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Website Creation in 2025: DIY or Hire a Professional?

 

 

Whether it's a company's online store, a sports club's page, or a personal blog, professional websites can serve as both a business card and an effective source of income.

 

 

Are you dreaming of having your own website but don't quite know where to start? In 2025, creating a website is easier than ever before. Even if you lack technical skills, there are numerous tools and platforms available that allow you to create your own website without coding knowledge.

Creating a website, however, requires careful planning. You should consider what features you need from your site now and in the future.

Choosing a web hosting service, registering a domain and taking care of site maintenance are also important factors when creating a new website.  

Key Points

• Creating websites is now possible without technical knowledge using various user-friendly publishing platforms.

• High-quality and user-friendly websites serve as a company's business card and can provide a significant source of income.

• Careful planning, choosing the right platform, and a reliable web hosting service are the foundation of a functional website.  

Why Are Your Own Websites Important?

Websites are a business or individual's digital business card in today's world. They improve online visibility, increase credibility, and can serve as an important source of income. Websites are often a customer's first contact with a company.

Customers search for information online before making purchase decisions, so without a website, you'll remain in your competitors' shadow. Websites are like a 24/7 display window that never sleeps. They build a professional image and help customers find you more easily.

Websites can also be useful for individuals:

• Freelancers can showcase their portfolio

• Hobbyists can share information about their interests

• Job seekers can stand out with a digital resume/CV

Creating websites yourself is now possible on many easy-to-use platforms. This is an affordable option if your budget is tight or you need a simple site.

However, professionally designed websites guarantee quality and the best results, with layouts and functionalities tailored to customer needs, content that is search engine optimized, and implementations that are mobile-friendly. Professionals also provide technical support when problems arise, so finding a good partner to design your website brings many conveniences to your daily website maintenance.

For website maintenance, you also need a reliable web hosting service that ensures your site functions properly and loads quickly. Web hosting is like your website's home on the Internet.

Website Design

Well-designed websites serve precisely defined goals and target audiences. Design begins with clear objectives, such as acquiring new customer contacts or increasing brand awareness. Understanding the target audience is essential, as different audiences need different content and functionalities.

Getting traffic to the site is also an essential part of planning, and search engine optimization (SEO), along with other channels such as social media and email marketing, ensures that the site can be found. Content should be tailored to the needs of the target audience, and visual elements, such as images and videos, support the delivery of the message.  

Understanding Goals and Target Audience

Website design always begins with defining goals. What do you want to achieve with your site? Is the purpose to sell products, collect inquiries, or share information?

Write down your goals clearly and concretely. Example:

• Main goal: Get 30 new customer contacts per month

• Secondary goal: Increase brand awareness

• Metric: Number of contact form submissions

Defining the target audience is equally important. Who do you want to visit your site? Is the site aimed at businesses or consumers? What are their needs and problems?

When you know your target audience, you can build a site that truly serves their needs. Different target groups may require different content and functionalities.  

Content Planning According to Target Audience Needs

Defining your target audience also helps you consider what kind of content should be found on your website. Good content addresses the needs and questions of your target audience. Think about what information your visitors are looking for and what problems they want to solve.

Start with the most important content:

• Homepage: A clear message about what you offer and to whom

• Products/Services: Concrete benefits, not just features

• Contact: An easy way to get in touch

Design content in the language of your target audience. Avoid professional jargon if your site is aimed at ordinary consumers. For business-oriented sites, you can use industry terminology, but still keep the message clear.

Use images, videos, and infographics to support your text. Visual elements help visitors understand your message quickly and make the site more pleasant to use.  

How to Get Traffic to Your Website?

Great websites are useless if no one finds them. Plan from the beginning how you will get traffic to your site.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is key:

1. Choose the most important keywords you want to be found with

2. Include them in page titles, texts, and meta information

3. Ensure the site works technically well on mobile devices

Other sources of traffic:

• Social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn)

• Search engine advertising (Google Ads)

• Email marketing

• Partner websites and links

Ensure that your website loads quickly, as slow loading times drive visitors away. Choose a reliable, domestic web hosting service for your site, such as Hostaan, which guarantees fast loading times and excellent customer service.

 

Publishing Platforms for Website Creation

 

Choosing a publishing platform is one of the most important decisions when you start creating a website. A good platform makes building and maintaining the site easier and allows the site to grow according to your needs.  

WordPress is the Most Popular Tool for Website Creation

WordPress is the world's most used publishing platform, powering over 40% of all websites. Its popularity is based on flexibility and expandability - WordPress is also open-source software, meaning its implementation is free.

What WordPress offers you:

• Thousands of themes for customizing the appearance

• Extensibility with plugins for almost any need

• User-friendly content management

• Good search engine visibility

A WordPress site can be installed on a WordPress web hosting service. This type of web hosting is optimized specifically for WordPress needs, ensuring the best possible functionality and speed for your site.  

Website Builder is an Easy-to-Use Solution

Website Builder is a service designed to make website building easier. It offers everything you need in one package without technical expertise.

