How to Make a Restaurant Website: Menus, Opening Hours & More
When you run a restaurant, café, or food truck, your talent is cooking. You can dice, slice, julienne, and whip up a jus with your eyes closed. What might not come quite as naturally is building a website to publicise your business. Fortunately, with the right tools and a little bit of advice, you can design and launch a website in less time than it takes to slow-cook a ragu. Here we explain how. For starters: Find your domain If you’re not familiar with the term ‘domain’, this first step to setting up a website may sound scarier than it is. But don’t worry, it’s quite simple. Essentially, a domain name is a web address. So, 123 Reg’s domain name is 123-reg.co.uk. Yours might become yourbistro.co.uk. You can buy a domain name from good domain name registrar — like 123 Reg. To make a purchase, simply go to the domain names page, enter the name you’d like into the domain search bar, and see if it is available to buy. If it is available, you can buy it then and there. If not, you’ll be given lots of other good options. Bear in mind that it’s important to get your domain name right from the start. While it is possible to change the domain name of your website further down the line, it can lead to some complications and quite a bit of extra effort. Basic tips for choosing a domain name: ✓ Keep it short – ideally, less than 15 characters and one to two words. ✓ Make it easy to type – while a name like scrumptiouswumptiouscupcakes.com sounds cute, it could easily be misspelled or mistyped. ✓ Avoid numbers or hyphens – as people can also mistype or misuse these. ✓ Make sure your chosen name doesn’t infringe on the copyright of another brand – read more about what a domain name is and how to choose the perfect one for you in our step-by-step guide. Did you know: your web address doesn’t have to end in the typical .com (although it’s still a popular option). There are also hundreds of alternative domain name endings out there. These options are particularly relevant to the restaurant industry… .restaurant .cafe .food .menu .pizza .beer .coffee .co.uk and .uk are always a strong choice for British businesses, along with .wales and .scot — or, if you’re based in the capital, you might choose .london. Find a domain name to fit your business. There are over 400 extensions to choose from! Your restaurant website’s main ingredients Leave the sugar out of a Victoria sponge and you’ll have a sub-par cake, the same applies to a restaurant website. Be sure to include these ingredients: ☑︎ 1. A striking home page As the first page your website visitors see, your home page is your chance to make that all-important first impression. Many restaurants choose to have a large photograph or video at the very top of their homepage, overlaid with a few words that sum up the philosophy or ethos of the venue and obvious links to their booking area (these links are called Calls to Action, by the way). Then, when customers scroll down the home page, to the area that’s known as the ‘below the fold’ section, they will often find a more detailed explanation of the eatery’s story or further links. Of course, you can make your homepage look any way you want it to, adding and switching up images, text, and video any way you like. One of the easiest ways to create a homepage is with the 123 Reg Website Builder. When you start building your website, you’ll first get a few simple questions about your business — the type of business you run, its name, and some basic details. This helps set up a site that fits what you do. Once you’ve filled that in, the builder will automatically suggest a design layout for your kind of restaurant. For example, if you run an Italian pizzeria, the template will include space for menus, opening hours, booking info, and plenty of room to show off your dishes. It’s an easy way to get a vibe that feels right for your restaurant without having to create everything from scratch. You can then start to personalise your restaurant site by adding your own food photos, swapping out text, and adjusting colours and fonts to match your style. By the time you’re done, you’ll have a clean, inviting site ready to welcome customers, so you can focus on making great food and running your restaurant! Website Builder plans start from just £5.99 a month, together with a FREE .online web address. ☑︎ 2. Set your opening hours It’s essential to have your opening hours on your website. There are various places you can display them. These include… The footer – this is the area at the very bottom of the homepage where you might also find links to social media sites and contact details. A dedicated opening hours page on your site. Be sure to include holiday hours or seasonal changes in the information you display! ☑︎ 3. Up-to-date menus A survey from YouGov UK found that 36 per cent of diners check menus online before going to a restaurant or pub to eat out. A further 35% of those polled said they ‘sometimes’ check menus. So, it’s important to display your menu, or at least an example menu, on your website. The good news is that website builders allow you to add menu sections to your website in the click of a button. All you need to do is insert the dishes, descriptions, and prices. ☑︎ 4. Contact details and location Your address should appear front and centre on your website. Many restaurant owners place it in the header (the upmost part of the homepage that often includes a logo and the navigation menu). You can also include the details in your footer
I’m a Solopreneur: What Products Do I Need to Get My Business Online?
