For websites like ours, code blocks and pre tags are necessities. Making these code blocks look good and function well is a big part of having your tutorial or example understood and easily digestible by your users.
We’ve been asked quite a few times what tool we use for syntax highlighting here at Scotch. Here it is!
Today we’ll be looking at a great tool that some of you may have heard of: PrismJS. Prism is a simple, lightweight, and easy-to-use syntax highlighter. It is easily customizable and has support for some plugins to extend its functionality.
Here’s a quick example:
<p>For websites like ours, <code>code</code> blocks and <code>pre</code> tags are necessities. Making these code blocks look good and function well is a big part of having your tutorial or example understood and easily digestible by your users.</p>
<p>We've been asked quite a few times what tool we use for syntax highlighting here at Scotch. Here it is!</p>
<p>Today we'll be looking at a great tool that some of you may have heard of: <a href="http://prismjs.com" target="_blank">PrismJS</a>. Prism is a simple, lightweight, and easy-to-use syntax highlighter. It is easily customizable and has support for some plugins to extend its functionality.</p>
Lightweight Only 2kb minified and gzipped
Good Practices To be semantically correct when writing code, you should be using the actual code tag. Some other highlighters just tell you to use pre. Prism makes you use both for good code. It also uses the HTML5 recommended way of defining a language using class="language-xxxx".
Browser Support IE9+, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and most mobile browsers
Easy to Extend Prism’s plugin architecture lets you extend the project.
Smart Highlighting Has support for embedded, nested, and inline languages (like CSS inside of HTML)
Line Highlights Exactly what you’d think. Also ranges of lines. (Plugin)
Invisible Characters Show tabs and line breaks (Plugin)
Invisible Characters Show tabs and line breaks (Plugin)
Autolink URLs and Emails Also use Markdown links in comments (Plugin)
Implementing Prism into your site is an extremely easy process. Just link to the css and the js files and start highlighting!
Go get your download from the Prism website.
Download Prism
Once you have the files you have configured Prism to your needs, download and include the files into your project.
Now we will include these files in our project.
<!doctypehtml><html><head><metacharset="utf-8"><title>Look At Me Prism-ing</title><linkrel="stylesheet"href="css/prism.css"><scriptsrc="js/prism.js"></script></head><body></body></html>
That’s it. Now we are ready to use Prism.
After you have included the necessary files, using Prism is very easy. All you have to do is add a pre and code tag to your site. Then add a class to your code tag and you have beautiful syntax highlighting.
<pre>
<code class="language-markup">
look at my html stuff here
</code>
</pre>
Just like that, you have beautiful syntax highlighting. Notice how we use language-markup to highlight HTML files. Here are the different classes to use for the different languages.
Language
Class
HTML
language-markup
CSS
language-css
JavaScript
language-javascript
CoffeeScript
language-coffeescript
PHP
language-php
Ruby
language-ruby
Go
language-go
Prism lets you extend the features using plugins and it has some great ones ready to go.
Line Highlight
Highlight a specific line in your code. Use the data-line attribute on your pre tag.
Add line numbers to your code blocks. Do this by adding a class to your pre tag.
pre class="line-numbers"
Other Plugins
Using Prism is a quick and easy way to get beautiful syntax highlighting for your code. There are other alternatives out there, but we feel that Prism does the job well and is incredibly easy to use.
If you have any favorite tools for showing off code or anything similar, sound off in the comments.
Think of the internet as a giant iceberg. The average user only sees the tip of the surface: the website interfaces shown on our screens, but every webpage rests on massive foundations of code.
Lines and lines of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript synthesize to construct the experiences we mindlessly scroll and tap through daily.
What if you could peek behind the curtain?
The ability to inspect website code lives directly inside your browser. Today’s popular browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Safari contain built-in developer tools with the Inspect Element feature that helps you play around with the front-end technologies of any web page.
This guide will teach you how to access and use the Inspect Element feature in all three browsers. We’ll also discuss what we can achieve using these browsers’ developer tools and how Inspect Element helps.
Let’s dive right in!
What Is Inspect Element?
Inspect Element is a utility, usually found within your browser’s developer tools, that lets you view and manipulate the code — HTML, CSS, and JavaScript — that constructs any webpage.
When you open Inspect Element, it shows you various code segments that build the website.
You can highlight page sections to reveal the corresponding source code. Alternatively, clicking on a line of the original source code will highlight its matching visual element on the rendered page. This linking of front-end code and design lets you understand how websites are built.
Nerd Note: Inspect Element allows digital marketers to see how specific changes will affect the appearance of a web page without making any changes to the live site. This can help test new CTA buttons, drop-down menus, color schemes, and other design elements. You can even see if your website is responsive on different devices.
