anticipate plenty of bookings, then you’ll need a way to showcase your availability. Many scheduling integrations, including Wix Bookings, offer ways to sync your Google Calendars with your website.
• Streamlined payment systems– To watch the money roll in, look for scheduling tools that let you accept payments online via credit cards, digital wallets, and invoicing.
• Automations – If your schedule is jam-packed, automations can help you manage it. Search for automations that can speed up the process, like automatic emails that remind customers of upcoming bookings or payments.
• Staff management tools – Part of a larger business? If so, you’ll need a booking system that can integrate multiple staff members with your website. See if the platform lets you add staff calendars for each member of your team.
• Video conferencing – If you will be face to face with plenty of remote clients, your website builder must allow video conferencing. Squarespace’s Acuity Scheduling has this feature and lets you integrate Zoom and JoinMe with your booking website.

Squarespace’s features page told me everything I needed to know about Acuity Scheduling. I saw that they offered multiple ways to get paid, which is great if you’re accepting regular payments from customers. Source: Website Builder Expert

Which Pricing Plan Do I Need?

To enable Bookings on Wix, you need the Core plan, which is priced at $29 per month when billed annually.It lets you install the Wix Bookings app, offering the ability to offer unlimited services and sync your personal calendars to your dashboard. Overall, it gives you a great range of booking features for a reasonable monthly cost.

On the Core plan, you can send 50 SMS notifications a month to your contacts. However, if you want to send a greater number of texts, you need to upgrade to the Business or Business Elite plans. For instance, the Business plan, priced at $36 per month when billed annually, lets you send 100 SMS notifications a month.

Wix’s pricing page has a section dedicated to its booking features. I was looking for ways to integrate socials and found out that you can connect multiple channels – great if you have pre-existing social media platforms you’d like to connect with your site. Source: Website Builder Expert

Once you’ve bought the Core plan or above, you’ll be able to download Wix Bookings from the app store and integrate it with your website!

But what about Squarespace? Our research shows that its plans are great value for money, varying between $16-$52 per month when billed annually.However, for a professional business page where you can take bookings, I recommend the Business plan at $23 per month when billed annually.

It comes with great ecommerce features that will complement your bookings page nicely. For instance, customers will be able to create accounts on your website, while you can create pop-ups and banners to promote new services you offer.

To access bookings, you’ll need to purchase Squarespace’s Acuity Scheduling tool, which comes at an additional cost. Ranging from $16-$49 per month when billed annually,you’ll be able to sync your calendars with your website and set up your payment settings.

I saw that all of the Acuity Scheduling plans come with invoicing and automatic reminder emails. Since all of these tools are in one place, I felt confident about managing my booking website through this tool. Source: Website Builder Expert

Squarespace Acuity’s cheapest option, the Emerging plan, is ideal if you’re at the helm of a one-person company.This means you might hold appointments or classes, run regular services such as live entertainment or beauty treatments, or frequently hold meetings for your freelance business.

However, you may need the Growing or Powerhouse plan if you’re a part of a wider team. For instance, the Powerhouse plan, at $49 per month when billed annually,lets you set up multiple time zones for different staff members and locations – great if your operations are run in multiple areas!

For more information on pricing, check out ourWix Pricing andSquarespace Pricing pages.

At first glance, a domain name may only seem like a small aspect of your website, but it’s much more than that. It’s the main way users will find you online.For that reason, you need to come up with a memorable primary domain to make sure your page is accessible for  public use.

Though most website builder plans come with a free domain, these typically last for one year only. Once your plan has run out, the domain will be charged. These prices can range from $20-$70 per year, depending on the platform you’re using.

For more flexibility with your pricing, you can research different domain name registrars to see who offers the best deals. Domain.com is a great example. On its website, I found offers for various domains that would suit a variety of businesses. For instance, a classic “.com” domain is $11.99 for your first year, but rises to $21.99 per year at renewal. 

I was impressed by Domain.com because there was so much choice. I found “.store,” “.tech,” and “.net” add-ons among many others. Source: Website Builder Expert

Need help finding the right fit?Read our guide to the best domain name registrars.

How Do I Create a Strong Domain Name?

Now that you know where to get a domain from, it’s time to choose a strong domain name.

This section will be most relevant to you if you haven’t come up with a business name yet. If you already have one, it’s best practice to make this your domain too, since you most likely have an existing customer base who are already familiar with it.

