creating websites

How to Make a Website

A free, step-by-step guide for making a website in an hour or less.

Before your start, read this

Last update: January 5, 2024

Want to learn how to create a website?

This beginner’s guide will help you make your own website in an easy step-by-step format.

It won’t take long, and if you do it this way, you’ll actually be able to save some money in the long run (more on that later).

Choose a domain name (.www)
Subscribe to a web hosting account
Set up your website (WordPress)
Design your website
Add pages and further customization

Don’t know any code?

No problem — you don’t need to.

We wrote this guide specifically for beginners. However, if you have an interest in learning code (HTML and CSS), read this technical guide instead (not recommended for beginners, though).

And if you do things right, you’ll be able to create your own website without all the limitations and expensive transaction fees you get with website builders.

Scared of making a mistake?

We have covered people’s most common mistakes when building a website so you can recognize and avoid them.

If you ever get stuck setting up your website, our guides come with free help.

Worried it’s a waste of time and money?

Most websites only need a domain name and website hosting to work and serve visitors. That shouldn’t cost you more than $10 a month in total.

The average time to set up a website using this guide is approximately one hour — most manage to build a strong foundation within that time.

Ready to build your website today? Grab a coffee or a tea, and let’s get started!

Step 1 : Choose a domain name (.www)

First things first: every website needs a name.

Without a name (also known as a domain name), your website simply cannot function. Think of it as a street address for a house, where the address is the domain name and the house is your website.

When choosing a domain name , there are a few rules you should keep in mind:

If you’re setting up a business website , your domain name should match your company name.
If you plan on making a personal website or a personal blog for yourself, then using your full name as the domain name is a good option.
Try to get the .com version if possible.

Be aware that there are over 100 million active domain names, so all the best ones might be taken. But don’t dwell on it too much — you can always buy another domain name (if needed). If you don’t have a domain, don’t buy it just yet. You can get one for free in step #2.

Domain names usually end with .com , .net , .org , .co.uk , .ca , or .de (among others). If you want your domain name ending aimed at the global population, try registering a .com version. If you want to target local visitors from Canada or Germany, choose the .ca or .de extension.

You can use this tool to check if your desired domain name is available:

Check Domain Availability

Step 2 : get a web hosting account.

(This guide is reader-supported. If you click on our links, we may earn a commission.)

In addition to a domain name, you will also need web (website) hosting.

Web hosting is a service — similar to website builders — that allows you to register a domain name and set up a website (we recommend Hostinger to everyone who is just starting out).

By choosing the right option for your web hosting, you can maximize flexibility and, ultimately, access a wide variety of monetization options.

When using a website builder, you are locked with one product — whether it’s Wix, Squarespace or any other website builder.

But if you use web hosting, you can set up a website(s) using different free website-building tools like WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, and others. That gives you a lot of flexibility while building your website.

Choosing the right web host has many important benefits for you and your website, especially if you plan on making money from your site.

It also means you won’t be limited in what you can do or how you can charge customers. After all, many website builders take a big cut of your sales. So, if you plan on running a business through your site, be sure to go with a reliable web host.

Web hosting also hosts your website files so your website is online 24/7 for visitors.

While it might seem like all web hosts are basically the same, there are huge differences in speed and reliability. The last thing you want is to lose customers or fans just because your web host isn’t running properly.

Where to find a web hosting provider

One of the cheapest and most reliable providers we’ve found after monitoring over 20 web hosting companies over several years is Hostinger .

Together with a domain name (if you choose the Premium plan), the first year will be only $47 . Renewal fees are higher, but not by much if you opt in for longer.

We have also negotiated a promo code for our readers ( WEBSITESETUP ) to get 7% off any plan that is at least 12 months or longer.

Alternatively, you can pay month-to-month and cancel anytime. Just make sure there are always enough funds available on your payment method because your site will go down if hosting has not been paid for.

Furthermore, unlike many other web hosting providers, Hostinger offers 90+ free website-building tools to be set up through their dashboard . That’s more than any other web hosting we’ve tested to date — incredible flexibility and ease of use.

If you want to set up a website (and register a domain name), simply go to www.Hostinger.com (or any other web hosting provider) and sign up.

Choose your web hosting plan

Hostinger offers three main hosting plans. In this guide, we’ve opted for the “Premium Web Hosting” 12-month hosting plan that comes with a 1-year free domain.

Note: You can always upgrade/downgrade your plan if needed.

Create your account and pay

After selecting your plan, you’ll get an overview of it and the available payment methods. You can also remove all the pre-ticked features as you don’t really need them right now. Overall, you should be able to get a one-year web hosting plan for less than $50.

Next, fill out all the required information, such as your first and last name, address, email, and don’t forget to use our coupon code WEBSITESETUP.

Before you enter your payment information, double-check all the above criteria, and if everything is correct, click “Submit Secure Payment.”

Claim your free domain for one year (Premium Plan)

After completing the purchase, the next stage is to connect your new domain name with Hostinger or register a free domain name (for the first year) directly with them.

You’ll be prompted with three different options to name your website during the hosting setup process. If you’re not sure about the domain name yet, there’s an option to skip this step.

You can otherwise claim your free domain (free for 1 year). If you skipped the option or missed the chance to claim your free domain, don’t worry — you can access the option later through the members area .

Step 3 : Set up your website

Congratulations! By now, you should have a domain name and web hosting.

Now it’s time to set up a website.

In this example, we will be using WordPress.

WordPress is the most popular free website builder, powering over 40% of all websites on the internet. You can find different statistics from ( here , here , and here ). WordPress is pretty straightforward and doesn’t come with a huge learning curve.

Since you already have a domain name and web hosting, you can set up WordPress completely free through Hostinger or any other web hosting provider that has one-click installs for free website builders.

Step 1: Log in to your web hosting account.

If you are using Hostinger, go to https://hpanel.hostinger.com/

Step 2: Install WordPress

In Hostinger, installing applications automatically is very straightforward. Simply navigate to Websites → Manage . Search for the Auto Installer on the left sidebar and click on it.

If you are using other hosting providers, search for “WordPress” within their dashboard.

Next, you will need to add some basic information about your site, which you can change later on, such as website title, email address, username, and password. If you get stuck installing WordPress on Hostinger, read this guide .

Step 4: Design your website

Once you set up your WordPress website, you can log in from yourdomain.com/ wp-admin .

After logging in, navigate to your WordPress dashboard and select “Appearance” from the left-hand menu.

Here, you can tweak your website’s theme, layout, colors, and fonts.

Essentially, every visual change you want to make on your website can be done through the “Appearance” tab.

List of themes on WordPress admin dashboard

Once you choose the right theme, simply click “Install” and then “Activate.” To help you choose, we’ve put together a list of the best free themes on WordPress.

Take your time to find the right theme for your website. Don’t worry if you choose something that you don’t like — you can always change it back.

Step 5: Create website structure and add pages

Once you have chosen a template, you need to create a structure and add the most important pages.

These are usually:

Contact page — here, you can add your social links (Facebook page, Twitter, etc.)
Our services/products
Testimonials/reviews

Do some brainstorming to determine which pages you need the most, and start from there. Make sure you include those important pages in your header and footer so visitors can access them easily site-wide.

If you’re unsure what your website should include, read this article about the 12 critical elements every site needs.

Adding pages and publishing content

A blank website without any pages or content isn’t of much use to anybody, so in order to make the website accessible and interesting, we need to add some pages and blog posts.

To add pages to your WordPress site, navigate the left-hand menu to “Pages , ” and from there, click the button “Add New.”

That will take you to the WordPress block editor.

If it’s your first time visiting this, it will display a quick step-by-step tutorial on how it works and where certain functions are located.

It’s quite easy to work; everything is block-based, which means if you want to add something to your page, you simply need to choose the correct “block” from the menu and fill it in. You can learn more about the block editor in our guide .

On the left, in the content block section, there are multiple content options to choose from. Each serves a different purpose and adds a different visual element to the page.

Alternatively, the right-hand menu allows you to change some page-wide settings, like the author, the page’s permalink (URL), the featured image, and more.

On the top of the right-hand menu, you can click on the “Block” tab and customize the settings for each block you’ve selected on the page.

Once you’re happy with the page, you can make it public or private. The former will make the content visible to any visitor, while the latter means that it is only visible to you via your website dashboard — this is a useful option to use when still working on a particular page.

There’s also an option to preview the changes you’ve made or to schedule a date and time for the page to be published.

Creating a structure and navigation

Now that you’ve created the pages, you need to add them to the navigation (menu) bar.

That is the menu located throughout your website that provides visitors with access to the rest of the content.

In WordPress, you can customize your navigation system by clicking the “Appearance” tab on the left-hand column followed by “Menus . “ After you’ve created the menu, you can start adding and organizing the pages there.

You can also create sub-items, meaning that pages will be revealed when users hover their mouse over them.

Step 6: Add a logo and a favicon

At this point, your website has content and structure, meaning you’re almost across the finish line. To wrap things up, you need to include a logo and favicon. Both of these can be added through the “Site Identity” menu.

To access it, go to “Appearance” on the left-hand menu and click “ Customize , ” followed by the “Site Identity” option. Under the “Logo” section, click “Select Logo” and choose your logo file from your images or upload it. Once you’ve done that, your logo will automatically appear on your website.

If you want your logo to appear next to your website’s name in the URL bar, you do that by adding a favicon. You can upload your favicon in the “Site Identity” menu under the “Site Icon” section.

You can create a favicon by using any of these free favicon generators . They can convert your logo into the right shape and size image for a favicon.

Your website is ready!

Well done! At this stage, your website should be up and running smoothly.

If you encounter any difficulties or need assistance with your website setup, please don’t hesitate to get in touch .

Additionally, it’s important to link your website with Google Search Console . This valuable tool, also known as GSC, helps you monitor traffic from search engines and identify which content resonates most with your audience. Google Search Console provides a comprehensive view of your website’s performance, offering insights that are essential for its upkeep. The configuration process for this tool is straightforward and should take roughly 10 minutes. Here you’ll find a detailed guide to help you through each step.

How to create a website: The 2022 step-by-step guide

You want to create a website, do you? You're in the right place. Armed with this step-by-step guide, you'll have a clear roadmap to follow for creating your own site.

You don't have to be a programmer, a geek, or a techie to do this. You also don't have to be an illustrator or a designer. All you'll need to do is take some time, make some decisions, spend a few bucks, and write your site's content, and soon, you'll have a shiny new website you'll be proud to promote.

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How to build a website for any business: Your step-by-step guide

You want to create a website? Here's where to start

Before you pull out your credit card and sign up for a website builder or web hosting plan , you'll need to make a few important decisions. Some of these decisions will chart your course for the long haul. Others are simple choices, just to get you started. We'll walk you through all of them, and provide you some guidance on how to decide. Here are the first four:

Is lock-in an acceptable risk or do you want to plan for site portability?
Do you buy your domain through a domain registrar or get it with your hosting plan?
Do you hire a consultant or build your site yourself?
Do you use a website builder or use WordPress?

Let's look at each in turn.

What are lock-in, switching cost, and portability?

In this section, I'm going to talk about switching cost . It's the most important concept to understand before you make any site setup decisions. Unfortunately, you won't see this issue discussed in most "how to build a website" articles. I think that's because most folks writing such articles don't have as many years of experience running production sites as I have.

