The Website Chef

Have you ever dreamed of having your own website? Before you buy a domain or pick a template, you need a website preparation checklist. This guide walks you through 20 steps to finish first, so you can build your own corner of the internet with confidence.

Part 1: Your website preparation checklist

This website preparation checklist will help you prepare before purchasing your domain or selecting a website platform.

Good news! You don’t need to be a computer genius, a millionaire, or the long-lost cousin of Bill Gates to get started.

You just need an idea, a little preparation, some patience, and a willingness to learn.

Building a website is one of the most rewarding things you can do online. Unlike a social media account, where you are building your presence on somebody else’s platform, your own website gives you a place that you control. You decide what goes there, how it looks, what you publish, and where you want to take it.

But before you rush to purchase a domain name and start dragging pictures around a website template, let’s slow down for a moment.

Imagine inviting twenty people to dinner and discovering that you haven’t purchased the groceries, cleaned the kitchen, or even decided what you’re cooking.

That’s precisely what happens when people skip a website preparation checklist and start building right away.

Think of your website as your next great cooking adventure. First, gather the ingredients. Prepare the kitchen. Read the recipe. Then start cooking!

Let’s get started with your website preparation checklist.

Part 1: Your website preparation checklist

The following checklist will help you prepare before purchasing your domain or selecting a website platform.

1. Decide what your website will be about

☐ Write down the main purpose of your website.

This is the most important decision you will make.

Are you interested in:

• Starting a small business?
• Sharing your professional knowledge?
• Writing about gardening, cooking, fishing, travelling, or photography?
• Creating an educational website?
• Promoting your services?
• Building a portfolio of your work?
• Starting a personal blog?
• Selling products or downloadable materials?

You don’t have to change the world with your first website. You could start by sharing your favourite recipes or explaining how to repair something around the house.

The important thing is to choose a subject that genuinely interests you.

A little advice: Don’t build a website about something you dislike simply because somebody told you that it is profitable. Writing 50 articles about something you don’t care about is a special kind of punishment!

2. Identify your target audience

☐ Describe the people you want to reach.

Who would benefit from visiting your website?

For example:

• Beginners who want to learn computer skills.
• People interested in healthy cooking.
• Fishing enthusiasts.
• Homeowners looking for gardening advice.
• Small business owners.
• Students looking for educational resources.
• Travellers planning their next vacation.

Try to imagine one particular person visiting your website.

What questions would they have? What problems are they trying to solve? What information would make their day easier?

The better you understand your audience, the easier it becomes to create useful content.

Remember: You are not writing for everybody on the planet. You are writing for the people who are interested in what you have to offer.

3. Research your subject and your competition

☐ Find at least five to ten websites covering similar subjects.

☐ Examine their articles, photographs, videos, menus, and overall design.

☐ Write down ideas that could help you develop your own website.

☐ Identify subjects that other websites have overlooked or explained poorly.

Competition is not necessarily bad news. It proves that people are interested in your subject.

However, don’t copy somebody else’s website or articles. Learn from their approach and find your own voice.

Your personal experiences, professional knowledge, opinions, photographs, and stories are what make your website different.

4. Choose a domain name

☐ Brainstorm at least five possible domain names.

☐ Check whether your preferred names are available.

☐ Consider whether the name is easy to remember, spell, and pronounce.

☐ Avoid unnecessary hyphens, confusing abbreviations, and complicated spelling.

Your domain name is your internet address. For example:

• Google.com
• Wikipedia.org
• Microsoft.com

You want something that people can remember without having to write it on their hand.

A good domain name should ideally reflect your website’s subject, business, or personal brand.

You can investigate domain availability through registrars such as GoDaddy, Namecheap, or other reputable providers.

One important consideration: You are purchasing the right to register and use a domain for a specified period, not buying the entire internet. Keep track of renewal dates and enable automatic renewal if appropriate.

My advice: Don’t spend three months searching for the perfect domain. You are building a website, not naming a spaceship!

5. Prepare your first four or five blog posts

☐ Select four or five topics.

☐ Write an outline for each article.

☐ Aim for approximately 700–1,000 words per article where the subject warrants it.

☐ Check spelling, grammar, and factual accuracy.

☐ Include useful examples and practical advice.

☐ Prepare a descriptive title for each post.

This is where the real work begins.

You should have some original content ready before launching your website. Otherwise, visitors might arrive to discover a beautiful website with three pages, two photographs, and a lonely sentence saying, “Welcome to my website.”