Without further ado, here are four tips to creating a strong domain name.

1. Is it short?The name “www.thisisaveryverylongwebsitename.com” isn’t particularly appealing. Though it does exactly what it says on the box, it will be tedious for users to type out. Instead, think of iconic brands like “ebay.com” or “www.levis.com” – short, sweet, and memorable.
2. Is it catchy?Like you would with a jingle or a tagline, make sure your domain is catchy so website visitors will remember it. As an example, “pinterest.com” is memorable as it blends the words “pin” and “interest” to create something entirely unique!
3. Is it easy for users to type out? To ensure users can easily type out your domain, ignore numbers, hyphens, and too many similar letters.
4. Does it have a keyword?Depending on your industry, you could try to add a keyword to your domain. For instance, if you’re a yoga instructor, you’ll probably want the word “yoga” somewhere.

Now for the fun part: your website’s unique design. According to our landing page statistics, your landing page will have a 160% higher conversion rate than other areas of your website. To keep users on your page, ensure that its design is both attractive andeasy to navigate.

Here’s what every strong website design needs:

• A strong tone of voice – Is your website sophisticated or playful? Authoritative or friendly? Your copywriting should reflect your brand’s identity. To create your tone of voice, think about your target audience and how they’d like to be spoken to.
• An eye-catching font– What do American Apparel, Jeep, and JCPenny have in common? A distinctive font. In fact, all of these brands use the font Helvetica! To find your ideal font, research current typography trends, see what other brands are using, and then explore which style best suits your brand.
• Evocative colors – Colors are associated with emotions. Because of this, you need to consider which colors best represent the way you want your website visitors to feel. If you’re offering fashion consultations, you could choose black to evoke luxury or sophistication. Or, if you offer business consultations, you could choose blue for trust and security.

For more design ideas, read ourhow to design a website guide.

On top of your website’s visuals, you need to add elements to your website that’ll help users find what they’re looking for. If you’re browsing a website builder’s template library, here are some key booking website features to watch out for:

• Navigation bars –If your booking website has multiple pages – such as “about us”, “services”, and “contact us” –  you need to ensure that users can easily switch between them. The quickest way to do this is by adding a website navigation Luckily, most website builder templates come with this feature.
• Booking widgets –How do you want users to book services on your website? Whether you want them to fill in contact forms, or click on a calendar on your landing page, look for a platform with a variety of booking widgets.
• Video Hosting –To showcase your services in another light, you could always add  a video that introduces, explains, or showcases your services. For that, you’ll need to make sure your website builder allows video hosting.

If picking a template feels overwhelming, some website builders have AI tools that’ll build your website for you! I used Wix ADI to create a booking website and it generated a unique page that fit my unique requirements. Source: Website Builder Expert.

Once you’ve chosen your template, you can start filling your website with content. But what should you include? Think about your target audience’s needs and ask yourself whether these features will be useful to them.

I’ve listed some pointers below:

• About Us Page– Here you can add background information on your brand’s story and mission statement.
• Services – Showcase your services by creating a bookings page. You can include important details like location, pricing, and dates.
• Social media links – Already have a Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok account for your business? Add social media icons to your page so users on your website can access these profiles too.
• Automated chat box– You can’t be at your website 24/7, so it’s worth adding an automated chat box that can respond to messages. Oftentimes, these chat boxes will notify you when someone interacts with your website.
• Testimonials– Adding genuine reviews to your website builds trust. If previous customers show approval of your services, then more people will be inspired to book a service themselves. You could add customer quotes, star reviews, and even photos (always ask for permission first), or install an app that allows customers to upload their own reviews themselves.
• Privacy Policy – Comply with website regulations by adding a Privacy Policy to your website. It tells users exactly what you intend to do with their information.
• SEO targeted copy– When writing your website copy, ensure you’re targeting the appropriate keywords. For instance, if “nail art” is your unique selling point, then you need to make sure this keyword is in your website headings and service descriptions.

Depending on your website builder, there are different ways to add appointment functionalities to your page. Since we’ve mentioned Wix and Squarespace already, here’s how you can add bookings to both platforms.

Wix Bookings

Setting up Wix Bookings was easy – I went onto the app store and installed the tool in one click. Afterwards, Wix redirected me to my dashboard, where I could now access a new “catalog” section. Here, I was able to add new services onto my website, from private appointments to group sessions.