If you're building a growing site that you want to nurture for years, you'll probably want to avoid lock-in at all costs.

Here's the issue: Building a website is a complex process, involving many technologies and configurations, running on top of a server environment provided by a hosting provider. The switching cost is the time, effort, and dollar cost of switching to a new provider. The inability to easily switch is called lock-in .

If you run an active website for any number of years, it is almost guaranteed that you'll need to switch hosting providers. These are just a few of the reasons you might need to switch:

Your provider may become unreliable, may increase prices, or may start to offer reduced quality support.
Your site might simply outgrow the provider's capacity.
The hosting provider's server software might not keep up with the security requirements of a payment processor.

A few years back, I had to switch because of a very sad circumstance: The owner of one of my hosting providers passed away and the company simply closed down, making rapid switching an unexpected urgency.

You may work with one provider for three, four, five years, or more. But if you're running a site for the long haul, it's rare to stick with one hosting provider unless you simply have no way out. So, planning to be able to switch is useful.

Many web builders are proprietary, so if you want to switch to another service, you'll have to rebuild your site either mostly or entirely from scratch. At the very least, there will be a ton of cutting and pasting between services.

For smaller sites, that's not much of an issue. Rebuilding five or 10 webpages is no big deal. But if your site is 50, 100, or even thousands of pages, that's a lot of copying and pasting (or, if you're very lucky, exporting and importing). Think about this: If you do one blog post every weekday, you'll have at least 261 pages by the end of a year. Content expands very quickly.

Another approach is to build a website using non-proprietary tools. We'll be discussing WordPress a lot when we get to this. The benefit of non-proprietary tools is that they make switching far more practical. The disadvantage is that they're usually more complicated.

As we discuss the decisions you're going to be making in setting up your site, we'll be coming back to the issue of lock-in again and again. You'll need to decide early on if lock-in is an acceptable risk, or if you want to plan for site portability. Generally, if you expect to have only a few pages that don't change over time, lock-in is probably okay. But if you're building a growing site that you want to nurture for years, you'll probably want to avoid lock-in at all costs.

Register a domain name

No matter what technology you use to build your website (we'll talk more about that later), you're going to need a domain name. That's the online brand for your site, and as such, it's an important part of your online presence.

Do not let any of the web hosting providers try to convince you to use something like yourname.theirname.com. It's better to have yourbrand.com as your domain name. Domain names cost about $10 a year and you go to a domain registrar to buy one. The only challenge, as with vanity license plates, is finding one that hasn't already been used.

Here's a caution: Most registrars also offer some form of domain marketplace, where those who own domain names try to sell them to others who want them. Stay away.

I have an acquaintance who decided he wanted a very specific name and spent thousands to buy it. Yes, the name of your company might have already been taken. Be creative. There are still many great combinations of letters out there. Don't spend hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of dollars on a domain name. Just be creative and choose one that's available.

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Many hosting providers and website builders include a free domain name as part of their plan. There are pros and cons to going that route. You can often save the ten bucks for the first year, and it's usually a few minutes easier to set up. But switching costs will be there if you need to move.

Recommendation: I like keeping my domains separate from my hosting providers so I have more control over where they point. If I want or need to switch hosts, I'm not also trying to extract my domain at the same time. If you go with a domain registrar separately from your hosting plan, you can also nail down your online identity early in the process. Otherwise, you might have to wait until you've decided on a hosting technology and provider.

You are unlikely to have access to the same developer for the entire life of your site. Consultants move on, get new jobs, move away, die, or get fired. I

Personally, I've used GoDaddy and Namecheap , both of whom offered good prices and reasonable support.

Build it yourself or hire a consultant? How to decide

If you run a large corporation that can hire a web team, sure, go out and hire a consultant. And while there are many web developers out there (freelance and with agencies) that do a wonderful job, they can increase complexity considerably. For now, I'm going to tell you a few reasons why I don't recommend you hire someone. After, I'll show you some tips for succeeding if you do.

Let's start with the reasons you might want to avoid hiring someone. At the top of the list is cost. Building a custom website is a lot of work. While it's possible to crank out cookie-cutter sites where only the logo and colors change, anything built with more of a personal touch will take days to weeks to months.

I volunteer with a nonprofit. I agreed to build their site. It had just a few highly custom features (a tweaked membership list and member-only access). Even with just a few custom features, it took me a couple of weeks to put it together. Even the cost of hiring the least expensive developer, billing for 80 to 100 hours, is going to add up.

Beyond cost, however, is the loss of control. I also maintain a free donations app, again as part of my pro bono work. At least once a week, someone contacts me telling me that they lost their developer (or they have no idea who the original developer was) and they need to know how to modify their site.

Recommendation: Build it yourself.

You are unlikely to have access to the same developer for the entire life of your site. Consultants move on, get new jobs, move away, die, or get fired. If you are solely reliant on someone else to keep your site alive, you're at serious risk. It's incredibly valuable, especially for your first few sites, to build them yourself. Learn about hosting. Learn about your content management system. Learn about backups.

If you build up these basic skills, you'll be able to jump in if your developer is unavailable. At the very least, you'll have a better chance of understanding whether the consultant's asking price is reasonable or over-inflated.

If you do want to hire a consultant, my biggest piece of advice is to keep each job simple, with clear objectives and a measurable set of guidelines. Rather than hiring someone to develop your entire site, you might hire someone to configure your e-commerce plugin -- and teach you how to maintain it. Rather than having someone design the entire site, you might hire someone to help you choose your site's colors and tweak your CSS to display them.

Recommendation: Keep the jobs simple, tangible, and objectively measurable. It's much easier to convince a vendor to make a fix because payments aren't processing than it is to try to convince a consultant to redesign because you didn't get the light and airy feeling you were hoping for.

Website builder or hosted WordPress?

You're now at one of the most important structural decisions about your site: Whether to use a website builder service like Wix or Squarespace , or to set up a hosted site, probably based on WordPress.

Without a doubt, if you want the fastest and easiest path to a website, one of the website builders will get you there. The gotcha is that website builders are all about lock-in. If you want to move your site to another provider or another site management technology, you pretty much have to rebuild the entire site from scratch.

Here's a chart that helps compare the two approaches:

The website builder option

As I mentioned, the website builder option is your fastest route to a site. Choosing the builder is about all you'll need to do. Once you do, you create an account, pick a theme, fill your site with words and pictures, and you're done. The builder will do the hosting, manage the servers, and even provide you with a domain name. But -- and it bears repeating -- once you've chosen a website builder, it's hard to switch.

For some of you reading this, switching options and flexibility might not matter. Getting up and running fast might matter more. For you, then, let's dive a little deeper into making the builder choice.

First, I'm going to point you to our article that compares website builders. This is a great place to start to look at each of the builder products, compare features, and prices.

Also: The best website builder for 2021: Your step by step guide

Here are five factors to consider when choosing a website builder:

Trial period. It's important to have enough time to check out the service and decide if it can do what you want.
Template choice. This is big. You need to choose a look for your site. If the builder doesn't have the look you want, don't sign up. Conversely, if you love a certain look, this might be the builder for you.
E-commerce. Do you want to sell physical or digital goods? The builder needs to have an e-commerce option that fits your needs.
Other services. Do you want forums, social links, blogging, or video content types? Make sure the builder you choose offers these.
Price and capacity. Choose a service that can handle the size site you intend to build and is within your budget.

Some builders will offer additional benefits, like libraries of graphics, free email, mail list management, and more. Carefully consider what you need and evaluate accordingly. Take full advantage of any trial period and test, test, test. Better to learn about limitations now, than later when you're completely locked in and switching costs are much greater.

Wix website builder

Choosing and configuring your template

While most website builders offer pretty much the same set of features, the place they're going to differ the most is in their template designs. Template design is as much art and science, and as such, you may find the aesthetic offered by one provider is considerably different from another.

Make sure to test your template on more than just your computer. Test it on tablets and phones to make sure it displays properly as well.

Templates usually come in a variety of categories:

Information site
Landing page
Membership site

Often you can include multiple page styles in one site. So, if you want a site that provides information about your company, but also has a blog, a portfolio of client projects that you want to showcase, and a shop for purchasing some downloads, be sure that your provider can handle all these options -- and that they look like something that fits your company's style.

Once you choose your template, you'll want to fill it with your unique content. You can write your text right in the website builder's editor, or write it in a text editor and paste it in. I like to write my articles, mostly, in Evernote and then paste them into my posts. That way, if I accidentally hit the back button in my browser, I'm sure I won't lose all my hard-crafted writing. If I am writing directly in the posting tool (like I am right now), I make sure to hit Save. A lot.

Make sure to test your template on more than just your computer. Test it on tablets and phones to make sure it displays properly as well. Most of the templates provided by the bigger website builder services do this automatically.

E-commerce: Setting up online selling

Where online selling gets interesting is how the money is processed and how you manage to deliver goods.

Configuring a site for online selling is often quite straightforward. Website builders will often handle every aspect of capturing the sale, including taking your customers' money. You'll usually set up product listings, often with categories, and then upload descriptions and pictures of the items you want to sell.

Where online selling gets interesting is how the money is processed and how you manage to deliver goods. Generally, most website providers will offer to process credit cards using some service they've contracted with. They'll usually take a fee off the top, a percentage of each transaction plus a per-transaction fee. They may also charge you extra just to use the e-commerce service.

Other services will give you the option of using PayPal or Stripe , at least if you're in the US. Both capture customers' money, disbursing payments to you either when a threshold is reached, or on a regular basis. I've worked with both PayPal and Stripe, and while I have had much better support from Stripe as a developer, very few of my users have complained much about either service.

The shopping cart you setup may need to be able to deliver digital goods, and unlock files for download once payment is completed. It's rare that a website builder's cart system will offer licensing, though. If you want to issue license numbers for each digital download, you probably want the WordPress solutions we'll discuss in a bit.

If you're shipping physical goods, you'll want to make sure the cart handles taxes, as well as providing you with some mechanism for managing shipments. The ideal cart will give you the option to print shipping labels and interface with UPS or the USPS for shipments. If you want to sell physical items, definitely take the time to examine these features carefully.

WordPress is a great option if you need flexibility and scalability.

WordPress: The sweet spot of website creation

That's about it for website builders. Give them your credit card number and start crafting your content. Next, let's look at hosted WordPress, which is a far more flexible (but a little more complex) option. Personally, it's the option I use.

WordPress has an enormous user community and an almost unlimited amount of training, help, and support, and a virtual cornucopia of resources.

If you decide you need more flexibility and control than website builders provide, I'm going to go out on a very safe limb and recommend you consider WordPress as the foundation of your website. According to tracking service W3Techs , WordPress now runs 40% of all websites and has a 64.3% market share of all sites based on a content management system.

WordPress is an open-source CMS you install on your hosting provider's site. Usually, WordPress comes pre-installed, or you need to run a quick installer to create the site. The installation process involves answering a few basic questions. To just get WordPress up and running, it rarely takes more than about five minutes or so.

Also: Best WordPress hosting in 2021

It's the customization of WordPress that can take a while. That's because there are so many options and capabilities, especially when you factor in the added functionality offered by plugins and themes.

