build a website – Naming Generator

On average, creating a basic website will set you back between $50 to $200 per month. But if you want a more affordable website startup cost, this article will teach you how to make a website quickly and without spending too much.

How to create a website for cheap? Creating an inexpensive website involves choosing a bundled package that gets you more for each dollar spent when registering your chosen domain, subscribing to a web hosting plan, installing WordPress, customizing your site with a free WordPress theme, and establishing a good branding identity. Below are the seven steps you need to follow to create a good website for cheap.

Step 1: Choose a Domain Name

A good business domain name should be memorable and brandable. You may use your business or company name as the domain name. Or, you may explore different word and phrase combinations first using our free domain name generator tool.

Using our domain name generator also allows you to search for the availability of your chosen domain as a username in various social media and membership sites. Feel free to experiment with different names before finalizing your domain. Always check whether the name matches the branding identity you want to create for your site.

Step 2: Register Your Domain

Once you are confident with a domain name, it is time to register it. Domain registration is needed to validate the website owner’s identity and to ensure that your site is linked to the right address on the internet.

Choose between affordable domain name registrars like BlueHost, NameCheap, and GoDaddy. These domain registrars often offer reduced annual plan rates compared to paying for the service at a higher monthly fee.

Upon registering your domain name, you will need to provide basic account information like name, address, and contact number. If you want to keep this information private, you may subscribe to domain name proxy service or domain privacy service.

Bonus Tip: You can save money on registering your domain name by getting one free with some of our hosting providers. Check them out here.

Step 3: Get a Web Hosting Plan

The next step is to get a web hosting plan. You need a web host to store all the data and files that are needed to run your website on a server. Most new websites do not need a ton of bandwidth or storage space, so go for a shared hosting plan for now. You may gradually upgrade your hosting plans once your site evolves.

As we have mentioned earlier, you can purchase web hosting plans that also offer free domains. Doing so allows you to save on the monthly domain registration fees.

Take advantage of this discounted pricing with any of our bundled web hosting options. Sign up for a NameCheap or Bluehost hosting plan, and you will get one free domain name on top of other benefits. Or, get WooCommerce hosting through SiteGround, and you will get free email services.

Explore all our web hosting options here. Also, qualify for $1,474 Dollars in FREE bonuses if you use one of our hosting options.

Step 4: Download WordPress

When you sign up for a web hosting plan, you need to decide if you want to build a website from scratch, use your web host’s website builder, or use WordPress. To save on time, effort, and money, we recommend downloading WordPress instead.

As a content management system, a self-hosted WordPress dashboard looks just like a regular WordPress.com blog. If you’re already familiar with the platform, using WordPress for your website will be a breeze. And if it’s your first time using WordPress, learn from hundreds of online tutorials on how to use its intuitive interface.

Remember, you may choose a regular shared web hosting plan and install WordPress yourself. Or, you may sign up for a WordPress hosting plan right away and do away with the hassle of installation.

To save more on your WordPress hosting monthly fees, take a look at our WordPress hosting solutions through WPX Hosting, WP Engine, and Kinsta.

Tip: If you purchased your domain from a different domain service provider, make sure to take point your domain to your web host.

Step 5: Select a Free WordPress Theme

By choosing a self-hosted WordPress site, access to the thousands of website themes on WordPress is at your fingertips. However, if you want your site to stand out, we suggest using the customizability options that the Astra WordPress Theme offers.

Astra is a customizable, responsive, and fast theme that will fit your new WordPress website. With it, you can change the layout, color, typography, headers, and a lot more.

With a free customizable WordPress theme, you not only deduct precious dollars on your website startup cost but also edit the theme’s design without much restriction.

Step 6: Set Up Website Branding

Having a clear brand identity is important for any business. More so, when starting a website. And nothing defines your website brand more than a well-designed logo.

To save up on the logo design cost, you may create your own logo using free online logo generators. Another cost-saving way to get a free customized and professional website logo is by signing up for any of our website hosting options. It’s a great deal considering you are already paying for monthly web hosting.

Check Out The Logo Bonus Here

Step 7: Start an Email List

Upon setting up your domain name, web host, website design, and logo, you need to start thinking of how to grow your site. One way to do that cost-efficiently at the beginning is by creating an email list.

With an email list, you can directly inform anyone (with their permission, of course) of any posts, updates, or changes to your website. Most email marketing software like AWeber, MailChimp, and SendinBlue are available for free for the first 1000-2000 subscribers.

Take advantage of these offers while you are building your list. You can upgrade your email marketing plans later on as your site grows.

Our Web Hosting Bonus Bundle That Will Save You Money

Creating a website for cheap does not mean ending up with a subpar site. With our web hosting options, you get to decide which service suits you and your business best. And then reap additional benefits for free.