You can tweak text content, colors, fonts, layouts, animations, and more, to preview changes. The webpage remains unaltered externally, and refreshing returns your local view to the original state.
Who Is It For?
While Inspect Element is primarily considered a web developer tool, its practical uses span beyond coding. Here’s how various roles can benefit:
Developers: Debug layout issues, test code edit, and improve site performance.
Designers: Visualize new style ideas and preview designs across devices.
Marketers: Check SEO data, export icons/images, and modify text locally.
Writers: Anonymize screenshots and locally edit articles.
Support: Identify problems for documentation.
Students: Learn the implementation of web technologies.
Essentially, anyone involved with websites whether it’s building, designing, running, writing about, or just using them, can discover new perspectives through inspection.
Let’s look at exactly why you should start inspecting elements on the web.
Why Inspect Websites?
Let’s explore the key functions of the Inspect Element feature to understand how websites are constructed.
1. Debug And Fix Problems
Finding and fixing bugs is a massive use case for inspection tools. Developers can dive into the code to troubleshoot when a website appears broken to determine if it’s an issue with styling, layout, responsiveness, etc.
Elements causing errors on the page are visually displayed in the inspector, allowing developers to narrow down the issue code quickly.
Since values can be tweaked live to non-destructively test fixes, it becomes easy to find the fix.
Inspection tools also provide access to the Console panel. This allows for more advanced debugging and running custom JavaScript to see how the page reacts.
So when tackling front-end and back-end website bugs, Inspect Element gives the power to unravel where problems originate.
2. Understand Web Development
For new developers still learning HTML, CSS, or JavaScript, inspector tools greatly assist the learning process. Inspect Element lets you see professional implementations of what you’re trying to achieve on your website. Ultimately, helping improve your implementation.
You can also test how changing elements and content in HTML impacts the page.
For example, adjusting margin values to observe spacing shifts or targeted nested elements using CSS descendant selectors. The real-world context also sticks better than reading through textbook examples.
Plus, seeing how expert web developers structure and optimize sites provides a blueprint for coding your pages. The ability to experiment coupled with viewable source code from popular sites facilitates rapid growth.
3. Test Designs and Content
Web designers frequently use inspector tools to mock up style changes quickly. Testing variations — like new fonts, resized elements, color palettes, etc. — can be done instantly without affecting production code.
For example, compare typefaces to determine ideal readability or change the button colors to see what they look like. With Inspect Element tools, you can do that right within your browser instead of making the changes in an external device like Photoshop or Figma.
Similarly, for writers and marketers, modifying text locally helps preview content and layout adjustments. From testing paragraph widths to inspecting metadata, easy editing without needing access to Content Management System (CMS) backends is valuable.
DreamHost Glossary
Content Management System (CMS)
A Content Management System (CMS) is a software or application that provides a user-friendly interface for you to design, create, manage, and publish content.
Read More
4. View SEO Data
Browser developer tools provide vital insights when considering a web page’s SEO and social meta. Examining meta tags — descriptions, titles, open graph tags — most crucially influences how links appear in SERPs and when shared.
For example, most social networks read the og:titleog:description. All this information is in a website’s <head> elements.
5. Check Performance
Inspect Element tools also cater to web performance audits for improving overall site speed and loading behavior. In Chrome, the Network tab will give you a load timeline, which includes how long each element took.
When inspecting pages, you can view total download times and resource requests and break this data into individual elements. Find out which images, fonts, or JavaScript files drag down performance. Then, address the issues directly: compress assets, implement caches, and defer nonessential scripts.
Network inspection also allows throttling to mimic slow connections on mobile or poor wifi. Discover usability flaws by measuring loading times across simulated connections. Are pages still functional on 3G? Do some files block rendering? This information can help you improve your overall website page speed.
6. And More
This just scratches the surface of what’s possible through Inspect Element. We’ve mainly focused on use cases for developers, but designers, writers, and marketers can accomplish many goals discussed prior without coding expertise. You’ll also find analyzing accessibility and security vulnerabilities often leverages inspection capabilities.
Now that you hopefully better understand all you can achieve by inspecting web pages, let’s quickly look at how these tools work before jumping into practical walkthroughs.
How Browser Developer Tools Work
The core of all major browser Inspect Element interfaces revolves around the Document Object Model (DOM).
When a web page loads, the browser processes markup (HTML), presentation (CSS), and logic (JavaScript) to construct a DOM instance.
The DOM essentially represents the page structure as a tree of parent-child node elements. Developers can instantly interact with this live representation using inspector tools to read, edit, and visualize corresponding changes.