One other benefit of WordPress: Because it's so huge, there's an enormous user community and an almost unlimited amount of training, help, and support, and a virtual cornucopia of resources, sites, and helpful people out there who know WordPress.

If you want a deep dive into a six-year-old WordPress site that provides support, e-commerce, and information, I wrote an in-depth article (below) about how my software products site works. Keep in mind that this is the result of many years of evolution, so don't expect that you have to understand it all right now, but if you're planning on growing, this is a good example of what you'll be building out over the years:

Real-world example: WordPress site 101: Free and low-cost tools to build a powerful web presence

WordPress plugins

Plugins extend WordPress's capabilities. There are thousands upon thousands of them. I consider plugins the great strength of WordPress because they allow you to customize WordPress to do almost anything. Many are free, many more are paid add-ons. Many offer a free core plugin but sell either a pro version or add-on capabilities.

There is a wide range of plugin capabilities, ranging from small tweaks to WordPress behavior, to major applications like:

Support ticketing
Donations management
Privacy control
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
And even verticals like restaurant management, delivery services, doctors' office scheduling, and more.

Recommendation: The best place to start when looking for WordPress plugins is the official WordPress Plugin Repository . There are other sources for plugins (including their developers, for premium versions), but the WordPress repo has a specific set of quality and communications requirements that makes it worth sticking with. Also, the plugins from the repo can be updated automatically in your site's plugin dashboard. Plugins from other channels may require you to update each plugin by hand, a task that will become more tedious with time.

I develop and maintain a number of WordPress plugins. If you'd like to see the tools I use to do this, click below:

Real-world example: One developer's favorite Mac coding tools for PHP and web development

WordPress themes

We talked earlier about templates offered by website builders. WordPress's term for this is themes. The second great strength of WordPress is its enormous themes library . There are some very nice free and default themes, and a tremendous number of excellent commercial themes available. This, too, is one of the reasons I confidently recommend WordPress.

Remember, if you're not an artist or a designer, themes in WordPress and templates in website builders are your friends.

Recommendation: I recommend you consider one of the great page builder themes like Divi , Elementor , or Beaver Builder . These give you the best of both worlds: Website builder ease of use, but with the flexibility, power, and scalability of WordPress. They allow you to customize your look but also include a wide range of pre-built templates as good starting points. I, personally, use Divi.

Also, as you explore themes, you may discover the term "responsive." Responsive, in web talk, is a term that basically means the webpage will respond to different size screens. For example, a form on a large page might have the title of a field to the left of the field data entry area, but that same form, displayed on a small phone, might have the title of the field displayed above the field entry area.

When you choose your theme, be sure to check that it's responsive. You absolutely want to make sure your page will properly function on mobile devices.

Choosing images

As with website builders, you will undoubtedly want to upload some images on a WordPress site. Only you can provide your logo and pictures of your products, staff, and offices. But if you want a wide range of other pictures, here are two great resources:

Unsplash : An enormous library of gorgeous (and free-to-use) images. Consider installing the Unsplash plugin for easy, in-dashboard access.
Pixabay : Another large library, but with less consistent image quality, also mostly free to use. Consider installing the Pixabay Free Images plugin for easy, in-dashboard access.

Module-level lock-in vs hosting-level lock-in

But keep in mind that once you integrate a bunch of plugins and themes into WordPress, you're going to have something of a lock-in situation as well. It's not the same as being stuck on one hosting provider, but you may have data formatted just to work with your chosen plugins, or pages formatted to work with just the theme you've chosen.

The difference between module-level lock-in and hosting-level lock-in is that you can often find replacement themes and plugins, and you can almost always move your entire WordPress site (including all those plugins and themes) to another host without too much work.

WordPress security

Also, you may have heard about security problems with WordPress. Don't let that scare you away. Keep in mind that 40% of the internet is running WordPress, so millions of websites run it. That makes a very large target of opportunity for bad guys and opens up a wide range of errors people can make in configuring their sites.

Also: Best website monitoring tool in 2021

Here are a few very simple practices that should help keep your site secure:

Regularly backup your site: Some hosting providers will do that for you, cPanel allows you to as well, plus there are a bunch of WordPress-specific plugins and services that add more capabilities.
Make sure to apply updates as they come out: The WordPress dashboard has an Updates section that lights up with a red number when there are updates to apply. Just select the updates and apply them. Most WordPress exploits are for older vulnerabilities that have already been updated.
Only buy premium themes from their original sellers: Hackers and criminals often set up discount stores where you can buy heavily discounted (and stolen) versions of commercial plugins and themes. Not only are you giving the bad guys your personally identifying information, but you're also almost undoubtedly installing hacked versions of the plugins and themes that will infect your site visitors.
Use site scanning tools: There are commercial tools like Wordfence , iThemes Security Pro , Bulletproof Security , and more. You can also install Jetpack , which will give you a baseline of security functionality for free.
Use a website monitoring service: Site monitoring services will just let you know when your site is down or comes back up. Others will also actively scan the files on your site for known malware. Site monitoring is good to both let you know if your site is experiencing problems, and because if your site goes down a lot, it might be because something on it is corrupted or damaged.

Recommendation: If you do the simple practices of backing up your sites and applying updates as they come out, you'll almost always be in the clear.

File management with WordPress

If you spend much time at all with WordPress, you're eventually going to have to upload files to your site. These will most often be images, and you can upload images through the WordPress dashboard interface. In fact, the WordPress dashboard interface will also let you upload themes and plugins as well.

Note: you're not going to be uploading your text, because there are very nice writing interfaces provided by WordPress and some of its themes.

But, if you have to upload or manage files outside of the WordPress interface, say by uploading a JavaScript or CSS file, or having to remove folders from a broken plugin or theme, you'll need to understand file management.

There are two primary ways to manage files on your site: through cPanel or an equivalent host management file manager, or through an FTP client. Let's discuss each in turn.

cPanel is an interface for all your hosting settings. It's a commercial product, so it's something your hosting provider will pay for to include in your hosting offering. When you buy your hosting, the hosting provider will provide you with a cPanel URL and you use it by navigating its menus and icons, looking for whatever function you want. cPanel comes with a rudimentary file manager that lets you drill down through your site's file structure and upload, download, move, copy, delete, and modify files.

There are other hosting dashboards out there, but nearly all of them will include something like cPanel.

Another approach is to use an FTP client application on your computer. FTP has been around since way before the web (it stands for File Transfer Protocol). The base FTP is completely unsecured and open. Most likely, if you use FTP, your hosting provider will tell you to use SFTP (secured FTP), which requires some additional setup. Most hosts will recommend settings for the most common FTP programs. Personally, on Windows, I use FileZilla . On Mac, I use both Forklift and Transmit , usually depending on what sorts of tasks I'm trying to accomplish that day.

One thing you'll need to understand is the directory structure of a typical WordPress install. WordPress consists of a set of PHP files, with the top-level files located wherever your hosting provider likes to place its users' server files. Within the top-level WordPress folder will be a set of additional folders, and these are important:

wp-admin: This is the main folder for the entire WordPress backend interface. Don't touch it.
wp-includes; This includes much of the code that drives WordPress. Don't touch it.
wp-content: This is where your customizations will live. You'll visit and modify this from time to time.

The name wp-content is misleading. This folder doesn't really hold content. It holds customization modules. Within the wp-content folder are the following important subfolders:

plugins: This is where your plugins live, one plugin per folder
themes: This is where your themes live. There are also child themes here, which modify the main theme
uploads: This is where all your uploaded media lives
mu-plugins: These are must-use plugins, often installed by products that substantially tweak WordPress behavior
Languages: This holds language files for non-English implementations
upgrades: Where WordPress holds its upgrade files when it upgrades the entire installation.

And yes, Languages is upper case, while all the other folders are not. If you want to learn more about the wp-content folder, this is a really good introduction to the wp-content folder.

Choosing a hosting provider

Be aware that the typical hosting business model relies on these big jumps in renewal charges, and plan for it accordingly.

If you go with one of the all-in-one web builders like Wix or Squarespace, you won't have to choose a hosting provider. But if you go with some other CMS or WordPress, you'll need to contract with a company to deliver your webpages to your visitors.

I wrote about the hosting provider business model in Best free web hosting in 2021: Cheap gets expensive fast , so click over there and give it a read-through. You'll learn a ton about how to think about hosting, what services hosting providers offer, and some of the pricing tricks hosting providers try to foist upon their customers.

The biggest thing to watch out for is renewal pricing. Hosting providers know how time-consuming it is to move a site, so they price their offerings low to suck you in, but then when it comes time to renew -- once you're fully installed, setup, and entrenched -- they raise their prices. These are not just twice as expensive. Sometimes they can be as much as ten times more expensive than what you spent when you first signed up. So, be careful. Be aware that the typical hosting business model relies on these big jumps in renewal charges, and plan for it accordingly.

Another article to check out, on our sister site CNET, is How to choose a web hosting provider . There, I wrote about the different types of hosting and servers to take into consideration.

Also: Best web hosting in 2021: Find the right service for your site

Here's a quick tip: You can probably get by with shared hosting if you don't have a ton of pages or a complex site. But stay away from the bottom-of-the-barrel pricing plans. You get what you pay for. Look for a plan that's roughly about $10 per month if you're running WordPress or anything with a basic CMS. If you're running complex e-commerce, expect to spend more.

The reason for this is that you'll need a base level of performance to be able to feed pages with any responsiveness. The super-cheap sites will have terrible performance and often lax security. If you're creating your first impression on the internet, make it count. Spend a few bucks -- way less than we used to spend mailing out brochures in the pre-internet dark ages -- to get a decent quality but still affordable offering.

More to explore:

The best cheap web hosting in 2021
Best web hosting in 2021: Find the right service for your site
Best free web hosting in 2021: Cheap gets expensive fast
Best WordPress hosting in 2021

What about email?

It's kind of weird. When "the industry" talks about an online presence, they're mostly talking about setting up websites. But having a full online presence should also include email -- even if it's just a free Gmail account. Your customers, constituents, and prospects need to be able to reach you via email. It's just part of the online way of life.

Heads up: Email does not automatically come with web hosting services. You may need to solve this outside of hosting entirely.

Most website builders don't provide email accounts. If you have your site on Wix or Squarespace, for example, they'll recommend you use some other service to host your domain's email accounts.

Also: Best email hosting in 2021

Conversely, most moderately inexpensive cPanel-based hosting accounts do come with email. It's just another option in the large laundry list of things you can turn on and off in cPanel.

But then, if you pay a premium for higher-end managed WordPress hosting, with concierge-level customer service, more performance, and higher capacities, email often won't be included.

I do have email included on some of my super-cheap test cPanel accounts, but I don't run my email through them. Instead, I have a Google Workspace account with two email accounts. Email is so mission-critical to my work that I wanted to run it through a service that is very invested in providing a solid email experience. Another great option is Office 365, which provides email via the Outlook web app, as well as Microsoft's excellent Outlook installed software application.

Mailing list management

Mailing list management uses email but is almost always a completely different service from email hosting. Let's clarify.

Email hosting: A service that hosts your email accounts, and stores and manages all your incoming and outgoing email messages.
Mailing list management: A service that manages all your subscribers, allows them to subscribe, unsubscribe, and provides you a mechanism for sending a bulk email to thousands of subscribers at once.

