In early 2016, when I decided to launch Journey of an Architect, I still remember the excitement I felt to share my work and learn something new with others. It was the summer of 2016, and I had just completed all my exams to become a licensed architect. Now it was time to embark on a new journey. After much brainstorming, I set out to design 30 hypothetical projects before I turned 30, so that I could gain a unique perspective and approach on architecture and design. The purpose of the Journey Of An Architect is to achieve this.

Since I began my Blog, I have designed 12 projects. I still have 18 to design before May 2020. I have met other bloggers and discussed my ideas and design process with architects. It’s wonderful to be part of a community of people who share my passion for architecture and support me in the same way I support them.

The first few months I spent learning how to set up a website, create the interface, optimise the images, and set up my email were among the hardest things I’ve had to do on my own. The excitement I felt at the beginning of Journey of an Architect soon turned into anxiety and then regret.

After a year and a quarter, I spend less time figuring out what to do on my website. I instead focus on my 30×30 project and share my thoughts on the practice of architecture. All of the problems I had at the start of my Blog are part of the learning process that new bloggers and website creators go through.

This post is for anyone who’s thinking about starting a blog or website. I will go over the main things you should consider and how to build your website, from creating an account on a website-hosting platform to choosing a WordPress template and tips to manage your website. Knowing what I know now, this is what I would do if I had to start this website again.

1. Start with a purpose

Take the time to think about your website’s purpose before you launch it. This will help your website to be more focused and clear. When I first started Journey of an Architect, I had many ideas I wanted to explore and share. If it doesn’t align with my 30×30 project or the professional practice, I don’t usually share it on the Blog.

Here are some questions to help you think about the purpose of your site. Are you building a professional site for your business, or are you just starting? Your website will be straightforward if you’re following your mission statement.

Are you planning to start a personal weblog? What will be the focus of your Blog? What is something you are passionate about? Do you have a routine and can talk for hours about it? Start there, because you will have so much material to create and share. You’ll also have the motivation to keep managing your Blog for at least a year, and ideally a decade. The biggest piece of advice I can give is never to create a site that you are not passionate about.

2. Compose and develop content

After you have identified the purpose of your site, you can begin to collect any images, videos or writings that you may already possess and save them in a central place on your computer. Do not worry if your website lacks any content. Take some time to brainstorm ideas for the primary pages of your website and initial blog posts. You can begin developing content today.

Create content for your site before paying for the domain and hosting. You might either love the direction your Blog and website are taking or need to reconsider your website’s purpose. Don’t despair if it is the latter. You haven’t failed. You will eventually find a topic for which you can create an endless amount of content.

When you have compiled all the content you need for your website into a folder on your computer, you should organise and sort it so you can easily keep track of everything. Remember that running a blog or website will result in a lot of images and Word documents. You’ll run your website more efficiently if you organise your content sooner.

3. You can find a good website host by searching online

You’ll first need to locate a website hosting company. This is a group of servers which stores your website content and makes it available online during the term of your plan. Most website hosts allow you to buy a domain, which is your website’s name as it appears on any browser. Finding a good website host is crucial because they will be responsible for keeping your site online and providing you with the tools to make it a success.

Bluehost is my personal website host. I love their customer service and pricing options. Bluehost is great because they make the process of building a website very simple. They guide you through the steps, help you install WordPress and then get you to the point where you can launch your website.

You can skip to the next section if you are interested in Bluehost as a website host.

4. Understanding your web host’s plans

Be sure to carefully review the pricing and features of each website host when you start your research. Basic plans often include the ability to host one website, limited space, subdomains and email accounts. The quantity restrictions disappear as you increase the plan price. You also get more protection for your site.

The Bluehost Plus plan was the best choice for Journey of an Architect. It offers unlimited websites, email addresses, space, domains and storage. It was important to me that I had multiple email addresses ending with my domain (e.g. tim@journeyofanarchitect.com).

When you buy a plan from a web host, you will probably have the option to pay in full at once for a whole year or longer rather than month-to-month. Bluehost offered me a three-year option, and I paid for it in full.

5. List possible names and see if they are available

It’s now time to choose a name for your Blog or website! Your domain name (www. Your domain name (www. My advice is to choose a name for your Blog or website that’s easy to pronounce and remember. Avoid using numbers, as people may not know whether to type in the number or write it out. “1” or simply “one”.

Remember that the name you choose for your website must be available. When you are deciding on a domain name, use Bluehost’s Domain Checker to see if it is available. If a domain that you want to use already exists, Bluehost’s domain checker can provide you with a list of similar available domain names.

6. Register for a domain and create an account

Once you have found an available domain name, proceed with the rest of the process to create an account and pay. You’ll be able to choose how many years of service you wish to pay upfront, as well as any add-ons you would like for your site, such as security and backup options. If you can, add domain privacy to your package. This will stop website builders and marketers from accessing your data to send you information.

7. Creator that works for you

After signing up with a web host, you can now use your domain and begin building a site! What’s the first step? What a good question.

You’ll then be taken to a theme page, where you can choose a template already created for your Blog or website. Bluehost can seamlessly install one of the largest platforms for building websites, WordPress, on your website within minutes. WordPress has hundreds of thousands of themes to choose from.

When you look at the templates available, look for those that best showcase your content. Photographers will want a template with a variety of images, different sizes, and full-screen images. Architects presenting their work may want to use a combination of images and text to explain their work briefly. Writers might be more interested in themes with fewer pictures and more text.

Other platforms like Squarespace or Wix can be used to create websites. However, these platforms come at an extra cost. These website creators are easy to use because they have all their features laid out intuitively in a plug-and-play way. It’s best to compare a website builder like Squarespace with WordPress by comparing it to Apple’s iPhone. While the iPhone is intuitive, it does take away some of your control. The Android has a steep learning curve and gives you full control.

8. Make it personal

Start setting up your website’s primary pages on the platform you have chosen. If you are using WordPress, use the page tab to add your content. Squarespace allows you to either start with a template or drag and drop images or text anywhere you want them on your site.

You should set up your site so you can display your content as effectively as possible. Your front page should give your audience a quick overview of your Blog or website. You should use links to direct your audience to another page or blog post.

9. Launch

You’re now ready to launch your site! You can go live with your site on all website-building platforms. Open your website up to the world by finding this option. Congratulations!

10. Follow these simple tips

First, I recommend creating templates and a system for writing, editing and finalising content. You’ll save time if you use a template to create blog posts or a method for editing images and videos. Search for the term Search Engine Optimisation and ensure that your blog posts and pages are precise and engaging. Reduce your image file size to make your website pages and posts load faster. This can be done using Adobe Photoshop or by using a free service such as