How to Develop a Website: 3 Easy Approaches

Whether you run a small business, have a great idea you’d like to turn into a startup, or are an entrepreneur looking to monetize content, learning how to develop a website is one of the first steps for becoming successful in the Internet age. Today, a properly designed and managed website can be your best marketing method. Thankfully, there are many different ways to build a successful Internet presence; this post discusses how to develop a website by turning to the top three methods.

The “Roll Up Your Sleeves and DIY” Approach

Maybe one of the most time consuming – but rewarding – approaches to developing your website is to simply do it yourself. What’s that? You don’t know how to code? There’s an App for that! The Internet hosts scores of top-notch learning tools for budding web developers and entrepreneurs with an independent streak. W3Schools is a simple, Wiki-like tutorial site teaching the basics of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and more. Codecademy is another free resource, with a fantastic interactive platform that shows you exactly how to develop a website.

If you’re not keen on spending time to learn code, you can also turn to turn design and management platforms to create your website. The two most popular options are Joomla and WordPress. Joomla is primarily a content management system, which makes it ideal for the long-term, and also offers a downloadable software that takes you through how to develop a website step-by-step. WordPress is a blog platform at heart, but offers a wide range of templates and plug-ins for website creation. The learning curve on these platforms may be steep, but certainly less time consuming than coding for yourself.

The “Hired Gun” Approach

While templates may be quick and easy, your website may perform better if it has a customized and unique design. For this, you’ll need someone who knows how to develop a website like they know how to breathe in and out. Freelance web designers are in abundance, so the only step you’ll need to take is to find one that fits your needs and budget. Individual freelancers and firms can charge anything from $12 an hour (with service from India) all the way up to $85 per hour. Therefore, depending on the quality of the design, the number of static pages you want on your site, and the inclusion of optimized content, a basic webpage from a hired gun can cost you anything from $500-$3,000. Take the time to review top-rated freelancers on sites like Elance, UpWork, and Guru to find your best match.[/list_item]

The “Leave it to the Pros” Approach

The third and final option for developing your website is to hand over the creation and management process to a company that handles nearly every aspect of your online presence. Companies like HubRunner offer monthly packages, complete with original web design, domain name management, search engine optimization, analytics, and monthly edits. If you just typed ‘How to Develop a Website’ into Google and don’t know what any of that means, no worries. Essentially using an established company has four main benefits: you are not taking any gambles on the quality of the work, you are guaranteed a unique look for your site, you are provided with active site administration, and you can make changes to your site at any time, hassle free.