Over the past 14 years, I’ve helped launch dozens of websites — from simple landing pages to complex corporate platforms. If you’re now at a point where your business needs a website, this article is for you.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re starting from scratch or running a company that still doesn’t have a website. In any case, your goals are usually the same: attract clients, build trust, and be present where people are looking for you — online.
I’ll explain where to start, what to focus on, which terms you should learn, how much launching a website might cost, and the real ways to build one — from free to professional. I’ll cover the available options realistically and based on actual experience.
A lot has changed today. Entrepreneurs used to begin with finding a contractor; now, they start with questions to ChatGPT. Some are already asking AI for a site structure or page content, others want to know which platform is more cost-effective. AI has become part of the process — and that’s a good thing: it can accelerate your launch.
Below, I’ll go into more detail on how to use AI wisely, and where it can truly help.
It might get a little strict, but it’s to the point. My goal isn’t to sell you a service, but to help you avoid the common mistakes entrepreneurs make every year.
Let’s start with the most important question — why a business even needs a website in 2025.
Why a Business Needs a Website: Real Problems It Solves
“Your website is not just a storefront. It’s your employee working 24/7 without taking a vacation.”
— Paul Cookson, Digital Marketer, Director at Visualsoft
Over the years, I’ve seen many companies launch without a website, hoping to “get by for now.” Some relied on social media, others on word of mouth. But the reality is: in 2025, not having a website is no longer neutral — it’s a competitive disadvantage.
According to HubSpot, over 70% of users research a company’s website before contacting them or making a purchase. And if there’s no site? They go straight to a competitor who has one.
If You’re Just Starting Your Business
Your website is your first point of contact with the customer. It builds trust, explains who you are, what you do, and how to work with you — especially in niches where decisions are made quickly: services, retail, B2B.
Without a website, you’ll constantly get the same questions:
- “Where can I see your services?”
- “Do you have examples of your work?”
- “What are your prices?”
Your site should answer these questions before they’re even asked.
If You Run a Business But Still Don’t Have a Website
You’re missing not just potential clients — you’re losing confidence in yourself as a brand. Without a website, you can’t:
- appear in Google or Yandex search results;
- run ads with proper conversion;
- build email marketing or analytics.
According to Clutch.co, companies with their own websites receive 35% more inbound leads than those relying solely on social media.
What a Website Solves for a Business:
- Represents your brand and builds trust
- Answers frequent customer questions
- Acts as a marketing platform (SEO, ads, content)
- Simplifies communication (contacts, forms, chat)
- Collects data (analytics, inquiries)
A website is not a luxury or a trendy accessory. It’s a tool — without it, your business is confined to offline or third-party platforms.
The next logical step is understanding what you need to plan before creating your site so that it’s not just a “pretty wrapper” but actually works.
What to Think Through Before Creating a Website
If you’ve decided your business needs a website — that’s already a step in the right direction. But before registering a domain, looking for a contractor, or even asking ChatGPT where to start — you need to sit down and clearly define your goals.
Creating a website isn’t hard. What’s hard is building one that serves business purposes instead of just “floating on the internet.”
1. What Is the Website’s Purpose?
A website for the sake of having a website is a dead-end project. I always ask clients to define one simple thing: What do you want the visitor to do on your website?
Options:
- Simply get to know your brand? (informational website)
- Submit a request or sign up? (landing page, form)
- Make a purchase? (online store)
- Call or message you? (sales page with call-to-action)
This determines the structure, content, and design approach.
2. Who Is Your Audience?
It’s surprising how often this question is ignored. But if you don’t know who your customer is, your site will speak in the wrong words and tone.
- B2B or B2C?
- Quick decision-makers or long-time comparers?
- Younger or older audience?
- What matters to them — price, guarantees, portfolio?
Think about them. Not yourself.
3. What Sections and Pages Will You Need?
Minimum for most websites:
- Homepage
- About
- Services or Products
- Contact
- Testimonials / Portfolio
Additionally:
- FAQ
- Blog or News
- Contact forms
- Privacy Policy (yes, it’s necessary)
A good structure saves the visitor’s time and guides them toward action.
4. Do You Have Content?
Content means text, photos, videos, case studies, logo, and branding. Most business owners face this issue: the site is already “coded,” but there’s nothing to fill it with.
If you don’t have content — decide in advance who will handle it:
- Who will write the copy?
- Who will take the photos?
- Who will create the visuals?
AI can help here too — but it’s crucial to give it clear instructions (more on that below).
