Had a look at our January Sale and decided it was high time for you to get a website? Still not sure what you can do with it? Don’t worry — here are twenty ideas!
1. Open a store
If you have products to sell, you need to create your own store. Not only will you avoid the additional charges levied by Etsy and eBay, but you’ll also be able to make it look exactly like you want, have the content you want, and build it up to be the best. We have plenty of e-commerce software available, and all you need to do is pick the right one, set it up, and you’ll be on your way!
2. Advertise your business
If you’re not selling products online, you still want people to be able to find your business online. Whether you’re running a barbershop, a pub, a yoga studio, or you’re an electrician, a dogsitter, or a bookkeeper, your website is a great place to tell your customers about you, including opening times, how to get in touch with you, and any special offers you’re running.
3. Start a blog
It takes only a few minutes to set up your very own WordPress site, and with a couple of clicks and a bit of text, you can tell everyone about your opinions, your life, and events you’ve been a part of. Want people to know about you? Get a blog going! It can be difficult to keep posting, but with regular updates, you’ll build an audience in no time.
4. Put up a gallery
Or maybe you’re a photographer and have taken some great photos over the years. Rather than being trapped in the walled garden of Instagram, you can create your own gallery website. WordPress is a great choice for this as well, as proven by the wide range of photography-based themes available, but you can also build your own or use another content management system for this.
5. Review products
If you’re fond of something, whether it’s drinks, books, video games, clothes, or a television show, you can set up a website where you post reviews. You’ll need to keep it updated, and it will require a lot of writing, but you can also easily set up affiliate links and earn a little cash on the side.
6. Play with HTML and CSS
You can also use a website to play with HTML and CSS, building new layouts, experimenting with next-level CSS, or learning the basics. If you need content to play with, Project Gutenberg has plenty of free plain text e-books ready for you to turn into fantastic web pages, and you can even learn how to use print stylesheets!
7. Learn to code
If you want to do even more work, you can learn a programming language and use your website as your testing ground. You can easily set up Git on your web hosting package here, and then it’s just a matter of picking your language, setting up Git, and you can start coding!
8. Build an app
Once you get your programming skills up, you can then look at building your own applications. It doesn’t have to be something as complicated as Facebook or TikTok, and as a start, you can turn your existing website into a single-page application. But with your programming skills, some patience, and our web hosting, you can be an app developer in next to no time.
9. Show off your art
Do you draw? Paint? Render 3D models? Do digital scrapbooking? Gallery websites aren’t just for photography — you can put your art online and show off your skills to everyone. WordPress is a great choice for this, but, really, just having a website is a great way to get people to see your work.
10. Write tutorials
Tutorials are always incredibly popular online, whether it’s how to fix a washing machine, styling an element on a website, using a 3D printer, or knitting with cable needles. If you have a skill and you can write about it, you can start a tutorials website. Keep updating it with the latest information and you’ll build up your reputation as an expert before you know it.
11. Run a forum
Want to talk to other people about something you like? Maybe a series of novels, a video game, a band, a car brand, or another hobby? A forum is a tried-and-true way to build a community, and it can be a piece of cake to set up. We have several forums available in our one-click applications, and if you’ve been spending time on a Facebook group, Twitter hashtag, or email list, it doesn’t take much more time to build a dedicated forum for your favourite subject.
12. Talk about history
People love reading history, especially local history. If you’ve been collecting old photographs, stories about the area, or want to share your memories, a website is a great way to keep the history alive. And with a website, you can include photos, videos, recordings, and text to give people a full view of your favourite piece of history.
13. Build RPG campaigns
Have you been spending the past few years getting into role-playing games, writing elaborate campaigns that your group has loved playing? Putting your campaigns online is a great way to not only share what you’ve been doing but to show off your skills as a writer and game designer. Who knows? That site might get you a job making games of your own!
14. Show off collectables
Whether it’s your collection of rare mid-century glass dinnerware or your collection of stuffed animals you won at the seaside, an online catalogue isn’t just a great way to show off your favourite things, it’s also a fantastic resource for other people who are trying to figure out what they found, or are looking to start collecting themselves.
15. Keep your family updated
Trying to keep everyone updated on the latest obsession your six-year-old has? Want to show off your dogs? Need a convenient place to keep track of what Uncle Joe, Aunty Jane, Grandpa Elliot, Great-Uncle Stan, Cousin Beth, and that one guy who you think is possibly a third cousin twice removed, but he keeps on showing up at all the family events? You can also set your website to be password-protected, filled with plenty of family information that’s only available to relatives.
16. Write stories
If you’ve been practising your creative writing, a website is a great place to show off your work. Not only can you provide free fiction for anyone, you can also use plugins like Easy Digital Downloads to sell e-books from your own website, cutting out extortionate middle-men and obnoxious DRM issues. And even if you don’t want to sell e-books on your own site, a single website that links to all your works will be a great way for your customers to binge-read!
17. Post recipes
It’s okay to admit that, sometimes, you don’t have the slightest idea what to cook for dinner, and you just hit the Internet for a fast and easy recipe. But wouldn’t it also be great to put up your own favourite fast and easy dinner? That complicated cake you learned how to make? Grandma’s secret cookie recipe? Recipe blogging is a great way to get noticed online — in fact, I remember reading The Pioneer Woman Cooks long before she released books, had a TV show, and had an entire cooking range!
18. Talk about your pets
Everyone loves pet pictures. Pet videos. Pet stories. Have you been putting your cat into amazing costumes? Have you worked out how to train your dog to fetch you a drink? Do you have an entire family of tarantulas that have their own eight-legged soap opera dramatics? Showing off your pets isn’t just for the occasional Zoom meeting, it’s what the Internet thrives on.
19. Write about your family’s history
If you’ve been bit by the genealogy bug, you’ve probably spent hours looking through every possible online resource available. Why not make it easier for other people to do the same with your research? Build family trees, digitise photographs, or get those family stories written down and online, not only to preserve it for you, but for future generations as well.
20. Anything and everything!
What makes having your own website amazing? You can put practically anything on it. If it doesn’t violate our Fair Use Policy, then it’s good to go! So get planning, get a website, and make something amazing today!
(Featured image by Hal Gatewood on Unsplash.)
