To make a website, you decide what it is for, pick one of three routes (a website builder, WordPress or a designer), then register a domain, build, test and launch. A builder is the fastest and cheapest start. WordPress gives you more control. A designer saves your time when the site has to bring in customers. This guide walks through each route and each step, with notes for businesses in Ethiopia.
What are the three ways to create a website?
The three ways to create a website are a website builder, WordPress, or hiring a designer. A website builder and a website maker are the same thing: a tool where you drag, drop and publish without code. Here is how the three routes compare.
| Website builder | WordPress | Hire a designer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Simple sites, portfolios, small shops | Blogs, content-heavy sites, custom features | Business sites that must convert and look distinct |
| Skill needed | None | Some learning curve | None, you brief and approve |
| Time | Hours to days | Days to weeks | Weeks |
| Cost | Monthly subscription | Hosting, theme, plugins and your time | One project fee |
| Trade-off | Less flexibility, tied to the platform | Updates and security are on you | Highest upfront cost |
How do you create a website, step by step?
You create a website in ten steps, from defining its purpose to launching and maintaining it.
- Define the purpose. Are you selling, collecting enquiries, showing your work or publishing content? One main goal keeps every later choice simple.
- Know your audience and your competitors. Look at three sites in your space. Note what works and where you can be clearer.
- Choose your route. Use the comparison table of builders, WordPress and designers.
- Register a domain name. Short, easy to spell, no numbers or hyphens if you can avoid them. Register for at least a year.
- Choose hosting. Builders include it. With WordPress you pick a host. Look at uptime, speed and security.
- Pick a template and set your brand basics. Two or three colours, one or two fonts, your logo, used the same way on every page.
- Plan the structure. A visitor should reach any page within three clicks. Start with home, services or products, about and contact.
- Write the content. Clear headings, short paragraphs, real photos, one clear action per page. Put your most important message at the top.
- Test everything. Phone and desktop, every link and form, and at least two browsers.
- Launch, promote and maintain. Submit the site to Google Search Console, share it, then update it regularly and watch the analytics.
What does a free website builder really cover?
A free website builder, or a website builder free plan, lets you build and publish at no cost. The limits usually include a platform subdomain instead of your own address, the platform's branding on your pages, limited storage and no business email. A truly free website is rare once you want your own domain.
Costs that appear later:
- Domain: a yearly fee.
- Paid plan: needed to remove branding and connect your domain. For reference, Wix's cheapest paid plan (Light) was listed at $17.77 a month on annual billing when we checked its pricing page in October 2026. Prices vary by country, so check before you buy.
- Business email: often extra.
- Premium templates or plugins: extra on WordPress.
Should you use Wix, Canva or a designer?
Use Wix or Canva when you want to build it yourself quickly, and a designer when the site is how you win customers.
- Wix website: drag-and-drop with a large template library and built-in hosting. A good fit for beginners and small businesses who want control and speed.
- Canva website: quick, simple pages built inside a design tool. Good for a one-page site or link page. It can feel limiting as the site grows.
- A designer: custom layout, search-friendly structure and speed tuned from the start. Worth it when the site is how you win customers.
None of these is always best. The right choice depends on your goal, budget and how much time you have.
What should you check before you launch a website?
Before you launch a website, check it on every device, test every link and form, and confirm it loads fast on a mobile connection.
- Looks right on a phone, a tablet and a desktop.
- Every link, form and button works.
- Pages load in under three seconds on a mobile connection, not only on office wifi.
- Images compressed and given descriptive alt text.
- Text readable: enough contrast and a body size of at least 16 pixels.
- Page titles and descriptions written for each page.
- Analytics installed and the site submitted to Google Search Console.
- Contact details visible, and a backup in place.
How do you make a website in Ethiopia?
Making a website in Ethiopia follows the same steps, with a few local adjustments. Most guides assume a US or European setup. If your customers are in Ethiopia, adjust these points.
- Domain: a .com is familiar everywhere. Local extensions such as .et or .com.et signal an Ethiopian business, but registration requirements differ, so check them before you set a launch date. Our guide to building fast websites in Ethiopia compares .com and .et in more detail.
- Payments: if you sell online, check which local options (for example Telebirr or Chapa) your platform or plugin supports before you pick it. Many global builders default to card payments that your customers may not use. See our comparison of Ethiopian payment gateways.
- Mobile first, light pages: test on a mobile connection. Compress images and keep autoplay video off the homepage.
- Amharic: choose fonts with proper Ethiopic script support and check line breaks and spacing. Keep Amharic on its own address (for example /am) and mark the language versions so search engines show the right one.
- Hosting and speed: choose a host with a content delivery network so visitors in Ethiopia and abroad both load fast.
- Local discovery: set up a Google Business Profile with the same name, address and phone number as your site. Our local SEO guide for Addis Ababa covers the setup.
When should you stop doing it yourself?
Stop doing it yourself when the site has to carry real business weight. Building it yourself works well until then. It may be time to hire a website designer if you need leads or sales from day one, you need English and Amharic versions, you want custom features, or your time is better spent running the business. For budgets, see what a website costs in Ethiopia.
Frequently asked questions
Use a free website builder plan. You can build and publish without paying, but you get a platform subdomain instead of your own address, the platform's branding on your pages and limited storage. Add a paid plan and your own domain when you are ready to look professional and connect a business email address.
A simple builder site can be live in a day. A planned business site usually takes weeks, mostly because of content and approvals rather than the build itself. Writing the text, gathering real photos and agreeing the page structure take longest, so have them ready before you start if you want to launch quickly.
A website builder costs a monthly fee plus a domain. WordPress costs hosting plus themes, plugins and your time. A designer charges a one-off project fee. Prices vary widely, so compare what each option includes, such as hosting, email, support and who owns the site, rather than comparing the headline price alone.
Yes. Website builders such as Wix and Canva, and WordPress page editors, need no code. You choose a template, drag in text, images and buttons, and publish. Code only becomes necessary for custom features, unusual layouts or integrations the platform does not support, which is usually when people bring in a developer.
Builders include hosting in their paid plans, and free plans host your site on a platform subdomain. With WordPress or a custom-built site you pay a hosting company separately. Choose a host with good uptime, fast servers, a content delivery network and regular backups, because slow or unreliable hosting costs you visitors.
The best website builder is the one that fits your goal: simple and fast, or flexible and scalable. Wix suits beginners who want templates and built-in hosting, Canva suits a one-page site, and WordPress suits content-heavy sites. Test the free plan before you commit, and check it supports your own domain and local payments.
Stuck or short on time?
Book a free 30-minute audit and we will tell you which route fits. You keep the findings either way.
Free 30-minute audit. We review your plans or your current site and tell you which route fits.
Book your free audit or call +251 952 190 907.