Trying to make a website from Nepal is not very different from navigating your way in the middle of a storm.
When I first set off to create a blog for myself, I nearly cooked my brain up doing the research. A site would promise to make me build a website for free and leave me confused in the middle.
First of all, creating a website isn’t that hard. However, understanding a new thing is a challenge for beginners in all aspects of life.
You might break your site and change it in unalterable ways if you try to tweak everything on your own without proper knowledge.
In this detailed blog post, I take you through the nooks and crannies of getting a website established.
This is the most complete and comprehensive guide you will find on the internet to make a website in Nepal.
You can skip some sections if they are too trivial for you.
Why was this complete guide to making a website in Nepal needed?
I was in the same phase that you are right now about two years ago. I started from scratch and had no mentor to guide me through the process.
Moreover, most guides to making a website require us to pay by an international master card, Paypal, or Payoneer. Sadly, not many have access to these modes of payment in Nepal.
This created an added layer of difficulty for us fellas in Nepal.
From that point to today, everything I have learned comes from the internet itself.
Let me tell you this: I created this website in an hour.
Yes, in an hour! The entire process from choosing a domain name to editing my first blog post took less than an hour for me.
And the good thing is, I did not use any international payment method. Heck, I don’t even have a bank account at the time of writing!
Thus, now that I have figured it out, I want to summarize the process in an easy-to-read, digestible article so you don’t have to go through the same brain-wracking phase of researching as I did.
Reasons to start a blog or a website
You have your own reason to create a brand new site. But here are the most common reasons people want to make a website of their own:
Blogging is a profitable hobby
Blogging can earn you real, cold, hard cash.
In today’s world, having 1,000 followers is worth more than having Rs. 1,000. Whether it is on TikTok, Insta, or a blog is not a question.
The very fact that you have made people turn their heads toward you means that your content is monetizable.
You can put Google ads, and affiliate links, or simply charge a fee to let people publish an article on your site.
Why would people pay me to write for my site?
As your blog grows, people will want to use your site to promote themselves and their brand. This is called guest blogging.
Getting your words out there is good for the soul
You may not necessarily have a monetary interest to start a website. Earning money may not be your top priority.
On the first site I ever created, I shared short stories, poetry, and other stuff about science. It was sort of a high-school magazine.
A few of my friends also joined. We did everything only for the fun of it. Our writing skills greatly improved and the entire process was so aesthetic.
Also, for the first time, I learned to lead a team.
Moreover, getting to say that I own a blog is cool in Nepal, although it is common in other countries.
If you are a business, you should be where your customers are.
While a lot of Googlers use it as an information tool, a huge majority also use it with buying intent.
For example, when I couldn’t control my urge to buy a Cajon, the first thing I did was hit a search on Google.
And yes, I did buy one from Daraz.
Unlike other Cajon manufacturers, the seller from whom I bought got one more customer (and likely many more) because they had a presence on the internet.
People in Nepal search for gadgets, clothes, accessories, and all sorts of stuff. Find a way to promote your products while also being of value.
Most businesses forget the latter part and thus get lost in a sea of other similar websites.
Check out the last part of this article for tips on SEO and ranking better on Google search.
How to create a website in Nepal for free? Is it even possible?
Absolutely!
The first site I created was hosted on Blogger.com, which is a free platform owned by the search engine Google itself. In Nepal, you can have a .com.np domain of your name for free.
For instance, if your name is Ram Tiwari, register.com.np lets you have the domain ramtiwari.com.np for free.
However, I now regret trying to get everything for free when I started. If creating a website is only your hobby, go on and make a blog or a site for free. It can be done from Nepal without paying a single rupee.
But if you are serious about it, understand that there is no such thing as free lunch. Everything has its catch, and establishing a site for free has its own disadvantages.
You cannot scale your free site since it lacks many important features. Moreover, getting your site ranked in Google search is a heck lot of a job from this path.
My simple answer: You can create a free website from Nepal but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should.
Meanwhile, I created this very standard-looking site for only Rs. 1,700/- in under an hour. Thus, is it really that hard?