Mailing list management, as a service, almost never comes with either a website builder plan or a hosting plan. There is an entirely different pantheon of companies that manage mailing lists. They often charge by the number of subscribers you have and the number of messages you send to your list.

When it comes to running your website, make sure you look at how you can integrate user sign-in, customer registration, and support registration into your mailing list, so your website constituents are given the opportunity to automatically join your mailing list. WordPress has quite a few plugins that make this an automatic process.

One final thing: Don't spam and don't just sign up users. Make sure to use a double opt-in approach that requires a subscriber to confirm that they want to be registered for your mailing list.

Website creation: Glossary of terms

From a website visitor's perspective, a website is someplace online you visit to get information or to do something. But from a site operator's perspective, a website is, fundamentally, one or more directories of files, possibly accompanied by one or more databases of tables.

With easy-to-setup options available from website builders and with WordPress, it's just a matter of deciding which is a better fit for your needs.

A webpage is essentially a single document. A website is a collection of related webpages. Many websites, using web programming languages, also work with databases (which provide fast search and retrieval). These sites build the webpages dynamically, constructing all the elements as a user visits the page, and then transferring that cluster of elements as files to a user's browser.

Although we hand-crafted our pages -- HTML tag by HTML tag -- in the mid-1990s, that's no longer a preferred practice. Today, you're almost always going to use some sort of page builder or content management system (CMS), which will do most of the super-tedious page formatting and assembly work for you.

You may have heard terms like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Java, PHP, and more. These are all, more or less, computer languages in that they follow a specifically defined syntax and, when processed, produce a result of some kind. In this section, we'll touch on some terms you may encounter when getting your site setup or while researching the options.

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language): This is a text file containing formatting commands for constructing a webpage. You can control the text style, add headings, lists, and place media content. Most HTML pages also embed or include content from other web languages as well, like CSS.

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets): These are files that help format the webpage. They contain positioning and styling information that gives a page its pleasant look.

JavaScript and Java: These are programming languages, initially developed to run in the browser to modify a page's behavior on the fly. Now, there are server-side versions, like Node.js for JavaScript and Enterprise Java Beans for Java. Almost all web applications, like Gmail and Facebook, use Java and JavaScript (or a modified dialect) to make the pages more dynamic.

PHP, Python, Ruby, etc: These are server-side programming languages that run web applications on the server. For example, an online store will need to call out to a payment processor. Most of that payment processing is handled server-side in a web programming language.

CMS (Content Management System): In 1995, when I got my start on the web, there were no web builders or content management systems. I had to hand-code all my HTML. Today, unless you're writing custom functionality, you probably won't have to know any of these languages in detail to create a successful site. But you might want to have a passing awareness of them and to understand basic HTML and CSS at the least, because little bits of customization in terms of how your site looks may require CSS or HTML tweaking. The most popular CMS today, by far, is WordPress.

SSL (Secure Socket Layer): This is a security protocol used to protect your transactions online. It protects the data transmitted between your computer and the server. If you see a web URL beginning in https://, that's a page that's protected by SSL. A webpage that begins with http:// is not. Having SSL requires having an SSL certificate. This will be handled for you by all website builders and some hosting providers. Make sure you check if you're buying hosting that an SSL certificate is provided. Also, Google is now prioritizing for SSL-based sites, so if you're serving http:// pages only, you're likely to rank lower.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization): This is an art, a science, and, some think, a pox on humanity. It's the practice of tweaking or writing your websites so that they show up higher on a Google page after a search. Yes, there are other search engines out there, but it's really Google everyone needs to optimize for. Being highly ranked can mean the difference between success and failure on a site, so SEO is big. That said, pandering to SEO can sometimes result in pages or copy that are less appealing to humans, but are better at influencing the Google page rank algorithm. Most website builder services offer some SEO support, and there is a wide range of hugely popular plugins on the WordPress repository for SEO help.

Every one of these terms could spark its own full class. But, for now, it's good enough just to know what they mean. As you grow in your hosting experience, you'll organically pick up more knowledge about each of these topics.

Final thoughts

As you can see, there are many options. Fortunately, it's relatively inexpensive to set up a starter website. With easy-to-setup options available from website builders and with WordPress, it's just a matter of deciding which is a better fit for your needs.

Are you currently running your own site? What approach are you using? Are there any lessons you've learned that you'd like to share with your fellow readers? Let us know in the comments below.

You can follow my day-to-day project updates on social media. Be sure to follow me on Twitter at @DavidGewirtz , on Facebook at Facebook.com/DavidGewirtz , on Instagram at Instagram.com/DavidGewirtz , and on YouTube at YouTube.com/DavidGewirtzTV .

The best WordPress hosting services: Expert tested

The best web hosting services: expert tested, the best cheap web hosting services of 2024: solid support and security for less.

How to Build a Website: 2 Methods, 9 Easy Steps, & 35 Amazing Tips

Published: April 03, 2024

Studies show that 76% of consumers research a business online before visiting in person. That means having a website and building web pages that provide the information consumers want to know is as necessary for companies today as having a phone number.

how to make a website: image shows a person on a desktop computer

Maybe you’re starting a new business venture or developing your personal brand. Or, maybe you’re looking to update your company’s outdated website.

Whatever the case, building web pages from scratch can feel overwhelming, particularly without technical expertise or a budget for web developers. Below, let’s go over exactly how to build a website and the tools you need to do it yourself.

Table of Contents:

Steps to Make a Website

How to build a website with a website builder, how to build a website with a cms, how to build a website with hubspot.

Build Web Pages: FAQ

Build Your Website: Tips

I’ve put together a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to creating a website. Best of all, you won’t need a coder, web designer, or big budget to create one — you’ll just need to follow the steps below.

How to Build a Website

Choose a website builder or a CMS.
Select a hosting plan or sign up for a website builder subscription.
Get a domain name.
Choose a theme or template for your site.
Customize your theme and templates.
Add pages to your site.
Write content.
Fill in general settings.
Install extensions, plugins, or add-ons.

In general, you’ll carry out these steps before launching your site. But before you get started, you’ll need to choose a platform.

Start building your website by choosing a platform.

The first thing you’ll need to decide is whether you want to create a website using a website builder or a CMS.

Let’s take a look at the definitions of each below.

Both website builders and CMS platforms provide the out-of-the-box features, pre-designed templates, and extensions required to create a custom site without coding, but they offer different experiences for creating and managing a website.

Website Builders vs. Content Management Systems

Website builders provide everything you need to launch a site. You get website building tools, hosting, domain registration, SSL certification, templates, and support in one place, often for a low monthly rate.

This ease of use and pricing appeals to many site owners. However, free website builders , as well as the more expensive alternatives, tend to be limited in flexibility. For example, you can’t add your own custom code, or drag and drop elements anywhere on your posts and pages.

If you want more control over the functionality and appearance of your site, use a CMS. A CMS will provide the content management features , advanced functionality, and customization options required to build larger, more complex sites.

If you decide that a CMS is the best option for your business, consider the software, ease of use, customizability, security, and pricing of different platforms to narrow down your selection.

Let's look at some examples of both website builders and CMS platforms you could potentially use.

Here are some resources comparing some CMS systems with popular website builders:

HubSpot vs Drupal vs Wordpress vs Joomla: Which Is the Right CMS for You?
WordPress.org vs WordPress.com: What’s the Difference?
Which Should You Use, Wix or WordPress? Things to Know
A Head-to-Head Comparison of Weebly vs. WordPress
The Most Critical Differences Between Squarespace & WordPress
Shopify vs. WordPress: Where Should You Set Up Shop?

Have you decided that you’d like to use a website builder? Excellent! This is the easiest way to start for most beginners.

You won’t need to know how to code, and everything you need is typically included in one convenient package.

So if you don’t want to go through the hassle of finding a hosting service, domain name, and SSL certificate, this is the option for you.

Let’s go through the process of creating your site using a website builder.

1. Choose a website builder.

First up, choose a website builder that fits your needs and budget. You’ll need to consider the following:

Cost : Your budget will be by far the most important factor when choosing a website builder. Most require a paid subscription to include premium features such as domain names and increased storage.
Features : Website builders typically offer different features depending on their target market. Shopify, for example, is specifically designed for ecommerce websites, while WordPress.com is primarily known for blogging.
Extensions : Check out the extensions and add-ons library for each website builder you’re considering. If they don’t offer something you need for your site, skip that builder.
Themes and Templates : Some website builders provide more themes and templates, while others provide less variety but more well-designed choices. Check out the template library so you can see what your site could potentially look like once it’s finished.
Ease-of-use : All website builders are designed to be easy to use: simply sign up on the platform and start building. But some are more intuitive than others. Play around with different builders to find out which one you prefer.
Support : Is the website builder’s support team known for its responsiveness? Do some research beforehand to ensure the premium subscription will also get you premium support.

No matter what, you’ll want to start with a free trial — that way, you can give the platform a test run before committing.

While most website builders come with a free subscription tier, it doesn’t offer a free domain name or the features you need to build a strong website.

My recommendation is to opt for a paid subscription once you’ve decided on a platform.

Below, I’ve broken down some of the most popular website builders you could choose.

Here are a few more resources to help you choose a website builder:

Best Website Builders Today and How to Choose One
Best Free Website Builders to Check Out This Year
Top Ecommerce Website Builders

And here are some posts listing alternatives:

Wix Alternatives & Why You Might Want Them
Squarespace Alternatives & Why You Need One

2. Sign up for a subscription plan that meets your budget and needs.

If you’re just getting started, a free plan is a good way to build your business and get it out there.

But as you grow, you’ll want to upgrade to a subscription as free plans typically don’t include enough features to scale and maintain a professional website.

Before you upgrade, take a close look at the features included in each tier to choose the right subscription for you.

Consider the following questions before choosing a subscription plan:

How much storage will you need?
Do you want ads to be removed from your site?
Will you be setting up an online store?
Will you want a professional email with your domain name?
Will you want to customize the site using CSS and HTML?
How much support do you expect you’ll need?

Most website builders have a pricing page that lays out the differences between plans in an easy-to-scan list. The best part is that you can start with the simplest subscription, then upgrade as you require more features and functionalities.

3. Choose a short and catchy domain name.

Some website builders offer a free subdomain for your site, but you'll want to upgrade to a paid subscription to get a custom domain.

A custom domain name is one of the easiest ways to appear more professional and legitimate as a company. Imagine you were looking for a freelance writer.

Are you more likely to hire me if my website address is carolineforsey.weebly.com or carolineforsey.com? An extension like “Weebly.com” can confuse visitors and dilute your brand identity.

Worst case scenario: a visitor might assume you can’t afford a premium hosting service or custom domain, and draw conclusions that your business is not fully established.

The good news is that after you upgrade, your premium website builder subscription will include a domain name for free, at least for the first year. You’ll be able to choose it as you’re setting up the site, or do it later.

If you sell professional services, can customers learn more about the services you offer and easily get in touch with your team if they have specific questions?

If you‘re an e-comm business, how easy is it for your customers to purchase something right off your website?

Interview your customers about their experience on your website, and don’t be afraid to run experiments on your copy or on other elements of your website.

Constantly iterating on the experience you provide your customers will help you perfect your website over time."

Below, I'm covering the process of building your website using a CMS from start to finish.