So when you toggle CSS declarations on and off while inspecting, rewrite conditional logic, or hide specific HTML nodes, for example, the matching DOM nodes update in real-time. This is how alterations display live without actually changing any source files externally.
Behind the scenes, browsers apply changes made through inspection tools by temporarily overriding the default CSS and HTML. These modifications only exist for your browser and revert to normal once you refresh the page (or just close the tab and come back later).
Inspecting Elements In Google Chrome
As one of the world’s most popular browsers today, Google Chrome, accounting for over 70% of the browser market share, is equipped for nearly any inspection needed out of the box.
Pressing Ctrl+Shift+I (Windows) or Command+Option+I (Mac) instantly launches Chrome’s DevTools interface to analyze any available webpage or web app. You can also inspect specific elements on the page.
Let’s break down how to access Chrome’s Inspector, navigate page elements efficiently, and test joint manipulations – from editing text to simulating mobile devices, touchscreen devices, and more. You can use the phone icon on the top-left corner of the console window.
1. Open Developer Tools
Start by navigating Chrome (or any Chromium-based browser) to any webpage you want to inspect. Right-click anywhere on the page and select Inspect from the context menu.
Alternatively, use the above keyboard shortcut.
DevTools appears docked at the bottom of your browser window on larger screens as default. You can open it as a separate window or change docking locations, too — click on the three vertical dots in the upper-right corner of the Inspect Element window.
Wherever it renders, the first thing you’ll see is the main elements panel which shows all the HTML code.
Various other analysis tabs can be accessed across the top: Console, Sources, Network, etc.
Depending on where the Inspect element window opens, one portion will show the page source code starting with <html>. As you click on different things in the code, the right (or lower) side shows the styles, including fonts, colors, margins, paddings, etc.
This linking between code and appearance facilitates understanding and experimenting with changes. But before manipulating anything, let’s see how to target elements for inspection efficiently.
2. Find Elements To Inspect
As pages grow long and complex, scanning visually for the element you want and locating its code in dev tools can become tedious. Instead, use the node selection tool.
In Chrome DevTools, click the icon on the top-left corner (of the inspector window) that resembles the selector crossed with the cursor (or press Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+C).
Your mouse now toggles element selection mode. Hover over any visual entity on the page and notice how the inspector code automatically highlights its DOM node.
Now, clicking any element on the page will directly highlight the code that makes the element appear on the page. You can also see the styles right or below the HTML code. You can also use the search box or search tab to find elements. Alternatively, Ctrl+F (Windows) and Cmd+F (Mac) work too!
Let’s see what we can edit with the elements selected.
3. Interact With The DOM
The inspect element feature also provides a way of interacting with the Document Object Model (DOM) — the structured representation of page elements visible in the editor.
Developers can leverage the DOM to reshape content, style, and interactivity directly within Chrome DevTools.
Some common ways to manipulate elements include:
Editing text by making content fields directly editable.
Toggling CSS styles like colors and fonts to visually test styling changes in the CSS panel.
Modifying component attributes like links and buttons to reshape functionality.
Rearranging structural elements to prototype alternative layouts.
The DOM updates live with changes made in the inspector view. So any tweaks preview instantly in the browser, then reset upon refresh, making experiments low risk during development.
4. Test Responsiveness
Beyond editing individual elements, inspector tools also provide environments to test responsiveness across a variety of devices and viewports.
Chrome DevTools includes device mode simulation. You can select presets to emulate standard phone or tablet resolutions and touch capabilities. Or use the more advanced options to manually configure exact dimensions, pixel ratios, CPU throttling, and other metrics.
This allows rapid validation of aspects like:
Layouts at various breakpoints.
Touch target spacing for mobile users.
Site performance on low-powered devices.
Accessibility on different hardware.
The ability to preview pages on simulated mobile screens during development helps perfect responsiveness and progressive enhancement delivery. Testing across a wide spectrum of emulated devices ensures broad browser and device support.
Inspecting Elements In Firefox
Firefox provides its webpage inspection tools rivaling the functionality of Chrome DevTools. Access Firefox Inspector using the same Inspect Element shortcuts as Chrome: Ctrl+Shift+I (Windows) and Cmd+Opt+I (Mac).
You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+C (Windows) and Cmd+Opt+C (Mac) to open the inspect element panel, allowing you to click on an element on the page to jump to the code directly.
1. View DOM Attributes
When analyzing complex interfaces, focus states and dynamic effects rely on HTML attributes instead of CSS. Right-click any element within Inspector views and choose Show DOM Properties.
This displays all native attributes associated with the node. You can directly edit values here to modify component behavior through the Inspector rather than requiring code changes.
For example, adjusting the range slider min/max and step increments visually sets bounds, changing the checkbox/radio button names groups toggles, overwriting dataset properties hooks different remote data, and the list goes on and on.