5. What’s Your Budget?
Yes, you can build a site for free — using a free builder and subdomain. You can spend $30–$55. Or go with €3000 — which may be worth it for complex tasks.
If you don’t define the budget, you risk overspending or ending up with something that doesn’t work.
6. Who Will Manage the Site After Launch?
A website isn’t “set it and forget it.” It needs updates, bug fixes, security checks, and traffic analysis.
If you’re building the site yourself — are you ready to manage it? If you’re outsourcing — who will maintain it?
Conclusion: The clearer your answers to these questions before starting, the higher the chances your site will be truly useful. In the next section — I’ll explain the key terms and technologies you need to know to move forward with confidence.
Key Terms You’ll Definitely Hear
Once you start exploring the world of website creation — on your own or through contractors — you’ll come across a range of terms that are essential to understand. Some may sound intimidating, but they’re all clear if explained in plain language.
Domain
This is your website’s address on the internet. Example: yourbusiness.md. Think of it like a sign on a building: it’s how people find you.
If you’re targeting an international audience or want to emphasize the versatility of your brand — consider domains like .com, .net, .eu, .store, etc.
Hosting
Hosting is the rental of space on a server where your site’s files are stored. Without hosting, your site won’t work. If you use WordPress or any CMS — hosting is a must.
CMS (Content Management System)
This is a system for managing your website. A CMS allows you to edit text, add pages, change images — all without needing a developer.
The most popular CMS in the world is WordPress. It’s free, flexible, and supported by a huge community. Builders like Tilda or Wix are also CMS platforms, but closed ones.
WordPress Themes
A theme is your site’s design template. You can choose a free theme or buy a premium one with extra features and a more modern look.
How to Choose a Domain, Hosting, and WordPress Theme Will Be Covered in a Separate Article — There Are Nuances You Should Know
Plugins
Plugins are “add-ons” for your CMS, especially WordPress. A website without plugins is just a bare framework. Plugins let you add:
- SEO settings;
- submission forms;
- calculators;
- CRM integration, and much more.
Some are free, others are paid. For example, the popular SEO plugin Rank Math is free. The eCommerce plugin WooCommerce is also free, but offers paid extensions.
Content
Content is what your site visitor sees and reads: text, photos, videos, tables, icons, testimonials, and so on. Remember! Bad content kills a website.
Here, AI can help generate content, but without your expertise and editing — the result will be mediocre.
SSL Certificate
This makes your site secure for visitors. A site with SSL starts with https:// instead of http://. Google has officially stated that sites without SSL may rank lower. Many hosts now provide a free SSL certificate by default.
Responsiveness
A responsive website displays correctly on smartphones, tablets, and desktops. Over 60% of users browse sites from their phones. If your site “breaks” on mobile — visitors will leave. Especially if your competitor’s site looks clean and polished.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
SEO is the process of getting your website to appear in Google search results for the right keywords.
It includes:
- keyword research;
- optimizing structure and loading speed;
- proper headings, meta tags, descriptions, etc.
Important to understand: SEO is not a switch you flip. It’s a systematic process.
UI / UX
This is about how user-friendly the site is (UX) and how it looks (UI).
Bad UX means:
- confusing navigation;
- unclear buttons;
- complicated forms;
- walls of uninterrupted text.
Good UX = the user quickly finds what they’re looking for.
Analytics Tools
These are services that help you understand what’s happening on your site: where visitors come from, which pages they view, where they leave.
Most well-known: Google Analytics and Yandex Metrica. Without analytics, you won’t know why you’re not getting leads — even if there’s traffic.
Next up — let’s look at the real ways to create a website: which are free, freemium, or paid — and what sets them apart.
Ways to Create a Website: From Free to Professional Solutions
When an entrepreneur decides to “create a website,” the next question is whether to do it themselves or hire someone. Then come the options: platforms, contractors, prices.
I’ve helped clients at every stage — and I’ve seen how trying to “save money” without understanding things often leads to a complete rework in three months. So here’s an honest breakdown: what options exist, what they offer, and what they don’t.
1. Free Solutions
This includes:
- WordPress.com (not to be confused with WordPress.org)
- Tilda Free
- Wix Free
- Google Sites
You get:
- hosting included;
- basic templates;
- ability to build a site without coding.
But:
- you’ll have a technical domain (e.g., yourbusiness.tilda.ws, yourbusiness.wixsite.com);
- the site will display platform ads;
- you won’t have access to advanced features (SEO, analytics, integrations).
This is suitable for those who just want to “have something online.” Temporarily. With no plans for growth.
