I’d hope by now you know that starting a business website does not require advanced tech expertise.
So, in this guide, I’ll show you how to set up your business website with WordPress and get a free domain name and email. I will also share some website setup tips based on my own personal experiences.
What Can A Business Website Do For You?
Let’s talk about how a business website can be beneficial to you:
- It makes it easy for your customers to find you. Typing your domain name or scanning a QR code is easier than looking up your business on Facebook or Linkedin.
- It will give your brand a professional image. A business website will help you stand out among your competitors.
- Allows you to sell your products or services online. Think about how accepting online payments can boost your business.
- Helps you reach more customers. You could capture the attention of new customers from another district or even a neighboring country.
- You will end up being more tech savvy. Gaining more tech knowledge will help you to advance in your career and professional life.
So, let’s see how easy it is to set up your own business website.
Step 1: Choose a Website Hosting Provider
A website hosting provider is a company that stores your website on the Internet. There are many options available, but only some providers offer a free domain name when you sign up for a hosting plan.
Over the years, I have tried out a few shared hosting plans with different providers. However, I found out shared hosting is actually not that ideal for business websites.
I hope you won’t make the same mistake as I did, so here’s a tech tip for you:
Website Tip: Managed hosting is better than shared hosting.
You know how people usually recommend to get started with shared website hosting? Well, I have tried a few of them and they lack in loading speed and user-friendliness.
So, I’d recommend to go for managed WordPress hosting and my current favorite one is EasyWP by Namecheap.
EasyWP loads my blog faster, it’s cheaper, and does not require extensive technical skills to manage. If you are a beginner, you can try the starter version FREE for 30 days.
Use my EasyWP affiliate link or click on the image to get an offer and I may earn a commission if you make an online purchase at Namecheap’s website.
Once I tried the EasyWP managed WordPress hosting myself, I never look back. Even their cheaper basic plan loads my website fast.
You can try visiting my other website at https://sparksterweb.com to test its loading speed. That website is hosted on the basic EasyWP Starter and the theme in use is not even optimized for speed.
Combined with Namecheap’s outstanding customer support that I personally experienced over the years, I’d certainly not hesitate recommending EasyWP.
Step 2: Register Your Domain Name
A domain name is your website’s address, like www.yourbrand.com.
Namecheap is a leading domain name registrar and I have been using their services for more than five years now. They also offer a wide range of website services, including website hosting.
If you have clicked on my affiliate link in the previous step, you would have been directed to Namecheap’s website where you can find details about the EasyWP WordPress hosting.
To get a free domain name in your first year, you need to sign up for the EasyWP Turbo or Supersonic. You will also get free business email in your first year too under these plans among other nice freebies.
I really like the free business email add-on, so I’d recommend you sign up for one of the plans that offer this freebie if you are serious in taking your business to an advanced level. Communicating with a business email will surely boost your professional image and help pave the way to making deals.
Website Domain Name Tips
Let me emphasize to you that your website’s domain name is very important! So, do give some serious thought on it.
Your domain name is how your customers find you (your website) online. If your brand name is still new, think about using a name that is easy to pronounce, so your website visitors will not misspell or have to guess your website’s exact domain name.
Most business owners will try to register their domain name by using their own brand name as it is how their customers recognize them. For freelancers or solopreneurs, they usually use their own personal name.
Domain names ending with .COM are still the favorite among website owners. If your preferred name is already taken. try an alternative domain name that ends with .NET, .CO, .INC, etc.
Once you have registered your domain name, it is best not to change it. This is because once Google and other search engines indexed your website pages, changing your domain name will mess up the search engine optimization (SEO) of your website. When that happens, your website’s ranking in the search results may drop or worst, be excluded entirely out of the results.
Marketing Tip: Your brand name is crucial in life and business!
Your brand name matters a lot! It’s how your customers, suppliers, job recruiters, peers, etc recognize you online and offline. It also plays a big part in distinguishing your professional self among the crowd.