What does it actually take to get your business online — and how much is that going to cost? If you’re going it alone, these might feel like million-dollar questions. But knowing the basics from the start can save you a lot of time and money. For the solopreneur, there are a few core tools you’ll need to set up a proper online business. What you choose, and how much you budget, really depends on the kind of site you’re building and how hands-on you want to be. Are you happy learning how to make updates yourself, or do you want something that stays simple and code-free? Once you’re clear on your goals and how involved you want to be, it’s much easier to pick the right tools and avoid spending on stuff you don’t need. In this guide, we’ll focus on the simplest essentials to get your business online, what each one does, and how much it typically costs to get started. 1. A great domain name The first thing you’ll need to do is find a great domain name. This is your web address—the thing people type into their browser to find you online. It might seem like a small detail, but choosing the right one can have a huge impact. A good domain makes it easier for customers to remember you, and keep coming back when they need your products or services. Keep it short, easy to spell, and memorable. If you’ve already got ideas (or if you’re looking for inspiration) you can run a quick domain name search to see if it’s available. If your first choice is taken, don’t worry — there are thousands of options. Tweak your original idea, go with a backup, or try a different domain extension. The extension, or the bit after the dot, is called the TLD, or top-level domain. Choosing the right TLD can help shape your brand and show people what kind of business you are. For example, .london might appeal to customers in the capital, while .ltd suggests a business focus. 123 Reg offers .co.uk, .uk, and .com domains starting at only £0.01 (1p!) for the first year. And if you’re buying a 123 Reg product, like a hosting plan or website builder (more on that later), you can even get a .online domain for free. There are loads of alternatives like .info, .biz, .ai, .studio, .life, .florist — you name it! Whatever your industry or shtick, you’re sure to find a good TLD to match. Remember, you can also buy more than one domain to cover your bases. For example, you might grab your main name plus a location-based version or something product-specific. Bundling them together can make it easier for customers to find you and helps protect your brand from competitors snapping up similar names. If you’re looking to choose a good domain name, go to our domain search and run a quick search to see if it’s available. See also: What is a Top-Level Domain (TLD)? and .com vs .co.uk – Which Domain is Best for Your British Business? 2. An easy way to build a great website Before you start building your business website, make sure you’re clear on the type of site you want and how it should look. Do you want a simple site where people can learn about what you do and how you can help? In this case, you’ll likely need a small website with a few key pages such as homepage, about and contact pages, a products or services page, and maybe a blog. If you’re planning to sell products directly from your site, you’ll need an ecommerce website that includes other essential pages such as product pages, online ordering, help, and support. Assuming you don’t have the time, tech skills, or inclination to build a website entirely from scratch, there are three main options when it comes to creating a website in minutes. Website Builder Finding a good website creation tool is the best place to start. These platforms are perfect for those who want a professional-looking website without needing any coding skills or having to learn about web development. With 123 Reg’s Website Builder, you can create a site that looks great and works well without needing a developer. Website builders like this one are ideal if you’re on a budget or don’t have a lot of technical know-how. You can make changes to your site easily, without needing outside help. It’s a quick and affordable way to get your website up and running. Website Builder offers pre-designed templates, so you don’t need to worry about designing your site from scratch. You can pick a template that suits your brand and customise it by adding your own images, text, and even changing the colours and fonts. You can also add extra features like a blog, contact forms, or social media buttons to make your site more interactive. You won’t need to worry about finding hosting or managing complicated behind-the-scenes tasks. The platform handles it all, leaving you with time to focus on what you do. Having a website that’s mobile-friendly isn’t a nice-to-have anymore – it’s a must. Choose a web design tool that does the hard work for you, with responsive design templates that adjust your store’s layout for mobile devices. Website Builder plans start from just £5.99 a month when you choose annual billing. All plans include a free domain, built-in security, email addresses, blogging tools — everything you need to get your site up and running. The entry-level Personal plan gives you 50 pages to work with and tools for sharing content, while the Business plan adds built-in SEO to help more people find you. If you’re after more features, Business Plus includes social media integration and online appointment booking, while the Online Store plan adds full ecommerce tools like stock control, discount codes, flexible payments, and shipping options—from just £13.49/month. You can get everything you need to get started, in
Mobile Matters: Why You Need a Mobile-Friendly Website (and How to Get One)