1. Choose a CMS.

The best CMS system for your business will align with your site's needs and goals.

Let‘s talk about some of the features you’d get from using HubSpot Content Hub to give you an idea of some of the benefits of using content management software.

Example of CMS Software: HubSpot CMS

Don't forget to share this post!

Phases of Website Redesign: The Ultimate Guide for Marketers

The 16 Best Blogging Platforms for 2024 (& How to Pick One)

What Is a CMS and Why Should You Care?

80 Things to Check Before, During, and After Launching a Website

Your CMS Is NSFW

Start Using HubSpot's Drag-and-Drop Website Builder

Marketing software that helps you drive revenue, save time and resources, and measure and optimize your investments — all on one easy-to-use platform

Sign Up Now
Free Websites

Online Stores

Domain Names

Learn How To Create a Website

Follow our step-by-step article about our site builder and how to build your website.

Explore How To Create an Online Store

Watch in-depth videos about our ecommerce solutions and how to sell online.

Discover How To Create a Multilingual Website

Learn the basics of building a multilingual site with Website.com tools to expand your reach.

Learn How To Track Site Traffic

Understand how to track your website performance with Google Analytics.

Your Online Journey Starts Here: Free Websites , Emails , Domains , Done Right.

Website templates, made easy..

Explore responsive, stunning customizable website template designs tailored to thrive in your industry.

Create Your Website Now

Make your own website..

Whether you're growing your business, selling online or establishing an online presence - discover the easiest way to get online with the Website.com website builder.

Get A Free Website Now

1. start with a stunning theme.

Our layouts make it simple to get started. Fresh designs make it easy to make a beautiful, responsive website for any industry.

2. Customize with your own content

Add and customize sections. Choose font pairings, add images, and customize with your own text to make your website your own.

3. Be found online

Grow your audience with your perfect domain name, SEO tools, social media and third party features.

Make Free Website Now

Beautiful websites for any goal..

Whatever the industry, make your online presence stand out.

Photographer Portfolios

Showcase your work online with professional layouts, engaging galleries, and simple contact forms.

Life Coach Websites

Build client trust with a professional online presence. Add a blog, testimonials and forms. Optimize with third-party integrations.

Small Business Sites

55% of consumers search online before making a purchase. Create a professional website with the features you need to grow your business.

Get the tools you need to power your online store. Beautiful product galleries, diverse payment methods, member checkouts, and more.

Real Estate Websites

More than 51% of buyers find their homes online. Create your real estate website with engaging galleries and professional features to gain trust and enhance your sales.

Therapy Sites

Speak to your ideal client and express your therapy specialization with website designs loaded with industry-specific content.

Reach international heights with multilingual sites.

Easily cater to site visitors from across the pond. Our website platform allows you to create a multi-language website so visitors never miss a beat - no matter where they are.

Create My Multilingual Site

Build on the go, right from your phone..

Don't want to log onto a computer? You can create a professional website on any desktop or smart device (and your website will be optimized for both desktop and mobile devices!).

Build Your Website Now

At any stage, look like a pro from the word "go.".

Start with a designer layout and start developing your online presence. Customize anything by changing text, layouts and images, or adding features to grow your business.

Make My Website Now

Hands down, the easiest way to make a website.

Start with a ready-to-go template to get online right away! Just add your content and choose premade sections to quickly launch your online presence for any industry. Explore online store features, social media integrations, contact forms and more. A few clicks later, you're online with a responsive website for all devices.

Build My Free Website

How to make a free website.

Sign up for a website builder plan and start with a pre-built layout.
Add your own images, logos, and text to build your brand.
Add or remove sections to customize your web pages.
Grow your business by adding ecommerce features and third party integrations.
Publish your site and grow your audience with SEO, social media and marketing features.

Make Free Website

How to make an online store for free.

With a free Website.com plan, you'll have the ecommerce tools to set up your online store and add products right away. You have the option to add advanced functionality and marketing features as your business expands.

Here are the steps to make an online store for free with our tools:

Open the Store Manager in the website builder.

Set up your online store with contact info, payment methods, shipping & tax rules.

Add products, images, prices, inventory and more.

Organize products into collections, and customize your website design.

Promote your store with advanced SEO and marketing features as your business grows.

We're committed to helping you get online and grow your business, which is why Website.com doesn't take any commissions on your sales.

How much does a website cost? What does a Website.com subscription include?

The cost of running a website can be broken into 3 main elements: the domain, hosting, and the way to make the website.

A domain is the unique web address that visitors can type into the browser to find your website, e.g. www.website.com. A domain name is typically a yearly cost, ranging from around $20/year and up.

Website hosting allows your website files to be stored and seen on the internet. This is typically a monthly ongoing cost, usually around $14.99/month and up.

The website platform used to create a website is another factor to consider. The cost of making a website may vary depending on whether you choose a DIY approach, or hire a web designer or developer. Hiring a web expert can be a significant expense that generally requires an initial design cost and an ongoing maintenance fee.

With Website.com premium plans, everything is included to create your website, including a professional domain name for 1 year, web hosting to host your content, and a website builder with easy tools to create your site, sell products, reach international audiences, and market your online presence. Premium plans range from $3/month (promo price for the first year), which is an extremely cost effective way to own a professional website.

With a free Website.com plan, you can get a free website name and get online entirely for free. Keep in mind that Website.com premium plans include a professional domain name registration, more website pages and advanced features to lend more professionalism to your site.

Your web content will be stored on our secure servers located in Vancouver, Canada.

How easy is it to make a website? Can I make a website without knowing how to code?

Using Website.com is the easiest way to make a website! Our tools provide the freedom to create your free website without any design or coding knowledge. You can even create your entire website, from start to finish, right from a mobile device! Just start with a pre-made layout, add your own website content, and click publish to get your responsive website online. Need a hand? Our team of designers offer design services to help you craft your website on the Website.com editor, so you can have total control of your website after your design is complete.

Why does my business need a website?

Today, 91% of consumers look online to search for goods or services, and 84% view a business with a website as more credible. Owning a website is crucial for small business owners in order to gain credibility and get found by both new and existing customers.

With Website.com, we provide the tools to publish your online presence as fast as possible.

Why is Website.com the best choice to make my website?

With Website.com, experience the freedom to create a unique and professional website on your own. The Website.com website builder is the easiest way to make a website, and you can even create your entire website using your smart phone! You can start with a layout and personalize it, or hire our design experts to make your website for you.

When you choose Website.com, you're choosing the absolute easiest tools to create a professional website: professional layouts, free stock photos, free secure web hosting, and a committed support team. You can even make an online store entirely for free.

With over 1 million websites built with Website.com, you'll be in good company.

Do I need a domain name? How do I get custom domain emails?

Yes, every website on the internet needs its own domain name for visitors to be able to find it. A custom domain name can make your website look professional online. It builds your brand, makes your website more memorable, and helps visitors find you online. With Website.com, you can start with a free website name, and all premium Website.com plans include a professional custom domain name for 1 year at no additional charge!

Domain names are vital to anyone's online presence, but its value is also often undervalued. Problems can arise when domain names are left to expire or become open for anyone to register under their name, from identity theft and impersonation to extortion and malware injection. This is why Website.com offers domain auto renewal feature to help prevent these problems from appearing. Let us know if you are unsure about whether your domain name is set for auto-renewal.

Using your custom domain name in your email address ([email protected]) can further build your brand and create a sense of trust throughout your customer communications. Website.com Elite plans and above include professional emails at your domain name and a mailbox to store your emails. You can read your emails anywhere, or even set up emails to be accessed on your phone!

Can someone make a website for me?

The Website.com website builder is easy to use, and is great for a DIY approach. If you would rather have someone create your website for you, we can take care of it! Our Website.com designers offer web design and marketing services so you can focus on your business. Your website will be published on the website builder, allowing you to easily make future tweaks to your design at no additional design charge. Or, feel free to reach out to our team if you need design services after launch.

How do I make my website mobile friendly?

Globally, 62% of users access the internet using a mobile phone, which means having a mobile-friendly website is key for reaching potential visitors. Mobile-friendliness is also a crucial aspect of SEO.

That's why all websites made with Website.com are responsive, which means they are automatically optimized for both mobile and desktop devices! Your Website.com website will provide website visitors with an amazing user experience, whether they're viewing your website on their phones or on a computer.

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How to Make a Website: A Beginner’s Guide

By Amanda Shih-Goel

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Your website is your online homebase: You might have countless social media profiles , portfolio pages , and more than one account on different online marketplaces, but your website is the place where you can tie it all together, provide context for your work, and build direct, authentic connections with your audience.

Squarespace’s all-in-one website building platform gives you everything you need to create a compelling, effective online presence. You can start your new website with a single landing page, or build a complex, multi-faceted presence with media and ecommerce , and everything in between.

1. Do your research

Before you even start to think about your website design, sit down and do some brainstorming. Look at other websites in a similar space to yours and then think about the purpose of your website.

Write down a few ideas about your:

Goals for your website

Brand visuals and tone of voice

Audience and how you’ll reach them

Understanding these concepts will help you make decisions about pages to add, copy to write, and design . For example, knowing what you want people to do once they land on your website will help you figure out how to organize your content.

2. Choose a template

Website templates are pre-designed layouts that help you quickly create a professional, simple website. You can drag and drop elements like text blocks, images, photo galleries, logos , and more into the template to make it your own.

When you’re ready to choose a template for your site , it’s helpful to know the primary functions you need it to have. This is where your website goals can help to guide you. Are you building a portfolio, a blog, a resume site, or an ecommerce website? Or something brand new and hard to categorize?

You don’t need coding or web development experience to customize a website template to your brand’s needs. But if you have some coding experience, you can add custom CSS code to add extra features to your web design.

Effective design sets the foundation for a strong website that will attract your ideal customers, prove your professionalism, and showcase your personality. Squarespace offers a range of templates that you can customize with brand colors, fonts, and imagery. Or you can build a fully custom template from scratch with Squarespace Blueprint AI .

If you have the desire and resources for a little extra help, consider getting matched with a Squarespace Expert , who can help make your website vision a reality.

3. Create your website pages

You can get started with just a homepage for your brand or business, but depending on what you’re building, you’ll likely need additional website pages. Most people will benefit from having an About and Contact information page for website visitors. Consider what other pages you might need, like a blog page or a page for FAQs.

Short on time? See tips for creating a one-page website.

Basic website navigation

Navigation design is the sum of all the elements that people use to navigate a website. It includes everything from your website’s navigation menu to buttons and copy , hyperlinks, and how you design your page layouts .

Good navigation design helps visitors to move around your website and find what they need. The more user-friendly your website navigation is, the more people will want to stay on the page. A bad design will cause people to click away from your site before getting to your content or products.

When it’s done well, navigation UX (user experience) is intuitive. Ideally, visitors will have such an easy time finding what they need that they won’t even think about the navigation design of your website.

See our full guide to designing your navigation

Designing page layouts

To design your page layouts, take the time to truly consider your customer journey. How will someone get from the landing page of your site to taking the step of contacting you or buying from you?

Once you’ve put together a page, ask yourself:

When someone lands on your homepage, is it clear what they need to do next?

Is your navigation easy to understand?

Do you naturally guide someone where you want them to go, like your products page?