Benefits of Website Builder:

• No coding skills required

• Finnish-language interface and support

• All services in one package

• Responsive pages for all devices

With Website Builder, you create websites using a drag-and-drop principle. You just choose a suitable page template and add your content to the ready-made template. It's easy to modify template elements, colors, images, and functions, add elements, or change their position. Content creation and updates are also easy.

Our Website Builder service package includes web hosting and email boxes in the same package, making Website Builder a cost-effective alternative for small businesses' and associations' websites.

 

If you're wondering which option is better for you, also check out our Website Builder or WordPress article.  

Choosing a Domain and Web Hosting

One of the most important phases of a website project is choosing a suitable domain and web hosting. These choices affect your site's functionality, visibility, and user experience far into the future. A domain is not just an address, but also a name tag; it should be easy to remember and of appropriate length. A short and concise domain is easy to type, which reduces errors and increases the likelihood that visitors will return to the site.  

Choosing and Registering a Domain Name

When choosing a domain, consider a few points, and you'll already be well on your way! A domain should be:

• Short and easy to remember

• Descriptive and related to your company name or field

• Preferably with a .fi extension for Finnish companies

When you've found a suitable domain, first check its availability. Many popular names are already taken, so be prepared to be a bit flexible.

Registration is usually easy. You just need your contact information and a payment method. A .fi domain requires a Finnish business ID or personal ID number. Registration typically takes only a few minutes.

The price varies depending on the extension. Fi domains cost about €10-15 per year, international extensions (.com, .net) often the same or less.  

Web Hosting Selection Criteria and Requirements

Web hosting is a service where your website's files are stored. When choosing, consider:

1. Disk space - How much space does your site need?

2. Traffic limitations - How many visitors do you expect?

3. Email services - Do you need your own email addresses?

4. Databases - WordPress and other content management systems need these

5. Support - Finnish-language customer service is a big advantage

A Finnish web hosting service is often a reliable choice. Dealing with a domestic service provider is easy, and support is available in your own language.  

Shared Web Hosting or Your Own Server?

For a small site shared web hosting is usually the best option. With it:

• Multiple customers share the same server resources

• The price is affordable (approx. €5-15/month)

• Maintenance is handled by the service provider

• Suitable for small and medium-sized sites

If you have high visitor numbers or need special features, consider a Managed Cloud service. Your own server offers:

• More performance and no other load on the server can affect your site

• Full control over server settings

• Better scalability

• Possible additional features, such as custom applications

Your own server costs more (€30-100/month) and typically requires some technical expertise, but for large online stores, it's usually an absolute necessity.  

Building Websites with WordPress - Step by Step

WordPress is the most popular platform for building websites, and for good reason. Its user-friendliness allows for the creation of stylish sites even without coding skills. Let's look at how to build a functional website step by step.  

Theme Selection

A page template, or theme, defines the foundation for your website's appearance and functionality. WordPress offers hundreds of free and paid themes for different purposes.

A good theme:

• Adapts to mobile devices automatically

• Is SEO-optimized to improve search engine visibility

• Includes drag-and-drop functionality for editing content

For beginners, Astra, Divi, or Elementor-compatible themes are recommended due to their ease of use. You can browse theme options from WordPress's Appearance menu or download them from reliable sources.

Consider your site's purpose when choosing a theme. Different themes suit online stores, blogs, and business sites. Choose a theme that supports your goals and offers the elements you need, such as forms and galleries.  

Add-ons and Plugins

WordPress plugins extend your site's functionality. They are like small helper applications that add features without coding.

The most important plugins for almost any site:

1. Yoast SEO - for search engine optimization

2. Wordfence Security - for site protection

3. WP Super Cache - for site caching -> speed

4. Contact Form 7 - for contact forms

If you're building an online store, you'll also need the WooCommerce plugin. For gallery sites, we recommend the Envira Gallery plugin.

Check that the plugins are compatible with your WordPress version and updated regularly. Also remember that too many plugins slow down your site. Choose only those you really need and remove unused plugins completely.  

Creating and Adding Content

Content is the most important part of your site. Good content keeps visitors interested and gets them to return again. Start by planning your page structure and navigation bar, i.e., your page menu.

WordPress's block editor (Gutenberg) makes adding content easy. You can add text, images, videos, and other elements using drag-and-drop principles. Images enliven content, but optimize them before uploading to ensure the site loads quickly. The larger the images, the slower the pages load, for example, when browsing via mobile network on a phone.

Remember to use attractive headings and divide text into short paragraphs. Don't add too much information to a page, as this makes pages difficult to comprehend, and visitors' attention won't focus on important things. Create content that meets visitors' needs. How can you help them? What problems do you solve? Explain this clearly and concisely.  

Using AI in Content Production

AI tools can significantly ease your content production. ChatGPT and other AI solutions help create content faster. AI works best for bouncing ideas, sketching structures, and producing article frameworks, text brainstorming, and checking the correctness of language. AI can also be used to create language versions.

