Are You New Here? All the Guides on websitesetup.org

HOW TO MAKE A WEBSITE/BLOG

Below are my main guides on websitesetup.org that will show you exactly how to get your own website/blog/shop up-and-running.

• How to Make a Website: The easiest & simplest way to set up a new website.
• How to Start a Blog: Guide to setting up a blog and getting started with blogging.
• How to Start an Online Store: Guide that will show you how to use the WP e-commerce plugin to set-up a new online store in under five minutes.
• Best Website Builder:  I compared 10 most popular website builders.
• How to Make an Online Portfolio: In this article, you’ll find how to set up your portfolio and what to include as pages.
• How to Build a Website (with Joomla): Building a website using Joomla platform.
• How to Build a Website (with Drupal): Building a website using Drupal platform.
• How to Make an Online Store (with Shopify): Using Shopify? Check this guide for your site set-up.
• How to Start a Podcast: the Ultimate guide for beginners. Everything you need to know about setting up a successful podcast.
• A Detailed Bootstrap Tutorial for Beginners: Detailed guide for bootstrap. Complete step-by-step guide for beginners.
• Blog vs Website – Which One Should I Choose?: A guide to help you choose which one is better for you.

DOMAINS & WEB HOSTING

Here are some helpful guides and links to web hosting and domain registrations that I use and recommend.

Full disclosure: I earn a commission if you end up purchasing Bluehost through my referral links on this page. This helps me to keep WebsiteSetup up and running and up-to-date. Thanks for your support.

• Bluehost Hosting: The web hosting company that I currently use and recommend. They’re cheap ($2.75/mo) and throw in a FREE domain for 1 year.
• How to Sign up with Bluehost Hosting: Guide that goes through the registration process of Bluehost and one-click-install for WordPress, Joomla & Drupal.
• Best WordPress Hosting: In-depth analysis and the speed tests among 10 most popular WordPress hosting providers.
• How to Switch Web Hosts: Want to switch web hosts? Read this guide by Nick to learn how.
• How to Choose a Domain Name: My 10 tips and common mistakes that people make. Most important ones are #1, #7 and #9.
• How to Register a Domain Name: Step-by-step guide on how to register a domain name using GoDaddy or NameCheap. Tips for finding a FREE domain name.
• Web Hosting Explained: In this article, I explain what is web hosting, why it’s needed and what types of web hostings are currently available.
• Best Shared Web Hosting (external link): This list is put together by the folks at HostingFacts.com. They’ve tested important factors of a web host including uptime, speed and more.

WEB DEVELOPMENT TOOLS

Below are most popular software/CMS to build a website. I recommend using WordPress, but you can also consider Joomla, Drupal, Shopify, and others. Some of them are not free.

• WordPress vs Joomla vs Drupal: There are MANY platforms to use for a new website. Here’s a breakdown of the Pros and Cons of the three most popular options.
• WordPress.com vs WordPress.org: What’s the REAL difference?
• Top CMS Platforms and Usage: I collected a bunch of data and put together this article with some important statistics (usage of website/CMS platforms).
• Shopify vs. WordPress for E-Commerce? When, for Whom, and Why: Shopify is easy to use, but WordPress offers more flexibility. Which one should you choose, and why?
• Shopify Review: Pros & cons of using Shopify for e-commerce by Nick. Is Shopify for you?
• Best E-Commerce Platforms: I compared nine e-commerce platforms and brought out the pros and cons of each.
• WordPress vs Wix: How to choose? Which one suits the best for you? It’s an ultimate comparison made by Karol.
• 10 Best Blog Sites: WordPress? Tumblr? Ghost? Or maybe Wix? Find out the right option for your blogging needs.
• Additional Web Design Software: Want to know more than WordPress & Joomla? There you go!
• Dreamweaver Tutorial: Using Dreamweaver? Use this guide to build your site.
• Best Favicon Generators: List of the 15 best Favicon Generators that I’ve tested out so far.
• How to Design a Logo: 6 easy steps to create a logo for your website.
• Free Logo Generators: 15 logo makers that you can use to make a logo for your new website.
• Optimizing Images for Website Performance: Guide to Optimizing Images to Improve Website Performance

WORDPRESS CUSTOMIZATION

If you already have a website and you’re using WordPress, consider checking out the content below.

