Key steps to creating a website in Australia
- Plan your website
- Choose the right platform
- Secure your Australian domain name
- Set up your website hosting
- Build your website
- Optimise for search engines
- Launch your site
- Maintain your website
In today’s digital age, having an online presence for your business isn’t just a luxury – it’s now an absolute necessity to create a website in Australia if you own a business. For businesses and individuals across Australia, a website acts as the front door to your brand, opening up opportunities and connecting you to millions of potential customers both locally and overseas.
Whether you’re a startup looking to break into the market, or an established business aiming to expand your reach, a well-crafted website is pivotal. But where do you start? And how do you ensure that your digital footprint supports not just your business goals, but also the health of our planet?
At True Green Hosting, we believe in empowering every Australian with the tools to build a sustainable, secure, and successful online presence. Consider this your go-to guide on how to create a website in Australia, with a focus on making choices that are as good for the planet as they are for your business.
Step 1: Plan your website
Creating your own website can be a bit of a thrill ride, right? However, as any wise navigator would suggest, we need a good map before we start the journey.
Before you jump into picking colours and tapping out content, get clear on what you really want when you create your website in Australia. What’s the endgame? Whether you’re aiming to sell your latest creations, spread the word about your services, showcase your masterpieces, or simply connect with like-minded souls, clear goals will help guide every decision you make when you create a website in Australia.
Take a sec to jot down what ‘winning’ looks like for your website. This will be based entirely on your business and what you’d like to achieve.
- Increase Sales: Perfect for online shops keen to turn browsers into buyers.
- Improve Engagement: If you’re all about building a brand or running a blog, engaging your visitors is your goal.
- Showcase Work: Artists and creatives, this one’s for you. Aim to wow visitors with stunning displays of your portfolio.
Pinning down the nitty-gritty
With your goals locked in, let’s think about the non-negotiables on your website that you’ll require so that you can achieve those goals. These are all the things you need to keep in mind while you create a website in Australia. This typically includes:
- Core Idea: What’s your site all about? Whether you’re promoting a product, sharing expertise, or covering community news, your idea should resonate with your target audience and reflect your objectives.
- Design: This is all about the look—colours, layout, and the vibe your site gives off. Make it pretty, but more importantly, make it matter. A well-thought-out design not only attracts visitors but also keeps them engaged.
- Content: Quality content is the cornerstone of any great website. Keep it fresh, engaging, and on-point. Oh, and Google should love it too, so make sure to prioritise SEO!
- Functionality: That’s tech-speak for ‘what your site can do’. Selling stuff? You’ll need a store. Booking gigs? Get a calendar in there. Make sure your website functions the way your target audience expects it to.
Need some inspo?
Here’s a quick list of website ideas to get those creative juices flowing:
- Eco-Friendly Blog: Dive into the green scene by sharing sustainable living tips, the latest in green tech, and must-have eco-friendly products.
- Art Portfolio: Turn heads with a stunning display of your artwork, complete with high-quality images, juicy descriptions, and the scoop on how to snag these beauties.
- Local Cafe Website: Serve up your cafe’s menu with flair, streamline bookings with an online reservation system, and keep the community hooked with blog posts on special events.
- Tech Tutorial Hub: Breakdown tech topics into bite-sized tutorials that even your grandma would understand, from setting up a home network to mastering your smartphone.
- Fitness Expert Site: Get pulses racing with workout guides, nutritional advice, and personal training services aimed at transforming lifestyles and sculpting bodies.
You have the power to turn your website into a buzzing hub that captivates and engages your target audience. Whether you’re decoding tech, sculpting newbies into fitness fanatics, or keeping it green and serene, your site can be the go-to spot for your niche!
Step 2: Choose the right website platform
Picking the right platform for building your website is like choosing the best canvas and paints for your art project — it’s crucial for how well your finished piece turns out! Whether you’re just starting out or have a bit of tech savvy, each platform offers unique features suited to different skill sets and website requirements to consider when you create a website in Australia.
Keep reading to dive into a comparison of popular website building tools like WordPress, Shopify, Squarespace, and Wix, exploring how each can serve your website needs.
WordPress
- Flexibility and Control: WordPress offers endless customisation through themes and plugins, making it ideal for both beginners and experts.