A mobile-friendly website is one that’s been designed to work just as well on smartphones as it does on desktops. The idea is simple: visitors should have a great experience, wherever they are. More people browse on their phones than ever before. Be it searching for information, shopping, or booking services, smartphones are the go-to device for most of us today. That means any business website needs to be as easy to use on a mobile screen as it is on a desktop—or even more so. What is a mobile-friendly website? More people browse on their phones than ever before. Be it for shopping, searching for information, or paying for services, smartphones are the go-to device for most of us today. That means a website needs to work just as well on a mobile screen as it does on a desktop. One way to do it might be to create separate websites for each device. But this approach is bound to take up more time and resources. And today’s visitors expect a smoother ride. A smarter way is to create a website that knows “where it’s at” and can adapt itself to fit a mobile device. This is achieved using a technique known as responsive design. What’s the difference between being mobile-friendly and mobile-ready? “Mobile-friendly” and “mobile-ready” are often used interchangeably to talk about the same basic idea — and that’s fine. For geeks, there is however a slight technical difference: ☐ A mobile-friendly website is one that can adjust its layout and elements (like buttons and menus) to fit mobile screens. Images resize, text reflows, but the site itself doesn’t change; only the way it appears on different devices does. ☐ A mobile-ready website is an entirely separate site with its own web address or subdomain (think “m.example.com”). This approach has been going out of fashion in recent years because of the added costs and headaches involved in running separate sites. So then, what’s responsive design? The answer is that responsive websites can try to change their layout and elements to fit all different screens — not only mobile, but other devices. In short: all responsive websites should be mobile-friendly, but not all mobile-friendly websites are responsive. Why mobile-friendliness matters Responsive websites adjust their layout on the fly, making them work across a range of devices—not just tablets, but also smartwatches, TVs, and even the whole internet of things. But mobile matters most. Over half of all internet searches now happen on phones. The share is even bigger for online shopping. Google prefers mobile, too, giving higher search rankings to pages optimised for smartphones. So while a smooth mobile experience is important for all website owners, it’s essential if you run an online business. Luckily, there are platforms that take care of everything for you. How do they make websites mobile-friendly? Think about how users browse on phones — limited screen space and often on the go. When a website is mobile-friendly, the aim is to bring a smooth and easy user experience to smartphones, and generally to tablets as well. Content needs to be presented in a way that’s easy for mobile visitors to make sense of. That means readable text, clear and concise info, and easy-to-navigate menus with clear buttons and menus, so users can find what they’re looking for. Fast loading times are important for any website, but even more so on mobile. Images can be compressed and resized, cutting out the waiting times that could cause visitors to bounce. Mobile-friendliness also means putting the most important things, like contact information, special offers, and clear menus, right at the top for quick access. This way, users can find what they need fast and easily. ✔ Font size and readability: Large, clear text for ease of reading on small screens. ✔ Simple layout: No clutter, easy to navigate, simplified menus. ✔ Fast loading: Quick page views for impatient users, with condensed images. ✔ Tap and scroll friendly: For easy interaction with touchscreens. ✔ Big CTAs and CTCs: Extra-prominent ‘Call to Action’ and ‘Click-to-Call’ buttons. Why do I need a mobile-friendly website? 1. Web Browsing and Online Shopping Trends Almost 8 billion people use smartphones worldwide. That’s reflected in web traffic, with over 60% of hits coming on mobile devices. The slice is bigger when it comes to online shopping purchases, and even more so during holidays like Christmas, when consumers tend to use their smartphones for last-minute deals and on-the-go info. In the UK, over 93% of the population uses mobile internet. That’s just over 63 million mobile internet users, according to Statista. With more and more customers doing their browsing and shopping on smartphones, British mobile commerce sales are predicted to surpass £100 billion by 2025. 2. Improved User Experience The internet is increasingly mobile-centric. There’s been a shift in how people consume content, with a preference for bite-sized, easily digestible information. Modern consumers expect a smooth and user-friendly experience when browsing products or services. In fact, 57% of internet users say they wouldn’t recommend an online business with a poorly designed mobile website. Mobile optimisation brings users the experience they need. Speed matters fo all websites, but it’s especially important for on-the-go visitors who might have slower connections. 47% of users today expect a site to load in no more than 2 seconds. 3. Lower Bounce Rates, Higher Conversion Rates Mobile optimisation helps reduce bounce rates and leads to higher conversion rates. Studies suggest online shoppers are 67% more likely to make a purchase from a site optimised for smartphones. If your homepage isn’t easy to use on a phone, they’ll go somewhere else! Mobile-friendliness can give your online business a competitive edge, with potentially up to 40% higher conversion rates than non-optimised sites. Users are more likely to stay on a site that is easy to navigate and provides a positive experience, driving conversions. Mobile-readiness can all help generally for brand perception. It shows that you’re modern, professional, attentive to needs — rather than turning away those
