The website: what it needs and how to put it up without coding

The website nobody reads

Marta is a hairdresser in Calheta. Her 2019 website has twelve pages, a "blog" she never wrote in and the price of a haircut from seven years ago. Nobody reads it, and whoever opens it gives up.

What a customer wants to know, in ten seconds, is five things: what you do, where, when, how much (or how to ask) and how to contact you. A good website answers all of that without making them search.

The five pages that are enough

Home. One sentence saying what you do and for whom ("Hairdresser in Calheta, appointments by phone or WhatsApp"), a real photo and a contact button that is easy to see.
What we do. The services, the menu or the rooms, depending on the business.
Prices. Or, if they vary a lot, "ask for a quote" with how to ask.
Contact. A phone number you can tap to call, WhatsApp, address with a map and opening hours, including holidays.
About. Who you are, in one photo and five lines.

On top of these come two pages the law asks for: the privacy page and the complaints book. They are covered in the legal obligations lesson.

Texts and photos

Write the way you speak. "We book by phone or WhatsApp" beats "We provide multiple scheduling channels".
One idea per page. If you have two subjects, make two pages.
Your own photos. A current phone is enough. Take them in natural light, next to a window, with the space tidy. Photos taken from the internet have copyright; use your own or image banks with a clear licence. Photos of customers or staff only with their consent.
Phone first. A large share of visits come from phones. Open your site on one and check you can read everything without zooming.
Light photos. Huge photos make the site slow. Most builders compress them for you; check.
HTTPS always. The address starts with https:// and a padlock appears. Without it, the browser warns visitors that the site is not secure.

Tip

You can ask an AI for a first draft of the texts for the five pages (see the AI course). Then read everything, cut what sounds like a brochure and check hours, prices and contacts: the AI does not know your business.

Three ways to put it up

a) Website builder. Services such as Wix, Squarespace, WordPress.com or Webnode. They are quick to start and you pay for as long as it lasts.

b) AI generator. You describe the business and the tool proposes a site. There are several on the market. Speed is the advantage; check whether you can export the site.

c) A professional. Worth it when there is a complex shop or many pages. Insist that the domain, the accounts and a copy of the site stay with you.

Whichever way you go, ask these four questions:

Can I change the opening hours myself in two minutes?
Do I own the domain and the accounts?
Can I export the site and take it somewhere else?
Is HTTPS included?

The reference figures are on the Current state page.

Watch out

Declaration of interests. Inforjota, which writes this course, has an AI website generator (inforjota.com). It is one of the options in route b). The criteria above apply to it just as to the others, and nobody needs it to follow this course. Compare it with the alternatives and pick whichever best answers the four questions.

Connecting the domain to the site

The builder (or the professional) gives you two or three DNS lines to paste at your domain registrar, as we saw in the domain lesson. Copy them exactly. If you already have email on the domain, do not delete the email lines: add the website ones.

This is how it is on 16 October 2026; if the screen is different, look for the button with the same name. In your builder, look for an option with a name like "connect domain" or "custom domain", and then the DNS screen at the registrar.

Tip

Before you pay for anything, try it out. Some services have a trial period: use it to change opening hours, swap a photo and see the result on your phone. If it is hard or confusing, that is a sign you will avoid updating the site.

Tip

Create the builder account with a business email (hello@, from the email lesson) and not your personal one. Keep a sheet with where you sign in, which email it uses and how access is recovered. If you change helper, you do not lose the site.

Exercise

Write on a sheet the text for the five pages: an opening sentence, the opening hours and the contacts.
Take six photos of the business, in natural light.
Choose your route (a, b or c) and note down your answers to the four questions.
Put the Home page and the Contact page online, on your domain, with HTTPS, and open them on your phone.
Ask someone from outside to find the phone number and the opening hours in ten seconds.

How I know it worked a website with Home and Contact on your domain, with a padlock, that an outsider can use in ten seconds on a phone.

If it didn't work

The outsider took more than ten seconds? The phone number or the hours are hidden. Put them on the Home page and in the footer.
The browser shows a "not secure" warning? HTTPS is not yet active on the domain. In the builder, look for an option with a name like "certificate" or "secure connection" and wait a little.
The site address does not open? DNS can take a few hours to update. Check that you pasted the lines exactly as they came.
Cannot edit the hours yourself? That route fails the criteria. Look at the alternatives before you commit for a year.