- SEO Edge: With quality SEO plugins like Yoast, WordPress sites are often seen as more ‘search engine friendly’ thanks to these tools.
- Versatility: Whether its blogs, memberships, or e-commerce, WordPress can handle virtually any type of website.
- Ethical: WordPress scores high in sustainability and accessibility, making it the most ethical website platform of the bunch.
Shopify
- E-commerce Specialisation: Designed specifically for online stores, Shopify provides powerful tools for managing your inventory, payments, and shipping.
- User-Friendly: It offers a straightforward setup and maintenance process without needing coding skills.
- Integrated Sales Channels: Easily link your store with multiple sales channels, including Facebook, Instagram, and Amazon.
Squarespace
- Stylish Templates: Known for its beautiful, award-winning design templates that are highly responsive and customisable.
- All-in-One Platform: Hosting and domain are included, making it simple for newcomers to get started.
- Built-in Features: Comes with a suite of built-in tools tailored for bloggers, creatives, and small businesses.
Wix
- Drag-and-Drop Interface: Wix stands out with its intuitive design tools that allow you to visually compose your site.
- Rich App Market: Enhance your site functionality with an extensive range of apps and widgets.
- Design Freedom: Offers unparalleled creative freedom with positioning, giving you the power to place elements anywhere on your site.
Selecting the right website platform is a critical decision that shapes the functionality, appearance, and overall success of your online presence. Whether you lean towards the comprehensive control offered by WordPress, the e-commerce power of Shopify, the stunning designs of Squarespace, or the unrivalled design freedom of Wix, each platform has its unique strengths to consider when you create a website in Australia.
Step 3: Secure your Australian domain name
When it comes to building your online presence, securing the right domain name is like choosing the perfect address for your digital home – it’s absolutely essential! Your domain name is your unique identifier on the web; it’s how customers find you, remember you and share your business with others.
In this step, we’ll dive into the importance of a solid domain name, especially one that’s proud to be a local business, and show you how to lock down your very own Aussie domain name.
Why your domain name matters
Your domain name does more than just give your site an address when you create a website in Australia. A well-chosen domain name can:
- Boost Credibility: A professional domain linked to your geographical location (like .com.au) instantly lends local authenticity and trust.
- Enhance Visibility: It’s crucial to show up on Google. Having a domain that reflects your business or industry can help your site rank higher in search results.
- Enhanced Brand Recognition: A clever, memorable domain name helps reinforce your brand identity.
- Market Specificity: Using a geo-specific TLD (Top-Level Domain) like “.com.au” or “.au” indicates to users and search engines that your business is located in or primarily serves Australia.
- Legal Protection: Securing a domain name that aligns with your trade mark or business name can provide an additional layer of legal protection against domain squatting and unauthorised use of your brand name.
Registering your Australian domain name with True Green Hosting
True Green Hosting makes registering your Australian domain name seamless, eco-friendly, and beneficial for both you and the planet. Here’s how to register an Australian domain name:
- Search for Availability: Start with your Australian domain name search. Opting for names like “.com.au” or “.au” will signify that you are a local Aussie business, which is a plus for search engines and potential customers.
- Register your New Domain: We make it simple for you to register and pay an annual fee for your Aussie domain name. Alternatively, you might want to transfer an existing domain name to us. You’ll need to make sure your domain is unlocked and provide us with an EPP code (also known as domain password or key). This will allow us to request the transfer of your Australian domain names from your current provider.
- Consider Purchasing Additional Domain Extensions: It’s common for brands and businesses to purchase more than one Aussie domain name, particularly to prevent competitors or scammers from impersonating you. You need to weigh up the cost of securing the domain each year vs. the risk associated if someone were to take that Aussie domain name.
- Utilise the Extras:
- 24/7 Technical Support: Get round-the-clock help whenever you need it, making sure your online presence is always on point.
- Free Domain Management: Easily forward your domain, or add and manage email and website records without any hassle.
- Easy Renewals: You’ll never have to worry about forgetting to renew your domain, as True Green Hosting provides several timely reminders.
With True Green Hosting, your Aussie domain name also does more for the planet with 1% of revenue going to environmental causes as part of our 1% for the Planet commitment.
Step 4: Set up your website hosting
Setting up your web hosting is like finding a home for your website – it’s where your digital content lives, breathes and interacts with visitors. Hosting plays a crucial role in every aspect of your website’s performance, from speed and availability to security and scalability.
