How to launch a website, step by step

Step 1: Decide what the website must do

Before buying anything, write one sentence: "This website exists so that ___." For a clinic in Indore it might be "so patients can find our timings and book a call". For a manufacturer in Rajkot, "so buyers can see our product range and send an enquiry". That sentence decides how many pages you need, whether you need a shop or booking system, and which hosting fits.

Then list the essentials:

• Pages: home, about, services or products, contact. Add only what supports the goal.
• Features: enquiry form, WhatsApp button, gallery, blog, online payments.
• People: who will update the site after launch.
• Email: how many addresses you need on your domain.

Step 2: Register a domain

Choose a short name that is easy to spell over the phone. For an Indian business, .in signals a local presence; .com is familiar worldwide. Register it in the business's legal name, with an email address the business controls, and keep the registrar login yourself.

If you are unsure how domains and hosting relate, read domain vs hosting first.

ODHOST note: ODHOST does not currently sell domain registration. You register your domain with any registrar and use it with ODHOST hosting. See using your own domain.

Step 3: Choose hosting

For most business websites, shared hosting with a control panel is the right start. Choose a plan by counting websites and mailboxes, not by the biggest storage figure. Pick Windows hosting only if your developer is building on classic ASP.NET, and a VPS only if the software needs it. Our guide on how to choose a hosting plan has worked examples, and business hosting covers what small businesses usually need.

Step 4: Connect the domain to the hosting

After buying hosting you receive the details needed to point your domain at it, usually nameservers. Update them at your registrar. DNS changes can take a few hours, sometimes longer, to reach everyone. Follow how to connect a domain to hosting for registrar specific steps, and point your domain to nameservers for the ODHOST procedure.

If your domain already has working email somewhere else, copy its email records (MX, SPF and others) to the new DNS before you switch, so mail keeps flowing.

Step 5: Build the website

There are three common routes.

Route	Good for	Watch out for
WordPress on your hosting	Most business sites, blogs, small shops with WooCommerce	You must keep WordPress, themes and plugins updated
Website builder (hosted)	Very simple sites, owners who want no maintenance	Monthly fees, and it is hard to move the site elsewhere later
Custom build by a developer	Specific features, integrations, web apps	Cost, and dependence on the developer for changes

Building with WordPress

WordPress runs on almost any Linux hosting that meets its published requirements (PHP, MySQL or MariaDB, and HTTPS support). You can install it through your control panel's installer if your host provides one, or manually by uploading the files and creating a database. Our guide on installing WordPress in cPanel covers both routes.

Keep the build lean: one well supported theme, a small number of plugins, compressed images and a caching plugin.

Uploading a site built elsewhere

If a developer built the site on their computer, it needs to be uploaded to your hosting. For a static site, that means copying the files into the web root (often public_html). For a dynamic site, it also means creating a database and importing it. The help article on uploading files with File Manager or FTP shows how.

Step 6: Switch on HTTPS

HTTPS encrypts the connection between visitors and your site using TLS, and browsers mark plain HTTP sites as "Not secure". Most hosts now issue a basic SSL certificate at no extra charge. Once it is active:

1. Make sure the site loads at https:// without warnings.
2. Set WordPress (or your site's base URL) to the https:// address.
3. Redirect all http:// traffic to https://.
4. Fix any "mixed content" warnings from images or scripts still loaded over HTTP.

ODHOST note: ODHOST shared hosting plans include a free SSL certificate. If the padlock does not appear, see fixing SSL not secure and mixed content.

Step 7: Set up business email

Create addresses such as info@yourbusiness.in and accounts@yourbusiness.in, either on your hosting plan's email or on a separate service. Then set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC records so your mail is trusted by Gmail and Outlook. Our guide on creating a business email covers both options, and SPF, DKIM and DMARC explains the records.

Step 8: Run a launch checklist

Before telling customers, go through this list on both a phone and a laptop:

• Every page loads over HTTPS without warnings.
• Contact forms send email and the email arrives (check spam too).
• Phone numbers are tap to call on mobile; the WhatsApp link opens the right chat.
• Business name, address and timings match your Google Business Profile.
• Every page has a unique title and a short description.
• Images are compressed and have descriptive alt text.
• The site is not set to block search engines (in WordPress, check Settings, Reading).
• A privacy policy explains what personal data your forms collect and why.
• 404 pages show a helpful message.
• You have a fresh backup of the finished site.

After launch: get found and stay safe

Google Search Console

Google's own guidance is that it finds most sites automatically, but Search Console helps you see how your site performs in search and spot problems. Verify your domain in Google Search Console, submit your sitemap (WordPress and most SEO plugins generate one), and check the indexing report after a week or two. There is no setting that forces Google to index or rank a page; helpful, original content is what earns visibility.

Backups

Do not rely on one copy. Your host's backups protect against server problems, but you should also keep your own copy of files and the database, especially before updates.

ODHOST note: ODHOST shared plans include weekly backups. Keep your own copy as well, for example a monthly download of your site files and database. See restoring a backup in cPanel.

Updates and security

Update WordPress core, themes and plugins regularly, remove plugins you do not use, use strong unique passwords and turn on two factor authentication for admin accounts. Our guide on securing a website has a fuller list.

Speed

Check your pages on a mobile connection. Large images and too many plugins are the usual culprits. See how to improve website speed.

A small business launch plan at a glance

Week	What to do
Week 1	Goal, page list, domain, hosting, DNS, email
Week 2	Build pages, write content, add photos
Week 3	SSL, forms, checklist, backup, launch
Week 4	Search Console, Google Business Profile link, first review of enquiries