Why Facebook is No Substitute for Having Your Own Website
On 4th October 2021, Facebook went down for six hours. For most people, it was just a brief inconvenience. But if you were a business relying solely on Facebook to connect with customers, it would have been a much bigger problem. Imagine if the outage lasted even longer. How would your business have handled it? When Facebook fails Fast forward to October 2024, and the owners of the Black Bull pub in Donington, Lincolnshire, faced a devastating blow when their Facebook page — home to over 8,500 followers — disappeared without warning. With 80% of their bookings coming through Facebook, they found themselves cut off from their customers, unable to access reservations, or even contact inquiries. While they suspected the deletion was due to copyright issues, without clear answers, they were left in limbo. “It’s like someone has died,” said one of the owners. Just goes to show the real-world consequences of relying too heavily on social media platforms. Facebook has made it incredibly easy and free for businesses to create a presence online, but is it wise to make your business 100% dependent on a single platform? The pros of getting your business on Facebook Credit where it’s due: Facebook remains one of the biggest social media platforms, with over 2.9 billion monthly users worldwide. Engagement may have dipped, but with around 51 million Brits still on FB, it’s a big part of daily life. For businesses, that means a solid chance to reach a broad audience, whatever the latest trends. What sets Facebook apart is how it helps businesses interact with people, not just broadcast messages. It gives potential customers a real sense of a brand, making it easier for them to decide if they want to get involved. It’s also a useful way to track competitors, spot trends, and refine your approach with insights into your audience — what they like, when they’re online, and what they’re saying about your brand. Facebook and Instagram are part of the same system, both owned by Meta. A business sets up a Facebook Page, then manages posts, ads, and messages for both platforms from Meta’s Business Suite. The platform offers strong advertising tools, letting you target people based on their interests. It’s a useful way to connect with customers, update opening times, collect reviews, and more, even if you already have your own website. So, while having your own website is always worth it, setting up a Facebook profile — along with a Google My Business profile to stay visible on Google Maps — can still play a key role. But Facebook shouldn’t be your only tool. A website gives you something far more lasting: a platform where customers can truly get to know your business, engage with your brand, and keep coming back. See also: Local SEO in 10 – How Do I Get My Business Found Online? Why having your own website beats Facebook 1. The freedom to create These days it’s as easy to build your own website, as it is to build a Facebook page. With a tool like 123 Reg Website Builder you can get a site up and running in under an hour. When you have your own website, the design choices are endless. You’re not stuck with Facebook’s layout and templates. Whether you want to add extra features or just create something unique, you have full control over the look and feel of your site. Aside from having the freedom to create exactly what you want, you can integrate with any other site or application on the web. Facebook is a walled garden of pages and applications that will only work with each other. But your website is part of the open, publicly accessible web and therefore able to integrate fully with the full ecosystem of the Internet. This freedom to create exactly what you want is central to building a memorable brand. Your website gives you the opportunity to create an online experience for your visitors, the chance to plant a unique seed in their memory. It starts with your domain name, but that seed grows through the website and later by email. By contrast, from local businesses to global brands, all Facebook pages are essentially very similar. Users can’t recall one above the other, there’s no standout. They fail to create a memorable connection with their visitors. And that’s before we start talking about all the extra functionality that websites can provide. From logged-in customer dashboards, to fully-fledged ecommerce features; Facebook pages don’t touch websites for the variety of things they can do. 2. The freedom to own that creation If you create a Facebook page, you don’t own that creation: Facebook does. Your content — whether it’s your posts, photos, or customer interactions—belongs to Facebook. It’s not a sinister thing, but it does mean you’re always at the mercy of their decisions. What if Facebook suddenly changes the rules or limits your ability to communicate with customers? What if they pull a “Google+” on you? Many businesses poured time and effort into their Google+ profiles, only for the platform to shut down because it didn’t work for Google. On Facebook, it’s like you’re renting a space in someone else’s café. What happens if the café closes, or the menu changes? You’re left with no control over your own space. Owning your website is like owning the café—you’re in charge of how it runs. The risk is just too high. You need to own the café, not rent it from someone else. As Avinash Kaushik puts it: “You don’t own the domain, you don’t own the customer data, you don’t create/own the rules, you can’t influence changes, you don’t have a say in how many characters you can type or how long your video can be or how much creativity you can express. You play by their rules, after all you are just renting.” A website gives businesses the freedom to truly own their online space, to
What is a Website, Anyway?