2. Work Visually With Box Model Diagrams
Firefox eases inspection by showing the padding, borders, and margins right as you move your cursor around the website.
When clicking any node, the Inspector panel cycles between three states: geometry off, box model overlay only, and both overlay plus markup outlines.
This can be useful when you want to test if your spacing, padding, and margins have been appropriately applied to the elements.
It also makes it more straightforward to fix any issues since you can click through specific elements and see precisely what CSS styling is affecting them. Geometric analysis here can help beginners grasp spatial relationships faster.
3. Edit Colors With A Color Picker
Within Inspector, click any color swatch next to any property accepting colors like background, border, etc. It’ll show you a color slider, alpha setting, and a color picker to pull colors from your open page.
You no longer need to spend time guessing color codes or checking your design assets for the code being used. Pick it from existing elements or even images on the page.
Inspecting Elements in Safari
Safari offers the Webkit Inspector for inspecting pages on macOS systems primarily. However, you need to enable the development menu before accessing it.
Open Safari and click Safari from the Menu > Settings > Advanced. Check the box for “Show features for web developers.”
Now you can visit any website and right-click to see the “Inspect element” option available,
You can also use the keyboard shortcut, Cmd+Opt+C, to access the Inspect Element feature.
Timelines And Network Speed
Similar to most other browsers, Safari offers powerful timelines within the Safari Inspector. The resources list helps you instantly identify which files are causing rendering delays and what the reason could be. You can also see what scripts are blocking the page load.
3D View Of Website Layers
If you want to analyze the layers that make up the website, simply go to the Layers tab and you’ll be presented with a full 3D model of all the layers
Ways To Use Inspect Element
Now that we’ve set up inspector tools let’s discuss some practical ways they can be used. Here are just a few common usage examples:
Change Text Or Images
One helpful capability is modifying textual content or image assets directly within the editor. You can tweak headlines, swap logos, anonymize details, and more.
To edit any text or images, inspect the element you want to change first, then double-click within its bounds in the code editor to make the content editable.
Input anything you want, and press enter to make the changes live (temporarily).
Change Colors, Fonts, And Styling
When inspecting various elements like links, buttons, menus, or galleries — you’ll notice attributes that define associated behavior like href destination URLs, carousel view box data sources, and more.
Much like editing textual content and CSS properties and style sheets, these HTML-level traits can be manipulated directly within Inspector.
The DOM updates these changes on the spot. So you can immediately see how the changes reshape component functionality without coding:
Modify the href of links and buttons to redirect clicks elsewhere temporarily.
Adjust tab role and aria tags to test accessibility improvements.
Swap thumbnail image src attributes while building galleries.
Change Element State
Beyond basic styling, Inspector tools also allow modifying interactive element states like hover, focus, and active. Right-click elements and use the Force state options (Google Chrome) to visualize how components appear during usage.
For example, toggle a button’s active state to ensure the pushed effect is visible to users. Check disabled field borders to see if they offer proper contrast. Validate menu links highlight appropriately on focus during keyboard navigation testing.
Hide Or Delete Items
Finally, bulk hiding or deletion of page elements is possible, too. It can help identify unnecessary code bloating page size, block elements from rendering correctly, or unexpectedly hide desired content from users.
To try this, simply highlight any element in the code and press delete to remove it from the rendered view instantly.
In the screenshot, we have deleted the DreamHost’s homepage heading from our view. You can do much more with Inspect Element as you explore it.
FAQs
Can you use Inspect Element on any website?
Yes, Inspect Element works universally across all modern websites. However, some websites render code on the server side and only push JavaScript objects to the front end. This is generally done to prevent web scrapers from pulling data, and it can become difficult for you to understand the site structure using Inspect Element.
Do changes made in Inspect Element save permanently?
No. Any edits made via inspector tools only temporarily render locally within your browser view. Refreshing reverts to the default external page content. Changes will not impact actual source files whatsoever.
Can other users see tweaks when inspecting websites?
Inspect Element edits cannot be viewed by other users browsing websites, even while signing into the same browser profile across multiple devices. Think of changes as exclusive to your machine only.
Are there other developer tools beyond Inspect Element?
Absolutely. As mentioned earlier, Console, Sources, Network, and other analysis tabs also prove invaluable during development. Plus, browser extensions extend DevTools capabilities even further.
Don’t Just View Websites, Interact With The Code
Playing around with the Inspect Element feature peels back the curtain on how websites work. Letting you peek at the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript underneath any page you click can easily help you understand why something looks and feels the way it does.
So, as you surf around, keep that Inspect Element tool handy. Let curiosity guide you as you click around to see what makes things appear as they do. Who knows, you might just pick up new methods to help the web become an even more accessible and fun place!