• How to Customize WordPress Blogs & Websites: An in-depth guide from the set-up to making it faster and secure.
• How to Add a Contact Form to Your WordPress Website: You’ve got a site up-and-running, but how do people get in touch? You’re doing this for leads, customers and notes from your adoring fans after all, right?!
• Best Free and Paid Plugins for WordPress Blogs and Websites: My favorite “must have” plugins that I use on every Website/Blog that I build.
• Best WordPress Themes: Most popular and well-known free themes for WordPress websites and blogs.
• 15 Ways to Speed up WordPress: This is an ultimate guide for speeding up a WordPress website.
• How to Secure WordPress: 28 actionable steps to make your WordPress super-safe.
• Moving HTTP to HTTPS: Step-by-step guide for WordPress users.
• How to Change Fonts on WordPress: A simple guide for using custom fonts on WordPress.
• HTML to WordPress: Moving your HTML webpage to fully functioning WordPress site.
• WordPress Backup: How to back up WordPress manually and using plugins.
• Error Establishing a Database Connection: You will find 5 ways to identify and fix this common issue.
• How to Add CDN to WordPress Site: A straightforward guide for installing a CDN to your WordPress website.
• How to Add Google Analytics to WordPress: This guide will teach how to add Google Analytics to a WordPress site.
• How to Create WordPress Multisite: Beginner’s guide on how to set up WordPress Multisite Network.
• How to Add an Email Newsletter Subscription to WordPress Site: Step-by-step instructions on how to add a subscription box to your WordPress website.

HTML & CSS HELP (Not for Beginners)

Using HTML and CSS? Below or tutorials, guides and cheat sheets for people who need help with HTML, CSS and PHP basics.

• HTML Beginner’s Tutorial: The sooner you learn the basics of HTML, the better. But don’t worry – this guide is more of an introduction to the HTML world. It’s not an all-encompassing guide to coding a website from scratch.
• HTML Cheat Sheet: Don’t worry about memorizing each and every new HTML5 tag. Simply download this cheatsheet and use it as a reference when needed.
• Web Safe HTML & CSS Fonts: Don’t know which font to use on your website? Take a look at this list of FREE, web safe fonts.
• HTML Periodical Table: An interactive periodic table to help you learn each tag or get a quick reminder of what to use.
• CSS Cheat Sheet: CSS3 contains many new properties and selectors. Here’s a starting list of some the new features already being implemented by modern web browsers.
• jQuery Cheat Sheet: A handy cheat sheet for jQuery users.
• JavaScript Cheat Sheet: The PDF version.
• PHP Cheat Sheet: A quick reference guide for PHP covering the most important concepts and functions.

MISCELLANEOUS

The stuff that didn’t fit elsewhere, e.g generating traffic, monetizing your website or becoming a full-time web developer.

• How to Increase Website Traffic (for FREE): My personal strategies that I used to grow websitesetup.org from 0 to 400k visits/month.
• How to Monetize Website or Blog (33 Ways): There are TONS of ways to make money from a website. In fact, I’ve listed out 33 of them to give you an idea of all the ways a new site can be lucrative.
• Hire a Web Developer or Do it Yourself?: Several times a month, people ask me if they can really set up a new website, or if they should outsource everything (even on a limited budget). Here are the answers!
• How to Become a Web Developer: … and get freelance GIGs.
• Online Business Ideas for 2018: Would you like to start earning money online? Consider reading these “easy to start” online business ideas.
• How Much Does a Website Cost: I’ll compare the costs of a domain, hosting, hiring a web developer vs. doing it all yourself.
• Website Design Ideas: Are you running out of website design ideas? Here you can find design tips and tools to help you out when you feel stuck.
• How to Create Website Color Schemes: See how to create website color schemes in six easy steps.
• How to Create Email Accounts for Your Domain Name: Learn how to create email accounts for your domain name.
• Frequently Asked Questions: I’ve listed some of the most other common questions that come from readers, along with my standard replies. This resource will continue to grow over time, so be sure to check back often.

P.S. Each month I add new, fresh and helpful content to websitesetup.org, so be sure to check back soon. If you want to suggest new topic ideas, please send your ideas to rob(at)websitesetup(dot)org.