How to create a professional website?
Posted: Thu Jan 23, 2025 5:30 am
The first step to creating a professional website is to define what your identity will be, which begins with deciding on your brand name and continues with choosing the content manager where you will create it and the ideal type of website.
1. Choose your domain and hosting
Choosing the domain and hosting for your website is an important decision. Choosing the right ones will be essential for your website to be secure and for your project to work in the best possible way.
Web Domain
The domain is the distinctive feature that a website has on the Internet, or in other words, the URL of a specific page. This domain replaces the IP, converting the domain into an address that is much easier to remember.
There are two basic components within a web address:
Domain name : Connects a website to your company or individual. It should always include the name of the website or project, and may also include a term related to the services you offer.
The domain name extension : This extension identifies the type of website we own. There are more than 1000 domain extensions, the most common being: .com, .red, .org, .edu, .gov.
The name we choose for the domain must be original, in order to differentiate it from the competition, and it must provide enough information to understand the services offered on your website. To achieve these objectives we must follow the following guidelines:
Make sure your domain name is short and easy to remember.
It should be easy to pronounce and spell , avoid complex words.
Try not to use numbers or hyphens , as they can be complex when spoken out loud.
Use keywords , this will help you to have a better positioning since search engines reach your page easily. It is not decisive, but it always helps a little.
Use an extension that generates trust in the user, such as .com or .es
Before deciding, explore all possible options , make sure that these options are for sale, that is, that they are not being used by another website.
Hosting
Hosting, also known as web hosting, is a service that allows you to publish your website. Hosting is usually provided by a company, which will provide you with the tools and services necessary to host your website on the Internet and make it accessible to users and search engines.
Web hosting is a center that houses all the information of a website: files, text, images, videos and everything that makes up the page in question. In addition, web hosting takes care of server maintenance work such as making backups or recovery tools.
There are certain aspects to take into account before choosing a hosting, which we will explain below:
Know exactly how much support you need: The service offered by these companies usually provides access to email, tickets, and telephone service. But there are many options, for example, there are companies that offer a telephone service available 24 hours a day. If you want to not worry about the administration of your website altogether, you can hire a managed service. In this type of service, the company will take care of your page being correctly configured for loading, security, backups, patching, etc. This option would be the most recommended if you do not have experience in web creation. Choosing the best provider will depend on your needs.
Calculate the amount of traffic you expect to receive : Some hosting providers limit the traffic of a website, that is, the number of visits that a certain website can accommodate. If you expect to receive many visits, you will have to increase the bandwidth, otherwise it will not be necessary.
Distinguish between different types of server : There are different types of hosting, the most common is shared hosting with which we can manage several websites at the same time, another of the most popular is the Virtual Private Server (VPS) which is usually used in database, email and file servers.
Price : There are many hosting companies on the market, so it is essential to always look for the best quality-price ratio and avoid suspicious offers.
Security: It is essential that the hosting you hire has the necessary security measures to protect your website from hacking, in this way, you will ensure that your page is not infected.
It is important to note that in order to host your website on a hosting service, you must first own the domain. Purchasing the domain and hosting from the same company is a common practice, as this allows you to control and renew both services from the same dashboard.
2. Select a content management system: WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, PrestaShop and Shopify
A CMS, also known as a content management system, is a program that is responsible for creating, maintaining and managing the content hosted on a website. There are various types of CMS, we are going to analyze the most popular ones so that you can choose the one that best suits your needs and those of your project.
WordPress Logo
WordPress
It is without a doubt the most widely used CMS today and the one that has grown occupant resident database the most in recent years. Its great advantage over the competition is that it provides web pages, blogs, forums and online stores (ecommerce). It has a wide variety of templates and plugins so you can customize the page as best suits your needs. It has different plans available so you can choose the one that best suits your project.
Joomla
This is the ideal system for our social media project, its specialty is to offer its users the best tools to create attractive, interactive and very dynamic social media portals. Joomla will give your page a professional look, the downside is that it does not have as many plugins and add-ons as WordPress offers.
Drupal
It is more demanding than the previous ones, so it requires more experience and knowledge to use it effectively. It is a system designed by programmers for programmers. It has a low pre-design, which allows for great versatility, and can be customized much more than the previous CMS. Its negative point is probably that there are a few noticeable lack of free plugins.