But beyond just keeping your site up and running, the choice of your hosting provider can have significant environmental impacts too, and that’s worth considering.
Limitations with some website builders and platforms
Platforms such as Shopify, Squarespace, Wix and similar tools like Kajabi, Weebly and BigCommerce are Software as a Service (SAAS).
Essentially, these tools have web hosting built-in as part of their website builder tool. So, whilst you can’t choose a web host for these services, you can still use True Green® for your domain and email needs.
The environmental impact of web hosting
The carbon footprint of digital operations is immense. Consider these environmental impacts when you create a website in Australia:
- Heavy Energy Use: Data centres, which house the servers that keep websites operational, require massive amounts of energy for power and cooling—around the clock. In Australia, this energy often comes from non-renewable sources.
- Water Usage: These facilities also consume billions of litres of water for cooling, adding to environmental strain.
- E-Waste: The lifecycle of tech products like servers in data centres contributes significantly to electronic waste, a challenging pollutant to manage due to its toxic components and will often end up in landfill.
- Carbon emissions: Globally, the internet is responsible for over 3% of global carbon emissions, with internet-related activities generating approximately 300 million tonnes of CO2 annually. By 2025, it’s estimated that the internet could consume up to 20% of the world’s total energy output.
The role of web hosting in website performance
Web hosting isn’t just about keeping your site online; but also that it’s reliable and not as slow as a snail. When you create a website in Australia, consider how the right hosting impacts your site:
- Uptime Guarantee: This is the amount of time a host guarantees your website will be available and accessible online. Higher uptime percentages ensure your site is always available for your visitors, which is necessary for maintaining user trust and satisfaction.
- Page Load Speed: The speed at which your web pages load is pivotal. Fast-loading pages enhance user experience, drive stronger conversions and are favoured by search engines. The web host affects this through server performance and the resources allocated to your site.
- Scalability: As your website grows, your hosting needs to adapt. Good hosting provides scalability options like easy upgrades to higher plans with more resources (CPU – computer brain power, RAM – memory), thus handling increased traffic without affecting site performance.
- Security Features: Reliable hosts offer solid security features to help protect your website from digital threats. This includes firewalls, Security Socket Layer (SSL) certificates, Denial of service attack (DDoS) protection, and regular backups.
- Bandwidth: Adequate bandwidth (how much traffic can pass through at a given time) is necessary to handle the volume of data transferred between your site and its users, especially during traffic spikes. Insufficient bandwidth can lead to slower site performance, which is a no-no!
- Data Centre Locations: The geographic location of data centres can influence website speed, something to consider when you create a website in Australia. Closer data centres to your user base can result in faster site loading times.
- Support Services: Access to knowledgeable and responsive tech support ensures any issues that arise can be swiftly resolved, minimising downtime and potential disruptions.
Why choose Green Web Hosting?
Green web hosting is an impactful way to mitigate the environmental impacts associated with online activities. It’s important to consider how to host a website in a way that is eco-friendly. By choosing True Green Hosting, you’re opting for a service that:
- Uses Providers Powered by Renewable Energy: Reducing reliance on fossil fuels and offsetting C02 with accredited projects.
- Plants Trees: To offset carbon emissions generated from your website’s server.
- Supports Clean Initiatives: Through donations to environmental organisations and engagement in community projects aiming for a sustainable future.
- Offers Annual Carbon Report Cards: So you can track your website’s carbon footprint. We’re the first web hosts in Australia to offer this!
Important features to look out for
In addition to our green credentials, we also offer top-notch web hosting features that prioritise your website’s security and reliability, including:
- 99.9% Uptime (online) Guarantee: Ensures almost constant availability.
- Scalability: Easily upgrade your web hosting plan as your business grows.
- SSD Storage: Faster data retrieval speeds than traditional storage types.
- Resource Allocation: Adequate memory and processing power to handle your site.
- Local Content Delivery Network (CDN): Distributes content closer to Australian website visitors to increase speed.
- Automatic Backups: Regular and automatic saving of your site data for recovery.
- Advanced Security: Includes free website security certificate, monitoring, and threat detection.
- Responsive Support: 24/7 access to expert assistance.
Remember: Choosing a web host in Australia that provides all these key features can significantly uplift your website’s overall performance. Not only does it affect how your audience interacts with your website, but it also influences how search engines view and rank your site.
