How to Build a Web Development Project From Scratch

Most web development projects aim to develop a beautiful and functional website. A website can boost your online presence by connecting you to a broader audience. So, to grow your business, you should undertake a web development project to get yourself a reliable website.

However, creating a beautiful and functional website can be daunting, especially if you are not a “tech person.” Here’s the good news: you do not have to be a tech person before you can build a quality website to boost your brand.

With a website-building platform like WordPress.com, all you need to build a website from scratch is register a domain name, sign up for web hosting, install WordPress, choose a theme and customize it, install plugins, build web pages, add a navigation menu, and optimize the site with SEO plugins.

This article will closely examine these steps. At the end of the article, you’ll know how to undertake a web development project and build a beautiful and functional website, even if you have zero knowledge of coding.

Web development is building websites or applications for the internet or a private network (also known as an intranet). It can range from developing a simple static page of plain text to dynamic web applications, e-commerce platforms, and social networking services.Web development can be classified into two:

Front-end development is also called client-side scripting. As this other name suggests, it refers to everything the client (or end-user) experiences.Thus, front-end development executes the look and feel of the website. It implements layout, search bar, buttons, contact, etc., to ensure visitors can easily interact with the website.

Back-end development is also called server-side scripting. It handles the behind-the-scenes functionality of websites.It consists of a server, an application, and a database. Back-end development ensures communication with the front-end so that everything runs smoothly.

For example, when something happens in the front end (e.g., you click a button), the browser sends a request to the back end. The back-end responds, sending information (in the form of front-end code) that the browser interprets and displays.

Thus, back-end development is all about the behind-the-scenes operations that affect a site’s responsiveness and speed.Having specific skills will help your web development project. For example, HTML, CSS, and Javascript are three languages that help in front-end development projects, while PHP, SQL, and .NET are some languages that help in back-end development projects.

However, even without having these skills, you can still embark on a web development project.

In the early days of web development, you needed to know how to code before you could create a website. But thanks to recent simple website builders and a host of online resources, you can create a website from scratch with no prior knowledge of coding. All you need to create a website is something to motivate you and patience.

Motivation gives you a purpose to strive towards. For example, when you think of the opportunities a portfolio website can bring, you’ll set your mind on building one.

You’ll need patience because a web development project can be frightening for people who are not tech-oriented. Patience helps you to persevere when you face setbacks on the project.

To build a website from scratch, you need a website building platform, a web browser, and a graphic editor.

A website-building platform allows you to quickly build a website without knowing coding or programming languages.Over 42% of websites use WordPress. If you wish to build a website from scratch without coding, you should try WordPress.Some other reasons to use WordPress include:

• It is more than a website builder. WordPress is not just a website builder. It is also a content management system for managing and publishing website content.
• It is free. WordPress is open-source software, meaning it is free.
• It is responsive. WordPress automatically renders your website content on desktop, tablet, and mobile views.

It is easy to use. WordPress has a slight learning curve. Even without technical knowledge, you can use WordPress to create a functional website in a few days.

The second most important tool for web development is a web browser, which helps you see how your site looks on the user end.

A web browser is an application for accessing the World Wide Web. It is what people will use to locate and access your website. Thus, web browsers are essential for debugging scripts.

After developing, you should test on web browsers to see if your pages work as you expect. It helps you identify bugs to fix so that your web pages work well.

You should test with all the popular web browsers, including Chrome, Edge, Safari, Firefox, and Opera. Since your site visitors will use one of these browsers, you should ensure it works well on all of them.

You need a graphic editor to create appealing images for your website.We are visual beings, so we are attracted more to images than text. For this reason, people are more likely to click through to your website and stay longer on your pages if you have appealing images.

There are many free graphic editors online that you can use to create images for your website quickly, including Canva and GIMP.

To undertake a web development project and build a website from scratch, follow the following steps:

• Get a domain name
• Sign up for web hosting
• Install WordPress
• Choose a WordPress theme
• Install WordPress plugins
• Build your web pages
• Add a navigation bar
• Optimize your site for search engines

The domain name is your online address. Just as your business place has a physical address, the domain name is your website’s address on the internet.

