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How to create a website from scratch
To create a website from scratch, decide what the site must do, register a domain name, choose a platform and hosting, plan and write the core pages, then launch with a checklist and register the site in Google Search Console. A small business site needs only five or six pages to start, and most of the work is writing them.
This guide takes each step in order, with the decisions that matter and the sources to check. It applies whether you build the site yourself or hire someone.
Start with one goal: the single action you want visitors to take.
Own your domain in your own registrar account, with auto-renew on.
Pick the platform by job: a builder for simple sites, Shopify for selling, WordPress for flexibility, custom code for unusual needs.
Launch only after the checklist, then tell Google about the site through Search Console.
Step 1: Decide what the website must do
A website needs one main job, and every page should support it. Write it as an action: “request a quote”, “book an appointment”, “buy online”, “call us”. Then list the questions a customer asks before taking that action. Those questions become your pages.
Step 2: Choose and register a domain name
A domain name is your site’s address, such as example.ca. Keep it short, easy to spell aloud and close to your business name. Avoid hyphens and numbers, which people mishear.
.ca or .com? A .ca tells visitors you’re Canadian. To register one, you must meet the Canadian Presence Requirements set by CIRA, the .ca registry, and you register through an accredited registrar. Many businesses register both and redirect one to the other.
Register it in your own account, not your designer’s, so you keep control if you change providers.
Turn on auto-renew and two-step sign-in. A lapsed domain takes your site and your email offline.
Step 3: Choose a platform
The platform is the software your site runs on. Choose it by what the site has to do, not by what is popular:
Website builder (such as Squarespace or Wix): good for a simple brochure site you want to edit yourself. Hosting and security are included.
Shopify: good when the site’s job is selling products. Hosting, checkout and payments are included. As of November 2026, Shopify’s Canadian pricing starts at CAD $49 a month on the Basic plan, or $37 a month billed yearly.
WordPress (self-hosted): good when you want full control and many plugins. You arrange the hosting and keep WordPress, the theme and plugins updated. WordPress recommends a host with PHP 8.3 or later, MySQL 8.4 or MariaDB 10.11 or later, and HTTPS.
Custom code: good when the site needs features no platform offers, such as a booking system tied to your own software. It costs more and needs a developer to maintain it.
A decision rule we use at msmtech: if you’ll sell online, start on Shopify; if you need a few pages you can edit, use a builder; choose WordPress or custom only when you have a reason and someone to maintain it. Selling online? Read what it takes to launch an ecommerce storefront →
Step 4: Set up hosting and HTTPS
Hosting is the server that stores your site and sends it to visitors. Builders and Shopify include it. For WordPress, you rent it: shared hosting for small sites, or a virtual private server (VPS) when you need more control or speed.
Every site needs HTTPS, the padlock that encrypts the connection. Most hosts add it automatically. If you manage your own server, Let’s Encrypt is a free, automated certificate authority. For a full walkthrough, see our guides to installing WordPress on an Ubuntu VPS and installing an SSL certificate with certbot.
Step 5: Plan the pages your website needs
Most small business websites need the same core pages. Start with these and add more only when you have something to say:
Page | What it must do |
|---|---|
Home | Say what you do, for whom and where, in the first screen |
Services or products | One page per main offer, with prices or a range |
About | Show the people and the experience behind the business |
Contact | Phone, email, form, address or service area, hours |
Privacy policy | Explain what personal information you collect and why |
FAQ or blog | Answer the questions customers ask before buying |
If your site collects personal information, even through a contact form, Canada’s federal private-sector privacy law may apply. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner explains PIPEDA and what businesses must do.
Step 6: Write the content and design for phones
Write each page before you design it. Open with the answer, use the words your customers use, keep paragraphs short, and give every page one clear button. Then check the design on a phone first.
Make it accessible: real text instead of text in images, alt text on meaningful images, enough colour contrast, and forms that work with a keyboard. In Ontario, businesses and non-profits with 50 or more employees must make public websites meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA, with two exceptions. It is good practice for everyone else.
Step 7: Run the launch checklist
Test every page on a phone and a computer, in at least two browsers.
Send yourself a message through every form and confirm it arrives.
Check that every link and button works, and that the site loads over HTTPS without warnings.
Give each page a unique title and a short description that says what the page offers.
Add alt text to meaningful images and compress large photos.
Confirm the privacy policy, contact details and business hours are correct.
Set up analytics so you can see visits and enquiries from the first day.
If you’re replacing an old site, redirect each old URL to its new page.
Step 8: Register the site with Google Search Console
Google Search Console is Google’s free tool for seeing how your site appears in search. Setting it up on launch day tells Google the site exists and shows problems early.
Add your site as a property. A Domain property covers every subdomain and both http and https, and is verified by adding a DNS record with your DNS provider, often your domain registrar.
Submit your sitemap in the Sitemaps report. Shopify and WordPress generate one automatically.
After a few days, open the Page indexing report and check that your main pages are indexed.
Search Console is the starting point for search traffic, not the end. Read what organic search engine optimization is →
Should you create a website from scratch yourself or hire someone?
Build it yourself when the site is simple, you have time to write, and a builder covers what you need. Hire help when the site has to sell, connect to other software, or when your time is worth more running the business. Read how a website helps a small business →
Want it done for you? Our Website Essentials package includes a designed homepage, two or three content pages, contact forms or email sign-ups, and a blog, typically CAD $1,000 to $7,000 in about a month.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to create a website from scratch?
Doing it yourself, you pay for the domain each year plus the platform: a website builder or Shopify plan, or hosting for WordPress. Having it built adds design and development; msmtech’s Website Essentials package is typically CAD $1,000 to $7,000.
How long does it take to build a website?
A simple site can go live in days on a builder if the content is ready; writing the content is usually what takes longest. A professionally built small business site, such as msmtech’s Website Essentials package, takes about a month.
Do I need to know how to code to make a website?
No. Website builders and Shopify let you build with visual editors and themes. Code becomes useful when you need custom features or want to change how a theme behaves.
Does a .ca domain help with Google rankings in Canada?
Only a little. Google’s SEO Starter Guide says a country domain mainly matters for targeting that country, and even then the effect is usually low. Choose .ca if it suits your customers and brand.