4 October 2025
Tech Tips

Create a basic website or blog

Here’s a clear, step-by-step plan to create a basic website or blog. I’ve included three common paths so you can pick the one that fits you best.

Option A: Quick static site from scratch (HTML/CSS)

  1. Plan your site
  • Decide purpose: personal blog, portfolio, small business.
  • List a few pages: Home, About, Blog, Contact.
  • Sketch a simple layout (header with title, nav, content area, footer).
  1. Create a project folder
  • Create a folder on your computer (e.g., my-site).
  • Inside, create:
    • index.html
    • styles.css
    • (optional) scripts.js
    • images/ (folder for images)
  1. Write the basic HTML (index.html)
  • A simple starter:

    <!doctype html> <html lang=”en”> <head> <meta charset=”UTF-8″ /> <meta name=”viewport” content=”width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0″ /> <title>My Basic Blog</title> <link rel=”stylesheet” href=”styles.css” /> </head> <body> <header> <h1>My Blog</h1> <nav> <a href=”index.html”>Home</a> <a href=”about.html”>About</a> <a href=”blog.html”>Blog</a> <a href=”contact.html”>Contact</a> </nav> </header> <main> <article> <h2>Welcome to my blog</h2> <p>This is a sample post. Write your first story here.</p> </article> </main> <footer>© 2025 My Blog</footer> <script src=”scripts.js”></script> </body> </html>

  1. Add some CSS (styles.css)
  • Basic styling:

    body { font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0; padding: 0; } header { background: #333; color: #fff; padding: 1rem; } header nav a { color: #fff; margin: 0 0.5rem; text-decoration: none; } main { padding: 1rem; max-width: 800px; margin: 0 auto; } footer { text-align: center; padding: 1rem; color: #666; }

  1. View locally
  • Open index.html in your browser to see your page.
  1. Create additional pages
  • Add about.html, blog.html, contact.html using the same header/footer structure.
  • For a basic blog list, create blog.html with a few post teasers.
  1. Optional enhancements
  • Add images with <img src=”images/photo.jpg” alt=”…”>.
  • Improve styling and responsive design with media queries.
  • Add a simple form on contact.html (no server-side handling yet).
  1. Publish (optional)
  • Free/low-cost options:
    • GitHub Pages (cdn static site)
    • Netlify
    • Vercel
  • If using GitHub Pages:
    • Create a GitHub repo, push your site files.
    • In repo settings, enable Pages from the main branch /root.
    • Your site will be at https://username.github.io/repo-name/

Option B: WordPress (CMS) for a blog

  1. Plan and prepare
  • Decide if you want self-hosted WordPress.org or WordPress.com.
  • Self-hosted gives more control; you’ll need hosting.
  1. Get hosting and domain
  • Choose a host (Bluehost, SiteGround, DigitalOcean, etc.) and a domain name.
  • If using WordPress.com, you can start with a free plan and upgrade.
  1. Install WordPress
  • One-click install often available in hosting dashboards.
  • Complete basic setup: site title, admin account.
  1. Choose and customize a theme
  • In WordPress admin: Appearance > Themes > Add New.
  • Install a simple, responsive theme (e.g., Twenty Twenty-Three, Astra, GeneratePress).
  1. Create content
  • Posts: Posts > Add New (blog posts).
  • Pages: Pages > Add New (About, Contact).
  • Menus: Appearance > Menus to add Home, Blog, About, Contact.
  1. Install essential plugins (optional)
  • SEO: Yoast SEO or Rank Math
  • Security: Wordfence
  • Caching: W3 Total Cache or WP Super Cache
  • Contact form: Contact Form 7 or WPForms
  1. Publish
  • Create and publish posts; update pages; customize site look from the customizer.

Option C: GitHub Pages or Netlify (free hosting for static sites)

  1. Prepare your project
  • Follow the static site steps (Option A) to create index.html, etc.
  1. GitHub Pages path (simplified)
  • Create a GitHub repository (e.g., my-blog).
  • Push your site files to the repo.
  • In GitHub, go to Settings > Pages, choose branch (main) and /root.
  • Your site will be live at https://your-username.github.io/my-blog/
  1. Netlify path (simplified)
  • Create a Netlify account.
  • Connect your GitHub repo or drag-and-drop your site folder.
  • Netlify builds and hosts it, with a live URL (you can add a custom domain later).
  1. Optional: Jekyll or Hugo (static site generators)
  • Jekyll (Ruby): write posts in Markdown, place in _posts, Netlify can build automatically.
  • Hugo (Go): similar concept, faster builds.
  • These are great for a blog with multiple posts.

Common tips for all paths

  • Domain: If you want a custom domain (yourname.com), buy one from a registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap) and connect to your hosting or GitHub Pages/Netlify settings.
  • Content plan: publish regular posts, categorize by topic, add a simple about page and a contact page.
  • SEO basics: use descriptive titles, add meta descriptions (WordPress plugins help), use semantic HTML (headers, alt text for images).
  • Accessibility: ensure alt attributes on images, good color contrast, and semantic elements.
  • Backups: keep backups of your site content. For static sites, backup the folder; for WordPress, use hosting backups or a plugin.
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