When you add new pages to a Squarespace website, you can choose between blank pages and pages with pre-built layouts designed for specific uses. Squarespace is powered by Fluid Engine , a no-code drag-and-drop grid editor to help you customize where and how content appears on your site.

You can add content blocks to a blank page to create a new layout, or manipulate the blocks within a templated layout page to create rows, columns, or even overlapping content. With Fluid Engine’s grid as guidance, you can easily resize and realign those page elements in whatever ways suit your creative vision. Squarespace websites are built with responsive design , which helps to optimize your site for any sized screen.

Your page layouts and whether they’re responsive on mobile impact:

SEO performance

How much time people spend on your site

How likely someone is to buy from you

The goal is to create a polished representation of your brand, so the experience visitors have on your website encourages more trust, interest, and engagement for your website .

See our 10 essential principles for web design

4. Add content to your website

Once you have your layouts set, the next step to guiding people through your website is choosing the right copy and visual elements.

Writing website copy

Writing website copy that informs and engages your audience is a crucial part of your action plan. Website copywriting should be high on your to-do list. Before you even write your copy, set yourself up for success by deciding what to write and where to put it.

Start with your homepage and define what you offer or the purpose of your site.

Identify key details and any other pages to include in your header, such an About page, pages for your products or services, or a page with a contact form.

Keep copy concise and skimmable.

Consider which search keywords are relevant to your business, and how they can be incorporated into copy and site navigation.

Not sure where to start? Get our guide to writing website copy or let Squarespace AI do the drafting for you.

Adding photos to your website

The first step to choosing images for your website is to identify what types of imagery fit your brand. Once you figure out the aesthetic that represents your brand, you can source the photos and images that will bring it to life.

Stock photos are a useful place to start, especially when you’re launching your business and don’t have many of your own photos yet. Squarespace offers integrations with stock photo services to help you find high-quality, free or affordable images for use on your website.

Your other options include taking photos yourself or hiring a photographer, if that’s within your budget. Leading with photos that directly represent your brand—photos of yourself, your studio or storefront, your items for sale, or your team in action—can support your credibility and build trust with your audience.

For photos and images to load quickly and cleanly on your website, pay close attention to image formats, resolution, and sizing. All of these can impact how your images look and how quickly your pages load.

Make sure you’re working with JPEGs or PNGs.

Stick to a width of 1500 to 2500 pixels.

Keep the total size of media files on a webpage under 2 MB to optimize load time.

Once you upload your photos to your site, you can manage them all from one central place.

5. Buy a domain

When you’re almost ready to launch your website, choose a domain name . A domain name, like squarespace.com, is one of the first impressions you leave online and impacts everything from SEO to a person’s ability to easily remember and find your website. It doesn’t take long to buy a domain , but you should spend time picking one that fits your brand.

Ideally, your domain name and your business name will be the same or similar. For example, if you’re launching an ecommerce store for an existing business, start by searching for a custom domain name that matches the name of your business. That way, existing customers can easily find your site. If your domain name isn’t available with “ .com ” after it, consider a different domain extension, like “ .co ” or “ .store .”

All Squarespace sites on an annual billing plan include a custom free domain . Already own a domain? You can transfer it to Squarespace .

Learn about web hosting services and why you need one

This post was updated on June 1, 2023.

Posted on 28 Sep 2021

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How to Build a Website in 2024: Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Option 1: Using a Website Builder

Using a Website Builder: Step-by-Step Guide

If you’re looking for full design freedom and easy editing capabilities, Wix is my go-to recommendation because of its flexibility and functionality. The free plan is outstanding, and it allows you to build a fully functional website ( notwithstanding some limitations). Even with a free plan, you can enjoy reliable web hosting and around-the-clock maintenance and security.
The most beginner-friendly builder on this list, SITE123 offers easy and quick website building .
If you do creative work – photography, design, writing – then Squarespace is the top choice . Its high-quality templates are perfect for showcasing your creative talent.
If you need to create a site for your agency that attracts clients and invites confidence, IONOS offers simple design with professional results . It also comes with easy-to-use tools for e-commerce.
If you need a dazzling online store with advanced e-commerce functionalities like inventory tracking, product variations, and business analytics, you can’t go wrong with Shopify . It has hundreds of apps and tons of tools to help you boost your sales.
If you want to sell online, you’ll probably want to go for a designated business plan (or, at the very least, a plan with the necessary tools for e-commerce). Wix has general and business/e-commerce plans to choose from, but you can only accept online payments on the business/e-commerce plans.
If you want to showcase your work by hosting a lot of videos or high-resolution images on your website, you’ll need a plan with a lot of storage and bandwidth. For instance, Squarespace gives you unlimited photo storage on every plan, including its cheapest.

Changing fonts

Changing colors

Moving elements around on your pages

How to add text You can add new text sections to your web pages in just a few clicks. In Wix, you use the Add tool in the toolbar on the left and then select Text in the pop-out menu.

How to add an image Like adding text to your website, adding images is incredibly easy. In Wix, open the Add menu, select Image (directly below Text ), and choose from the range of image sources. You can upload your own images, use free Wix images and illustrations, search the Unsplash images database, or choose premium stock images from Shutterstock (for an added fee). Then, all you have to do is place the image where you want it on your page.

How to add a page to your website Most templates will come with several pre-designed pages, such as Home , About Us , and Contact . If you want to add more pages – a Services or My Work page, for example – you can do this by clicking the Menus and Pages button on the left toolbar and selecting the Add Page button at the bottom of the pop-out menu.

Website Builder Comparison Table
Website Builder FAQ

Which website builder is the easiest to use?

Will my site appear on google and other search engines, will my site look good on mobile devices, do i need a dedicated e-commerce builder, can i hire someone to build my site for me.

Option 2: Using WordPress

Step-by-Step Guide

Hostinger – One of the cheapest hosting providers around, Hostinger is ideal if you’re on a budget. Its excellent loading speeds (that we’ve tested thoroughly) and simple 1-click WordPress installer make it our overall best choice. If you opt for managed WordPress hosting, you’ll benefit from enhanced security and servers that are optimized for WordPress.
InterServer – With its low monthly hosting price and unlimited storage, InterServer is an excellent solution if you’re a growing business. Because its servers are located in the US, it can provide great loading speeds for a US-based target audience.
A2 Hosting – Offering standard shared hosting or managed WordPress hosting, A2 Hosting is a ‘green’ hosting company that works to reduce its carbon footprint. It delivers great speeds, and it’s also great for security, with its own HackScan threat detection and removal tool that’s included free.
Nexcess – If you don’t mind going for a more costly option – so long as you get premium managed hosting in return – Nexcess could be the best hosting option for running your WordPress website. With Nexcess, you can rest assured that every part of the hosting process is being taken care of by consummate professionals
Kinsta – Managed hosting (i.e., all the hard work comes pre-done) and lighting fast speeds make Kinsta a fantastic choice in almost any regard, so long as you don’t mind a lighter wallet. Despite its fantastic value, Kinsta is still quite pricey, but rest assured, you’re paying premium prices for a premium service.
InMotion Hosting – Another top-tier choice for US-based hosting, InMotion Hosting sacrifices some (though not that much) of InterServer’s speed in exchange for top-tier support. If you’re looking for great hosting within the US, and dependability is on the top of your list, InMotion might just be the choice for you.
SSL certificate. An SSL certificate makes your website secure, ensuring your site has the little padlock icon in the address bar of web browsers. Most web hosts will include one for free. Once your website is live, you can check that the SSL certificate on your website is working properly with the SSL Checker Tool .
WordPress optimization. The best web hosts for WordPress have specially optimized servers to improve performance, so your web pages load faster.
Security features. Some web hosts charge you extra for essential security, so you should try to find one that includes important features such as malware protection, firewalls, and automatic backups.

Cover image

In the customizer, where you’ll see a button at the top of the panel which saves changes and makes your customizations live.
At the top right of each new post you create, you will find the option to publish. Until you click publish, your post will remain a draft and won’t be visible to others. If you decide to make edits later on, simply click update to make your changes go live.
At the top right of each new page you create. As with posts, your content is just a draft until you publish, and when you make edits you need to click update or your changes won’t be saved.

Consider Spending $5 on a Web Developer and Save Time and Frustration

WordPress FAQ

Is WordPress free?

Can i build a wordpress site on my own, what’s the difference between wordpress.com and wordpress.org, what is better, wix, or wordpress, do i need a special wordpress hosting plan, or is a basic hosting plan enough.

Taking Your Website to the Next Level

Designing a Logo

Optimizing your site, grow your audience with email marketing.

ActiveCampaign – This is, hands down, the most feature-packed email marketing service on the market. It’s the industry-leader for automation, there are 880+ integrations, and it has the best drag-and-drop editor we’ve tested. With so many features, there is a bit of a learning curve but with a huge knowledge base and support team, it’s definitely worth your time.
Sendinblue – Offering SMS marketing as well as email marketing tools, Sendinblue has an affordable solution that’s easy to use. It even has a generous free plan. You can create automated emails, add workflows, and use the option to “send it at the best time.”
AWeber – Offering a unique drag-and-drop campaign builder, AWeber gives you everything you need for successful email marketing. It’s very beginner-friendly but still has more complex features, such as split-test functions and it can connect to more than 5000 apps with Zapier.
Constant Contact – With hundreds of email templates to choose from and a 30-day free trial (60-day if you’re in the US), Constant Contact is an excellent choice. It’s great for creating automated emails, and it’s really easy to use, meaning you can get started right away.
Benchmark Email – Supporting multiple languages, Benchmark Email is a top choice if your native language isn’t English. It has a free plan, too, that lets you send up to 3,500 emails per month. It’s great for beginners but has more advanced tools that you can use as you grow more familiar with the platform.
GetResponse – More than just an email marketing platform, GetResponse is a multi-functional platform that incorporates marketing, customer relationship management (CRM), and webinar features. There’s a 30-day free trial, too.
Final Words
Website builders are a great place to start when you’re a beginner. Wix is one of the most flexible of them all, allowing you to start with the basics and add more advanced apps later.
WordPress is often regarded as more difficult than website builders, but it offers much more freedom. It’s also a cheaper way of getting your website online, with lots of low-cost website hosting plans available.
If you don’t have the time to build your website yourself, you can hire a developer on Fiverr for as little as $5 . Who said working with a web developer had to break your budget?
Publishing your website isn’t the end of the process. You can keep optimizing and promoting your website with tools for SEO, analytics, and marketing.

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Here's how much Caitlin Clark will make in the WNBA

By Megan Cerullo

Edited By Alain Sherter

Updated on: April 18, 2024 / 3:32 PM EDT / CBS News

College basketball sensation Caitlin Clark will earn less than six figures in her rookie season with the Indiana Fever, reigniting debate over whether professional women athletes in the U.S. are fairly paid.

Clark, this year's No. 1 draft pick in the WNBA , will have a starting salary of $76,535 and earn roughly $338,000 over the four-year contract she signed with the Fever. The second, third and fourth picks in this year's draft will also earn $76,535 their first year, according to the league's collective bargaining agreement . The base annual pay for all four athletes will see only a modest rise over the next few years — $78,066 in 2025, $85,873 in 2026 and $97,582 in 2027.

Lower-ranked WNBA draft picks earn less, according to a wage scale outlined in the players' agreement with the league. Players are also eligible for bonuses at the end of the season, based on performance. For example, the "Rookie of the Year" award comes with a $5,150 bonus.