Imagine being a caveman plucked from prehistoric times and dropped into the modern world. Suddenly, you find yourself surrounded by shiny screens and glowing boxes, with people tapping away on them all day long. “What’s going on here?” you wonder. You soon realise these glowing boxes are the new campfire — a place to connect, learn, share ideas. But this isn’t about mammoth skins or swapping tales of hunting grounds. Everything’s happening online, and without your own space… well, like the only caveman without fire, you’re missing out big time. What is a website? A website is a digital space where people find information, connect with others, shop and learn. It’s a place to share ideas, tell stories or create something engaging. Specifically, a website is accessed through a browser, which is the software or app on your phone, computer or tablet that brings it to life. Websites have revolutionised the way we connect with others. Making it easier than ever to reach people far and wide, they let audiences discover what you’re all about and explore what you have to offer. This is also why they’re brilliant for business — helping you share your work, sell your products, and find success in ways that were once unimaginable. What Types of Website Are There? Lots! Just some of the most common types of websites include: Type of Website What It’s All About Landing Pages Single-page sites made for a campaign or product, designed to turn visitors into leads or customers. E-commerce Websites Where businesses sell their products or services directly online. Business Websites To show off what a company offers and pull in potential customers. Portfolio Websites Perfect for showing off creative work, whether you’re an artist, designer, or in a similar field. Blogs From ‘Web Log’ – spots to share stories, articles, or ideas. Nonprofit Websites All about sharing a cause, providing details, and encouraging donations or involvement. Educational Websites Hubs for learning, offering courses or resources for kids and adults alike. News Websites Places for the latest updates, articles, and coverage on what’s happening in the world. Government Websites Official sites offering services, resources, and information from local councils to national bodies. Social Media Websites Where people connect, share, and interact in the online world. Forum Websites Great for joining discussions, asking questions, or swapping tips in a community setting. Wiki Websites Spaces for collaborating on content—think encyclopaedias or user-driven knowledge hubs. The History of the Internet (in One Minute) In the early days, the internet was an experimental network connecting just a handful of computers. In 1969, ARPANET linked four machines across the US to share information. It wasn’t much at first — just basic messages and data-sharing — but it was the first step towards something special. In 1971, the invention of email allowed messages to be sent across this early network. By the 1970s, TCP/IP protocols were developed, acting like a system of phone numbers that let different networks communicate with each other. In the late 80s, British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee introduced the World Wide Web. In 1989, he developed the concept of Hypertext, URLs, and the first web browser (also called WorldWideWeb). Berners-Lee also invented HTML, a coding language — or rather, a “markup” language — that gave pages structure and made it easier to create this new fangled “web” content. The Domain Name System (DNS) was developed to link easy-to-remember domain names (like www.123-reg.co.uk) to phone number-like IP Addresses that computers use to identify each other online. See also: What is DNS – How Websites Get Found Online The first website went live in 1991 at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research), created to share information about the World Wide Web project. However, it wasn’t until 1994, with the release of the more user-friendly Netscape Navigator, that browsing began to go mainstream. Microsoft’s Internet Explorer came to dominate in the late-90s. Top-Level Domain “extensions” (TLDs) like .com and .co.uk were among the first to be introduced, sparking the domain name boom and shaping the internet’s commercial landscape. New and niche generic domain endings (gTLDs) were released to keep up with demand. Behind the scenes, various organisations emerged to manage the internet’s infrastructure. In 1998, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) was founded to oversee domain names and IP addresses worldwide. The Dot-Com Boom of the 90s was the internet’s big bang, with businesses rushing to establish an online presence and investors throwing money at nearly every startup with a “dot com” in its name. When the boom became a bubble in 2000, many companies faced collapse, but the dust eventually settled, paving the way for the internet we know today. Ecommerce revolutionised shopping forever. Search Engines changed the way we access information — with Google surpassing Yahoo! in the early 2000s, and remaining the world’s most popular search provider ever since. Over the next decade, Broadband brought faster speeds. Smartphones arrived and 3G Networks enabled faster mobile internet, making it possible to stay connected on the go. By 2012, mobile devices accounted for around 10% of internet traffic. Today, smartphones and tablets account for over 60%. Online Banking allowed people to manage their money from the comfort of their sofa. Illegal file sharing upended the music, film, and publishing industries. Cloud Computing transformed how we store and access data. Social Media Platforms, Dating Websites, and countless other services became part of daily life. Privacy and Safety Concerns grew. Then came the explosion of Apps, the rise of Social Media Influencers, and, how could we forget, internet Memes. Online Shopping went from strength to strength. Google acquired YouTube. Bitcoin went mainstream. TikTok overtook FaceBook. Musk bought Twitter. And, with AI on the verge of shaking the whole thing up again, here we are… See also: .com vs .co.uk – Which Domain is Best for Your British Business? How Do Websites Work? Websites are made up of files stored on servers that can be viewed