But we think it’s time to take it a step further and ensure that website hosting offers all of these features whilst also helping you reduce your website’s carbon footprint and creating a greener internet with every click. Now that’s the best way how to host a website in Australia, we reckon.
Step 5: Build your website
Alright, you’ve chosen your ideal web hosting, the perfect website platform for your needs, and nailed down the best Aussie domain name for your biz – well now it’s time to build your website!
Whether you’ve opted for WordPress, Shopify, Squarespace, or Wix, the core principles for setting up a site remain largely the same. Here are a few universal tips to ensure your website is both user-friendly and successful, no matter the platform:
- Start with a Clear Plan: Before building your site, map out the content and main features you want to include. Understand the journey you want your visitors to take from the homepage onward.
- Choose the Right Template: Select a template or theme that aligns well with your brand and the purpose of your website. Avoid themes that pack too much in – this can slow down your website.
- Use a Simple Layout: Keep your site layout clean and uncluttered. A simple layout helps visitors easily find what they need and is also better for the environment as it uses fewer resources to load.
- Prioritise Navigation: Ensure your main menu and navigation is simple. A good rule of thumb is that users should be able to find any information within three clicks or less from the homepage.
- Opt for Responsive Design: With mobile traffic increasingly dominating the web, having a responsive design that adapts to different screen sizes is a must.
- Focus on Accessibility: Make your site accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. Use clear fonts, adequate contrast ratios, alternate (alt) text for images, and accessible forms. We always recommend using the WC3 Accessibility Standards as a guide.
- Optimise for Speed: Compress images with free tools like TinyPNG and use modern formats like JPEG 2000 or WebP. Limit the use of heavy scripts and plugins that could slow down page loading times.
- Include High-Quality Content: Create engaging, original content that provides value to your visitors. Keep your tone consistent and align it with your brand’s voice.
- Ensure Security Measures: Add website security certificates to protect user data, and regularly update software and plugins to guard against vulnerabilities.
- Test Before Launch: Before going live, thoroughly test your site to ensure all features work as expected across different browsers and devices.
It’s also important to remember that creating a website in Australia is not a one-and-done task. It requires ongoing attention and updates to ensure it remains secure, functional, and aligned with evolving user expectations and technological advancements.
So make sure you’re always figuring out new ways to refresh and update your website over time. And test that your online form and pages are working every few weeks to avoid hiccups.
Step 6: Optimise for search engines
Enhancing your website’s visibility via Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) involves strategic adjustments that boost traffic to your website. Here are a few quick SEO tips to get you started:
- Keyword Research: Use tools like Keyword Finder or Ubersuggest to find terms that people are using to find your product, services or topics. Remember to consider what terms people would use at different stages of their journey.
- Local Domain Advantage: Use an Australian domain (“.com.au” or “.au”) to boost local search relevance and trust.
- Content Quality: Produce high-quality content that naturally includes local terms relevant to your business location and target market.
- On-Page Optimisation: Optimise title tags, meta descriptions, and headers with relevant keywords.
- Mobile Optimisation: Ensure your site is responsive and mobile-friendly.
- Page Load Speed: Optimise images and minimise code to reduce load times, and opt for local web hosting.
- Internal Linking: Use a strong internal linking structure to improve navigation and SEO.
- External Linking: Gain backlinks from reputable local sites to increase credibility and ranking.
- Enhanced Local Rankings: An Australian domain improves visibility in local search results, making your site more accessible to local audiences.
Through these streamlined SEO tips, your website can achieve higher visibility, better engagement, and more effective reach in the Australian market by emphasising local SEO strategies when you create a website in Australia.
Step 7: Launch your site
To make sure your website launch goes off without a hitch, let’s walk through a checklist and some thorough testing strategies. Making sure every detail is just right can really amp up your site’s impact and ensure a smooth start!
Checklist before going live
- Final Content Lookover: Give all your text one last proofread to catch any typos or last-minute grammar mistakes. Make sure all info is current and accurate.
- Design Double-Check: Make sure your style is on point across all pages—consistent fonts, colours, and layouts look professional and trustworthy across devices.
- Functionality Flick Through: Click all the buttons, fill out the forms, and tap through the navigation to ensure everything clicks and works as planned.