For my fitness bookings website, I could add new classes from scratch or by editing the different kinds of services listed on the page. These suggestions were all relevant to my test website’s business, like the personal training and open gym! Source: Website Builder Expert

Once I had added my services, I could explore a myriad of other features. I could click on the “bookings calendar” tab to see my work schedule, set up and manage the work hours of staff members, and edit my default hours so customers know when I’m available each week. All of these features will help you manage your business effectively, so you can run each service without a hitch.

Acuity Scheduling

In contrast to Wix Bookings, Acuity Scheduling is already built into Squarespace. In other words, you don’t need to install an app to set it up. After I had chosen my template, I located the “Scheduling” tab from the left sidebar and began to fill in details such as my scheduling page URL and first appointment type.

If you’re precious about your time, Acuity Scheduling makes it easy to set your availability. I could fill in which days and times I’m available to make sure that visitors only book classes on those allocated days. Source: Website Builder Expert

I was taken through a straightforward, step-by-step process, beginning with naming my scheduling page to entering my availability for each week. All of the key features, such as appointment invoicing and client lists, are kept in one area of your website, so it’s really easy to organize and maintain your business over a long period of time.

Is There Anything Else I Should Set Up?

Before you dive into testing and publishing your website, double check to see if you also have these key features installed:

• Do you have payments enabled?If you’re offering paid services, you need a way to accept payments online. For instance, both Wix and Squarespace have their own all-in-one payment solution, letting you accept payments from major credit and debit card companies. Wix gives you the widest variety of payment options, with over 80 payment methods worldwide.
• Are you offering gift cards?If so, Wix Bookings lets you sell gift cards from your website. Customers can purchase custom amounts and send them to friends and family, enabling the recipient to book one of your services. Meanwhile, you can’t get gift cards with Squarespace, but you can offer special packages for clients. As an example, you could offer their fifth booking for free after four appointments.

After installing Wix Bookings, I could access gift cards from my dashboard. The feature also lets you track them, so you can see how successful they are. Source: Website Builder Expert

So you’ve spent hours putting your website together and it’s almost time to hit publish. But before you do, there’s one step you can’t avoid: testing your website. This will help you spot any website errors that could negatively impact users, and gives you time to smooth these problems out before going live.

These are some areas of your booking website to keep an eye on:

1. Is your website slow?According to our website load time stats, 82% of consumers say that slow loading times impact their purchasing decisions. With this in mind, don’t forget to test your website’s loading times. You don’t want a customer to feel frustrated and close your bookings page! You can help speed up your website by optimizing images. To achieve this, you’ll need to find the sweet spot between lower file sizes and high-quality imagery, so feel free to experiment with image compressing tools before hitting publish.
2. Are your pages mobile optimized?With a third of customers preferring to book appointments via mobile, you need to make sure your pages are mobile optimized. If your website looks clunky on smartphones, it’s time to go back to the drawing board. Keep your website mobile-friendly by removing any excess plugins or pop-ups that will clutter the screen, refining your design so it looks sophisticated on all devices, and using a free tool like mobiReady to see how well your website performs on mobile.
3. Does your bookings system work?Remember to test your bookings system. After all, there’s no point in setting up a booking website if visitors can’t book your services in the first place! When testing this feature, make sure all dates and prices are accurate, your payment options work, and your booking system offers a seamless experience from start till finish.

Tested your website thoroughly? Go ahead and publish!

Congratulations on publishing your booking website! However, you can’t just stop there. You’ll also need to use an array of marketing tools to grow your business’ online presence. Here are three tools that can help you promote your website:

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

If there’s anything you should focus on, it has to be your website’s SEO. When you create website copy, you’ll need to target the right keywords to ensure your website appears on search engines.

The keywords you choose should be intuitive and relate back to your business. For instance, a private tutor offering singing lessons could target keywords such as “singing lessons,” “singing teacher,” “vocal coach,” or “voice lessons.”

To help you come up with these keywords, put yourself in the shoes of your target audience. Think about what they’d need to search for on Google to find your service.  

For additional help, you could also consult a free SEO tool. My personal favorite is Keyword Surfer, a free extension you can add to Google Chrome. When you enter a specific search query into Google, it’ll show you related keywords alongside their overall search volume – perfect for beginners and seasoned SEO professionals alike!

For an in-depth look at SEO, refer to ourSEO basics guide.