What it takes to build a website from scratch
These are the things you will need to get your first website up and running:
i) A domain name (For example nepalearn.com, websitebuilderexpert.com, etc.)
ii) A hosting platform like Nest Nepal, AGM Web Host, Ehosting Server, etc.
iii) A Content Management System like WordPress and Blogger
iv) An SSL Certificate
The Entire Process Explained in Detail
Choose and Buy a Domain
A domain name is simply the identity of your website.
It is what readers and search engines will know your site as.
This thing is logical: if your domain name is memorable, people who have visited your site will remember it the next time they want similar content. Thus, they are more likely to google your site to consume your content.
On the other hand, if your domain name is long, confusing, and difficult to read, readers might not remember it.
For example, you would surely forget about my website nepalearn.com if I had named it uncooldudeme197.com.
However, choosing a domain isn’t only limited to this. A domain URL (https://nepalearn.com) is read by search engines to know what the site is about.
For example, if your site’s name is stockinvesting.com, what will Google bots think about your site?
They will think that your site is about investing, of course.
Hence, you should try to incorporate the topic of your website in the domain itself if possible.
Also, what is the difference between .com and .com.np domains?
For now, all you need to know is this:
A .com domain is good if you want to target an international audience. However, if the Nepalese audience is your main focus, a .com.np domain will help in ranking higher because Google prioritizes location-specific content for its searchers.
.com.np is simply (dot) com (dot) Nepal.
Here are some of the tips to choose a domain name:
- Make it easy to remember.
- It is preferable to make a domain name from 7 to 13 characters long.
- Include the target keyword in your domain if possible.
I bought this domain nepalearn.com from my hosting provider itself for a year. It only cost me Rs. 1,000. (I paid the rest Rs. 700 of my Rs. 1,700 budget for hosting.)
New Update on October 18, 2021: My site, nepalearn.com, generated a lot of traffic in the last few months. It exceeded the monthly 10 GB bandwidth limit. I then had to migrate from the Basic (cheaper) hosting package to Deluxe (slightly more expensive) hosting package. If you are trying to make a website for your business, you may directly subscribe to better (expensive) packages, just so you can avoid potential website crashes down the journey. However, if you are looking to make a one-person blog, I totally advise you to start with a Basic hosting package, just to test the water out there and see if the niche (website topic) you chose is the one you can stick to. You don’t know how many domains I bought across multiple niches that didn’t make it.
Click here to see if the domain you like is available for purchase.
Buy Hosting Service
A web host enables you to post your website on the internet.
In simpler words, a web host is where all your web pages and blog posts are stored.
If you purchase hosting, you are basically claiming a small space for yourself on the World Wide Web.
I bought my domain and hosting from ehostingserver.com. They have one of the cheapest hosting rates in Nepal.
There is no specific reason why I chose this hosting provider. I wanted to create my site and their portal looked responsive. And they also accepted payment via eSewa. Bingo!
However, you don’t have to take my route.
There are numerous credible hosting providers to choose from in Nepal. I have researched and shortlisted the best hosting providers in Nepal in this article.
I also have a guide if you want hosting customized specially for WordPress users.
New Update on October 18, 2021: I love the responsiveness of the hosting provider. As I already mentioned, I had to upgrade my hosting package, and the entire process went effortlessly, smoothly like a breeze. They are also very quick to receive phone calls. I am not being paid for saying this. Honest.
I took the cheaper plan and my site is doing well. That’s all I know.
Choose a Content Management Service (Free after you buy hosting.)
Okay, so now you have given a sweet name to your website and also given it a room to live in (hosting).
What you need now is a way to add valuable stuff to your room.
Yes, it is time to write articles on your website and get your creative juices flowing.
There are many CMS providers. A few of them are Blogger, WordPress, Joomla, and Wix (remember the annoying Youtube ads?)
Blogger
Blogger is owned by Google and it is completely free.
I started with Blogger in my early days of blogging which was about 1,000 years ago.
Although I had to edit the HTML while making changes, it was an overall good experience. The process was stressful but I enjoyed it since I was in the hype of excitement.
But as I wanted more and more, I realized that Blogger couldn’t satisfy my needs. This is when I made the big jump to WordPress.