PrestaShop Logo
PrestaShop
This CMS is geared towards online stores and offers all the necessary functions to turn your project into a successful online store. With PrestaShop you can manage payments (even international ones) and manage clients. It also has many different themes and modules so you can customize your website according to your wishes. One of its most interesting features is the possibility to customize the URL, as well as the titles and labels. It also allows you to modify the security of your account as much as you want.
Shopify Logo
Shopify
Just like PrestaShop, Shopify is geared towards ecommerce. It is a highly intuitive CMS that stands out for its high performance and optimal security. It has a wide range of original themes and powerful extensions that will allow multiple customization options, and it also has technical support available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are interested in populating it, Shopify has a 14-day free trial.
3. Corporate website, e-commerce or custom development?
If you're determined to create a website, you've probably been thinking about it more than once trying to figure out which is the best option for your project. Corporate websites and e-commerce are the most popular alternatives, so we're going to discuss the nuances that differentiate them.
Corporate Website
It is responsible for advertising a company, regardless of its sector and its products or services. In this type of website, your project appears on the Internet in a visible way, showing the world who you are, what you do and your products or services. Its main objective is to create a corporate image of your business for the virtual community, this will increase our visits, a well-cared for image provides security and confidence to the user. It also allows interaction with users by creating feedback, this will allow us to better understand our users and adapt to our target audience.
Ecommerce
Ecommerce: Ecommerce, or online stores, seek a different result, but the sensations we want to transmit are the same: security and trust. An ecommerce is created to generate sales, so it allows users to purchase your products or services from the website, and it also has the possibility of selling on a global scale available 24 hours a day. It offers communication channels between the website and the user, which makes the buying and selling process even easier. Another of the star features of this type of platform is the control of the management and direction of digital marketing necessary to spread the brand and achieve profitable market niches on the Internet. Keep in mind that, even if your product is wonderful, no one will notice it if your website lacks an attractive and user-friendly design.
Both options will significantly increase the visibility of our company, which will lead to an increase in economic benefits.
Custom Development
Custom development: Another very good option that you should consider if you want the design of your online store to be completely customized and give the user the possibility of managing, purchasing and placing orders from the website itself, is custom development. The development of a custom front-end and back-end will allow you to customize your business to the maximum, offering all the functionalities you can imagine. Of course, it is a less economical option than the previous ones.
1. Choose your domain and hosting
Choosing the domain and hosting for your website is an important decision. Choosing the right ones will be essential for your website to be secure and for your project to work in the best possible way.
Web Domain
The domain is the distinctive feature that a website has on the Internet, or in other words, the URL of a specific page. This domain replaces the IP, converting the domain into an address that is much easier to remember.
There are two basic components within a web address:
Domain name : Connects a website to your company or individual. It should always include the name of the website or project, and may also include a term related to the services you offer.
The domain name extension : This extension identifies the type of website we own. There are more than 1000 domain extensions, the most common being: .com, .red, .org, .edu, .gov.
The name we choose for the domain must be original, in order to differentiate it from the competition, and it must provide enough information to understand the services offered on your website. To achieve these objectives we must follow the following guidelines:
Make sure your domain name is short and easy to remember.
It should be easy to pronounce and spell , avoid complex words.
Try not to use numbers or hyphens , as they can be complex when spoken out loud.
Use keywords , this will help you to have a better positioning since search engines reach your page easily. It is not decisive, but it always helps a little.
Use an extension that generates trust in the user, such as .com or .es
Before deciding, explore all possible options , make sure that these options are for sale, that is, that they are not being used by another website.
Hosting
Hosting, also known as web hosting, is a service that allows you to publish your website. Hosting is usually provided by a company, which will provide you with the tools and services necessary to host your website on the Internet and make it accessible to users and search engines.
Web hosting is a center that houses all the information of a website: files, text, images, videos and everything that makes up the page in question. In addition, web hosting takes care of server maintenance work such as making backups or recovery tools.
There are certain aspects to take into account before choosing a hosting, which we will explain below:
Know exactly how much support you need: The service offered by these companies usually provides access to email, tickets, and telephone service. But there are many options, for example, there are companies that offer a telephone service available 24 hours a day. If you want to not worry about the administration of your website altogether, you can hire a managed service. In this type of service, the company will take care of your page being correctly configured for loading, security, backups, patching, etc. This option would be the most recommended if you do not have experience in web creation. Choosing the best provider will depend on your needs.
