Build your own website – an honest guide

1. Get a domain

The domain is your address online, for example yourbusiness.com. Register it in your own name with a registrar so it's always yours. Pick something short that's easy to say over the phone and spell correctly.

2. Choose how the site is built

There are basically three routes:

• Site builder (Wix, Squarespace): easiest to start, but a monthly fee and you don't own the site
• WordPress: flexible, but needs updates and plugins that have to be maintained
• Custom code (e.g. Next.js): fastest and most flexible, but requires programming

3. Plan the pages before you design

Write down what a visitor wants to know: what you do, where you are, what it costs and how to reach you. For most small businesses five pages are enough: home, services, about, pricing and contact. Each page needs a clear goal, such as getting the visitor to call or book.

4. Copy and images

Write the way you talk to a customer, and use the words your customers search for. Use your own photos when you can – stock images your competitor also uses make you anonymous. Compress images so the site loads fast on phones.

5. Get found on Google

Give every page its own title and description, create a Google Business Profile and add the site to Google Search Console. There you see which keywords you appear for and whether Google finds all your pages. Expect weeks to months before you rank for competitive terms.

Or let me build it for you

If you'd rather spend your time on your business, I build the site from SEK 4,999 excl. VAT. You get the result of the steps above without learning the tools – and you own everything from day one, just as if you had built it yourself.