So the first step to building a website from scratch is to buy and register a domain name.

The following tips will help you choose the perfect domain name.

• Buy your own domain name. It is best to get your own domain name (like www.example.com) instead of using a free-hosted website that gives you a subdomain (like www.example.thirdpartywebsite.com). A custom free-standing domain name boosts your credibility and gives you total control over your online identity.
• Make it easy to remember. Keep your domain name short and use familiar words. Longer names and less familiar words may be more difficult to remember. Also, avoid using special characters.
• Try to use a .com domain name. “.com” domain names are the most memorable.
• Avoid making it too close to registered brands and trademarks. First, there’s the possibility of being dragged to court. Secondly, you may lose some visitors because some people searching for your site may inadvertently land on the other site.

An essential (yet not often mentioned) tip when searching for a domain name is to get a name that is also available on social media platforms.

For example, if your domain name is www.example.com, it will be excellent for your branding if your social media channels are @example.

That said, there are different domain name registrars for you to buy and register your domain name. However, registering your domain name using your web hosting provider is best, as it allows you to manage your domain name and web hosting on one platform.

Web hosting is publishing a website online so users can access it.

So, after getting a domain name, you need to sign up for a web hosting plan. First, you need to choose a hosting service. Then you need to sign up for one of its plans.

Some things to consider when looking at web hosting services include:

• Hosting price. Choosing an expensive hosting service will not make sense if less expensive options have better offerings.
• Uptime. Choose only a service that promises 99% uptime. This is because people who cannot access your website when they try to may not return, causing you to lose visitors.
• Loading speed. Slow-loading sites give a frustrating user experience, often causing people to leave the site. Also, search engine algorithms use loading speed, meaning that if your site loads fast, it will appear more in search results. Thus, you should choose a hosting service with a fast loading speed.
• Available storage. You’ll need storage space for your website files. So, ensure you choose a service that can provide enough bandwidth for your file storage needs.
• Security. Unfortunately, data breaches are part of the online world. So, when choosing a hosting service, go for one that can make your website more secure by including SSL certificates as part of their plans.
• Intuitive interface. An intuitive interface makes a web-hosting service easy to use. An intuitive interface makes it easy to do web management tasks in your account (such as managing your domain email address, managing your backups, renewing or renewing your hosting solution, etc.).
• Support. You don’t want to be left hanging when you need help. So, it is best to go for a hosting service with an effective support system. Look out for one with different support channels and 24/ 7 support.

WordPress is the go-to website builder if you’re building a website from scratch and do not want to write codes.

After buying a hosting plan, the hosting service provider will send you an email to log into your control panel. Many hosting providers have a WordPress auto-installer feature that provides a one-click installation. You’ll find this feature on your control panel when you log in.

Alternatively, you can download the latest version of WordPress and install it on your computer.

A WordPress theme defines your website’s user interface as it sets the site's overall look, feel, and style.

WordPress has a default theme, but you should change it if you want your website to be distinct. There are literally thousands of beautiful WordPress themes to choose from.

Many of these themes are free and will serve you well. But it may be best to go for a premium theme. First, free themes are not so unique because many websites use them. Secondly, the free themes have limited features and functionalities compared to premium themes.

The premium themes typically require one-off purchases, costing only about $50 on average.To install a WordPress theme, go to the Dashboard, click “Appearance,” and then “Themes.”

The different themes are displayed on the right-hand side. Browse through the themes until you find one that you like.

If you hover on a theme, a “Detail & Preview” option appears. Clicking on it lets you see how the theme will look on a website.

To use a theme, hover over it, and click the “Install” button that appears.

After installing a theme, the “Customize” button appears on it. You can click on it to personalize your theme by customizing the layout, colors, and fonts.

A WordPress plugin is a pre-packaged code created by developers in the WordPress community. By installing a plugin, you plug it into your website to add extra functionality or extend existing functionality. With WordPress Plugins, you can create any website.

To install a WordPress plugin, move to your dashboard, click on “Plugins” and select “Add New.”