2. Email Marketing

Keep customers in the loop by setting up email marketing. For instance, if you’re in hospitality, you could set up hotel newsletters and notify your contacts about upcoming events, loyalty schemes, or even seasonal discount codes.

If you opt for either Wix and Squarespace, both of these platforms offer built-in email marketing tools. But if you’d prefer to use a third-party company, like Mailchimp, you could also download an email marketing integration from Wix or Squarespace’s app store.

Want to know more about emails? See our guide toemail marketing best practices.

3. Blogging

If you have plenty of expertise in your industry, consider adding a blogging platform to your booking page. This way, you can showcase your knowledge to your audience and build trust with new website visitors who come across your content.

Most website builders, like Wix and Squarespace, already come with blogging features, so it’s easy to integrate one with your website. With Wix, for instance, I could install the Wix Blog integration from the app store in one click. Once I added it to the site, I could access my blog page from the editor and start creating my first post.

If you opt for a blog, remember to enable commenting and social media sharing. Commenting lets your audience engage with your content and spark industry-related discussions, while social media sharing lets visitors share your work with audiences on other platforms (and who knows who will see it?)

For more information on blogging, refer to our guide tostarting a business blog.

My Squarespace website came with its own blogging page named “journal”. Here, I could start writing posts on fitness-related topics, using them to share my findings with potential customers who visit my page. Source: Website Builder Expert

This article is backed by hands-on website builder research. In fact, our in-house research team has compiled information from over 200 hours of data collection.These findings were split into six key criteria that were weighted based on what users are looking for most in a website builder:

• Website Features (30%)
• Design Functionality (25%)
• User Experience (17%)
• Help & Support (10%)
• Value for Money (10%)
• Customer Score (8%)

Since website features are most important to users, I delved into Wix and Squarespace’s respective booking features to show you what they offer and how they could accommodate your needs.

After covering the seven easy steps, you’re now ready to create your own booking website. But if you’re still hesitant about getting stuck in, here’s why you should take the leap:

1. You’ll save time by streamlining the booking process.You will no longer need to juggle multiple tasks at once, from managing reservations to constantly sharing your availability with clients.
2. Customers can easily book your services.With all of your bookings kept in one place, customers won’t have difficulty booking and paying for a class, consultation, or service.

Keen to pick your website builder?Read our guide to the best website builders and open your booking website now.

First up? Assessing the state of play in your local hotel business.

You’ll need to analyze the lay of the existing hospitality land – and that means researching the market. Undertaking market research for your hotel will help you understand and meet the evolving needs of your future guests, while staying on top of emerging travel patterns, popular booking platforms, and current hotel market dynamics.

For a full overview of using market research to understand your audience, our guide will help. But, if you don’t have the time for such a comprehensive take, here are a few quick tips:

• Consider the demographics, psychographics, and behavioral characteristics of your potential guests to understand your hotel’s target audience.
• Identify your hotel’s niche within the broader hospitality market (such as eco-friendliness, luxury, or catering to a specific demographic of guests) to differentiate it from competitors.
• Research your hotel’s direct competitors – both local and online – and evaluate their online presence, pricing strategies, customer reviews, and overall market positioning.
• Establish clear, achievable business goals (both short- and long-term) that align with your vision for your hotel. These goals can tie into specific, measurable KPIs: such as occupancy rates, revenue targets, and customer satisfaction metrics.

Starting a hotel in the US isn’t as simple as throwing open your doors and lighting up a green neon ‘Vacancy’ sign. You’ll have your fair share of regulatory red tape to wade past until you can legally accept your first guest.

This includes:

• Choosing a suitable business structure (for example, sole proprietorship, partnership, LLC, or corporation) and registering your hotel with the relevant state authorities. You’ll also need to obtain a Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) from the IRS before you can hire your first bellboy or valet.
• Checking zoning laws and land use regulations to ensure your chosen location is suitable for a hotel, then obtaining the necessary permits and approvals from local planning and zoning departments.
• Obtaining health department permits for any on-site dining facilities, plus a hotel license and – if you’re planning to operate a bar at your hotel – a liquor license, too.
• Ensuring your hotel’s facilities and services are accessible for individuals with disabilities, for example ensuring step-free access to key entrances and exits.
• Protecting your hotel’s name, logo, and other intellectual property by registering trademarks. Be sure, too, to safeguard your guests’ data by complying with data protection laws – especiallyif you collect and process guest information online.