- SEO Scan: Ensure each page is kitted out with the right keywords, catchy meta titles, and snappy descriptions.
- Legal Boxes Ticked: Got all your important legal pages sorted? Privacy Policy and Terms of Service – make sure they’re there and easy to find.
- Contact Info Verification: Triple-check your contact details and social media links.
- Speed Test: Run some speed checks to ensure your pages are zipping along nicely on all types of devices. We recommend Google PageSpeed Insights, a free tool that not only measures your page speed but also identifies any potential issues on your website that could be affecting your page speed.
- Security Sweep: Activate those Security Socket Layer (SSL) web security certificates and check all your security measures are set to safeguard your and your visitors’ data.
- Analytics Implementation: Hook up Google Analytics 4 or other tracking tools to keep an eye on how well your website performs and what your visitors are up to.
Testing your website
Before the big reveal, you’ll want to make sure everything works as smoothly as possible. Here’s your go-to testing checklist:
- Cross-Browser Compatibility: Check your website’s performance on different browsers (e.g., Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) to ensure consistent user experiences.
- Mobile Responsiveness Test: Use various devices to test if the site adjusts well to different screen sizes and resolutions.You can do this by right-clicking on a browser and using the inspect tool.
- User Journey Simulations: Walk through common user paths or get your friends to do it (e.g., purchasing a product, signing up for a newsletter) to ensure things are easy to find and working well.
- Accessibility Audit: Review your site against accessibility guidelines to ensure it’s usable by people with disabilities.
Step 8: Maintaining your website
Once your website is live and looking sharp, it’s tempting to kick back and relax. But in actuality, your website needs regular check-ups and maintenance to keep running smoothly. Keeping your site updated and secure isn’t just about fixing things when they break; it’s about preventing issues before they start and ensuring your site stays fast, safe, and Google-friendly.
Let’s dive into how you can keep your digital presence in top form and explore some cool extras from True Green Hosting that can give you an edge when you create a website in Australia.
Regular updates and security checks
- Stay Updated: Just like app updates on your phone, your website’s platform and software need regular updates. These updates aren’t just about flashy new features—they also fix bugs and security holes.
- Regular Backups: Automate backups to save a copy of your site’s data regularly. It’s like insurance—if something goes wrong, you can restore your site and be back in business in no time.
- Security Scans: Run regular security checks to sniff out any vulnerabilities. Think of it as a routine health check for your site.
- Monitor Performance: Keep an eye on your site’s loading speeds and overall performance. Slow sites turn visitors away, cause fewer conversions and can slide down search rankings.
- SEO Reviews: Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) isn’t a one-and-done deal. Regularly review and tweak your SEO strategy to stay on top of search engine trends and algorithms.
Turbo-charge your security with Security Plus
True Green Hosting isn’t just about keeping your site up and running; they want to ensure it’s as secure as a vault. That’s where Security Plus comes in. Think of it as your website’s bodyguard when you create a website in Australia! It goes beyond the basics with:
- Enhanced Firewalls and Monitoring: Extra layers of protection to guard against attacks before they can do harm.
- Proactive Virus Clean-Up: If something nasty slips through the cracks, Security Plus is on it, cleaning up and closing down any threats swiftly.
- 24/7 Technical Support: Got a problem at 3 AM? No worries. True Green’s tech team is on call, ready to tackle any issues, day or night.
Choosing additional services like Security Plus isn’t just about solving problems – it’s about giving you peace of mind. Knowing your site is protected means you can focus more on growing your business and less on potential digital drama.
Keeping your website maintained isn’t just good for performance – it’s also part of your commitment to green, sustainable web practices. Regular maintenance helps ensure that your site runs efficiently, using less energy and contributing less to tech waste.
Let’s build a greener web down under
Creating a standout website in Australia is a breeze with the right steps, from securing your Aussie domain name to ensuring it’s hosted with planet-friendly power. Remember, each phase, from sketching out your vision to keeping your website secure, shapes your online impact.
Choosing True Green Hosting means your website isn’t just on the internet – it’s part of a bigger movement towards sustainability.
Ready to make your digital footprint a little greener? Sign up to True Green Hosting for a web presence that’s local, secure, reliable, and supports a more sustainable digital world.
Dive in and let your website be part of the solution, turning every click into a step towards a greener future.