The available plugins will be displayed on the right-hand side. Browse through the selection. Alternatively, use the built-in search bar to find what you want. After finding the plugin, click on “Install and Activate.”

WordPress Plugins can help you do a lot, from including sliding images to adding payment gateways. However, you should not install too many plugins as that will overwhelm your server resources.

That said, some Plugins that you should consider installing to optimize your website are:

• Contact Form 7. It helps you set up and manage contact forms on your WordPress website.
• Akismet. It checks comments and contact form submissions and automatically filters out those that look like spam, helping you prevent malicious content.
• Jetpack. It is a powerful all-in-one plugin for security, backup, site performance, and growth. You can use Jetpack to see your site’s stats, protect your site from brute force attacks, share posts to social media, and more.

When it’s time to build your web pages, move to your Dashboard, click “Pages” and select “Add New.”

A proper website would have multiple pages. Some of the pages you should add are:

• Homepage. It is the first page that your site visitors will see. It is the main page of your website and should contain links to other pages.
• About page. It is the page that concisely states what the site is about.
• Contact page. It is a page where you describe your products or services. At the least, it should have a contact form that users can fill out, stating why they want to reach you. The page may also have contact information like email address and telephone number that site visitors can use to contact you.
• Product or service page. It is a page where you describe the products or services that you offer. The page should list the different products/ services and provide detailed information about each. Ultimately, the product service page should help your site visitors make up their minds to buy your products or service.

Blog. A blog is an online journal or informational website on your website. It is the page where you regularly publish content. It displays content in reverse chronological order, with the latest posts appearing first.

After clicking the “Add New” button, you only need to type in the page title and content. WordPress has built-in “blocks” that help you organize the page.

Optimizing your site with menus and widgets improves navigation. A navigation menu gives your visitors a better experience when accessing pages.

The website will show the same menu on all pages of the site. So, no matter the webpage your visitors are on, they can easily navigate to other pages.

To optimize your WordPress website using menus.

Move to your Dashboard, click on “Appearance” and select “Menu.” Type in your menu name. Scroll down to “menu settings,” and decide whether to automatically add new top-level pages to the menu and the position that you want the navigation menu to appear.

After your selections, click “Create menu.”

Search engine optimization helps your site rank higher in the SERPs (search engine results pages) to boost your site traffic.

Installing SEO plugins is one way to optimize your website for search engines. The SEO plugins can make it easier for search engine spiders to crawl your site.

The plugins are also excellent in helping you optimize individual posts for SEO. When you edit a post, the SEO plugin will give you an SEO rating of the post based on different ranking factors. It’ll also show you how to improve the post’s SEO rating.

To install an SEO plugin, follow the same process for installing other plugins: Dashboard > Plugins > Add New. Use the search bar to search for a particular SEO plugin, then click “Install and Activate.”

Some of the best WordPress SEO plugins to install are Yoast SEO, SEOPress, All in One SEO, W3 Total Cache, and Rank Math.

You can build a website from scratch in 24 hours without knowing how to code.

How long a web development project takes depends on your approach and resources. If you need an entirely custom website, it’ll take weeks to months to build a website from scratch, depending on your coding skill and the project's complexity.

However, if you use WordPress.com website builder and do not require anything fancy, you can build your site from scratch in 24 hours.

Thanks to website-building platforms, building a website from scratch is now easier and quicker than you’d expect.

With WordPress.com, you can build a website in 24 hours, even if you do not know how to code. All you need do is register a domain name, sign up for web hosting, install WordPress, choose a theme and customize it, install plugins, build web pages, add a navigation menu, and optimize the site with SEO plugins.

However, if you need a custom website or a very fancy and complex site, building your website from scratch is not a good idea. You’ll need expert web developers with high-level coding skills.

Worried about finding the right developers? NewWaveDevs can find the right candidates for you in a short time. NewWaveDevs is experienced in providing developers for the custom digital projects of startups and big enterprises (in different industries, including Fintech, retail, blockchain, and food delivery).

With 50+ developers and designers onboard, NewWaveDevs will find unique developers for your project.

To get outstanding results for your web development project, contact NewWaveDevs today!