The WNBA did not immediately respond to CBS MoneyWatch 's request for comment on how it sets athlete salaries.

Clark's earnings are not limited to her WNBA salary. She's expected to sign sponsorship deals that will likely lead to her earning far more than than the five figures she'll get for playing basketball. Already, her name image and likeness is valued at $3 million, a figure that's expected to grow, while she has already done TV commercials for advertisers including Gatorade, State Farm and Nike.

Still, Clark's base pay pales in comparison to her counterparts in the NBA. Rookie Victor Wembanyama, the first pick in last year's NBA draft, made more than $12 million for the 2023-24 season, his first year in the NBA, according to Spotrac , a site tracking sports statistics.Her salary is roughly equivalent to that of a first-year or junior New York-based attorney at a national law firm, according to a posting on job site Indeed .

With some online commentators expressing surprise at Clark's pay, President Biden weighed in Tuesday on the issue of pay disparity in sports.

"Women in sports continue to push new boundaries and inspire us all. But right now we're seeing that even if you're the best, women are not paid their fair share," he said in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter). "It's time that we give our daughters the same opportunities as our sons and ensure women are paid what they deserve."

To be sure, what female athletes "deserve" is up for debate. The NBA was founded decades ago and generates billions of dollars annually. The WNBA, by contrast, was launched in 1996 and is far smaller, generating an estimated $200 million in revenue annually, according to a report from Just Women's Sports .

On the issue of compensation for individual players, "There isn't an endless reservoir of money they get to deal with," Greg Bouris, a professor sports management at Adelphi University, told CBS MoneyWatch, adding that the WNBA needs to meaningfully grow its revenue in order for player salaries to increase. "It comes down to economics."

And as big of a star as Clark has been for college basketball, she remains untested in the professional arena, he noted. That's part of the reason why both the NBA and WNBA issue caps on rookie salaries.

"They are coming in to play against the best basketball players in the world and they have yet to prove themselves," Bouris said. "Sucess at one level doesn't guarantee success at the other."

By the same token, Clark is expected to add considerable sizzle to the league, as she did in helping the women's NCAA tournament draw a larger TV audience than the men.

"She's going to raise all boats"

"She's coming in with all of this momentum in earned media coverage for the WNBA, so the league has an opportunity to capitalize on that. She's having a tremendous economic impact," Bouris said. "She's going to raise all boats."

The Women's Sports Foundation, an advocacy group for women in sports founded by tennis legend Billie Jean King, has pointed to the relatively low pay in the WNBA as a reason why top players often compete overseas during the U.S. league's off season to supplement their salaries. That includes WNBA star Brittney Griner , who was jailed in Russia while playing there and who previously noted in an interview that "the whole reason a lot of us go over is the pay gap."

The WNBA has made strides in promoting pay equity in recent years. While NBA players collectively receive roughly 50% of the league's revenue, WNBA players previously took home less than 23%. But that figure jumped to 50% under the latest labor deal with the league.

Yet the pay gap in professional basketball and most other sports remains, with only female tennis players achieving a measure of equity. In the NBA, the minimum rookie salary for the 2022-23 season was $953,000 , according to Spotrac.

Ketra Armstrong, a professor of sports management at Michigan University said that while she views Clark as underpaid relative to their skills, so are many WNBA athletes.

"It's a structural issue, and you can't look at salaries in isolation or compare them to how much the men make because there are stark differences there," Armstrong told CBS MoneyWatch in noting the enormous revenues the NBA generates, compared with the WNBA.

The upshot: For WNBA players' salaries to increase, the league will have to land bigger broadcast deals, secure more lucrative corporate sponsorships, and sell more tickets and merchandise. But Armstrong identified the current cultural moment as a potential turning point for the league.

"[W[e have little boys socialized to believe women's sports matter," she said. "We see them walking around wearing jerseys with female basketball players' names on them."

And there's no denying Clark's star power.

"The Caitlin Clark impact is real. There is an energy and vibrance touching the WNBA in ways it never has before," Armstrong said. "If we can get a groundswell increase in ticket sales for all WNBA teams, more merchandise sales, more media exposure, and more people investing, we'll start to see movement in revenue."

Women's Basketball
Caitlin Clark

Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News Streaming to discuss her reporting.

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View, manage, and install add-ins for Excel, PowerPoint, and Word

When you enable an add-in, it adds custom commands and new features to Microsoft 365 programs that help increase your productivity. Because add-ins can be used by attackers to do harm to your computer, you can use add-in security settings to help protect yourself.

Note: This article only applies to Microsoft 365 applications running on Windows.

View installed add-ins

Screenshot of the add-ins in Office from Home tab.

You can directly install add-ins from this page or select More Add-ins to explore.

In the Office Add-ins dialog, select My Add-ins tab.

Select an add-in you want to view the details for and right-click to select Add-in details option.

Click a heading below for more information .

Add-in categories explained

Active Application Add-ins Add-ins registered and currently running on your Microsoft 365 program.

Inactive Application Add-ins These are present on your computer but not currently loaded. For example, XML schemas are active when the document that refers to them is open. Another example is the COM add-in: if a COM add-in is selected, the add-in is active. If the check box is cleared, the add-in is inactive.

Document Related Add-ins Template files referred to by open documents.

Disabled Application Add-ins These add-ins are automatically disabled because they are causing Microsoft 365 programs to crash.

Add-in The title of the add-in.

Publisher The software developer or organization responsible for creating the add-in.

Compatibility Look here for any compatibility issues.

Location This file path indicates where the add-in is installed on your computer.

Description This text explains the add-in function.

Note: Microsoft Outlook has one add-in option in the Trust Center: Apply macro security settings to installed add-ins . InfoPath has no security settings for add-ins.

Permanently disable or remove an add-in

To disable or remove an add-in follow these steps:

Select File > Get Add-ins . Alternatively, you can select Home > Add-ins .

In the Office Add-ins dialog, select My Add-ins tab.

Select an add-in you want to remove and right click to select Remove option.

View or change add-in settings

You can see and change add-in settings in the Trust Center, descriptions of which are in the following section. Add-in security settings may have been determined by your organization so not all options may be available to change.

Select File > Get Add-ins .

Select More Add-ins > Manage My Add-ins.

Select Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Add-ins.

Check or uncheck the boxes you want.

Add-in settings explained

Require Application Add-ins to be signed by Trusted Publisher Check this box to have the Trust Center check that the add-in uses a publisher's trusted signature. If the publisher's signature hasn’t been trusted, the Microsoft 365 program doesn’t load the add-in, and the Trust Bar displays a notification that the add-in has been disabled.

Disable notification for unsigned add-ins (code will remain disabled) When you check the Require Application Extensions to be signed by Trusted Publisher box, this option is no longer grayed out. Add-ins signed by a trusted publisher are enabled, but unsigned add-ins are disabled.

Disable all Application Add-ins (may impair functionality) Check this box if you don't trust any add-ins. All add-ins are disabled without any notification, and the other add-in boxes are grayed out.

Note: This setting takes effect after you exit and restart your Microsoft 365 program.

While working with add-ins, you may need to learn more about digital signatures and certificates , which authenticate an add-in, and trusted publishers , the software developers who often create add-ins.

Manage and install add-ins

Use the following instruction to manage and install add-ins.

To install a new add-in:

You can directly install popular add-ins on the page or go to More Add-ins to explore.

Select the add-in and select Add . Or browse by selecting Store tab in the Office add-in dialog to find other add-ins to install and select Add for that add-in.

To manage your add-ins:

Select File > Get Add-ins and from the bottom, select More Add-ins. Or select Home > Add-ins > More add-ins.

In the Office dialog, select My Add-ins tab. If you are not able to see your add-ins, select Refresh to reload your add-ins.

Select Manage My Add-in to manage and select Upload to browse and add an add-in from your device.

How to cancel a purchased add-in

If you've subscribed to an add-in through the Microsoft 365 Store that you don't want to continue, you can cancel that subscription.

Open the Microsoft 365 application and go to the Home tab of the ribbon.

Select Add-ins and then select More Add-ins > My Add-ins tab to view your existing add-ins.

Select the app you want to cancel and select Manage My Add-ins .

Under the Payment and Billing section choose Cancel Subscription .

Select OK and then Continue .

Once that's complete you should see a message that says "You have cancelled your app subscription" in the comments field of your apps list.

Why is my add-in crashing?

Some add-ins might not be compatible with your organization's IT department policies. If that is the case with add-ins recently installed on your Microsoft 365 program, Data Execution Prevention (DEP) will disable the add-in and the program might crash.

Learn more about DEP

Get a Microsoft 365 Add-in for Outlook

Get a Microsoft 365 Add-in for Project

Taking linked notes

If you're looking for Help on linking notes in OneNote to a Word or PowerPoint document, see Take linked notes .

Excel Windows Add-ins

If you're looking for Help on specific Excel Add-ins, such as Solver or Inquire, see Help for Excel for Windows add-ins .

If you're looking for additional help with Excel add-ins using the COM Add-ins dialog box, see Add or remove add-ins in Excel .

Get a Microsoft 365 Add-in for Excel

Need more help?

Want more options.

Explore subscription benefits, browse training courses, learn how to secure your device, and more.

Microsoft 365 subscription benefits

Microsoft 365 training

Microsoft security

Accessibility center

Communities help you ask and answer questions, give feedback, and hear from experts with rich knowledge.

Ask the Microsoft Community

Microsoft Tech Community

Windows Insiders

Microsoft 365 Insiders

Find solutions to common problems or get help from a support agent.

Online support

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Thank you for your feedback.

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How To Pack A Suitcase, According To A Seasoned Traveler

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Learning how to pack a suitcase can make future trips seamless and stress-free. With plenty of helpful packing methods out there, it’s easy to maximize the limited space of your suitcase so that you can bring as much as possible, depending on your itinerary. The best way to pack a suitcase depends on the length of your trip and other factors, such as the season you’re traveling in and your travel style.

For cruises or a one-hotel trip where you won’t be changing accommodations often, you will only need to think about packing and repacking once. However, if you plan on changing hotels and cities often, you will be packing, unpacking and lugging your suitcase around throughout your trip, meaning you’ll need to have a plan in place. No matter your itinerary, we’ve outlined the best strategies to help you pack more strategically, as well as some essential items to make packing as easy as possible.

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The best travel cribs, no matter where your family is headed, what you will need to pack a suitcase:.

Best Suitcase: Away The Bigger Carry-On
Best Packing Cubes: Bagsmart Keep Shape Packing Cubes , Eagle Creek Pack-It Tube , JJ Power Travel Shoe Bag
Best Toiletry Kit: Travelon Compact Hanging Toiletry Kit
Best Tech Kit: ProCase Electronic Organizer
Best Cosmetics Bag: Eachy Cosmetic Bag
Best Jewelry Case: Bagsmart Travel Jewelry Organizer Case

Step 1: Consider The Type of Travel

Before you even open your suitcase, you should think about the kind of trip you’re going on and how much space essential items will take up. If you’re packing for a ski trip , you will need to bring heavier, snow-proof gear—but you can re-wear most of it. On a beach trip, your summer outfits will take up less space, but you will need more of them as you lather on sunscreen and deal with sand and sweat.