2. Freemium Solutions (Do-It-Yourself)
Here, you use:
- WordPress (with your own hosting and domain)
- Tilda (paid plan)
- Wix (paid plan)
- Nethouse, uKit, Weblium, and other site builders
You’ll pay for:
- domain (.md — around $25/year)
- hosting (from $6/month for WordPress)
- platform subscription (Tilda, Wix, etc.)
Pros:
- freedom and control;
- templates to speed up design;
- decent results even without a developer;
- many platforms offer tutorials and AI assistants.
Cons:
- you need to be willing to “figure it out yourself”;
- easy to make something “visually nice but marketing-wise useless”;
- content is often neglected — making the site feel unfinished.
Suitable for those who are willing to learn, test, and explore — and for those on a limited budget but with time to spare.
If you’ve decided to build your site on WordPress — that’s a great choice. But it’s not as simple as it looks: themes, plugins, security, updates — all of it matters. I’ll cover this in a separate article explaining what and how to choose in WordPress if you decide to go that route.
3. Paid Solutions (Turnkey Website)
This includes:
- Freelancers
- Web studios
- Marketing agencies
You pay for:
- design;
- development;
- customization for your goals;
- SEO and analytics setup.
Pros:
- individual approach;
- less headache for you;
- faster results (if the contractor is competent).
Cons:
- higher cost;
- requires oversight — it’s hard to know if everything is done right without technical knowledge;
- analytics, SEO, and copywriting are often “forgotten.”
Best suited for those who value their time, don’t want to DIY, and understand the importance of results — not just “having a website.”
Summary of Methods:
The choice depends on three things:
- Budget
- Time
- Willingness to learn
You can build a website for $0 or for $3000. The key isn’t the price — it’s whether it meets your business goals.
In the next section, I’ll explain which costs are inevitable no matter what method you choose — and how to avoid overpaying for things you don’t need.
What Might Require Investment When Creating a Website
Even if you decide to build your website yourself and save as much as possible, there are costs you simply can’t avoid — not if you want your site to look professional and inspire trust.
1. Domain Name
For Moldova, it makes sense to register a domain in the .md zone. Cost: from $25 per year.
For international positioning — .com, .net, .eu, .store, and others. Prices range from $2–5/year up to hundreds or even thousands if the name is short or popular.
2. Hosting
There are plenty of providers — both local and international.
Prices for Moldovan hosting start from $4/month, depending on features.
Important to consider:
- loading speed;
- reliability;
- technical support;
- ability to install an SSL certificate and create backups.
3. WordPress Themes (if you use this CMS)
Free themes exist, but often look cheap, don’t adapt well to mobile, or are hard to customize. Paid themes cost $30 to $80 (one-time fee). They usually include pre-built block templates, flexible customization, and SEO support.
4. Paid Plugins
The basic functionality of WordPress is covered by free plugins, but sometimes premium add-ons save a lot of time and improve usability:
- SEO (e.g., automated meta-tag generation);
- Online payments;
- Advanced forms;
- Integrations with CRM and analytics.
Prices vary depending on what the plugin does — starting from $10/month or a one-time license fee.
5. Copywriting and Content
Writing texts “on the fly” or copying from competitors is fast — but harmful. Search engines don’t favor such sites, and customers are put off by generic wording.
Copywriting services typically cost $20–$70 per 1000 characters.
AI can help — by generating drafts, ideas, structure. But the result still needs human review and adaptation to your specific context. A poorly trained AI is like an “overconfident intern” — it writes, but doesn’t always understand what it’s writing.
6. The Illusion of “Let’s Start Simple and Improve Later”
One of the most common strategic mistakes is launching a site with the mindset: “Let’s try something basic and refine it later.”
In reality, the site gets indexed by search engines with a broken structure, users see an “unfinished product,” and draw negative conclusions. Eventually, it all has to be redone — only now with extra baggage and mistakes — which is always more expensive.
Launching a “half-baked” site can damage your reputation and SEO history for months. Only experienced professionals can fix this — and it will cost much more than doing it right the first time.
7. Professional Services
Even if you do most things yourself, some tasks are better — and cheaper in the long run — to outsource, rather than “learn the job overnight”:
- Design and customization: from $60 (in Moldova)
- Analytics setup, SEO optimization: from $80
- Code fixes, bug resolution: from $15–30/hour
Conclusion: Saving money is smart. But trying to “cut every corner” often leads to double spending 2–3 months later — when the site doesn’t work, doesn’t convert, or doesn’t show up in search results. It’s better to approach it as an investment — in trust, visibility, and results.
What’s Next?
