The document provides a comprehensive guide on developing a website, emphasizing the importance of having an online presence for credibility and marketing. Key steps include choosing a platform like WordPress, selecting a domain and hosting, and configuring the site with essential plugins and SEO practices. Additionally, it underscores the significance of content creation, social media integration, and using analytics to monitor website performance.

1. How to Develop a Website
Amarpreet Kaur
Digital Marketing Manager, RIC Centre
@akamarpreet | @riccentre

2. Who am I?
• Molecular Biology
• Biomedical Communications
• Biotechnology
• Real Estate Broker
• Digital Marketing Manager
• Creative Professional
• Photographer
@akamarpreet | @riccentre

3. Should my
business have
a website?

4. Yes please!

5. Why?
• Using the internet like a phonebook
• Instant credibility
• Sales and marketing channel
• Data collection and lead generation
• If you don’t have a website, you don’t want more business…
@akamarpreet | @riccentre

6. Today’s presentation
1. Choose the right platform for your website
2. Choose the right website name (domain) and hosting
3. Configure your newly created website
@akamarpreet | @riccentre

7. Choose the right platform
• When I first got started…
Dreamweaver, Flash, etc
• Content Management System
• WordPress…because it’s free,
beginner-friendly, great for small-
large sites, responsive, support
community, etc.
OpenSourceCMS.com
1
@akamarpreet | @riccentre

8. Beginner?
• Stick with WordPress. Keep your life easy. As a business owner, that’s
something you shouldn’t worry about.
1
@akamarpreet | @riccentre

9. Choose a domain name
• WordPress is free, but you need to purchase a domain name and hosting
in order to run your website
• bluehost.com, GoDaddy.com, one.com, etc
• Short, memorable, brandable, catchy, easy to type
• Try to Google it before you purchase it (does auto-correct on Google
provide some odd search result?)
2
@akamarpreet | @riccentre

10. Domain name vs. hosting
2
@akamarpreet | @riccentre

11. Choose a hosting package
• Shared Hosting
• Good for tight budget
• Managed WordPress Hosting
• Website maintained for you
2
@akamarpreet | @riccentre

12. Configure your website
• Domain and hosting from same service provider?
• Use one-click installation
• Manual Install Guide
• yourwebsitename.com/wp-admin
• Now we get to the fun part…
3
@akamarpreet | @riccentre

14. Configure your website
• The hardest part of this entire
process…
• Picking a theme
• ThemeForest, ColorLib Flat
Themes, ColorLib Creative
Themes, How to Pick a
Wordpress Theme
3
@akamarpreet | @riccentre

15. Configure your website
• 37 essential plugins you
should download
• JetPack, Contact Form 7,
Google Analytics, Sucuri,
Yoast SEO, Page Builder
• WooCommerce
3
@akamarpreet | @riccentre

16. Configure your website
• Adding new pages and posts
• Customizations
• Setting up your front page
• Updating your menu
3
@akamarpreet | @riccentre

17. Configure your website
• Setting permalink structure
• Search engine visibility
• Site backups
• Google Analytics
3
@akamarpreet | @riccentre

18. Configure your website
• Here are some important pages
that you should consider adding:
• About
• Contact
• Portfolio
• Services and Products
• Team
• Testimonials
• Support
• Careers
• FAQ
3
@akamarpreet | @riccentre

19. Ok, so now what?
• Add content! Customize it to your business. Make it stand out. And now
I’ll show you how to take it to the next level.
@akamarpreet | @riccentre

20. Questions?

21. The magic of SEO
• Crucial part of
website
customization -
without it, your
customers probably
won’t find you via
Google or any other
search engine
@akamarpreet | @riccentre

22. SEO-friendly URL structures
http://www.example.com/how-to-build-a-website
OR http://example.com/archives/123
• Settings —> Permalinks —> “Post Name”
• *Warning: don’t change permalink structure on an established site (you
may lose the SEO you’ve already built!)
@akamarpreet | @riccentre

23. Download a plugin
@akamarpreet | @riccentre
Comparison: Yoast SEO vs All in One SEO Pack

24. Yoast SEO
@akamarpreet | @riccentre

25. Add an XML sitemap
• List every page on your website - make it easy for search engines to find
your content
@akamarpreet | @riccentre

26. Use Google Search Console
• Provides reports and data to help you understand how your pages appear
in search results - use Yoast SEO to set this up!
• What search terms are people using?
• Add your sitemap to Google Search Console
• Check Search Console 1x/month
@akamarpreet | @riccentre

27. Optimize blog posts
• Adding an SEO plugin doesn’t
actually do anything until you
actively try to keep up with
updating your site
@akamarpreet | @riccentre

28. Make sure you do this too…
• Use categories, tags, and
sort your content within
WordPress!
• Sorting your content on
your website means
Google will understand
your website structure and
content
@akamarpreet | @riccentre

29. Internal linking
• Google assigns each page on
your website with a “score” -
that’s your page authority
• Obviously they kept the
recipe a secret… but,
authority increases with links
(AKA credibility)
@akamarpreet | @riccentre

30. Social media integration
@akamarpreet | @riccentre
• Share and like buttons
• Posting your content to social media platforms - use Hootsuite, Buffer, etc
• Make your shares look good! How? Make sure you are using Yoast SEO to
the best of it’s ability! - There’s also the JetPack and WPSSO plugin.
• Ask me for a link to my 10 Social Media Tips for Small Biz slide-deck!

31. Speed and security
• Here’s what happened at RIC
Centre…
• Use Sucuri and optimize your
site’s speed
• Here’s how you can
optimize images for the
web
@akamarpreet | @riccentre

32. Google Analytics
@akamarpreet | @riccentre
• Who visits your website?
• What do people do on your
website?
• When do people visit your
website?
• How do people find your
website?
• How do people interact with your
content?
• Signup for Google Analytics here
• Install Google Analytics on
Wordpress using MonsterInsights
• Track, measure, change, and
repeat!

33. But I don’t have time…
• There’s lots of different platforms available out there if you are looking for
a drag-and-drop builder type of site, but it depends on your budget.
These can sometimes get expensive.
• Wix | SquareSpace | Weebly
@akamarpreet | @riccentre

34. What else?
• Just remember to really put thought into the goals of your website!
• What do you want to promote? How do you want to promote it?
• Wireframe your website! Sketch out your concept before you go
looking for themes, building your navigation, adding content.
• How much time will you have to manage it?
@akamarpreet | @riccentre

35. Questions?