FREE Download: How to Start a Business Checklist

This guide includes:

• How to plan your business

• How to set up your marketing

• How to build your website

• And more!

All in a simple goal-oriented format.

* Disclaimer * Some of the posted links are affiliate programs. By clicking these links, I may receive monetary compensation. This will not alter the price or change the buyer's experience.

When you are launching a small business, your website is crucial.  Ecommerce gives you a significant edge in building many business types.  Especially if you are trying to start a business with little to no money.

Unfortunately, to have a website built from scratch professionally can be incredibly expensive.  You might not have thousands of dollars to throw at this problem. 

If you are trying to start your website for as little money as possible, you will have to figure out how to build a website yourself. 

Many platforms can help you to do this.  I am using Squarespace in this guide because it is my preferred platform.  However, you can follow this guide using nearly any outlet you choose.  The steps to building the site will still be the same. Though, some of the commands might be slightly different.  It’s okay. We could all use an adventure!

Learning how to build your website from scratch will also give you a clear advantage because you can maintain it yourself. Any updates or changes can be made in a matter of minutes and for free, instead of having to call your web designer and pay fees.

If you are in the process of building your business, pick up our FREE How to Build a Business Checklist.  It will get you started with all of the basics in a straightforward action-oriented format.

How to Build a Website from Scratch

Choose your template

One of the things I love about Squarespace is that there are a ton of unique themes.  I have built several sites for myself and clients using the Squarespace platform, and I just love how easy it is to use.

I can get caught up just scrolling through templates for hours so make sure you give yourself the time you need to complete this step.

The templates are sorted into several different themes, but that does not mean they can not work well outside of that specialty.  If you don’t find a template that suits your style within your niche, don’t be afraid to browse other categories and see what they might be hiding.

Your Turn to Take Action:

Choose your template in square space and follow the prompts to name it and set up your workspace.

Buy your Domain name

This is my personal preference, but I like searching for a domain name before building a site.  You might have the perfect website name in mind. If it is not available, you may end up back and square one. 

I am sending you some positive juju right now in your search for your perfect domain name.  I hope it is available. If not, try to play around with it.

Ideally, you want your URL to be:

• Easy to say and remember. 

• Rolls off the tongue.

• Sticks in your head. 

• Keep it short.

• Relevant to your business or brand.

Your Turn to Take Action:

From your menu in Squarespace, go to:

Settings > Domains > Get a domain > Search your business or brand name

Once you have found a URL that you are happy with, you can move on to the next step.

Create your welcome page

This page is always the hardest to create.  This is your welcome page and the first thing that most of your customers will see.

We will revisit this page often, so on this first pass-through, I just want you to create a map of where you would like to put information and what you would like to put there.

This page should clearly communicate to your visitor who you are and what you do.  You also want to make sure that it is optimized for both desktop and mobile viewing.

As you are editing, you can easily toggle back and forth between these two views by clicking the phone icon in the upper right-hand corner.

Your Turn to Take Action:

Return to the main menu for your website and choose:

Pages > Home > then click Edit in the upper left-hand corner of the preview window

You can start changing any sections by hovering over them and clicking the pencil icon to edit.  This will open a menu, and you can adjust each section as needed.

Add new elements by clicking on the (+) icons.

Add new sections by clicking on the (add section) button.

Play around with your welcome page by dragging and dropping elements until you have a rough layout of where everything should be.

This will likely take hours to do, just persist and take frequent breaks until your website starts to come together.  Return to this page several more times and continuously update it. It is okay if it looks messy for now.

Click “Done” In the upper left-hand corner to save.

Create Your Privacy Policy

Privacy policies are essential to have when operating any kind of online business.  This allows your customers to make informed decisions about how you collect and use their data.

Even if you don’t collect the data yourself, website platforms do in order to optimize the customers’ experience.

You can have your attorney draft this for you or, you can purchase some online.  Some free sites are available with just a quick Google search for “free privacy policy template.”

Your Turn to Take Action:

From the menu, choose:

(+) to add a page > Page Layouts >Privacy Policy > Choose your preferred layout

Upload you’re the privacy policy you have chosen.

Once you are ready to save, click the “Done” button in the upper left-hand corner

If you are uploading free templates, this may be one of the priority upgrades you choose once your business becomes profitable.

Create Your Terms Of Use

Your terms of use provide legal coverage similar to your privacy policy. 

You can also have this drafted by your attorney, as well as access several resources online.

Your Turn to Take Action:

From the menu, go to:

(+) to add page > Page Layouts > Terms of Service > Choose your preferred layout

Upload your terms of service from the source you have chosen. 

Once you are ready, click the “done” in the upper left-hand corner.

This is another document that I would recommend opting for a paid version of once you are profitable.

Create Your Contact me

Your contact me page is an easy place for visitors to get a hold of you.  If you don’t feel comfortable listing your information, you can always create a form that populates directly to your email.

Your Turn to Take Action:

From the menu:

(+) to add page > Page Layouts > Contact > Choose your preferred layout

Update the layout with your information. 

Once you are finished, hit “Done” to save.

