The short answer
How a website is created,
in short
To create a website you need to decide what it is for, choose and register a domain, choose the platform (a builder, WordPress or a custom website), get hosting, prepare copy and images, take care of basic SEO, publish and submit the website to Google with Search Console. Done yourself with a builder, a simple website costs a subscription and your time. Done by a professional, with us it starts at €500 for a landing page and at €900 for a brochure website.
Creating a website is within reach of many people, creating a website that brings in inquiries or sales is a different job. Below you'll find the steps in order, the comparison between doing it yourself and hiring a professional and the prices from our list.
Step 1
The goal and pages of the website,
where you start
Before opening any software, answer three questions. What the website has to do, for example get people to call you, book or buy. Who it is for. Which pages you need to get there.
A business website usually has a home page, an about page, a page for each service or product category, contacts and the privacy and cookie pages. One page per service is the better choice, because each one answers a different search on Google. A landing page, from 3 to 5 pages, is for a campaign or an offer. A brochure website goes up to 20 pages. If you need to sell online it is no longer a simple website but an e-commerce site, with catalog, cart and payments, and you should first read the guide on how to open an online store.
Step 2
The domain,
the address of your website
The domain is the address people type to reach the website. Choose a short name, easy to spell out over the phone, with no numbers and no hyphens. For an Italian business, .it is the most natural choice.
Register it in your name or your company's name and keep the login for the registrar, the service where you register it. If the domain is registered to whoever built the website, you will have to ask them in order to change provider. The domain renews every year for a modest amount that varies from one registrar to another.
Step 3
What to build a website with,
builder, WordPress or custom
This is the choice that matters most, because it changes costs, freedom and future work. There are three routes.
An online website builder. Wix, Squarespace and the like offer a visual editor and bundle platform and hosting in a monthly subscription. Many have a basic plan at no cost or a trial period, but to use your own domain and the extra features you usually need a paid plan. They are the fastest route to a simple website. The limit is that the website stays tied to that platform, moving it elsewhere usually means rebuilding it, and the technical care for Google is whatever the builder allows.
WordPress. It is open source software you install on your own hosting, with themes for the look and plugins for the features. It is much more flexible than a builder and the website is yours, but you have to take care of updates, backups and security. It is the base of a huge number of business websites and the starting point of WooCommerce for an online store.
A custom website. It is developed from scratch when you need features the standard platforms don't have, such as a private area, a product configurator or a connection to a management system. With us a custom project starts at €7,000. To choose between platforms for selling online there is the guide to e-commerce platforms.
WordPress
Creating a website with WordPress,
what you really need
To create a WordPress website you need a domain, hosting that supports WordPress, a theme and a few carefully chosen plugins. You install WordPress from the hosting control panel, choose the theme, build the pages with the editor and add plugins for contact forms and SEO.
The easy part is setting it up. The part people underestimate is keeping it in order. Every extra plugin is code to update and check, paid themes and plugins have licenses that renew, and a website that isn't updated is the first target of attacks. If you want a polished result without learning all of this, our website development starts at €900 for a brochure website with hosting and maintenance included for the first 12 months.
Step 4
Hosting,
where the website lives
Hosting is the server that holds the website's files. With a builder it is included in the subscription, with WordPress you choose it. Look at speed, automatic backups, support when something goes wrong and that the website is served over HTTPS, the secure connection Google also recommends.
If you choose it yourself, compare what is included and not just the fee. On our servers hosting costs €260 per year for a WordPress website and €320 per year for a WooCommerce store.
Step 5
Copy, images and design
of the pages
Copy is written for the people who read it, not for you. Each page covers one topic, with a clear title, an answer in the first lines and an invitation to contact you. Use real photos of your business when you can, because they say more than stock photos, and put the phone number and contact form where they can be seen right away.
Check every page on phone and desktop, because today many visits come from smartphones. You also need a privacy policy and cookie management if the website collects data or uses tracking tools. For the copy of a website that wants to be found, this is the longest job of all, and it is always underestimated.
Step 6
Basic SEO
before you publish
Before launch, take care of these things, which cost time and not money.
- A different title and description for every page, saying what people will find when they click.
- Only one main heading (H1) per page and subheadings in order.
- Readable page URLs, for example /services/brochure-website/ and not /page?id=37.
- Alt text on images and lightweight files.
- Links between pages, so every page can be reached from another one.
- Loading speed and a website that is easy to use with your thumb.
This is the foundation. If you want to go further, from keywords to analyzing whoever already ranks first, there is SEO consulting.
Step 7
Publishing the website
and submitting it to Google
Once the website is online, run four checks. In WordPress open Settings, then Reading, and make sure the option “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” is turned off. Add the website to Google Search Console, submit the sitemap and request indexing of the home page with the URL Inspection tool.
Google gives no guaranteed timelines. In its guide it says it can take a few weeks for it to notice a new website. All the steps are in the guide on how to get a website indexed on Google.
Step 8
Maintenance
after launch
A website is never finished. Domain and hosting have to be renewed, WordPress, theme and plugins updated, backups checked and the contact form tested from time to time to make sure messages really arrive. If you don't want to deal with it, our website maintenance costs €190 per month for a WordPress website and €290 per month for a WooCommerce store, with a minimum term of 3 months and then cancellation with one month's notice.
E-commerce
Creating an e-commerce website,
what gets added
Creating an e-commerce website follows the same steps and adds more. You need a platform designed for selling, such as WooCommerce, Shopify or PrestaShop, the catalog with photos and a product page for each item, the cart, payment methods, shipping and the pages with the terms of sale. With us an e-commerce site starts at €1,950.
For the steps and the legal requirements there is the guide on how to open an online store, and for the most widely used platform the page on WooCommerce.