You do not necessarily need to have a business brand name to register a domain name. A well-managed personal, moniker or professional brand can boost the reputation of your identity in personal and professional interactions.
Click or tap on the image or use my affiliate link to register your domain and I may earn a commission if you make an online purchase at Namecheap’s website.
Step 3: Setup Your Business Website
There was a time when I thought it was better to code my website from scratch but that is no longer the case since I signed up with EasyWP WordPress hosting and found out how easy things can be.
As long as you follow the proper steps, installing your WordPress business website should be a breeze.
Here’s a tutorial video that teaches you how to create an EasyWP WordPress website with a Namecheap domain:
If you do not know what is DNS mentioned at the beginning of the video, then you can refer to Namecheap DNS Knowledgebase.
Namecheap’s extensive knowledgebase articles is another reason why I’d recommend them. I dare say you’d become more tech savvy just by poring through some of their articles.
After you registered for a new domain name with Namecheap or other any other registrar for the fact, you will need to wait between 24 to 48 hours before you can visit your website live on the Internet. This is due to a process called DNS propagation.
Creating the Contents of Your Business Website
While you wait for DNS propagation to complete, you can of course start creating contents for your website.
You may of course hire a website designer to take care of this task but you can certainly design your website yourself with the help of templates.
If you had purchased EasyWP Turbo or Supersonic, the plan comes with an easy to use site builder called Brizy. Here’s a tutorial video to help you get started with using Brizy:
There is also another popular website builder for WordPress called Elementor. I use it for my other website and it’s easy to pick up after just watching a tutorial video. There are lots of tutorial videos on YouTube about Elementor, so just pick one that is to your liking.
Conclusion
In recent years, many Web technologies have been automated and simplified so it is more accessible to beginners. By following the right steps, you can certainly create a business website without needing to spend a lot of money.
So, let’s do a brief recap of the steps required to start your business website:
- Choose a reliable website hosting provider
I recommend using EasyWP managed WordPress hosting for their simple setup, fast loading speed and superb customer support. The Turbo and Supersonic plans even include free 1-year domain name and business email services. - Register your domain name
Pick a simple, memorable and easy to pronounce name that represents your business well. Do give some serious thought to your domain name because it is your online address and it’s how your online customers find you. - Set up your business website with WordPress
With EasyWP’s simplified automation tool, you can setup and install WordPress within minutes. Just follow their tutorial video. - Start creating contents for your business website
Once you have picked a theme, you can start creating contents of your website. You may use the free built-in website builder that comes with EasyWP or use other WordPress website builders like the popular Elementor.
Once your business website is live on the Internet, you can use it to increase sales, attract customers, and build a credible reputation around your brand.
Please feel free to take a look at the wide range of digital tools offered by Namecheap that can enhance your website and grow your business.
Career Tip: Launch a side business now to combat job uncertainties.
We are now rapidly advancing into a more advanced digital area powered by artificial intelligence and perhaps even quantum computing in the near future. As a result, many industries will be disrupted by technological innovations and it is inevitable that some jobs will be made redundant.
If you have a business idea that you have been deliberating, why not start manifesting the idea by publishing your own website or blog that powerfully expound your life aspirations or entrepreneurial ideas.
Use my affiliate links below to explore a wide variety of professional website services offered by Namecheap and I may get a commission if you make an online purchase at Namecheap’s website:
- Look for the best deals on website services.
- Get a free domain and email when you sign up for EasyWP Turbo WordPress managed hosting.
- Launch your venture with the Business Hub for digital entrepreneurs.
Tech Tip: Achieve work-life by going digital.
Don’t neglect to take advantage of the wide variety of digital tools, services and resources that can grant you freedom from traditional work culture. Use my affiliate link below to explore digital tools offered by Namecheap. I may earn a commission if you make an online purchase at Namecheap’s website.