The hospitality market will alwaysbe bustling with competition. So, your hotel will need a strong brand to cut through all that fluff and help you not only grab and hold your potential guests’ attention but also convince them to stay at your hotel over the others.

So how can you successfully build a brand online? Start by:

• Developing a unique and memorable brand identity: clearly defining your hotel’s unique value proposition and personality, designing a memorable logo, and choosing a cohesive color palette and typography.
• Crafting a compelling brand story that conveys your hotel’s history, vision, and values, while highlighting any unique features such as architectural elements, community involvement, or sustainability practices.
• Establishing a presence on key social media platforms – Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X (formerly Twitter) are all excellent places to start, as is TikTok (although this will depend on the demographic of your ideal hotel guest).
• Ensure consistency in branding across all your online and offline platforms: using the same logo, colors, and messaging throughout your website, social media, and marketing materials to guarantee a consistent audience experience. Follow hotel website design best practices to ensure a good user journey.

Before you can start accepting bookings, you’ll need to get online to create a website for your hotel. The easiest way to do this? Through a website builder.

Website builders are tools, such as Wix, Squarespace, and GoDaddy, which allow you to create an online presence for your hotel – quickly, easily, affordably, and without needing to know how to code (or needing to pay someone who does).

Not all website builders are equal, though, so our guide to the best website builders will help you pick the right one for your hotel. You’ll also need to choose a website builder that comes with a strong online booking system, or at least the ability to integrate with one via a reliable third-party plugin.

With the right online booking system in place, your guests will be able to view your hotel rooms’ availability and rates on your website and book directly through your business. This helps you avoid paying out big commissions to third-party booking sites such as TripAdvisor or Booking.com, and giving your sales and revenue a big boost.

Want to know more? Dive straight into our article on how to build a hotel website.

A striking website – like this one from Malibu-based Hotel June – is vital for any hotel. The easiest, quickest way to build one is through a website builder such as Wix or Squarespace.

How you market your new hotel online will have a large, and direct, correlation with how successful it will be. So how can you employ digital marketing strategies to best effect?

Well, our digital marketing tips will help get you started. But for some quickfire, hotel-specific advice here, we can recommend:

• Investing in content marketing – which includes writing and publishing blogs on your website – to boost your hotel website’s SEO (search engine optimization) efforts, and increase its likelihood of appearing higher in Google and Bing rankings.
• Promoting using hotel social media marketing strategies, interacting with your brand’s followers there through liking and commenting, and encouraging guests who’ve had a positive experience at your hotel to talk about it on their social platforms.
• Utilizing email marketing to retain and attract hotel guests. There are various types of hotel newsletters you can send, including publishing a monthly newsletter, offering potential customers deals or discounted stays via email, or retargeting customers who once browsed rooms on your website.
• Getting in touch with influencers to offer them free stays in return for publicity.

Online travel agencies (OTAs) are sites such as Expedia, Hotels.com, Booking.com, and TripAdvisor. These platforms have a large user base and huge global reach, and – by partnering with them – you can bring in more business than your website will alone. (At least in your hotel’s early days!)

Here are our top tips for working with OTAs:

• Negotiate early and fiercely to secure a favorable commission rate and contract terms.
• Explore partnerships with niche OTAs that cater to your hotel’s specific target market.
• Maintain rate parity across all your distribution channels to avoid pricing conflicts and engender trust – although nothing is stopping you from offering incentives for booking directly through your hotel’s website.
• Implement dynamic pricing strategies to adjust your hotel’s rates based on demand, local events, and competitor pricing while staying within the agreed-upon parameters of your deals with OTAs.
• Strategically use OTAs to promote seasonal packages, special offers, and promotions.
• Take advantage of the marketing tools OTAs offer – such as sponsored listings and featured placements – to enhance visibility and attract more bookings.
• Regularly analyze the performance metrics OTAs provide to understand booking trends and customer demographics – and adjust your hotel’s prices accordingly.

Expedia is a popular OTA enabling you to grow your hotel’s reach and guest base, and increase awareness of your brand.

In hospitality, good reviews are, arguably, more important than in any other industry. After all, flip the perspective for a moment, and ask yourself when the last time was that you – as a consumer– didn’t check a stay’s Google or TripAdvisor before you reserved it.