Creating your own website may seem daunting, but with the right guidance and tools, anyone can build an effective online presence. In fact, as of 2023, WordPress continues to dominate, being used by over 42 percent of all websites worldwide.
Whether you pick WordPress or another website builder, this step-by-step guide will walk you through the key aspects of designing, building, and launching your fully functional website from scratch.
We’ll cover everything from choosing a domain name to finding a web host, selecting the right platform, creating compelling content, and more. And by the end, you’ll have the confidence and knowledge to bring your web vision to life. So let’s get started!
Can Anyone Build A Website?
The short answer? Yes!
While coding can allow advanced customization, it is by no means required to have a polished online presence.
Thanks to intuitive drag-and-drop website builders offered by WordPress and most other platforms, creating a website is more accessible than ever, even for beginners. And with the pre-designed templates and point-and-click widgets to add features, you can build responsive, mobile-friendly pages in minutes.
This means you can focus on bringing your vision to life instead of building your skillset.
And with AI advancements like chatbots and copywriting tools, websites are only getting easier to craft for people from all backgrounds. If you have a passion project, small business, or simply want an online home for your thoughts, you have all the tools needed to make that happen on your own.
The question now is, how do you build your website?
How To Build Your Website In 7 Simple Steps
While every website journey is unique, these seven steps form the typical workflow for crafting your own site from the ground up. Let’s explore each of these website-building steps in more detail.
Step 1: Identify The Purpose Of Your Website
Before purchasing a domain or signing up for web hosting, you must clearly define your website’s purpose.
Understanding exactly what you want to achieve with your online presence will inform many choices: from site structure to platforms, features, and design aesthetics.
Pinpoint Your Business Goals
If building a business site, begin by narrowing down your goals.
Are you building a personal website for your freelance services?
Are you planning on selling products?
Creating a lead generation site growing your email list and contacts?
Or building an online course or membership site with gated content?
Free AI Tools
Business Name Generator
Get a unique and memorable name that will make your business stand out from the competition. Try our free Business Name Generator now!
Start Generating
Clearly jotting down your objectives will guide your website setup process, ensuring you select platforms with appropriate functionality built-in.
For example, ecommerce sites require shopping carts and payment gateways, while lead-generation sites need forms and marketing automation. Defining these details early allows you to pick the best tools for the job right from the get-go.
Map Out Your Content Strategy
Once your objectives are pinned down, begin brainstorming the pages, posts, and media content you’ll need to execute your goals successfully.
These elements form the beating heart of your website, useful tools for engaging visitors and potential customers and turning them into customers or adding their email addresses to your database.
You can automatically send the collected emails to multiple inboxes using a service like ForwardMX. It also helps you create catch-all email addresses that consolidate every incoming email in a single inbox that you can sort based on custom rules.
At this stage, don’t worry about the copy on the pages. Focus instead on structuring your information at a high level.
For example, an ecommerce store might include pages like:
Homepage
Product category pages
Individual product pages for product descriptions
Shopping cart
Checkout pages
FAQ
Contact
About us
Meanwhile, a personal site may have:
Homepage
About me
Blog
Services
Portfolio
Contact
Pro Tip: Create a basic site map to visualize the connections between pages and how your target audience will navigate your content.
With your site goals, purpose, and content pillars defined, you’ll have the right strategic foundation to start building. And you can move to the next step.
Get Content Delivered Straight to Your Inbox
Subscribe to our blog and receive great content just like this delivered straight to your inbox.
Step 2: Choose A Domain Name
Your domain name is one of the first impressions visitors will have of your brand. A domain is a unique web address that points visitors to your online destination. Think of this as your business address – it helps people know where your business exists online.
For example, “dreamhost.com” or “johnsmith.blog.”
Picking a short, memorable domain name relevant to your offerings can pay dividends when driving traffic and conversions.
Here are some best practices for choosing a good domain:
Keep It Short
Shorter domains with fewer syllables are easier to convey verbally and remember.
If your personal name or business name is long, consider abbreviating to the shortest unique and meaningful acronym.
For example, Coastal California Fruit Farm -> CC Fruit Farm
Make It Descriptive
Short doesn’t necessarily mean vague. Try to pick a brandable domain that conveys what the site could be about without opening it.
For instance, the domain “dreamhost.com” is designed to be brandable. But we include the word “host” to imply that it’s some sort of hosting.
Similarly, add relevant keywords in your domain related to your niche, offerings, and potential customers. This helps visitors immediately understand your site’s purpose while boosting Search Engine Optimization (SEO) authority around your core topics.