However, remember to personalize AI-generated content. Add your own voice and perspective, as no algorithm knows your customers or brand like you do.

With AI, you can also create image content for your site. Canva and other image tools offer AI features that help you create professional banners and images for your site without graphic design expertise.  

Ensuring Mobile-Friendliness and Speed

Over half of website traffic today comes from mobile devices. Your site must therefore work perfectly on screens of all sizes. During construction, it's worth viewing websites on different-sized screens to ensure they function both on phones and tablets. The mobile network in Finland is quite comprehensive and operates at good speeds, but websites should still be optimized to load content as quickly as possible - this means compressing images and being careful about adding video content to the site.  

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) on Websites

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is an important part of improving website visibility. It helps your site rank higher in search results and attract more visitors.  

Basics of Search Engine Optimization

SEO is divided into on-page and off-page optimization. On-page SEO focuses on site content, such as texts, images, and headings. Off-page optimization relates to backlinks from other sites.

Start SEO work with these basic steps:

1. Install tools: Google Search Console helps track your site's performance.

2. Add visitor tracking: This shows you how users find your site.

3. Find the right keywords: Think about words people might use to find your site.

Keyword selection is a skill that improves with experience.

Place keywords naturally in text, headings, and meta descriptions. Avoid excessive repetition of keywords, and aim to produce natural text.  

Effective Ways to Improve Search Engine Visibility

There are many effective ways to improve your visibility:

Content quality is crucial! Write useful, interesting content that meets users' needs. Google values content that truly helps readers.

Mobile-friendliness - ensuring your site works correctly and quickly on phones and other mobile devices - is essential nowadays.

So make sure your site works well on all common devices: Google favors mobile-friendly sites in search results.

The site structure should be kept clear:

• Use a logical URL structure

• Create clear navigation

• Utilize internal links as well

Hostaan's web hosting services provide an optimal platform for SEO-friendly sites, as we place our customers' services on top-speed Finnish servers.  

Website Loading Time - How Does It Affect SEO?

Loading time is one of the most important factors affecting search engine visibility.

Google favors fast-loading sites in its results because they typically offer a better user experience to visitors.

Slowly loading pages, on the other hand, cause users to leave quickly. This raises the so-called bounce rate, and a high bounce rate weakens your position in search results.

Improve your site's loading time with these tips:

1. Reduce image sizes by optimizing them e.g., with WP-Optimize.

2. Minimize CSS and JavaScript files

3. Use caching - you can check your site's optimization with Hostaan plugin

4. Choose a quality platform such as Hostaan's web hosting - our servers equipped with fast SSD drives ensure top-class performance

Website Maintenance and Updates

Website maintenance is critical for the site's functionality and security, and regular updates keep your site modern and protect it from various security threats.  

Why Are Regular Maintenance and Updates So Important?

In WordPress sites, theme and plugin updates fix security vulnerabilities that emerge over time, which hackers could otherwise exploit.

An outdated site is an easy target for attacks.

When making updates, remember that backing up before updating is worthwhile. If something goes wrong during the update, you can always return to a working version.

Managed WordPress hosting offers automatic updates easily and safely. Our SmartWP service tests updates before approving them, ensuring that your site continues to function flawlessly after updates.

Security is the most important reason to maintain a site, but user experience and search engine visibility can also improve with regular updates.  

Remember to Update Content Too

In addition to the technical side of the site, content updates are important.

Fresh content keeps visitors interested and significantly improves search engine visibility.

This is how you keep content fresh:

1. Update product information and blog articles regularly

2. Publish new content weekly or monthly

3. Check and fix possible broken links

Users appreciate up-to-date information, and outdated information can weaken trust in your company.

Google also values actively updated sites and penalizes passive sites by lowering their ranking in search results over time.

Visitor Tracking and Cookies

Visitor tracking and cookies are an important part of modern website operation. They help site administrators understand visitor behavior and improve user experience.  

Google Analytics - Is It Worth Implementing?

Google Analytics is the most popular visitor tracking tool that offers versatile data about your site's visitors.

With Analytics, you can see where visitors come from, which pages they view, and how long they stay on your site.

Key benefits:

• You get accurate information about which pages interest visitors

• You can track from which sources (search engines, social media, etc.) visitors have come

• You can see if your campaigns, newsletters, and other marketing efforts are working

Google Analytics is free and easy to implement.

You only need a Google account and a small code snippet on your website. Many content management systems - such as our website builder - also offer ready-made plugins for installing Analytics.

An alternative to Google Analytics is, for example, Matomo, which is a privacy-respecting alternative. When using Matomo, the data is stored on your own server.  

GDPR and Cookies

Cookies are small text files that are stored in the visitor's browser and collect information about site usage. The EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) strongly affects the use of these cookies.

Cookie-related obligations:

1. Clearly state which cookies you use

2. Request consent for non-essential cookies

3. Also give the option to decline cookies