Our Bonus Bundle gives you up to $1,400 more value in the form of professional logo design, ebooks, six mini-courses, and a website traffic course – all for free.

You do not have to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars unnecessarily when creating a website. You also do not need all the bells and whistles of customized design and other functionalities of a business website from the get-go.

In the beginning, you just need a website that you can afford, with a willingness to learn and improve along the way.

What Do Web Developers Do?

Web developers create and write code for websites or web applications. They are responsible both for a site’s technical structure and visual design. Some organizations or freelance web developers may choose to focus on back-end or front-end web development aspects when building sites. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, a web developer’s estimated yearly median wage is $73,760.

That’s why when you pick a web developer, you must narrow down what specific type of web developer you need for your site.

How to Choose a Web Developer for Your Site

A major advantage of hiring a web developer is you get to free up the time and effort for website building and put this energy into something more productive (like choosing the best business domain name, creating content, or coming up with a marketing plan). But how do you choose a good web developer?

1. Set Your Business Goals and Objectives

An essential first step when choosing a website developer is knowing what your business goals and objectives are. When you are clear of what specific business direction you want, select a web developer who deeply understands this too.

2. Be Clear on What Kind of Website You Need

Next, determine what kind of website you want. Do you want a unique blog site design, an eCommerce store, a membership website, or a combination of all of them?

By being clear of the type of site you need to host the type content (articles, photos, videos, etc.) you intend to publish, you will know what specific past projects and relevant experiences to look for when perusing your prospects’ resumes.

3. Set a Budget

As a website owner, you most likely only have a predetermined amount to spend on web development. Just remember to set a budget according to the pay range we’ve mentioned earlier. Note that the cost of hiring a web developer will increase the more complicated, more work-intensive, and more value-rich the end-product will be.

Also, be prepared to exceed your budget if you want a quick turnaround time or if you know you are paying for topnotch work.

4. Determine Your Payment Method

After setting a budget, it’s time to decide on how you want your selected web developer. You may opt for a monthly fee, a flat rate, or an hourly rate. If you prefer a single payment method, let any prospect know this beforehand.

When you set a payment method first, you can easily narrow down the web developers who can work with you. Nevertheless, be prepared to switch to a different payment method if your preferred web developer is more comfortable with another payment scheme.

5. Evaluate the Prospects Holistically

Whether you get your web developer prospects through a newspaper job ad or by going to an online job marketplace like Fiverr or Upwork, take the time to review each prospect’s resume and portfolio.

Look for past projects that match or closely resemble the website you need. Review past client feedback or ask around for referrals from your network, if possible. The time you put into this step will pay off later on in the website development process.

What Is Better When Hiring Web Developers: Paying an Hourly Rate, a Flat Rate, or a Monthly Rate?

There is no one best payment approach to follow when hiring web developers. It all depends on your project and specific business needs. Listed below are different scenarios that would help you choose a specific payment method. Just remember, you can combine a payment scheme with another payment method as you wish.

Pay an Hourly Rate If:

You want your website done within the hour you specify and pay only for the hour spent on it.
You want a clear calculation of the amount you need to pay your web developer.
You want to use a time tracker to track time spent working on your site.
You want to monitor everything that your web developer is doing and provide feedback accordingly.

Pay a Flat Rate If:

You and your developer are on the same page on what the result should be and how much value this gives you.
You want to leave your web developer alone to do his/her job properly.
You have worked with the web developer before and already have an idea of his/her work.
You want to work with a web developer who has a simple and efficient rate scheme.

Pay a Monthly Rate If:

You want to save money by spreading out your payments while making sure that someone monitors your website over some time.
You want your web developer to be contractually available for support even after the website is built.
You want your web developer to monitor or update your website regularly.

Where Do You Find a Website Developer?

Just like any other job, you can easily find website developers through newspaper job ads. But in the digital age, website developers are available through two main ways:

1. Through Online Job Marketplaces

Online job marketplaces are platforms where anyone who wants to hire talent can post job advertisements. Some platforms are free, while other platforms charge a small fee. Today, most freelancers and side hustlers look for jobs on sites like Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer.com, Craigslist, Indeed, 99Designs, and many more.

If you want to hire a freelancer to build a personal or business website and pay a reasonable flat or hourly rate, these online marketplaces are the best sites to check.

2. Through Design Agencies

Another option when it comes to hiring a website developer is through a design agency. They tend to have a better reputation since they have a whole team and resources supporting them.

Choose this mode of finding a website developer if you want a dedicated group of people in charge of building your website. Web development agencies also often offer website builder packages that include web development, web design, and sometimes, content marketing services.

Yes, finding and hiring someone to create a website for you is that easy. Follow the steps and tips outlined above, and you will soon see our website online. And if you haven’t set up your domain yet, start by choosing a good domain name using our free online name generation tool.

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