DreamHost Glossary
Keyword
Keywords are words or phrases that describe the content of a website or web page. They help search engines match these elements to relevant searches.
Read More
Choose A TLD (Top-Level Domain)
The letters after the dot are known as the top-level domain, or TLD. Common options include:
.com – The most popular and versatile option
.net – Originally for network providers, now widely used
.org – Traditionally used by non-profits and organizations
.info – Focused on providing information
.blog – Implies that the site is a blog
.com tends to be the default choice for businesses and personal sites. But review all options to see if another extension may be more fitting and available.
Check Availability
As you brainstorm potential names, verify domain availability in real-time before getting attached to an unavailable option.
It may be possible that your favorite .com domain is taken. Start by trying some variations in the search box. Try adding your location or an extra keyword relevant to your niche until you land on an available option you’re happy with.
Register A Domain
Once you’ve selected an available domain, it’s time to officially register it in your name. You’ll need to sign up with a domain name registrar like DreamHost, Google Domains, Namecheap, etc.
The domain registration process only takes a few minutes and costs about $15 per year excluding any offers the registrar may have.
If you plan to go with one of DreamHost’s hosting plans (discussed next), you can get the domain for free for the first year. You can skip this part and jump straight to getting hosting.
But if you still want to buy the domain separately, you’ll be asked for:
The domain name you want to register
Your contact details
Payment information
Once purchased, you’ll fully own and control that custom domain name (as long as you keep renewing it).
It’s time to shift gears to web hosting and servers to store your actual website files and data.
Step 3: Pick A Reliable Web Host
Now that you have a domain mapped out, it’s time to look at web hosting services.
What’s a web host? A web host is a company that provides servers where your website’s files physically live. It takes care of serving the files to your visitors.
When someone types your custom domain name into their browser, the web host pulls up the right site files to display based on that request.
There are many types of hosting plans and services, but we’ll focus on the three most common options relevant for small sites and online stores:
Shared Hosting
With shared hosting, your site lives on a server that also hosts hundreds or thousands of other websites owned by a hosting provider.
Resources like disk storage space and memory are pooled together and shared by all sites using that server. It’s by far the most budget-friendly hosting option but offers less control.
DreamHost, for example, offers reliable shared hosting plans starting around $2.59 a month. These basic shared hosting plans are ideal for personal sites, blogs, and small business pages just getting off the ground.
VPS Hosting
Short for Virtual Private Server hosting, VPS plans allocate a certain portion of a physical server dedicated just for your site.
DreamHost Glossary
VPS Hosting
A Virtual Private Server (VPS) is a virtual platform that stores data. Many web hosts offer VPS hosting plans, which give site owners a dedicated, private space on a shared server.
Read More
So while the underlying machine is shared, your site is quarantined with its own partitioned resources like storage, memory, and processing power.
This balances robust performance and control with affordability compared to dedicated servers. Prices start around $5 per month at Digital Ocean and Vultr.
If you find the above VPS services too technical, DreamHost’s VPS plans are managed for you so you get the benefit of dedicated resources without having to manage the server updates, security, etc.
VPS hosting works well for medium traffic sites that need more juice than basic shared hosting provides.
Dedicated Hosting
As the name suggests, dedicated hosting gives your website its very own physical machine accessible only by you. These can be expensive and are generally not required for sites just starting out.
However, dedicated hosting offers maximum control of your site and data. They generally start at $100+ per month depending on the server configuration you choose.
The isolation and raw power make dedicated servers ideal for large, high traffic sites and mission-critical web apps that need the highest performance and security.
Key Hosting Factors
As you evaluate options, look for hosts that offer:
High uptime – The % of time servers are live and accessible should be 99%+
Fast page load times – Quick server response for snappy visitor experience
SSL certificates – Free HTTPS encryption for secure sites
CDN support – For accelerating static content delivery
Managed support – 24/7 service via chat, email addresses, phone
Step 4: Choose Your Platform
Your website building platform powers how you’ll design, manage, and update your site over time.
There are two primary options: self-hosted CMS software like WordPress, or dedicated SaaS website builders like Wix or Squarespace.
Let’s compare the pros and cons of each approach.
Self-Hosted CMS
A content management system (CMS) is software for publishing and modifying website content without needing to code everything from scratch.
DreamHost Glossary
Content Management System (CMS)
A Content Management System (CMS) is a software or application that provides a user-friendly interface for you to design, create, manage, and publish content.
Read More
While platforms like WordPress and Joomla require more technical lift to initially configure, they offer a variety of customizable features and scalability down the road.
Let’s focus on self-hosted WordPress since over 62% of all CMS sites run on this open source software.
The term “self-hosted” means you independently install WordPress software on server infrastructure you control, rather than using WordPress.com’s hosted service. This allows full ownership over your site’s fate.