Not particularly impressive!

Here are some examples:

Gardening website

• Five common mistakes beginner gardeners make.
• How to prepare your garden for spring.
• Growing tomatoes in small spaces.
• The best tools for a beginner gardener.

Cooking website

• How to prepare homemade pasta.
• Ten inexpensive family meals.
• How to preserve vegetables.
• My favourite traditional recipes.

Personal finance website

• Creating your first household budget.
• Understanding everyday banking.
• Five ways to reduce monthly expenses.
• How to organize your financial documents.

Don’t worry about producing an encyclopedia on your first day. Start with a handful of good articles and build from there.

One important point: Google does not reward a particular word count simply because an article is long. A useful 500-word article can be better than a repetitive 2,000-word article.

Quality comes first.

6. Create a list of future blog topics

☐ Brainstorm at least 20 additional article ideas.

☐ Organize them into categories.

☐ Identify questions people frequently ask about your subject.

☐ Keep a running list of ideas.

You don’t have to write all these articles immediately.

However, having a list of future topics will help you maintain consistency.

Whenever you discover an interesting question, write it down.

You might be standing in a supermarket, waiting for an appointment, or enjoying your morning coffee when a fantastic article idea suddenly appears.

Don’t trust your memory. Write it down!

7. Collect photographs and illustrations

☐ Gather approximately 12–15 suitable photographs.

☐ Organize them into folders.

☐ Rename files descriptively.

☐ Check that you have permission to use every image.

☐ Prepare a featured image for your first articles.

Images make websites more attractive and help explain information.

For example, a gardening website should contain photographs of gardens, plants, tools, flowers, and vegetables.

A cooking website should make visitors hungry!

You can:

• Take your own photographs.
• Create original illustrations.
• Use properly licensed stock photographs.
• Create suitable images using AI image-generation tools.

Be careful with images downloaded randomly from Google Images. Finding a photograph online does not mean you have permission to publish it.

Also, resize and compress your photographs before uploading them. Enormous image files can slow down your website.

Give important images descriptive alternative text (alt text). This helps visitors using screen readers and provides search engines with additional context.

8. Prepare several short videos

☐ Create at least three short videos.

☐ Introduce yourself in one video.

☐ Explain something related to your subject in another.

☐ Demonstrate a skill or share a useful tip in a third.

Video is a wonderful way to introduce yourself to the world.

And please, don’t hide behind a collection of photographs forever!

Let the camera see you. Speak for a few minutes. Explain what you do, why you are interested in your subject, and what visitors can expect from your website.

You don’t need a television studio, professional lighting, or a Hollywood production crew.

A reasonably good smartphone, a quiet room, and a little enthusiasm will do.

People like connecting with other people. Your personality, experience, and enthusiasm can make your website more memorable.

Don’t worry if your first video isn’t perfect. Your audience is probably not expecting Steven Spielberg.

9. Create a dedicated Google account

☐ Create a Google account for your website or business.

☐ Choose a professional email address.

☐ Enable two-step verification.

☐ Add recovery information.

☐ Keep your login information somewhere secure.

A dedicated Google account can make managing your online activities much easier.

You will potentially use it for:

• YouTube.
• Google Analytics.
• Google Search Console.
• Google Drive.
• Google Business Profile, if appropriate.
• Other Google services.

Keeping your website-related accounts organized from the beginning can save you considerable trouble later.

Important: Never share your password with a web designer or contractor. Where access is necessary, use the platform’s account permissions instead.

10. Create your YouTube channel

☐ Sign in using your Google account.

☐ Create a YouTube channel.

☐ Choose a channel name that matches your website or brand.

☐ Upload a profile photograph or logo.

☐ Create channel artwork.

☐ Write a short channel description.

☐ Add your website address when available.

☐ Verify your channel using the available YouTube verification process.

YouTube can become an excellent companion to your website.

You can create instructional videos, product demonstrations, interviews, personal introductions, and short educational presentations.

Phone verification unlocks useful features such as custom thumbnails, longer uploads, and live streaming.

Optimize your channel settings:

• Write a clear channel description.
• Organize videos into playlists.
• Create attractive, accurate thumbnails.
• Use descriptive video titles.
• Add relevant descriptions and links.
• Make sure your videos have appropriate visibility settings.

Don’t upload ten videos simply to make the channel look busy. Start with a few useful videos that genuinely represent your subject.