For this reason, how you manage your hotel’s reputation online will be instrumental to its success. To do this, be sure to:

• Monitor and respond to online reviews (especially the negative ones) across platforms such as Google Reviews, TripAdvisor, Yelp, and social media.
• Encourage satisfied guests to leave reviews after their stay with you. You can do this via social media, your website, or in post-stay emails addressed directly to the guest.
• Resolve any issues proactively, offering solutions or compensation to dissatisfied guests and taking the conversation offline as soon as possible.
• Use any negative feedback to refine and improve your hotel’s approach going forward.

Negative reviews can be alarming and disheartening, but be sure to respond to them to convey a professional and polite profile, and use any constructive feedback to improve your hotel’s experience for future guests.

As a hotel, you have a responsibility to every guest that walks into your lobby. First and foremost, that’s to ensure they have a pleasant stay – but it goes beyond that. Because your hotel alsohas a responsibility to safeguard your guests’ most sensitive information and demonstrate your commitment to storing that data privately and securely.

To do this, ensure all your guest information is encrypted, and that your website meets the latest cybersecurity standards. (An SSL certificate is the bare minimum.) If you’re taking payments on-site and online, you’ll also need to ensure your hotel is PCI (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) compliant – your payment processor can help you get up to speed here.

Do all this correctly, and you’ll meet your state’s strict data collection and storage policies. Do it poorly, and you risk exposing your customers’ information in a data breach – and all the financial and reputational consequences that come with it.

For more information on this topic, tick a few items off our website security checklist, browse the latest cybersecurity statistics, or learn how to make your website more secure.

In this guide, we’ve answered the question “how to start a hotel business” by listing out the key components of the process. Let’s recap the most important steps to opening a hotel in 2024:

• Undertake market research and careful planning
• Understand your state’s legal and regulatory obligations
• Create a strong, channel-agnostic online brand for your hotel
• Build a website with online booking functionality
• Utilize digital marketing strategies to attract customers
• Manage your hotel’s image and reputation online
• Partner with online travel agencies (OTAs) to widen your reach
• Implement robust cybersecurity practices to safeguard your website and customers

While doing all this, you’ll need to stay on top of evolving, emerging developments in the hospitality industry, and keep abreast of audience and sector trends as they unfold. Do this, and you’ll build a successful, sustainable place to stay this year and beyond.

Good luck!

Defining your gaming niche is the same as choosing your character before an epic campaign. Will you charge into the arena of eSports commentary, or maybe craft spell-binding game reviews? Perhaps you’ll chart the ever-shifting landscape of gaming news, or carve out a devoted space for a game that’s captured your heart.

Understanding the lay of the digital land is key to rallying gamer clans towards your blog – be they hardcore players or casual mobile swipers. Your chosen path should not only spark joy in the gamers who read your stuff but also showcase your deep-seated expertise.

So, keep your ear to the ground for emerging trends and untapped territories. Some savvy research of competing blogs will reveal the boss-level gaps you’re destined to fill and help you press start on your very own blogging gaming journey.

But most of all, make sure you pick a gaming niche that appeals to yourinterests – after all, you’re going to be spending a lot of time researching and writing about it!

Gamers are passionate, so it’s important to tap into their interests and build on that.

To build a gaming blog that resonates, you’ve got to speak the language of, you guessed it, gamers. Who are they? Button-mashing brawlers, strategy-seeking sages, or those searching for solace in solitary RPGs?

Your audience isn’t just defined by age or location but by their gaming battle scars –their preferences for platforms, genres, and the cultural quirks of their gaming worlds. Tune into their challenges, their epic wins, and the bosses they can’t defeat.

Engage in the forums and Discord channels where they strategize and swap tales. Listen, learn, and loop their feedback into your blog like a well-placed side quest, making your content as engaging as the games they love. Tapping into your gaming audiences lets you build readership and craft a community.

Selecting the perfect blogging platform is the next grand adventure. It needs to match the look and feel of what you want to do. For example, for gaming blogs, where vivid graphics and interactive features reign supreme, Wix, Squarespace, and WordPress stand out as the best options.

Wix, Squarespace, and WordPress are three of the most popular platforms for building a blog.

Wix shines with user-friendliness, letting you craft vibrant posts without the need to understand code. Squarespace, on the other hand, scores points with its sleek designs that are perfect for showcasing high-resolution game imagery.

And WordPress? Think of it as the open-world choice. It’s vast and customizable, for those who know their tech and crave complete control. Your platform sets the stage for your gaming sagas to unfold, so choose the one that fits your quest best.

More info:See how much it costs to start a blog.

