When you’re trying to learn how to build a website from scratch, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the vast amount of information you can find online. After all, there are so many resources on the World Wide Web that hand out tips and tricks to make building a website a breeze.

But before you go ahead and apply them, here are the most important things that you need to keep in mind when trying to build a website from scratch:

Make it a habit to create plans.

Whether you are in the very first step or halfway through your website building, it is always a good idea to plan things ahead of time. This means spending enough time doing research and digging up useful tactics that you can employ as you proceed along the website creation process.

Devising and jotting down a solid plan ensures that you have laid out a framework that can be followed systematically. For example, you can opt to decide on your preferred hosting and domain providers first before choosing a compatible content management system (CMS). It can also serve as a reference point that you can go back to, should you get sidetracked along the way. Planning helps people anticipate and avoid possible troubles that they are bound to encounter along the way, such as when it comes to setting up a site for ads and monetization.

Choose your providers wisely.

In particular, this refers to your decisions when it comes to your domain, hosting, and CMS. While there are many top-notch providers that advertise excellent and low-priced offers, be wary of falling into the trap of not reading the fine print. Web hosting provider X may seem cheap when it comes to upfront costs, only to tie you down on a longer and less attractive contract. Support and services should also be taken into consideration as you will be needing all the help you can get when building a site and maintaining it over time.

Envision your site’s design and content.

Let’s face it; people flock to websites for their content. And when you have a lineup of valuable, informative, and engaging articles ready to be loaded to your site’s pages, you can be sure that you are setting up that website for success.

In the same manner, users visit and stay on a website if the design and layout are equally appealing. You will need to envision how your website will look (and feel) like to your target audience. When you do this, you stand to reduce bounce rates that are often triggered by unresponsive layout and design.

Similarly, you also ensure that your efforts in building your own website do not go in vain when you create a website that is ultimately aimed at better user experience. At the end of the day, you build a website to bring in site visitors. When you establish a user-friendly environment within your online space, these users will keep coming back for more.