Build your own website, step by step

Why this site exists

Most of what “experts” charge for, you can learn

My name is Ian Cliffen. In 1984 I was a very young manager at a knitwear factory in Ripley, Derbyshire, when the company bought its first Apple IIe computers to print batch tickets for the production lines. They kept breaking down, and we paid a monthly retainer plus a call-out fee every time. I made a deal with one of the technicians: teach me the basic repairs, and he could still charge the usual fee without the trip. The usual repair turned out to be six screws, one circuit board and a pencil eraser to clean the contacts.

Since then I’ve seen the same thing again and again. I’ve watched companies pay tens of thousands for websites that were little more than pretty brochures, and pay £50 a year for a designer to change the year in a copyright notice. I’ve sacked three design companies for that kind of thing.

In 2017 I decided to learn web development myself. I worked through online courses and a shelf of textbooks, and built Training Course Broker, which passed its millionth visitor in 2020 and runs largely by itself. I’ve since built every site in our family of sites the same way — and set up OnPoint Hosts to host them the way I always wanted hosting to work: the padlock included, one honest price, and real people to talk to.

The internet stacks the odds against a beginner building their own site. This guide is my attempt to even them up: the steps I actually took, what they really cost, and the code I actually use.

Ian F. Cliffen

First written 14 December 2020 · Guide fully updated 1 November 2026