Let’s say you’ve already defined your website goals, learned the key terms, estimated a budget, and even chosen how you’ll build the site. Great — that’s already more than most people do.
If you’ve handed the project over to a contractor, a competent professional will handle all the technical work: from structure to hosting and analytics. Your job will be to approve and supervise. But if you’ve decided to build the site yourself — and more and more people are doing just that — you’ll need to master a lot more.
Very soon I’ll publish a separate article on how to create a full-fledged website yourself — without a developer and on a minimal budget. It will include everything — from platform selection to SEO and integrations.
But for now, let’s take a look at how artificial intelligence is already changing the way we build websites — and why it can be not only your assistant, but also a source of serious problems if misused.
How Artificial Intelligence Is Changing Website Development
Over the past couple of years, the market has changed significantly. In the past, launching a site meant: find a contractor, write a brief, wait a month, pay thousands — but now many entrepreneurs begin with a question to ChatGPT. And that’s no longer an exception, it’s the norm.
AI has become so integrated into website development that ignoring it means falling behind in speed and efficiency. But you need to approach it wisely.
Where AI Truly Helps
AI tools today can:
- Generate copy for your pages (service descriptions, blog posts, FAQs);
- Create prototypes and even full designs (Framer AI, Dora, 10Web);
- Build a site structure tailored to your niche;
- Generate HTML/JavaScript code on command;
- Offer SEO tips, keywords, loading speed suggestions;
- Analyze user behavior (when connected to analytics tools).
If you’re willing to experiment — AI can save you dozens of hours and hundreds of dollars.
But… There Are Important Caveats
AI is not a miracle worker. It doesn’t know your business goals. It doesn’t take responsibility for the result. It lacks critical thinking. It suggests — but doesn’t decide.
AI is not an expert. It’s a tool. And like any tool, it only works as well as the task you give it.
If you feed AI vague, sloppy, or “empty” prompts — you’ll get equally vague, generic, “sciencey” output. It may look good on the surface, but will often be unusable in a real business or even technically incorrect.
What Often Happens in Practice
An entrepreneur asks AI: “Write content for a website that sells windows.”
AI responds with: “We are a company with years of experience offering high-quality windows at affordable prices. We take an individual approach to every client.”
Sound familiar? It’s what EVERYONE writes. And it doesn’t work. Here’s why:
- The text doesn’t reflect a USP (unique selling proposition);
- The tone is generic;
- There’s no structure, call to action, or SEO strategy.
How to Use AI Smartly
Be specific in your prompts. Instead of “write some text,” ask:
“Write a short service description for a window installation page. Tone — professional. Target audience — residents of Chișinău, private homeowners. Emphasize reliability, warranty, and turnaround time.”
Break the work into stages. First — structure. Then — copy. Then — review and edits. Always verify and adapt. Everything AI generates must be adjusted to fit your actual business. AI doesn’t know your customers, testimonials, prices, logistics, or niche specifics.
Conclusion
AI isn’t a replacement for a professional. But it helps speed up the process, generate drafts, and inspire ideas. If you don’t have a budget for a copywriter or designer — start with AI, but don’t publish anything without reviewing it critically.
Ideally: AI gives you a draft — you refine it, or hand it to a specialist for editing.
Conclusion: A Website as a Working Business Tool
I often tell clients: a website is not just a checkbox, not “because everyone has one,” and definitely not a “temporary business card.” It’s your business tool.
It can attract clients, build trust, sell, automate, and save resources.
But it only works when:
- you clearly understand why you need it;
- you don’t chase “free and fast” at all costs;
- you use modern tools — but not blindly;
- and you take a mindful, strategic approach — even on a tight budget.
Here’s What You Should Do Right Now:
- Define your website’s goal. Should it sell, inform, collect leads?
- Make a list of pages. At a minimum: Home, Services, About, Contact.
- Assess what you already have. Texts? Photos? Content? Or just an idea?
- Decide who will build the site. You, AI-assisted, or a contractor?
- Set a budget. Even a basic one — to avoid “unexpected expenses.”
- Don’t fall into the trap of launching “just something for now.” Your first launch is the first impression. You won’t get a second chance.
If you’ve read this far — you’re already ahead of most. You don’t just “want a site” — you want to understand how to do it right. That’s already half the success.
I’ll continue publishing materials to help you:
- choose a domain and zone;
- find reliable hosting;
- learn WordPress;
- and use AI not blindly, but effectively.
If you still have questions — don’t hesitate to ask. It’s better to ask now than to fix someone else’s mistakes later.
Good luck with your launch. And remember: your website isn’t a one-time project. It’s part of your business. And it should work for you.