Here are the main advantages of using self-hosted WordPress:
Total Design Flexibility
With open-source WordPress, both your site’s HTML/CSS code and SQL databases are under your control locally. This allows endless customization options for tailoring page design and functionality exactly how you like using code, themes, and plugins.
Robust Features Via Plugins
WordPress grants access to over 55,000+ plugins. This means you can expand your site’s capabilities using ecommerce plugins, forums plugins, contact form plugins, security plugins, and more without needing to code extensive functionality from scratch.
Mature Platform With Long-Term Viability
With a vibrant community having supported WordPress for 20 years and counting, you can rest assured it has staying power if you ever pause working on a site and pick it up years later. The platform will still be there.
The main downside is WordPress has a steeper learning curve compared to some website builders. But with the right host, it’s very manageable for most motivated beginners.
Website Builders
No coding or configuration required. Website builders allow you to launch a site in minutes by tweaking settings rather than needing to install software.
With intuitive drag-and-drop interfaces and built-in mobile responsiveness, all you have to focus on is pumping out content that engages a wider audience.
Some of the most popular website builder platforms include:
WordPress: Over 42% of all sites worldwide use WordPress. Available as a one-click installable application from the control panel of most hosting providers.
Wix: Over 200 million sites published and best for visual customization
Squarespace: Hundreds of templates and excellent multi-media support
Weebly: Easy to use with deep commerce features
Godaddy Website Builder: Easy and built into the Godaddy
Website builder platforms make launching sites fast and frustration-free, but you should know their convenience and simplicity comes at the cost of long-term flexibility.
Over time, modifying templates or needing advanced features not part of integrated offerings may prove challenging compared to open-source CMS software.
But for launching beautiful sites in record time that “just work” builders can’t be beat.
Step 5: Build Your Website
Site purpose defined? Check. Domain purchased? Done. Web hosting selected? All set. Platform chosen? Yes.
Time for the fun part — bringing your website to life!
Start With Themes Or Templates
Most CMS systems and website builders include a gallery of professionally designed themes and templates to apply to new sites.
These act as foundations which determine default page structure, layout, fonts, colors, and more based on the type of site you want to build.
For example ecommerce store templates versus personal portfolio themes.
Rather than build pixel-perfect designs from absolute scratch, these templates give you the creative freedom to start designing and reach closer to your vision as quickly as possible.
The template can be modified and enhanced by:
Adding/restructuring content blocks
Choosing a different color palette
Tweaking fonts
Importing images and graphics
Built-in customization settings also make fine-tuning templates fast and easy without needing design expertise. Many modern website builder platforms make templates fully mobile responsive out of the box, meaning they dynamically resize and reflow to look great on any device.
Pro Tip: Resist overstuffing templates with custom elements that detract from your core message. Find one perfect theme for your site, then focus on best practices for clean, scannable layouts relevant to your niche.
Add Plugins To The Mix
One advantage of open-source platforms like WordPress is being able to enhance the built-in, essential features using the hundreds of add-on plugins.
Plugins are bits of third-party code you activate to add functionality without needing extensive development.
There are plugins for everything imaginable — SEO plugins, slideshows, contact forms, pop ups, social sharing, reviews, audio embeds, and 50,000+ more free and premium options.
Browse plugin dashboard on the platform you choose to find relevant tools, read reviews. Then install them with one click from your WordPress dashboard.
Pro tip: It’s easy to go overboard with plugins and install too many of them. Keep a weekly or monthly schedule where you deactivate and delete any unused plugins to avoid cluttering up your website.
Optimize For Mobile Devices
Over 58% of all website traffic comes from smartphones and tablets versus desktops. If your site isn’t focusing on mobile responsiveness, you are alienating the majority of visitors.
Thankfully, most modern platforms make mobile optimization turnkey through responsive frameworks and templates that intelligently adapt screen layouts based on a visitor’s device.
You should still test your final site across various devices to catch any formatting hiccups. Use Google’s free Mobile-Friendly Test to catch issues.
For additional guidance, Google’s Mobile Site Design covers core principles for flawless mobile experiences.
Step 6: Add Engaging Content
For visitors to stick around and convert into leads and customers, your website needs compelling content that speaks to their problems and interests. Here are a few tips to create engaging content in 2023 and beyond.
Using Visual Media
Instagram showed the world how powerful visuals and images can be. While text continues to be the primary medium for communication, images, infographics, animations, and video breathe life into websites while catering to different learning styles.
When adding visuals:
For video and audio, turn to multimedia-focused platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, Spotify, and SoundCloud. Their embedded players let you feature rich media while leveraging each network’s delivery infrastructure.
