Course description

Want a proper website for your business but don't know where to start? This course shows you, step by step, how to plan, build and launch a clear, professional website with a website builder, without writing a line of code.

It's a full course, not a quick tour. There are 10 sections and 50 written lessons, and the steps work in any website builder. You follow a picture framer with a small shop as he plans his site, writes his pages, adds a quote form and a small online shop, gets the privacy and cookie rules right, launches and reviews his first eight weeks, including the mistakes along the way. Every section has a worksheet, answers, a cheat sheet and ready-to-use templates and checklists.

What you'll learn

• Planning: your goals, your customers' questions, a site map, choosing a domain name you own, and choosing a builder and template.
• Words that work: home, service, product, about, contact and FAQ pages in plain English.
• Design and images: working with a template, taking and preparing photos, using images legally, accessibility and phones first.
• Building: menus, pages, buttons, and connecting your domain and a business email address.
• Forms and the law: enquiry forms, collecting only the data you need, privacy notices, cookie consent and the business details your site must show.
• Selling online: products, delivery and collection, safe payments and consumer rights.
• Being found and launching: page titles, local listings, analytics with consent, pre-launch checks, launch day and security.

The final project

You'll write your own website plan, then learn to review your first eight weeks, keep your site fresh with a monthly routine and brief a professional if you need one. A project brief, a review workbook and a monthly routine are included.

Who this course is for

• Sole traders and small business owners who want their first website or a better one.
• Clubs, charities and community groups that need a simple, clear site.
• Anyone who'd rather build and update their own website than pay someone for every change.

How the course works

Read each lesson, then do the practical task on your own website plan using the templates in the practice pack. No coding is needed, and the course doesn't tie you to any one website builder. It explains UK rules in plain English as general information, not legal advice. Go at your own pace and keep lifetime access.

What will I learn?

• Plan a small business website around your customers and the one action you want them to take
• Choose and register a domain name you own, and choose a website builder and template
• Write clear home, service, product, about, contact and FAQ pages in plain English
• Prepare photos, use images legally and make your site accessible and easy to use on phones
• Build your pages, menu and buttons, and connect your domain and a business email address
• Set up forms, a privacy notice and cookie consent that follow UK rules
• Sell online with clear prices, delivery, safe payments and a fair returns policy
• Help people find you, launch with confidence, keep your site secure and review how it's doing

Frequently asked questions