And remember: YouTube success is not guaranteed by appearing on camera. The real benefit is giving viewers a reason to trust you and connect with your work.

11. Prepare your website structure

☐ Write down the main pages you want to include.

☐ Decide how your blog categories will be organized.

☐ Sketch a simple navigation menu.

A beginner’s website might include:

• Home
• About Me
• Blog
• Services
• Contact

Depending on your subject, you might also need:

• Frequently Asked Questions.
• Resources.
• Portfolio.
• Products.
• Testimonials.

Think about how visitors will navigate your website.

A visitor should not need a treasure map, a compass, and three cups of coffee to find your contact information!

Keep the navigation simple and logical.

12. Create your social media accounts

☐ Reserve your preferred business or brand name on Facebook.

☐ Create an Instagram account if it suits your subject.

☐ Consider TikTok for short videos.

☐ Consider LinkedIn if your website is professionally or business-oriented.

☐ Upload consistent profile photographs or logos.

☐ Write a short, recognizable description.

You don’t have to become a full-time social media influencer.

However, social media can help introduce your website to people who might never discover it through a search engine.

Try to use the same brand name and visual identity across your accounts.

You can begin with one or two platforms and expand later.

It is better to maintain two active accounts than six accounts that haven’t seen a new post since the dinosaurs were applying for domain names.

13. Research website builders and hosting

☐ Compare at least two or three website platforms.

☐ Investigate the available hosting options.

☐ Compare monthly and annual costs.

☐ Check whether a domain is included in the introductory offer.

☐ Check renewal prices.

☐ Investigate available templates and blogging features.

Some popular options include:

• Wix
• WordPress
• Squarespace
• Shopify, particularly for online stores

There is an important difference between website builders and self-hosted website systems.

For example, Wix generally includes hosting as part of its website plans. With a self-hosted WordPress installation, you normally arrange hosting separately.

Before selecting a platform, investigate:

• Storage space.
• Bandwidth.
• SSL certificates.
• Backup options.
• Mobile-friendly templates.
• Blogging functionality.
• Search engine optimization tools.
• Email options.
• Customer support.
• The ability to move your website elsewhere.

Don’t automatically choose the cheapest plan. Equally, don’t purchase an expensive business package when you are just starting out.

Start with what you need and upgrade when your website grows.

14. Prepare your budget

☐ Calculate the cost of registering your domain.

☐ Compare website platform or hosting subscriptions.

☐ Budget for a professional email address if required.

☐ Consider possible costs for premium templates or plugins.

☐ Set aside a small amount for marketing, if possible.

A website does not have to cost thousands of dollars.

You can start relatively inexpensively, particularly if you create your own content, photographs, and videos.

However, remember that promotional prices sometimes apply only to the first year.

Check the renewal price before entering your credit card information.

Also, avoid purchasing every premium plugin, theme, and marketing tool you encounter.

You are building a website, not furnishing a palace!

15. Prepare your privacy and legal information

☐ Decide what contact information you want to publish.

☐ Prepare a privacy policy appropriate to your website.

☐ Determine whether you need a cookie or consent notice.

☐ Consider terms and conditions if you sell products or services.

☐ Identify any disclosure requirements for advertising or affiliate links.

Even a small personal website may collect information through contact forms, analytics, comments, or email subscriptions.

If you operate in Canada, consider your obligations under applicable privacy legislation, including PIPEDA where it applies and relevant provincial requirements.

If you use affiliate links, sponsored content, or advertising, make your relationships clear to visitors.

You don’t need to become a lawyer before publishing your first article, but you should not ignore these responsibilities.

16. Set up Google Analytics

☐ Visit Google Analytics.

☐ Create a Google Analytics 4 account or property.

☐ Choose the correct reporting time zone and currency.

☐ Create a web data stream for your website once you have its address.

☐ Connect the tracking code or measurement ID to your website platform.

Google Analytics helps you understand how people interact with your website.

You can investigate:

• How many people visit.
• Which pages they view.
• Where visitors come from.
• Which articles attract attention.
• How visitors interact with your content.

You won’t necessarily have much data on the first day. That’s perfectly normal.

The purpose is to begin collecting useful information so you can make better decisions as your website grows.

Make sure your analytics setup and consent practices comply with applicable privacy requirements.

17. Prepare Google Search Console

☐ Visit Google Search Console.

☐ Familiarize yourself with the service.

☐ Prepare to verify ownership of your website.

☐ Learn how to submit an XML sitemap.

