3-Step Easy Guide to Set Up Your Website (In 2 Hours or Less!)

?If you came up to me today and said this:

“Ugh. I want to start my own business but have no clue how to set up a website! Help!”

The first thing I’d ask is if you have a business website.

And if you don’t?

Uh-oh.

You’re in big trouble, my friend.

(But don’t worry – if the reason is you don’t know how to set up a business website, you’ll know exactly what to do by the end of this article!)

Because having a professional-looking website is crucial to growing your business. Not kidding.

You really can’t expect to attract high-paying clients or customers without a website. (Which is why it’s GREAT that you’re here right now!)

You might have a LinkedIn profile or a company page, and you might think that’s enough to get by.

…But it’s not.

A LinkedIn profile is not the same as a dedicated business website.?

Because a website is what establishes you as a serious business owner. It’s your online storefront, showcasing your expertise and helping you land clients.

I’ve revamped my website several times throughout my career.

I started with a simple profile page – just like almost everyone does.

But soon, I realized I needed to present myself as a professional to get clients to take me seriously.

And I started attracting and landing far more clients once I improved my site.

Setting up a business website (following the exact steps in this post!) played a HUGE role in getting me tons of clients in just a few months.

Don’t get me wrong – your website doesn’t need to be perfect at first.

You just need to get SOMETHING out there… so don’t put it off!

Here’s a basic breakdown of how to set up a business website for yourself:

1. Get website hosting and your domain.
2. Choose a website builder/pick a theme.
3. Optimize your business website so that it sells.

Now, let’s dive deeper into the process so you can get your site set up today without ending up in a fetal position under your desk. ??

Step One: Get a Professional Domain and Hosting

Before you pick a website builder, you need to buy a domain and hosting.

Don’t skip this step! Your site won’t look professional if your URL is something like mybiz.tumblr.com.

You need a custom domain that represents your business.

I recommend Godaddy for this, and I’ve had a great experience with them. I use GoDaddy for this site and several others!

First, click here and go to the GoDaddy website.

Seriously, go ahead and click and follow along with me! Even if you don’t know exactly what you want your domain to be yet, you can follow along to go through the process and learn how it’s set up.

Now, I know you might be thinking:

“What? I have to actually PAY to set up my website!? No way. That’s too much.”

I feel you. I was broke when I started out.

But the thing is…

You’re starting a business here.

Is your business not worth investing a hundred dollars (or more) in?

Think about the return you’re going to get on your investment in a professional-looking website.

Winning just one good client can MORE than pay for the costs of setting up your site.

I set up my site RIGHT AFTER I quit my full-time job, and it played a huge role in landing high-paying clients quickly. I made the money back in less than a month!

Don’t wait to set up your site, and don’t be a perfectionist about it! Just set up something simple as best you can right now so you can go ahead and start pitching!

Sounds fair?

Step Two: Choose a Website Builder

Once you’ve got your hosting account and your domain (that wasn’t so bad now, was it?), you’re ready to pick a website builder.

Let’s go over some of the most popular options, and I’ll walk you through how they work.

WordPress

I love WordPress and use it for my own and my clients’ business websites.

It allows for a ton of customization. You can use it to make your site so fabulous that even Tim Gunn would be impressed.

My clients find it easy to operate and don't bother me when they need to make some changes (though I always remain ready to help them).

That being said, keep this in mind:

If you’re not already familiar with WordPress (or willing to put in some serious time to learn it), it might not be a good option for you right now. Consider going with a more user-friendly option if you need to get your website up and running fast.

But if you want to give it a shot, head over to the WordPress website.

You can see they’ve got three steps in the bottom right corner.

You already covered Step 1 when you bought your domain/hosting through Bluehost. So at this point, you just need to download and install WordPress.

They’ve got plenty of documentation on how to get your site going. But I want to make one thing clear:

You need to get a professional-looking theme.

Now, you can go for a free WordPress theme if you’re on a tight budget – there’s a big list of them right here.

Choose a free theme

I recommend the Neve theme for WordPress.

It’s what I used to build my clients' websites and it’s the easiest theme to use with front-end and back-end editing, whichever you prefer!

Whatever you do, just promise me that you’ll pick a theme appropriate for a business website, okay?

Not a portfolio. A business website.

Because again, you’re not a job applicant. You’re a business owner.

Step Three: Optimize Your Business Website So It SELLS

Here are four things to think about when creating your site:

1. Content and Navigation: You need the right content/pages, a good design, and a clear navigation bar. Here are the pages I use on my website:

1. ???Home
2. ???Services/Rates
3. ???About
4. ???Contact

Customize these to fit your preferences, but ensure the copy for each page is clear. You want your potential clients to know exactly how to get the info they need to navigate your site and reach out to you.

2. Design: Make sure your design is professional. Often, picking a good theme/template will take care of a lot of this for you. An unattractive website will reflect poorly on you.

3. Start Somewhere: Don’t get caught in a rut with the same starter website for a year. Keep pushing until you get to the next level.

4. Invest in Your Business: If you can afford to invest time and money into your site, do it. A well-designed website can pay off quickly by attracting high-paying clients.

5. Experiment: Look around and try different site builders. It’s up to you to find the one that works best for you.

The most important thing you can do is take action.

Get your business website out there and make improving it a priority.?

Good luck, and happy website building!