Optimize Your Site For Search Engines
Beyond visitors that type your URL directly into the browser, most discover websites through search engines like Google surfacing relevant results.
That’s why SEO should be part of your strategy from day one.
The good news is SEO strategies are largely about ensuring your content provides value around keywords and topics people actually search for. Do that well, and search engines will eventually surface your content. Here are some core SEO best practices to weave in as you build out your site:
Conduct keyword research to identify terms and questions with sufficient search volume that align with your offerings. Keyword planner tools like SEMRush and Ubersuggest help uncover SEO opportunities.
Create useful, original long-form content that answers search queries in more depth than competitors. Include related keywords throughout naturally.
Use descriptive slugs with target keywords when naming site pages rather than generic IDs.
Format content for scannability with bullets, bolded keywords, sub-headers, short paragraphs, etc. Break up dense blocks of text.
Enable SSL Encryption via HTTPS which boosts SEO rankings and breeds visitor trust.
Seamlessly embed multimedia like YouTube videos and Spotify podcasts. External media drives search visibility.
Build backlinks by having other reputable sites link back to your content over time, spreading domain authority.
Engage social media to amplify visibility as fans share your link. Encourage social actions with follow/share buttons.
SEO can feel overwhelming, but if you just focus on providing genuine value around your niche topics, search visibility will come in time.
Connect Google Analytics
Understanding how visitors interact with your content is key for continually optimizing it. Install Google Analytics to identify visitor metrics like:
Traffic source
Pages visited
Bounce rates
Conversion actions
Location demographics
These behavioral insights and many more provided by Google Analytics can help you double down on popular pages while improving or removing underperforming sections based on real user data.
Step 7: Review And Publish Your Site
Before releasing your slick new website to the public internet, be sure to thoroughly test and review all pages to catch any lingering hiccups.
Check page speed metrics using Google PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix. Optimize images and use cache plugins to hit site loading benchmarks.
Verify all page links and site navigation menus work as expected on both desktop and mobile. Fix broken paths.
Spell-check all text content and test embedded media formats to prevent crashes.
Confirm security protections like SSL certificates are active and using the latest platform versions.
Review site on multiple browsers like Chrome, Safari, and Firefox to catch CSS quirks.
When everything looks polished and performs snappily, hit the publish button within your admin dashboard to move your site from staging to live.
Give yourself a high five for all the vision, strategy, and elbow grease you’ve poured in. You’re now sharing your website with the world!
Now focus on creating stellar content that attracts visitors while finding marketing opportunities to drive qualified organic traffic over time. You can also consider launching social channels to further amplify your web presence.
Website Building FAQs
Let’s wrap up with answers to some commonly asked questions about crafting your website:
Is it easy to make a website?
Thanks to intuitive drag-and-drop website builders and themes, anyone can build their site in 2024 without needing to code or hire a professional. And with the artificial-intelligence-based copywriting tools that are available, it’s all the easier to get started.
That said, while launching a basic online presence is more accessible than ever, continually growing, optimizing, and sustaining a site in the long run still requires some learning and effort.
Should I make my website or pay a web designer?
If you have a strong vision and want full control over every aspect of your online presence and user experience, then designing your website can be incredibly rewarding.
However, if designing is not your thing, hiring a web designer may be money well spent, allowing you to simply handle content and promotion.
For simple personal sites and early-stage commercial projects, DIY site building is likely sufficient.
If you’re launching a business website supporting your enterprise products and services, the upfront cost of custom development pays dividends in the long run.
How much does it cost to build a website?
The cost to build a website runs a huge gamut from $0 to millions depending on complexity, custom features, visual design needs, and whether you take the DIY approach.
At the low end, using WordPress Content Management System (CMS) and shared web hosting allows you to launch your site for less than $100/year.
Professionally designed WordPress sites tend to run $2,000 – $5,000+ with custom features and themes.
For an online store with product inventory, expect an investment between $6,000 – $15,000 to cover ecommerce functionality.
Large enterprise websites with extensive custom codebases and infrastructure needs can soar over $100k.
Let’s Bring Your Website Vision To Life
And that wraps up our complete, step-by-step guide on making your website from start to finish!
By now, you should have a firm handle on crafting an effective site strategy, registering the perfect domain, finding affordable web hosting, and other steps for building a website.
So, rather than feel intimidated looking at other amazing sites, know that everyone starts somewhere on their web-building journey. Stick with it month after month, continually experimenting and learning, and you’ll make incredible progress.
The key is to not get overwhelmed but rather take the first step with an initial idea. Things will start coming together faster than you think. So now, it’s your time to take action!
Create a Website for All
We make sure your website is fast and secure so you can focus on the important stuff.