Wed Sites: How to Make a Website For Your Wedding
Planning the perfect wedding is bound take up a lot of time and energy — though, no more so than when finding the perfect partner! Your wed site is much more than a digital invitation: it’s a smart way to make sure it all goes to plan. This is your chance to immerse guests in all the buzz and excitement ahead of the event. And when the big day arrives, everyone will appreciate having all the event info right at their fingertips. Gone are the days of sending out carrier pigeons to announce your nuptials. Paper invitations hold a timeless charm, but they can only convey so much information. Creating a wedding website is a fantastic way to provide your guests with all the details they need in one easy-to-access place. Your website can be a space dedicated to your love story, captivating visitors with the journey that brought you to this moment. Plus, all the practical stuff — like maps to the venue, and even recieve those RSVPs online. By including a QR code on the invitation, guests will be able to access your website with just a quick scan of their phone. Blending something old and something new, those tangible invitations still make wonderful mementos. Going digital also gives you a way to communicate up-to-the-minute updates (“We’re moving the ceremony indoors!”, etc). After the “I dos” the website becomes a virtual guestbook, where friends and family place messages and photographs. Your domain name is forever yours (if you like), so your wedding website has the potential to stay a lasting reminder of your time together — there to update with anniversaries and other special moments as the years go by. Step 1: Start with a domain Choosing a good domain name can be an exciting step in the planning. There’s lots of options available, so you’re sure to find one that reflects your personality and the theme of the event. Many couples opt for a wedding domain based around first or family names. This adds a personal touch and helps guests easily remember and access your website. If your names are long or hard to spell, nicknames might be a fun solution. Thankfully, these sorts of name combos are often cheap and available, even with the popular “.com”, “.uk” or “co.uk” endings. And yes — you can even choose a “.wedding” domain name, if you so wish! If you can’t find what you’re looking for, there are hundreds of alternative domain name extensions to choose from, from “.love” to “.vip”. You might even find a location-specific option that’s right for the venue location, like “.london” or “.scot”. Recipes for romance: ♥ [name]and[name]Example: elizabethandjames ♥ [name]and[name][year] Example: rachelandmike2024 ♥ [name]together[name] Example: noeltogetherliam ♥ [name]always[name] Example: sophiealwaysdaniel ♥ [name][name]wedding] Example: thomasvanessawedding ♥ The[lastname]s Example: thesmiths Do’s and don’ts when choosing a wedding domain: Before getting your heart set on a domain, do make sure it’s not already taken. You can use hyphens (a “double barrel”, if you prefer…) but don’t use special characters. Do make it short and memorable. If you’re linking your wedding website with a QR code on paper invitations, though, the length may be a little less important. Don’t put the full six or eight digit date in the domain. Even if you’re confident about it, using too many numbers can make web addresses confusing. Finally, do connect your wedding website to a QR code for guests! Once you’ve got your URL, head to a free QR code generator, like QRCode Tiger or QRStuff. Paste your link and create a scannable code that you can download and include on your invitations and save-the-dates. Step 2: Choose the perfect wedding template Your wedding website is a reflection of you as a couple, setting the tone for the day. With an elegant design, you’re certain to leave a lasting impression on your guests. Of course, you’ll want to start with the basics: date, start time, venue. And the happy couple. 123 Reg’s Website Builder makes life easy with an intuitive interface and dozens of pre-built templates at your disposal. Personalise your site with your own photos, videos, and colour scheme, to add that special touch. If your wedding has a particular visual theme, you can create a website with colours and shades to match, whether it’s a beach celebration, or chic city soirée, or a rustic barn bash. Think of it as setting the stage. You may even like to place a live countdown for the big event. A mobile-ready (“responsive”) website is essential — even more so when it comes to big events like weddings. Most guests will be accessing the website on their smartphones and, as the big event approaches, they’ll appreciate having all the info there. With Website Builder, your wed site is certain to look good on mobile, tablet, or desktop. Step 3: Tell your love story Start things off with a warm and elegant or witty welcome message that gets guests excited to celebrate with you. You might like to share a story about your first encounter. Was it love at first sight? A chance meeting at a coffee shop? Paint a vivid picture of the moment you said “yes” and the joy and excitement that followed. Highlight key milestones and ambitions for the future. A digital toast! Now might also be a good time to introduce the wedding party with a few photos and personal details — their names, roles, and how they’re connected to you. You’ll want to let guests know who’s standing by your side on the day. Perhaps you haven’t had a chance to gather all of your photos and videos yet? Website Builder offers a rich selection of free images to complement wedding themes and styles. You can create stunning visuals even before you have personal content to share. Step 4: Add the key details You’ve shared the date and roundabout location for the event, but now