Whether you’re flying domestically or internationally also plays a role in how you pack. On a domestic trip, familiar products are easier to find and you don’t need to worry about packing adaptors to charge your electronics. When you’re flying internationally, there may be some necessities that will be difficult or impossible to find abroad.

Step 2: Decide On The Number of Items

After you’ve considered the essentials for the style of your trip, think about how long your trip will be. Short trips can be the easiest to pack for because you can get away with squeezing in a little bit more than you need, while longer trips of two weeks or more are not so bad if you count on doing laundry somewhere along the way. I’ve found that I’m more likely to overpack on a week-long trip when I don’t think I will have a chance to do laundry and want to be prepared for a few different weather scenarios.

Start with this basic breakdown of how many of each item you should aim to pack depending on how long you’ll be traveling for—with optional items included if you’re traveling somewhere you expect to swim. If you plan on hitting the hotel gym or going for a jog or a bike ride, you should also bring along one outfit for working out and a pair of sneakers.

Weekend Trip

For a weekend trip, you really only need three outfits, or four if it’s a three-day weekend. This includes one nice outfit for going out to dinner, but it does not include what you’ll wear on the way to your destination.

1-2 bottoms
1 dress (optional)
1 pajama set
1 swimsuit (optional)
3 pairs of socks
3 pairs of underwear
1 pair of comfortable shoes
1 pair of “going-out” shoes (optional)
Toiletry bag with essentials (toothpaste, sunscreen, makeup, etc.)
Chargers and electronics

On a seven-day trip, you will need to pack clothes that can easily be mixed and matched, while prioritizing items that you can use multiple times, like jackets, jeans and sweaters that can handle multiple wears between washes. Always pack extra underwear and socks on a longer trip, especially if you’re doing a lot of physical activity.

2-3 bottoms
1-2 dresses (optional)
1-2 swimsuits (optional)
8 pairs of socks
8 pairs of underwear
1 pair of comfortable close-toed walking shoes
1 pair of sandals or flip-flops (optional)

Two-Week Trip Or Longer

If you’re traveling for two weeks or longer, you should plan to do laundry at some point during your trip so you can pack less and have a fresh start somewhere in the middle of your travels. However, things don’t always go according to plan, so you should still pack more than one week’s worth of clothes just in case.

3-4 bottoms
2-3 dresses (optional)
8-14 pairs of socks
8-14 pairs of underwear

Step 3: Choose The Packing Methods And Products To Help You Pack

If you are flying carry-on only, all of your liquids must be in containers no larger than 3.4 ounces and fit in a clear quart-sized bag. If you check your luggage you can bring toiletries that go over this size limit, but you should still pack, wrap and secure them tightly in plastic bags so that if they they leak during transit, the rest of your items will not be ruined.

To keep your toiletries organized throughout your trip, you’ll need a hanging bag like the Travelon Compact Hanging Toiletry Kit . This particular bag is a great choice as it allows you to see everything laid out just how you left it and it’s quick to pack up. However, if you need more space for a large makeup collection, check out the super spacious and customizable Eachy Cosmetic Bag .

Dress Shirts

To minimize wrinkles in your best shirts, use the narrow fold method. Button up the shirt and lie it flat with the buttons facing down. Fold the sleeves across the back of the shirt and then up at a 90-degree angle until the cuffs line up with the collar. Fold the sides to overlap on top of the sleeves, and fold the fest of the shirt up from the bottom until you have a neat square package. You may still have to iron out the folds when you arrive.

To protect your shoes while traveling, pack them in a separate waterproof bag and fill any empty space with socks or other small soft items that will give them extra protection and help them keep their shape. You can use a plastic bag if you’re in a pinch, but these waterproof shoe bags are specifically designed to hold their shape and have an extra pocket to fit a pair of flip flops.

Packing Cubes

These essential travel tools make a world of difference when it comes to keeping your suitcase organized, but most people use them wrong. Your first instinct might tell you to put pants with pants and shirts with shirts, but the most effective way I’ve found to use packing cubes—especially on a trip with multiple transfers— is to group clothing by activity.

Keep your day-to-day sightseeing clothes in a separate cube from your going-out-for-dinner clothes or beach-gear cube. When it’s time to get dressed, you’ll have your outfit pre-planned and I also find that it’s also a good way to store accessories. For example, I always bring my favorite microfiber beach towel with me, so I keep this in a separate cube with my swimsuits, a beach dress and a sun hat. When I’m not looking for my beach clothes, it doesn’t get in the way and it doesn’t get lost.

I prefer cubes with some shape, like these BagSmart packing cubes , but I also like to mix it up. I’ve found that the Eagle Creek Pack-It Tube is the best shape for storing my rolled socks and underwear, which I always keep in my carry-on in case my luggage gets lost.

If you love to accessorize, you’ll need a system to prevent your favorite jewelry from getting left behind in random hotel rooms. Instead of bringing along a hard-sided jewelry box which could tangle your necklaces as they get jostled around, try a folding jewelry organizer like this case from BagSmart , available in three sizes.

Electronics

In addition to a good case for your laptop or tablet, you should also have a separate organizer case for all your wires, chargers, portable batteries, and hard drives. If you’re bringing a lot of electronics, protect them with a hard-sided case like this ProCase Electronic Organizer , which has multiple compartments and partitions to keep your gear tangle-free.

Is It Better To Roll Or Fold Clothes In A Suitcase?

If your goal is to fit as much as possible into your suitcase, rolling is the way to go. However, if you need your clothes ready to go as soon as you land and won’t have time for ironing, folding is preferable. The best strategy is to do a bit of both, rolling items like underwear and pajamas, but folding nice shirts and dresses.

What Is The 5 4 3 2 1 Packing Method?

The 5 4 3 2 1 packing method maximizes potential outfit combinations so you can express your personal style. It works by assigning a number to each category of clothing: 5 tops, 4 bottoms, 3 shoes, 2 dresses, and 1 bag. It’s a good jumping-off point, but you may need to adjust the numbers for longer or shorter trips.

Why Trust Forbes Vetted

From meticulously testing and reviewing the best luggage to bring with you to the airport to the best packing cubes to keep you organized, we at Forbes Vetted have dedicated ourselves to helping make travel easy. When it came time to put together a guide to packing a suitcase, we applied the same unyielding commitment to ensure that our readers have everything they need on hand to pack for their trips stress-free.

To break down how to pack a suitcase, we tapped the expertise of freelance travel writer Jamie Ditaranto . Along with contributing to Forbes Vetted, Ditaranto has spent the last eight years writing travel content for Condé Nast Traveler , Travel + Leisure , National Geographic and more. She has lived in Mexico, Spain, Portugal and Brazil and has visited all seven continents. As someone who is always packing for a trip, Ditaranto put her first-hand expertise as a frequent packer to the test for this story.

More Packing Guides

International Travel Packing List
Ski Trip Packing List
African Safari Packing List

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Fact Sheets Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services Final Rule (CMS-2442-F)

Medicaid & CHIP

Ensuring beneficiaries can access covered services is a critical function of the Medicaid program and a top priority of the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Executive Order 14009 in 2021 established the policy objective to protect and strengthen Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and to make high-quality health care accessible and affordable for every American. [1] In 2022, Executive Order 14070 directed agencies to identify ways to continue to expand the availability of affordable health coverage, to improve the quality of coverage, to strengthen benefits, and to help more Americans enroll in quality health coverage. [2] The Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services (Access rule) final rule advances access to care and quality of care, and will improve health outcomes for Medicaid beneficiaries across fee-for-service (FFS) and managed care delivery systems, including home- and community-based services (HCBS) provided through those delivery systems.

CMS has actively sought to improve access to care and services for the people enrolled in the Medicaid program, but has been limited by outdated regulations that need to be more comprehensive and consistent across all delivery systems and coverage authorities. The Access rule addresses critical dimensions of access across both Medicaid FFS and managed care delivery systems, including for HCBS. These improvements seek to increase transparency and accountability, standardize data and monitoring, and create opportunities for states to promote active beneficiary engagement in their Medicaid programs with the goal of improving holistic access to care. This final rule, along with the Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program Managed Care Access, Finance, and Quality Final Rule (CMS-2439-F), underscores the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to strengthening access to coverage and care.

The table below provides highlights of the provisions included in the final rule:

For more information, please see the final rule and a chart outlining the applicability dates for all regulatory changes.

Additional information and resources on the final rule are available at: https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/access-care/index.html

For questions about the HCBS provisions, please contact: [email protected] .

[1] https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/28/executive-order-on-strengthening-medicaid-and-the-affordable-care-act/

[2] https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2022/04/05/executive-order-on-continuing-to-strengthen-americans-access-to-affordable-quality-health-coverage/

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Wix is recognized as the best no-code website builder, offering versatility, user-friendly features, and a range of options to bring your ideas to life seamlessly.

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A no-code website builder allows you to easily create and customize a website without writing any code. You can build anything from a one-page website to a blog, an eCommerce website, a portfolio and much more. It's the ideal solution for users looking for powerful results without the hassle of writing code.

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Here's how much Caitlin Clark will make in the WNBA
Clark, this year's No. 1 draft pick in the WNBA, will have a starting salary of $76,535 and earn roughly $338,000 over the four-year contract she signed with the Fever. The second, third and ...
View, manage, and install add-ins for Excel, PowerPoint, and Word
When you install and use an add-in, it adds custom commands and extends the features of your Microsoft 365 programs to help increase your productivity. Note: This article only applies to add-ins in Excel, PowerPoint, and Word. For guidance on how to view, install, and manage add-ins in Outlook, see Use add-ins in Outlook.
2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs 1st-round predictions
NHL.com staff members make their picks for 8 series, Cup, Conn Smythe winner ... NHL.com is the official website of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks ...
HTML Website Builder: Create For Free
Website Design Discover all the ways you can create and design your website on Wix.; Website Templates Explore 800+ designer-made templates & start with the right one for you.; AI Website Builder Create a business-ready website in no time with powerful AI.; Advanced Web Development Build web applications on Velo's open dev platform.; Mobile App Build, customize and manage your website on the go.
American Airlines
American Airlines - Airline tickets and low fares at aa.com
How To Pack A Suitcase, According To A Seasoned Traveler
Dress Shirts. To minimize wrinkles in your best shirts, use the narrow fold method. Button up the shirt and lie it flat with the buttons facing down. Fold the sleeves across the back of the shirt ...
Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services Final Rule (CMS-2442-F)
Ensuring beneficiaries can access covered services is a critical function of the Medicaid program and a top priority of the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Executive Order 14009 in 2021 established the policy objective to protect and strengthen Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and to make high-quality health care accessible ...
No Code Website Builder: Create A Site For Free
Website Design Discover all the ways you can create and design your website on Wix.; Website Templates Explore 800+ designer-made templates & start with the right one for you.; AI Website Builder Create a business-ready website in no time with powerful AI.; Advanced Web Development Build web applications on Velo's open dev platform.; Mobile App Build, customize and manage your website on the go.
South African Advanced Manufacturer Will Establish U.S. Presence with
Radél, Inc., a global manufacturer of electro-mechanical components, will locate a new state-of-the-art production facility in Forsyth County, creating 32 jobs, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company will invest $9 million in Winston-Salem to establish a U.S. East Coast manufacturing operation.