Meanwhile, people say that Blogger has an easier dashboard than WordPress, and hence is appropriate for beginners. However, I personally did not find WordPress that hard either.
Instead, I found out that the plugin feature actually makes WordPress a lot easier than Blogger. (Described later.)
WordPress.org
I wrote this very article on WordPress.
To me, WordPress is love.
The first time I came into this platform, I was like, “Shit, why didn’t I use this from the start?”
Anyways, I especially love the plugin feature as I said above. Basically, if you need a new feature, you download a new plugin, very similar to downloading apps on a smartphone.
For example, if you want a contact form or need to do SEO (Search Engine Optimization), you can download plugins for each.
A word of caution, though: Hackers can channel spyware to your site via plugins. Be careful to only install trustable, reputed plugins.
Also, there are two WordPress: WordPress.org and WordPress.com. The one that I am talking about (and the one that is better) is WordPress.org.
Wix
I don’t have any experience with Wix. Thus, I am only a Google search away smarter than you.
The fact that people are comparing WordPress and Wix means that it certainly is equally promising if not more.
Nevertheless, I have heard that Wix is a better option if you are thinking of starting an eCommerce website.
However, WordPress is still the most popular CMS to date. For bloggers, WordPress has a lot of benefits over Wix.
When it comes to SEO, WordPress and Wix are at a tie.
How to get a CMS for me?
Once you buy hosting from a hosting provider, they will give you cPanel access.
And in the dashboard, there is a readymade button to get your site on WordPress. It is only a click away. Very easy.
Get an SSL Certificate to secure your Website
To be honest, I knew nothing about SSL other than the fact that it was necessary for SEO.
Which is okay. You can drive a car without necessarily knowing how to fix the carburetor.
Google punishes websites that don’t have an SSL certificate installed.
If you add an SSL certificate, your site’s URL changes from http:// to https://.
Https is simply “HTTP secured.”
Having an SSL certificate ensures that the data can be transferred only to the intended parties. Hackers cannot decode the content or interfere in between.
For me, my hosting provider gave me a free SSL certificate at the same price. How generous of them!
What to do after I’ve made a brand-new website?
First of all, congratulations. A good start is a job half done.
But sadly, many websites that put content never see the light of the first page on Google.
Owners of such websites think that for some mysterious reason, Google is punishing their sites and never ranking them on the first page of search results.
This is where Search Engine Optimization (SEO) comes in.
Ranking on the first page means more visitors and profit. This is why everybody is fretting about SEO.
Moreover, you should realize that SEO is not a hack or a set of quick tips to boost your site’s ranking. It is rather a method to provide maximum value to the readers so that Google finds your site worthwhile to reward it.
Here are a few basic ways to do SEO for your website:
Basic Tips for Search Engine Optimization
- In the year 2023, Google will aggressively focus on topical authority. Instead of focusing on creating content from all industries and fields, focus on creating a credible voice in a narrow niche. This may involve writing multiple blogs and articles on niche-specific, semantically related topics.
- Produce detailed and helpful content.
- Link to authority sites for reference.
- Make sure your website speed, functionality, and responsiveness are at their peak.
- Use appropriate images with alt text and optimize them to reduce file size.
- Make your content more visual by including images, infographics, charts, screenshots, and videos.
- Submit your site to Google Webmaster and Analytics.
A Few Extra Words of Advice
- Use the free version of Grammarly’s extension on Chrome. This is highly useful to improve your Grammar and flow.
- Install the plugin called Yoast SEO. Do this immediately. I cannot explain how helpful this has been to me.
- Use another plugin called Autoptimize. A developer friend of mine recommended this and it has been quite helpful. It caches your site and optimizes various sections automatically.
Wrapping Up:
I have shared with you the ins ad outs of making a website from Nepal. While this is an important part of starting out, much is left to be done.
Many people make a website today. They also put a few articles in excitement. But remaining consistent is the most important part. Find a way to be consistent and disciplined.
Moreover, even if they put in all their efforts, their site isn’t shown in search results because they don’t optimize their site for search engines.
Nevertheless, with a properly functioning website, laser-like focus, and SEO skills, ranking a site isn’t so difficult in Nepal since the competition for quality writers is low.