With AI
Creating a website with artificial intelligence,
what it does and what it doesn't
Today you can ask ChatGPT or a builder with artificial intelligence to prepare the page structure, the copy and the code of a website. It is useful for starting from a draft and for shortening the layout work.
It doesn't decide for you. The copy has to be checked, because a generic description produces generic copy, similar to everyone else's. Domain, hosting, publishing, privacy, SEO and maintenance still have to be done, and the result has to be checked by someone who knows what to look at. As a work tool it is very good, as a replacement for a project it is not.
Comparison
Do it yourself or hire a professional,
the honest comparison
There is no right answer for everyone. The differences are almost always on these points.
- Cost. Doing it yourself costs little in money (domain, hosting or subscription) and a lot in time. A professional costs more at the start but takes the work off your hands.
- Time. On your own you'll learn the tool as you go. A professional starts from what they already know.
- Result. A builder or AI gives you a presentable website. A professional designs the website around what it needs to achieve, inquiries or sales.
- SEO. On your own you handle the basics. With a professional you work on keywords, structure and competitors.
- Maintenance. If you do it yourself, it's on you. With a professional you can hand it over.
- Ownership. With a builder the website is tied to the platform. With WordPress or a custom website the code is yours.
Basic plans
Creating a website without spending,
what you really get
You can create a website without spending anything on a builder's basic plan, but the limits show up quickly. The website usually lives on a subdomain of the builder rather than on your own domain, and ads or the builder's brand appear. Custom domain, storage and features are limited, and the features a business needs are in the paid plans. On top of that, if one day you want to move the website elsewhere, you usually have to rebuild it.
It is enough to try out a tool, for a personal project or to test an idea before investing. It is not enough when the website has to bring in inquiries or sales, because an address with your business name, the absence of other brands and control over the website matter to the people looking for you and to Google. In that case the alternative is a brochure website from €900, with hosting and maintenance included for 12 months.
When it makes sense
When creating a website yourself
makes sense
Doing it yourself makes sense if a minimal presence is enough for you, meaning a few pages about who you are, what you do and how to contact you, if your budget is close to zero and if you have the time and the will to learn. It also works for a personal project or to try out an idea before investing.
A professional makes sense if the website has to bring in inquiries or sales, if it has to connect to a management system or an online store, if you want to appear on Google for specific searches or if your time is worth more than the difference in cost. A good middle ground is to have a professional build the foundations and learn to edit the copy yourself.
Our price list
If you'd rather have it built for you,
our prices
If you choose to have your website built for you, these are Webcreation's prices. They are our price list, not a market average, and other professionals charge different prices. The price is fixed, written down before we start. To understand how the figure is put together and which recurring costs to budget for, read the guide on how much a website costs.
Landing page
from€500
3 to 5 pages
- Live in 2 days
- A few pages for a campaign or an offer
Brochure website
from€900
up to 20 pages
- Hosting and maintenance included for 12 months
Corporate website
from€2,500
- Lots of content, multiple languages or integrations
Custom project
from€7,000
- Private area, management system, configurator
Indicative prices, every project is different. Timelines are 2 days for a landing page, 1 week for a brochure website from receiving the material, 2 to 4 weeks for a corporate website and 5 to 12 weeks for a custom project. An e-commerce site starts at €1,950.
Want the figure for your website?
Leave us your number and we'll call you back to understand what you need. On the website quote page you'll find the useful information to prepare, and on the brochure website page what the price includes.
We'll call you back →Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions about
how to create a website
How much does it cost to create your own website?
On your own, with a builder or with WordPress, the out-of-pocket costs are domain, hosting or subscription and any paid themes and plugins, plus your time. If a professional does it, with our price list a landing page starts at €500, a brochure website at €900, a corporate website at €2,500 and a custom project at €7,000. Other professionals charge different prices.
Can ChatGPT create a website?
It can write the page structure, the copy and the HTML and CSS code of a website from a description, and builders with artificial intelligence do the same. It does not replace the choices that remain yours, meaning domain, hosting, publishing, checking the copy, SEO and maintenance. For a website that has to bring in inquiries you still need someone to check the result.
Can I create a website on my own?
Yes, with a builder, with WordPress or with artificial intelligence tools, even if you can't code. For a minimal presence it can be enough. If the website has to get you found on Google and bring in inquiries or sales, the real work is in the copy, the SEO and the maintenance, and that is where getting help pays off.
What is the best website builder?
There is no single best one. A builder like Wix or Squarespace is the fastest route to a simple website. WordPress is more flexible and the website stays yours. To sell online you look at WooCommerce or Shopify, and for special features you need a custom website. The choice depends on what the website has to do and who will maintain it.
What are the steps to create a website?
There are eight. Decide the goal and the pages, register the domain, choose the platform, get hosting, prepare copy and images, take care of basic SEO, publish the website and submit it to Google with Search Console, then keep it up to date.
How do I create a website with WordPress?
Get hosting and a domain, install WordPress, choose a theme, create the pages and add only the plugins you need, for example for contact forms and SEO. Then check that under Settings, Reading the option that discourages search engines is turned off, and keep WordPress, theme and plugins up to date.
How long does it take to create a website?
It depends on the material you already have ready. With us a landing page of 3 to 5 pages takes 2 days, a brochure website one week from receiving the material, a corporate website 2 to 4 weeks and a custom project 5 to 12 weeks. If you do it yourself, the timeline depends on how ready the copy and photos are.
How do I create a website to sell online?
You need an e-commerce platform, for example WooCommerce, Shopify or PrestaShop, with catalog, cart, payments and shipping. With us an e-commerce site starts at €1,950. In the guide on how to open an online store you'll find the steps and the legal requirements.