Standout gaming content is what sets your gaming blog apart from the rest and turns intrigued readers into a returning audience that can’t wait to get your latest updates and be part of the community.

Here are some ideas for crafting high-quality gaming content for your blog:

• Reviews

Dive deep into reviews of the latest games as well as revisiting classics. Dissect gameplay, spin a narrative, and connect emotionally. Your review should be a journey for the reader and not just a summary.

• Guides

Light the way for gamers, helping them beat that one particular boss or level design that they keep getting stuck on. Offer in-depth strategies and insider tips to navigate those tricky levels. Be the sage of the gaming realm.

• News

Be the scoop. Deliver hot-off-the-press news with punchy insights. You can stay up to date with the latest news using Google and connecting with the right accounts on social media. Just remember to always credit your source.

• Visuals

Don’t just tell stories. Splash your posts with vibrant screenshots and dynamic videos that really hook the reader and capture the imagination. Whether it’s a screenshot of a colorful level design or imagery of new gaming tech, make sure your blog has lots of visuals and videos to captivate your audience and break up big chunks of text.

• Aligned platforms

Don’t forget to link your blog to other platforms, such as YouTube or Twitch. Having these channels alongside your blog will help grow a dynamic audience ready to engage with all of your touch points.

Make sure you choose a logo that will help your brand create an identity, just like this logo by Eurogamer which creates an impact with its simple colors and bold fonts.

Building and promoting your gaming brand requires strategy, personality, and a call to action to rally your followers. So what are the key components of building a successful brand?

• Logo

Start with a logo that captures the essence of your gaming ethos – think bold, memorable, and infused with the spirit of your favorite games.

• Tagline

A tagline is your battle cry. It should be snappy, encapsulating your blog’s soul in a few choice words.

• Blog theme

When picking a blog theme, aim for one that’s as responsive as it is thematic—because in the gaming world, aesthetics and functionality go hand-in-hand.

• Persona

Craft your brand’s persona like a character backstory. It should be consistent, relatable, and filled with personality.

• Social media

When you step onto the social media battleground, wield your content like a legendary weapon, engaging with gaming communities where they hang out the most. This is not just about being seen but about being remembered and forging an identity.

• Use relevant platforms for marketing

Social media isn’t the only way to broaden your audience. You can also use relevant platforms to pull in more readers. For example, Twitch marketing is a great way to find potential readers with similar interests.

More info:If you want some extra help getting your gaming blog started, check out our top blogging tips.

IGN has built up so much popularity that it now has its own merchandise store.

You can level-up your passion by monetizing your gaming blog and turning it into a profit. There are several ways to generate income from your blog, such as featuring gaming ads—those banners and pop-ups that speak gamer language, blending seamlessly with your content.

You can also knock on the virtual doors of gaming giants for sponsorships, offering them a spot in your digital world. Affiliate marketing can be a powerful tool, whether you’re recommending tech, hardware, software games, or other gaming-related gizmos.

If your blog is doing really well, think about merchandise opportunities. From tees and mugs with your logo to stickers and keyrings, these items can increase your profit while enhancing the profile of your overall brand.

Fostering a gaming community requires plenty of nurturing. The aim is to create connections – build a tribe, if you will. Engage with your fellow gamers by showing that you care about their interests.

That involves replying to their comments, debating strategies, and reveling in their triumphs. Create a space on your blog that’s theirs – a forum or a digital roundtable for discussions, theories, and camaraderie.

And why not up the ante? Host events or tournaments and watch as friendly competition breeds community spirit. Forge alliances with fellow gamers and influencers. These collaborations can cast a wider net, bringing more diverse voices to the table.

But remember, a community thrives on respect. Set the rules of engagement with clear moderation and etiquette policies, ensuring your gaming realm is one where all feel welcome to play.

Gaming and entertainment website IGN covers the latest trends, including AR.

Trends change in an instant in the gaming world and updates and upgrades happen non-stop. That’s why it’s important to stay on top of this constantly-evolving genre and adapt to gaming trends and innovations as they happen.

Don’t be afraid to cover new technologies, whether it’s the latest AR or VR implementation. Pay attention to cloud gaming updates and how AI impacts new gaming developments. And, of course, there’s always a new blockbuster game release just around the corner.

It’s not only about the news, though. Add some gamification to your blog with dynamic quizzes, website treasure hunts, and other interactive elements that resonate with readers. Varying up the content will add a new lease of life and earn your blog a reputation as an innovative space.