Portfolio Websites for Creatives
Online portfolios are more than just a trendy way to grab attention. For a growing number of professionals, they’re a must-have for success. It’s your platform to tell your story, describe your motivations and show off your talents — connecting you with a potentially huge global audience. Good news, then, that it’s so easy to create a stunning portfolio with tools like Website Builder. The hard work of getting online is done for you. And that means you have more time to focus on the great work you’re already doing. Gone are the days when creative individuals would lug around cumbersome portfolios, briefcase in the one hand, Filofax in the other. Having an online portfolio allows people from all over the world to learn all about you, opening the doors to new opportunities and collaborations. Artists and artisans, writers and designers, photographers and architects — such roles have always had a need. But in the digital age, multimedia websites cast the net wider for professionals showcasing online portfolios. ❝Multimedia websites cast the net wider for professionals showcasing online portfolios.❞ Thousands of gigabytes of images, days of music and video, entire libraries of ebooks, interactive presentations, and every other sort of downloadable — putting it online means you can show what you’ve got in all sorts of ways. Social media channels tend to be restricted when it comes to what you can and can’t share. A professional portfolio website shows how serious you are about your work and gives you full control over your brand identity. Videographers and animators can showcase visual storytelling. Podcasters, musicians, and voice-over artists can play audio of their performances. Game designers offer demos, software designers can share code snippets and apps. The Essentials of a Portfolio Website Your domain A well-crafted online portfolio will always feature a few essential elements. The first step is getting your own domain name. True, there are ways of getting your portfolio out there without your own web address. But having a domain name all of your own lends unmatched professionalism and credibility. Plus, it can make it easier for potential clients or employers to find you. 123 Reg is a domain registrar that offers hundreds of extensions, from the traditional “dot coms” to more inventive and original choices. With over 400 extensions to choose from, it’s easy to find a memorable name with a suffix to suit your portfolio. You’ll find thousands of the UK’s cheapest domains — and you might just be surprised to see how affordable a great domain name can be. Explore domains to find the perfect online address for your portfolio Your Homepage Your homepage needs to show visitors who you are and what you do. Within industries saturated with talent, a distinctive homepage will set you apart. A strong start, with clear images or a short video, can grab attention. Keep your message simple so visitors get your expertise right away. A one-page homepage portfolio can be a great choice for freelancers, solopreneurs, and side hustlers who want a more focused impact. Visitors can learn most of what they need to know at a glance if it’s done in a smart way. Less is more. But for others, just the one page won’t do the trick. Depending on your field, you may prefer separate sections to show off a wider range of projects, offering a full sense of expertise. About You Introduce who you are and your background. Give a glimpse of what inspires and motivates you — why you’re passionate about what you do. While a personal touch can make all the difference, it’s usually not the best idea to place a lengthy bio right there on your homepage. Consider a link to a dedicated page. Your Showcase The heart of your portfolio website. This is where you’ll display your best work for the world to see. How you do so depends on the type of work you do, but you’ll want to convey a sense of your work immediately. Choose a digest of those works that represent you best. Remember to keep it visually engaging and easy to navigate. If you’re going for a multi-page portfolio site, make sure it’s easy for visitors to find and explore everything fast. The showcase is the most important part of your portfolio site, so we’ll cover more on this as we move on. Contact Info Make it easy for potential clients or employers to reach out to you. If you’d rather not put your personal email address out there on public display with everything else in your portfolio, one option is to use an on-page contact form. Another would be to get your own custom email address (@ your-portfolio-website.com) for an added dash of professionalism. Learn more about getting a custom professional email address Beyond the essentials, there are a number of different elements you can incorporate into a portfolio to give it that added edge. These can boost your ability to engage with visitors and convince potential clients or employers of your skill and expertise. For instance: ✓ Testimonials and Reviews Adding testimonials or reviews boosts your portfolio’s credibility, providing social proof of your skills and professionalism. These endorsements help build trust with potential clients or employers. ✓ Case Studies Case studies delve deep into your projects, detailing goals, your role, and how you achieved success. This analysis showcases your problem-solving abilities and highlights your contributions to project outcomes. ✓ Your Blog A blog alongside your portfolio website lets you share insights, updates, and industry news. Dynamic content like this keeps your site fresh so that you’re showcasing your expertise and thought leadership, as well as your work. ✓ Your CV A CV/résumé will certainly give visitors a better overview of your professional and educational background. While employers and head-hunters might like to see it, you may not want to put this out there for the public to see, for obvious reasons. If you choose to, be