Calculate the amount of traffic you expect to receive : Some hosting providers limit the traffic of a website, that is, the number of visits that a certain website can accommodate. If you expect to receive many visits, you will have to increase the bandwidth, otherwise it will not be necessary.
Distinguish between different types of server : There are different types of hosting, the most common is shared hosting with which we can manage several websites at the same time, another of the most popular is the Virtual Private Server (VPS) which is usually used in database, email and file servers.
Price : There are many hosting companies on the market, so it is essential to always look for the best quality-price ratio and avoid suspicious offers.
Security: It is essential that the hosting you hire has the necessary security measures to protect your website from hacking, in this way, you will ensure that your page is not infected.
It is important to note that in order to host your website on a hosting service, you must first own the domain. Purchasing the domain and hosting from the same company is a common practice, as this allows you to control and renew both services from the same dashboard.
2. Select a content management system: WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, PrestaShop and Shopify
A CMS, also known as a content management system, is a program that is responsible for creating, maintaining and managing the content hosted on a website. There are various types of CMS, we are going to analyze the most popular ones so that you can choose the one that best suits your needs and those of your project.
WordPress Logo
WordPress
It is without a doubt the most widely used CMS today and the one that has grown occupant resident database the most in recent years. Its great advantage over the competition is that it provides web pages, blogs, forums and online stores (ecommerce). It has a wide variety of templates and plugins so you can customize the page as best suits your needs. It has different plans available so you can choose the one that best suits your project.
Joomla
This is the ideal system for our social media project, its specialty is to offer its users the best tools to create attractive, interactive and very dynamic social media portals. Joomla will give your page a professional look, the downside is that it does not have as many plugins and add-ons as WordPress offers.
Drupal
It is more demanding than the previous ones, so it requires more experience and knowledge to use it effectively. It is a system designed by programmers for programmers. It has a low pre-design, which allows for great versatility, and can be customized much more than the previous CMS. Its negative point is probably that there are a few noticeable lack of free plugins.
PrestaShop Logo
PrestaShop
This CMS is geared towards online stores and offers all the necessary functions to turn your project into a successful online store. With PrestaShop you can manage payments (even international ones) and manage clients. It also has many different themes and modules so you can customize your website according to your wishes. One of its most interesting features is the possibility to customize the URL, as well as the titles and labels. It also allows you to modify the security of your account as much as you want.
Shopify Logo
Shopify
Just like PrestaShop, Shopify is geared towards ecommerce. It is a highly intuitive CMS that stands out for its high performance and optimal security. It has a wide range of original themes and powerful extensions that will allow multiple customization options, and it also has technical support available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are interested in populating it, Shopify has a 14-day free trial.
3. Corporate website, e-commerce or custom development?
If you're determined to create a website, you've probably been thinking about it more than once trying to figure out which is the best option for your project. Corporate websites and e-commerce are the most popular alternatives, so we're going to discuss the nuances that differentiate them.
Corporate Website
It is responsible for advertising a company, regardless of its sector and its products or services. In this type of website, your project appears on the Internet in a visible way, showing the world who you are, what you do and your products or services. Its main objective is to create a corporate image of your business for the virtual community, this will increase our visits, a well-cared for image provides security and confidence to the user. It also allows interaction with users by creating feedback, this will allow us to better understand our users and adapt to our target audience.
Ecommerce
Ecommerce: Ecommerce, or online stores, seek a different result, but the sensations we want to transmit are the same: security and trust. An ecommerce is created to generate sales, so it allows users to purchase your products or services from the website, and it also has the possibility of selling on a global scale available 24 hours a day. It offers communication channels between the website and the user, which makes the buying and selling process even easier. Another of the star features of this type of platform is the control of the management and direction of digital marketing necessary to spread the brand and achieve profitable market niches on the Internet. Keep in mind that, even if your product is wonderful, no one will notice it if your website lacks an attractive and user-friendly design.
Both options will significantly increase the visibility of our company, which will lead to an increase in economic benefits.
Custom Development
Custom development: Another very good option that you should consider if you want the design of your online store to be completely customized and give the user the possibility of managing, purchasing and placing orders from the website itself, is custom development. The development of a custom front-end and back-end will allow you to customize your business to the maximum, offering all the functionalities you can imagine. Of course, it is a less economical option than the previous ones.