By creating a website, you are creating an online presence. This allows you to connect with people that you might not otherwise be able to reach. Whether you’re making a basic website with contact information for your small business or medical practice, creating a landing page for your freelance work, a multi-page experience for your wedding photography business or you just want a place to blog about your thoughts on food, having a website will give you a dynamic advantage.

GoDaddy’s website builder, formally called Websites + Marketing, is an online editing and publishing tool that helps you make a responsive website with no technical knowledge required.

How to create a website with GoDaddy’s Website Builder:

1. Create a GoDaddy account.
2. Pick a design and use the drag-and-drop editor to add your own images and text or create a contact form. You can make your website as simple or complex as you’d like.
3. Publish your website.
4. Expand your website as you grow. You can add a full online store complete with product listings, coupons, shopping cart, shipping and multiple payment options.

In all Website Builder plans any data transmitted from your site will be encrypted using a SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate. Your SSL will establish an encrypted link between your web server and the browser of the person visiting your site. This means that all data will be kept private; which is important if you want visitors to your site to be safe. If you want to sell products or services in your store, you will want to have a SSL since it protects credit card and bank numbers from being intercepted by hackers.  

Absolutely. You have the option to customize your website based on your business needs. You can add site content wherever you’d like in a variety of sections; from multiple site pages, to scrollable sections that you can add to each of those pages, to a gallery of images, menus and price lists, and YouTube or Vimeo videos. Each section in your website is customizable as well, from the name of the page, to your website’s navigation bar. You’ll also have the ability to change text colors, styles and font. It’s important to make a responsive website that is mobile and desktop friendly. With Website Builder you’ll be able to choose tablet and desktop layouts to give your visitors the experience you want them to have.

You can make a website that lets you sell products and services if you have the Ecommerce plan. You’ll have an online store that will allow you to add products and services, set up different types of payment methods, and even specific types of shipping. Your store will be integrated into your website as a page. You can add featured products for your visitors to scroll through, make quick purchases using PayPal and Apple Pay and promote your store/products through coupons. You can also use the same type of email marketing that is included in the Premium  plan to send email communications to your subscribers and customers about sales on your website, coupon offers and online events. Establishing a strong online presence can boost your sales.

Yes. GoDaddy Website Builder can act as your online hub. The option to link to your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn and YouTube on your website gives you an advantage in communicating with your visitors. By centrally locating all the links in one place – your new website – you’re giving your online visitors a seamless experience.

Select Website Builder plans come with built-in SEO tools to help your website show up in search engines like Google. In Website Builder, you’ll find the SEO Wizard, a step-by-step guide that provides suggestions on how to optimize each page of your website by adding relevant keywords and description.

GoDaddy InSight is a technology system that provides tailored recommendations gleaned from insights across more than a million GoDaddy customers in different locations and industries. InSight is designed to help you improve your online presence by providing you with performance metrics and advice on how to improve them. GoDaddy InSight powers a central dashboard where you’ll find your:  

• GoDaddy InSight Score, which is an assessment of how you’re doing across your website, social media and marketing activities. 

• GoDaddy InSight Metrics, which offer details about your website activity, and social sites including Google, Facebook and Instagram. Plus, the ability to respond to reviews from one place.  
• GoDaddy InSight Action Plans, which give recommendations on what to do next to improve your online performance. 

Creating a website is a relatively small effort that can have a huge impact on your business’ bottom line. Here’s how to start building your website: 

• Get organized

1. Think about the info and images you want to include on your website and what categories you’ll need to organize that content. Maybe you’ll need an About page with contact info, or a Menu page to show off tasty treats? You’ll make quick progress if you can map out a general structure before you start creating your site.

• Choose a website template

1. Pick a template to get started, or hit Start for Free to have Websites + Marketing generate a business-relevant template for you.

• Customize your website

1. Use our easy editor to add your content, products and business info, and customize colors, fonts and layouts. 

• Choose your domain

1. Register a custom domain or connect one you already own to your website. This helps people easily identify your business from your site’s online address.

• Optimize your website for search engines

1. Use the premium SEO optimizer to ensure your website is easily found on search engines like Google.

• Launch your website

Publish your website and watch your business grow, while managing everything — like website updates, reviews and social posts — from one dashboard, on any device.

• GoDaddy InSight Score, which is an assessment of how you’re doing across your website, social media and marketing activities. 

• GoDaddy InSight Metrics, which offer details about your website activity, and social sites including Google, Facebook and Instagram. Plus, the ability to respond to reviews from one place.  
• GoDaddy InSight Action Plans, which give recommendations on what to do next to improve your online performance.