You’ve finally made it to the end of this quest, and now you should be ready to sail off into the horizon to start your new gaming blog.

But before you go, let’s recap the eight steps you can take to create a gaming blog that everyone wants to read:

1. Define your niche
2. Know your audience
3. Choose the right platform
4. Create high-quality content that stands out
5. Build a brand
6. Turn your blog into a money-maker
7. Foster a community
8. Stay agile and adapt to trends

Follow these tips and you’ll give yourself a great chance of success with a gaming blog that covers all the angles. People will be hitting the start button on your blog in no time.

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So, where to start? The good news is that anyone can buy a domain name. The best place to begin is by using a domain registrar; a company that will help you find, purchase and manage your domain name. However, there are a lot of registrars to choose from.

When choosing, we’d advise weighing up affordability, security, and support. What’s the best value for money? And what is going to keep your domain name safe?

It’s also worth exploring the registrars that are accredited with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which is the nonprofit organization responsible for coordinating all of the numerical spaces on the internet.

Here are some of the best domain registrars to try out:

• Domain.com– currently, this registrar powers over 1.2 million websites around the world, and offers various features that give customers full control over their domain names. It also has free transfer lock security, which prevents your domain from getting stolen or deleted.
• NameCheap – offering free privacy protection, this is a solid registrar when it comes to security. It currently manages millions of domain names for over 500,000 customers, and aims to make buying and transferring domain names as easy as possible.
• Bluehost– arguably the best registrar for all-in-one convenience, Bluehost comes free for one year when you sign up, and includes free SSL certificates, as well as Domain Lock Security.

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Now you’ve selected your registrar, it’s time to search for a domain name. This is a long-term investment, so it’s worth getting it right first time.

Whilst searching for domain names, you’ll find that a lot of options are already taken. Don’t worry! Although this can be frustrating, take it instead as a chance to think outside the box, which can lead to a more unique result. If the name you want is taken, registrars also have search engines that’ll provide a list of available alternatives.

For now, here are some general tips when searching for and selecting a domain name:

• Keep it snappy! Make sure that your domain name is easy to remember.
• Use keywords and/or your brand name in the domain name search – keep things relevant!
• Avoid using punctuation – such as hyphens – in your site’s domain name.

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On the whole, people prefer Top Level Domains (TLDs), which refer to the suffix attached to Internet domain names. We think “.com” is often the best choice, as people always recognise and remember it. Even those who aren’t tech-savvy use “.com” and type it without thinking! Smartphones also have a pre-built key for .com, making mobile searching easy.

However, if “.com” isn’t available, “.net” “.edu” or “.org” extensions are not uncommon. In fact, “.edu” and “.org” are often used by educational and charity websites. So in some instances, they may make more sense for

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Now you have your domain’s name and suffix sorted, it’s time to buy your domain name.

Domain names generally cost between $10 and $20 a year, depending on which registrar you buy from. Different registrars offer different packages, so it’s worth shopping around to find the best deal. Most registrars also offer a discount for a domain name for the first year, after which they’ll bill you annually.

If you’re using website builders such as WordPress, Wix, and Squarespace, you can get free domain names known as ‘sub-domains,” for example “websitebuilderexpert.wordpress.com.” The downside of this is you don’t own the sub-domain, and it’s also a less memorable URL. So we’d recommend taking the plunge and buying a domain name – then, at least, it’s all yours!

Once you’ve found your domain name, you’ll be directed to a sign-up page to enter your account information; your name, address, and email address. You’ll be offered hosting extras at this point, but we’d recommend leaving this for now – you can always add them in later.

Finally, enter your payment details and you’re almost there. You’ll just need to…

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Lastly, you’ll need to make sure your domain name is assigned to you, which is a pretty easy process. Simply sign in to your domain registrar (where you bought your domain name from), and you’ll be asked for some final details about yourself. Submit these, and you’re all set. The domain name is all yours!

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Creating your first website can seem like a daunting and technical process, but once you’ve chosen your domain name, you’re on the right track. Now, you can start to build your brand – and get creative!

Here’s a quick look at those 5 key steps on how to start a lifestyle blog: 

1. Visit a Domain Name Registrar
2. Search for a Domain Name
3. Choose a Domain Name
4. Purchase the Domain Name
5. Verify Ownership of Your Domain Name

Happy website building!

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