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Basic Steps to
Launching Your First Website

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Step 1: Pick A Domain Name

Before you begin, you’ll need to pick a domain. If you plan on building your website on a framework like WordPress, you’ll need to buy it separately. Remember to pick a name that is easy to say, spell and remember. Your first pick may not be available but you can always try alternative versions (like adding your city/location or a different spelling). Try to use ‘.com’ when possible.

Here are a few domain registrars where you can purchase your domain name.

If you plan to build with Squarespace, you can jump to step 3!

Step 2: Get Hosting

Now that you have a your domain name purchased, you need to buy server space where your website can live. To do this, you need to purchase a plan from a hosting provider.

If you don’t have a lot of experience with web development and hosting, we recommend purchasing a plan that includes “WordPress Managed Hosting.” These plans help you manage some of the more tricky parts of maintaining a WordPress site, longterm.

Step 3: Pick A Platform & Theme

If you’ve done the first two steps, we recommend building on WordPress. Any of the host recommendation above will have options for installing WordPress. You can then pick a template from the WordPress Theme Gallery or from a 3rd-party site like ThemeForest.

If you want to build a website with WordPress but need help from an agency who specializes in beauty related websites, reach out to Oozle Media.

For Squarespace, you can buy your domain name and get hosting space all in one place. If you want to use them as a foundation for your website, you can start here. They will walk you through their intuitive setup process.

Step 4: Add E-Commerce Options

(if applicable)

If you plan on selling products or otherwise having some sort of online store where you will need to process payments and handle shipping, you will need an e-commerce solution that works with your platform.

  • For websites built with Squarespace, you can use Squarespace’s built-in e-commerce tools.
  • WordPress sites can integrate with a variety of e-commerce plugins. The most widely supported and ubiquitous plugin is WooCommerce.
  • Finally you can link out from any platform (including Squarespace and WordPress) to e-commerce powerhouse: Shopify.