Last Updated on November 19, 2021
I’ve built a lot of websites over the years. From more involved custom coded to quick no-code sites, from saas startup web applications through to my tradie neighbors business card site.
I often get asked broad questions about what platform to use for a site so I thought I’d start tracking a bit of the process and tooling that I use for smaller sites. This info is mainly aimed at individuals starting some kind of small business.
It’s half finished but I’ll publish this skeleton and add to it over time.
Business Branding
I am generally looking for a .com domain, so I tend to start with finding a domain that will fit the name before choosing a name.
Domain names
https://www.panabee.com/business-name-generator
https://www.panabee.com/domain-name-generator/
Also I’d check social if that’s gonna be important for you:
Research
https://keywordtool.io/
https://web.archive.org/
https://trends.google.com/trends/explore
Platform
In terms of what is currently popular, WordPress, Wix, Shopify, Squarespace, your choice really depends on a few factors.
What’s your budget?
How easy does the site need to be to maintain? What is the computing skill level of the person/people maintaining the site?
What kind of functionality do you need beyond static pages with content? E-commerce? Membership?
Hosting
I have all my stuff on Siteground these days. Get a discount with my Siteground referral link.
WordPress
I still use WordPress a lot. it’s still the right choice for many websites.
My basic setup includes these plugins:
- Yoast
- Google Sitekit
- AAWP if you’re doing Amazon affiliates
- Ad inserter if you’re doing ads