Do this next
Walkthrough: domain name to first published page
A Saturday sequence: pick a name, buy the domain, start a builder, publish one useful page, turn on HTTPS, and create you@yourdomain.com.
By Gary Thomas · Updated August 25, 2026 · 14 min read
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This is a Saturday sequence. It assumes you are an owner-operator, not a developer, and that you want a builder — here, GoDaddy (affiliate link to GoDaddy, placeholder URL) as the all-in-one default. If you already chose Squarespace or Wix, the same order applies: name, domain, template, page, HTTPS, mail, Google.
Total focused time: often three to six hours including second-guessing the name. Photos and copy you already have on your phone will dominate the clock, not the software.
1. Pick a name you can say on the phone
Write the name out loud. If you have to say “that’s lima, not lima-with-a-y,” pick again. Prefer the trade + city or a short distinctive word. Check the exact string in a domain search and in Google. If a similarly named company already owns the local search, do not try to out-clever them with a hyphen.
2. Search and buy the domain in your name
Use the registrar search, buy the .com if it is clean, and skip the bundle of extra extensions unless you have a reason. Turn on auto-renew. Turn on two-factor authentication. Put the account recovery email on a personal inbox you already control, not on the domain you just bought (you do not have mail there yet).
3. Start the website builder, not a blank WordPress
Choose the builder plan, not a hosting plan. Pick a simple service or portfolio template. Resist anything with sliders, countdown timers, or fake testimonials. You will replace almost all of the placeholder copy.
4. Write the first page like a confirmation document
Headline: who you are and where you work
Three to seven services you actually take
Tap-to-call phone number
Hours and after-hours rule
One real photo
License / insurance line if relevant
A single next step: call, or a short form
Publish. A second “Services” page can wait an hour. Do not wait a week for a blog.
5. Confirm HTTPS and the public URL
Open the site on a phone that is not on your shop Wi-Fi. You want https:// and the domain you will print. If the builder gives you a temporary subdomain, connect the real domain in the dashboard (it is usually a toggle plus a wait for DNS). Bookmark the canonical URL.
6. Create you@yourdomain.com before you advertise it
Add one Microsoft 365 (or Google Workspace) seat. Send a test from a friend. Log in on the phone. Then put the address on the site. Details: professional email.
7. Match Google Business Profile
Claim or edit the listing so the name, phone, hours, and website field match. Google Business Profile. This is not optional in local services. The website and the profile are one shopfront in two places.
8. Only then, print
Cards, invoices, and the van magnet can take the new URL. If you need paper and a printer, use the office kit — after the URL works, not before.
If you get stuck
- Domain not connecting: wait an hour, then check you picked the domain that is in this account.
- Mail not arriving: MX records. If both domain and mail are at GoDaddy, use their “set up” wizard rather than inventing records.
- Site looks like a template: replace the hero image and the phone number first. Those two changes do most of the work.
You are done with month one when a stranger can find the page, believe it is you, and reach you. Everything else is month two.
Start at GoDaddy (affiliate link to GoDaddy, placeholder URL)