10 Reasons to Use a Website Builder to Build Your Website
When it comes to launching a website, there are a few routes you can take. You could hire a professional designer. You could use a content management system (CMS) like WordPress. If you’re really brave, you might even want to go it alone and build your own website from code. Alternatively, you could harness the power of an intuitive website builder. In this article, we’ll zoom in on the website builder option to offer ten reasons why it might be the right choice for you. 1 ➤ No technical knowledge necessary Website builders like 123 Reg’s Website Builder are designed for complete novices. You don’t need to be familiar with code or computer programming language to use one. Using the user-friendly interface, you piece your site together step by step like a really easy jigsaw puzzle. You can choose a template, tweak the layout, add images, populate your site with content and more, without any tech training. 2 ➤ It’s incredibly affordable If you’re on a tight budget, like many start-up entrepreneurs, there’s a good chance you won’t be able to afford to hire a professional web designer. Website builder plans start at less than £6 a month. 3 ➤ You can set up a website in a couple of hours Website builders make it so simple to design a website that you can get one live in a matter of hours. Ecommerce stores will take a little longer, as you’ll have to add all your products to your site, but it’s possible to get a professional-looking homepage, about us page, portfolio and blog up and running in a couple of hours. 4 ➤ You don’t need to be an artist or have design skills The first stage of launching a website with 123 Reg’s Website Builder is choosing a template for your website. There are dozens of templates to choose one, each one designed with a specific industry or set of industries in mind. Setting up a restaurant or catering business? There are templates for that. Starting a beauty brand? There are templates for that, too. Each one has been designed by a professional with an eye for what looks good online. 5 ➤ Get optimised for search engines In order to show up at a decent place in the search engine results pages, websites need to be ‘optimised’. We call this practice ‘search engine optimisation’. SEO as it’s usually referred to, is a complex subject. SEO professionals train for months, sometimes years. Fortunately, 123 Reg’s Business, Business Plus and Online Store Website Builder plans come with an SEO tool. This tool will help you add ‘keywords’ to your site that are personalised to your business. If you’ve never heard of keywords before, they’re like little sirens that shout out to Google to tell it that your site relates to a specific topic or search query. Once Google realises your site fits a certain search category, it will start displaying your website in the search engine results pages. Of course, it’s much more complicated than this, but all you really need to know is that the SEO tools in a website builder will help people find your site. 6 ➤ Become an authority with your own blog Blogging is a great marketing tool. It can help you drive traffic to your website, it can help you build bonds with customers, and it can help you stand out as an expert in your field, to name a few of its benefits. 123 Reg’s Website Builder allows you to add a beautifully designed blog to your website and make that blog accessible from your homepage navigation bar. The blogging tool lets you effortlessly add words to each blog entry, add a header image, add images to the body copy, and play around with layout by tweaking heading and subheading styles, fonts and more. 7 ➤ You get a domain name included on yearly and long-term plans You can’t launch a website without a domain name aka a web address. It’s how visitors find and access your site. However, domain names can be costly – one of the most expensive in the world sold for more than $872 million. With 123 Reg you get a domain name for free when you sign up for a yearly or longer term plan. Of course, we’re not giving away million-pound domains here, but you can choose from thousands of non-premium options to find a web address that best suits your business, such as yourbusinessname.co.uk for example. 8 ➤ You get an email included It’s important for businesses of all sizes to have a professional email address. It makes you look genuine, credible and trustworthy. A professional email address is one that mirrors your domain name and therefore your business’s name like yourname@yourbusiness.co.uk or info@yourbusinessname.co.uk. These professional email addresses stand in stark contrast to addresses like yourbusinessname@yahoo.com and so on. 9 ➤ Your website will be mobile friendly Statistics suggest that more than 55% of website traffic now comes from mobile phone users. So, it’s important that your website is mobile-friendly – this means that it’s easy to view on a mobile phone screen. For example, words don’t disappear off the edge of the screen and images don’t hop around when viewed. All of the templates available through 123 Reg’s Website Builder are mobile-friendly, meaning your website will look as good when viewed on a mobile as it will when viewed on a desktop or tablet. 10 ➤ You can develop an omnichannel experience Consumers are increasingly omnichannel, meaning they consume their information, do their research, and buy their products from a range of sources – from bricks and mortar stores to websites to social media pages. 123 Reg’s Website Builder allows you to effortlessly add social media buttons to your website, so your visitors can hop between mediums as they like. Want to find out more? Discover the full list of Website Builder inclusions and the range of tiers available on our product pages.