Building a website is no easy feat. There are so many decisions that go into a website – which platform to use, how to design it, font and color choices, and not to mention creating the copy and graphics. Today, I’ve compiled dozens of articles and tutorials to help you as you build your website. They are sorted by category, so you can jump to the info you need the most right now!
My biggest piece of advice for you before you jump into these articles is to always remember to keep your audience as the focus on your website. What are they struggling with? How is working with you going to change their life? It is YOUR website, but it’s not meant to be an autobiography of you. Be super specific on your website about how you can help your clients.
Platform Comparisons
- Blogger Versus WordPress from Mandy at Sugar Bee Crafts
- Making Sense of Websites
- Squarespace vs WordPress from Website Builder Expert
- Squarespace, WordPress + More. How Do I Choose? from Four Oh Seven
- Why I Chose Squarespace Over WordPress
- WordPress vs. Squarespace for SEO
WordPress Guides (+ Choosing Hosts)
- Why I Love Using the Divi Theme
- How To Index a New WordPress Website from Mad Lemmings
- 9 WordPress Codes To Spice Up Your Blog from Web Hosting Secret Revealed
- 25 WordPress Tips: Printables, Scheduling, Avatars… from The Flourishing Abode
- 10 Hacks For Your WordPress Blog from The SITS Girls
- How to Start a Blog from Amy Lynn Andrews
- How to Set Up an Online Shop With WordPress from Angie Makes
- Top 25 Hosting Companies from Blogging.org
- How to Choose the Best WordPress Hosting from WP Beginner
- Why You Shouldn’t Use GoDaddy or BlueHost
- View all of my WordPress tutorials >>
Squarespace Guides
- 10 Squarespace Questions Answered
- Choosing the Right Squarespace Template from Nesha Designs
- How to Make Your Squarespace Blog Posts More Pinterest-Friendly
- My Three Favorite Squarespace Workarounds from Paper & Oats
- Setting Up Google Analytics in Squarespace from Elle & Co.
- Top 3 Ways to Create a Unique Squarespace Website from Go Live HQ
- How to Customize Your Website Without a Designer
- View all of my Squarespace tutorials >>
Choosing fonts
- Beginner’s Guide to Typography
- How to Pair Fonts Like a Pro from Dapper Fox Design
- 5 feminine google font combinations from Nesha Designs
- Does Typography Affect UX? from Creative Market
- How Typography Affects Conversions from Visualistan
- Fonts & Feelings: Typography Psychology from ChurchMag
- 6 Fonts You Should Stop Using (and 9 You Should Use Instead)
- Serif vs. Sans: Typography Basics And Loads Of Free Fonts from Noupe
- Designer Diary: Let’s Talk About Type! from Design Aglow
- 18 Rules to Ensure You Use Text Correctly from Red Website Design
- DIY Design Essentials: Good Font Combinations
- View all of my font tutorials >>
Choosing colors
- Choosing the Best Colors for Your Blog Design from The Blog Market
- Beginner’s Guide to Color from me
- How to Select a Color Palette for Your Branding from Spruce Rd.
- Choosing a Color Palette to Reflect Your Brand
- Color Psychology: 6 Tips for Choosing Your Color Scheme from YFS Magazine
- Color Psychology In Marketing: The Complete Guide from CoSchedule
SEO
- How to use Google Keyword tool to write your blog posts from Blog Ambitions
- How to Use Google Analytics: Getting Started from Social Media Examiner
- 20+ Effective Tips To Drive More Traffic From Search Engines from TwelveSkip
- Old SEO vs. New SEO from Digital Information World
- Why Meta Matters – SEO Strategy Basics from Dapper Fox Design
- Two of the Best Ways to Improve Your SEO
- View all of my SEO resources >>
Finding + Using Photos
- Thou Shalt Not Use Google Images
- Optimize Images for SEO
- 5 Backdrop Ideas For Blog Photography Under $30 from The Nectar Collective
- How to Get the Most Out of Your Stock Photos from Elle & Co.
- Learning from Kroger’s Stock Photo Mistake
Miscellaneous
- DIY Design Essentials: Creating an Effective Website
- 16 Ways to Look Credible Online from Erika Madden
- Designing Your First Website from me
- The Ultimate HTML Cheat Sheet For Beginners from I Can Build a Blog
- Five Big Website Misconceptions to Ignore
- How to Create a Mailing List and Add Opt-ins to Your Site from Designer Blogs
- Downfalls of Using Wix or Weebly
- Pretty Websites Aren’t Enough
- 5 Things You Need To Do Before Your Website Goes Live from Maya Elious
- How to Create a Blog from WebsiteSetup
- Three Pages Most People Forget to Add
- How to Change Your Website Preview on Facebook
Well done Jessica, I will pass this on to a friend who was asking me to build her site and does not have much of a budget. Thanks!
Great information! I’m definitely going to be using some of those articles for SEO!
This is a great resource for bloggers new and old! Thanks for putting it together 🙂
Brilliant, as usual. 🙂
This is the list to end all list. This list is epic. Great resources and links here. I’m tweeting this one out a few times because I know my 9 to 5 rebels could use this. Thanks!
Amazing guide! Thanks for pulling this together – it’s going to help so many people!
Amazing guide! Thanks for pulling this together – it’s going to help so many people!
I see Squarespace and WordPress mentioned, but no other drag and drop website builders such as WebStarts or the like. Is there a reason why these are the only two mentioned when there are so many more options available?
Because these are the two most reputable. There are plenty of other builders, but they’re so new and not as widely used… so it’s not entirely sure if they are reputable, or will be around for more than a few years. I’d have to update this post every few months to include every single builder out there, and I don’t want to recommend something without knowing it’s trustworthy 🙂