Google Search Console is one of the most useful free tools available to website owners.

It helps you understand how Google discovers and indexes your pages.

After your website is published:

• Verify ownership.
• Submit your sitemap.
• Inspect important URLs.
• Request indexing for newly published or updated pages when appropriate.
• Monitor indexing problems.
• Review search impressions and clicks.

Remember, requesting indexing does not guarantee that Google will index your page or display it prominently in search results.

Search engines need time to discover and evaluate new websites.

18. Create a content publishing schedule

☐ Decide how frequently you can realistically publish.

☐ Choose a day of the week for writing.

☐ Prepare a simple content calendar.

☐ Decide when you will create and publish videos.

Consistency is more important than making unrealistic promises.

If you can publish one excellent article every week, that’s a great starting point.

If you can manage two articles per month, that’s fine too.

The important thing is to establish a routine you can maintain.

You are building something that should last, not entering a competition to see who can publish the most articles before lunchtime.

19. Organize your files and backups

☐ Create a main folder for your website.

☐ Create separate folders for articles, photographs, videos, logos, and documents.

☐ Use descriptive file names.

☐ Keep copies of your original articles and photographs.

☐ Investigate your platform’s backup and restoration options.

You will thank yourself later.

Imagine spending three evenings writing an excellent article and then accidentally deleting it.

That’s not a learning experience anyone needs!

Keep your original content somewhere separate from your website. A cloud storage service or an external drive can help.

Remember that having a hosting provider does not automatically mean you have a reliable independent backup.

20. Perform your final website preparation checklist review

☐ Have you chosen your website subject?

☐ Do you understand your target audience?

☐ Have you selected a possible domain name?

☐ Are your first four or five articles prepared?

☐ Have you collected your photographs?

☐ Do you have some video material?

☐ Have you created your Google and YouTube accounts?

☐ Have you researched website builders and hosting?

☐ Do you have a realistic budget?

☐ Have you planned your website pages?

☐ Have you considered privacy, security, and backups?

If most of the boxes on your website preparation checklist are checked, congratulations!

You are considerably better prepared than someone who purchased a domain five minutes ago and is now staring at a blank website template wondering what to do next.

Part 2: What happens after your website is published?

Preparation is only the beginning.

Once your website is online, the real adventure starts.

Here are a few important habits to develop.

1. Publish original content.

Keep adding useful articles, photographs, videos, and resources. Focus on helping your readers rather than producing content simply to attract search engine traffic.

2. Connect your online presence.

Link your website to your social media accounts and your social media accounts back to your website.

Where appropriate, include your YouTube videos in relevant blog posts.

3. Build relationships.

Follow other websites in your subject area. Participate in relevant online communities. Leave thoughtful comments where appropriate. Share useful resources.

Don’t spam other people’s websites with advertisements for your own business. Nobody enjoys that!

4. Monitor your website.

Use Google Analytics and Search Console to understand what is happening.

Look at which articles attract visitors and which search queries bring people to your website.

5. Keep improving.

Correct outdated information, repair broken links, improve photographs, and update articles when necessary.

6. Be patient.

A new website does not become famous overnight.

Google may discover your pages relatively quickly, but indexing and ranking are different things. Getting discovered does not guarantee a first-page position.

Building an audience takes time, consistency, and useful content.

A final word: Your website is waiting for you!

Think about something for a moment.

Every day, millions of people search the internet for answers, advice, instructions, ideas, recommendations, and inspiration.

Somewhere out there, someone is looking for information that you already know.

Perhaps you are an excellent cook. Maybe you know how to repair cars, grow vegetables, organize a business, teach mathematics, take photographs, or plan inexpensive vacations.

You have something to share.

Why not create a place where people can find it?

Your first website might be small. Your first blog post might not win any literary awards. Your first video might make you cringe when you watch it.

That’s perfectly fine!

Every successful online project begins somewhere.

You don’t need to be perfect. You need to begin.

And remember our cooking analogy: If you want to prepare a wonderful meal, you need to gather the ingredients first.

So sharpen your pencils, organize your photographs, prepare your articles, and start collecting those ingredients.

Your website is waiting for you. It’s time to open the kitchen!

Check out my relevant blog posts: https://officeshortcuts.com/blog-writing-vs-essay-writing/

Official resources worth bookmarking

• Google Search Console
• Google Analytics
• YouTube channel verification
• Google’s guide to helpful content
• Google SEO Starter Guide