Create your Services

Hopefully, you have an idea of what kind of services you want to offer.  If not, simply skip this step for now.  Do not put your business on hold. There are plenty of ways to start a company before you know what service to offer.

If you are ready, take some time to write out the description and update the site.  Try not to repeat the stock images too often throughout the website.

Also, try to stay to a relatively uniform aesthetic. It allows for a more cohesive journey for your customers.

Your Turn to Take Action:

From the menu:

(+) to add page > Page Layouts > Services > Choose your preferred layout

Update the layout with your information. 

Once you are finished, hit “Done” to save.

Create your product pages

To add products, you will need to already have created something to sell.  You don’t necessarily need to have an online store, so this portion is optional as well.

Your Turn to Take Action:

From the menu:

(+) to add page > Store > Choose your preferred layout

Update the layout with your information. 

Once you are finished, hit “Done” to save.

To add products to the store:

Enter store menu > (+) to add page > choose product type > Fill out forms

Hit “done” to reveal a drop-down menu.  If you are ready to sell the item, it “Save and Publish.”

One of the great things about this store is that it will keep inventory for you!

Create Your Shipping & Handling Policies

If you are selling physical products, it is a good idea to figure out how you want to handle your shipping before you get your first order.

Take the time now to research and compare some shipping options.   Make sure to check for your specific package sizes and shipping preferences.  

• Will you have express shipping?

• Will your packages be insured?

• Are they fragile and require special care?

These are all things to consider when choosing a shipping company. 

Your Turn to Take Action:

From the menu:

(+) to add page > Page Layouts > Choose your preferred layout

Update the layout with your information.  Once you are finished, hit “Done” to save.

Create your Return & Exchanges Policies

This is another bit of housekeeping that is great to get out of the way.  Consider your return and exchange policies now before you are put on the spot. 

• Will you accept returns or exchanges?

• How will the customer have to return them?

• How do they communicate with you that they want to return their purchase?

Before you dive in, check the return policies of several of your competitors.  This will give you an idea of the industry standard.

Your Turn to Take Action:

From the menu:

(+) to add page > Page Layouts > Choose your preferred layout.

Update the design with your information.  Once you are finished, hit “Done” to save.

Create your About page

You will probably find that this is the most difficult page to write.  Many people have difficulty talking about themselves while put on the spot.

One method I like to use is the brainstorming method.  I will list out the main things that I want to mention in my bio and then arrange the list logically.  After that, I start filling out the list into complete sentences, then adding transitions to create a paragraph.

Writer’s block is a thing that can hit you hard.  Don’t back down. Writing anything is better than nothing.  You can always edit this page, again and again, to make it better.

Your website is never finished. It is a constant work in progress.  Let your personality and accomplishments shine through.

If you have a bio written already, you can always use that as a base and update it accordingly.

Your Turn to Take Action:

From the menu:

(+) to add page > Page Layouts > About > Choose your preferred layout.

Update the layout with your bio.  Once you are finished, hit “Done” to save.

Go back and edit

Now that you have created the basic layout for each page go back through and proofread them.  You don’t want to let any errors slip through your fingers.

You can tell right away when a website has just been thrown together and published.  They are off-putting and unprofessional, and many people click away immediately.  Take the extra time and go through your website and do a quality check of every page you created.

Your Turn to Take Action:

Review each of the pages for:

• Spelling and grammar.

• High-resolution images.

• All pages and images adhere to a similar aesthetic.

• There is Alt text for each image.

• All of the links are working.

Edit over several days

You might be tempted to publish right away, but I want to encourage you to give yourself a few days. 

Browse your site over the week and makes sure everything is exactly right.  Your love for the welcome picture may fade over a few days.  Or, maybe you might think of better wording for some of the headings.

Give yourself a few days to fall in love with the site and make sure it is perfect before hitting the publish button.

Your Turn to Take Action:

Visit your site several times over the course of a week and continue to edit and tweak it.

Publish your site

When you are finally ready to make the leap, it is time to publish. 

This is as simple as flipping a switch but, you may want to do more.  Think of different ways to promote the launch of your site to start getting traffic right away.

Your Turn to Take Action:

Go to the main menu of the website and go into the settings:

                Settings > Site Availability > Public

Next, go to your social media profiles and email list, and promote your website launch.

 Your website is basically like your home online.  Keep your ideal customer in mind as you build and maintain it so that they feel welcome.   It is going to need constant attention, so check on it often.

Regardless of how amazing you are at SEO, it will likely take several months for your site to be noticed by google.  You will still want to submit your site to google analytics as soon as possible so that you don’t miss any opportunities.  But Google has to date your site first before it decides that you are a serious contender.

This just means to be patient as you wait for the results from optimizing for keywords.  In the meantime, promote your website on your social media and position yourself to explode once you are picked up by search engines.

If you need help creating and tracking your marketing, SEO, and website plans, check out my Ultimate Business Planner for printable templates to streamline all of your processes.

Don’t worry; you’ve got this. And I’ve got your back!

I want to be transparent so that there are no misunderstandings. As an affiliate, I may earn a small commission from any products linked in this post. This is not a sponsored post, and I was not asked to recommend these products. These are products that I genuinely love and wanted to share with my audience.