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Getting your content online is now as easy as 1-2-3. But before you hit the publish button on your website, it’s a good idea to check all your subpages for their legal security. Otherwise, disputes could arise that, in the worst-case scenario, may lead to costly fines. Website operators should ensure that their website adheres to local and national data protection legislation and doesn’t contain third-party content that is copyright-protected.

Despite Brexit, you will want to ensure that your website conforms to GDPR regulations:

• Add a privacy policy to your website.
• Obtain permission from website visitors before saving cookies.
• Make sure your website is SSL-encrypted.
• Only collect necessary data on a contact form.
• Avoid social media plugins (Facebook Like buttons, YouTube videos, etc.,) or configure them to adhere to data protection regulations.
• Choose a website analysis tool that conforms with regulations.
• If you need to save personal user data, you may need to look at the topic in more detail.

What goes into a legal disclaimer?

A legal disclaimer is a useful addition to any website. It protects your rights and limits your liabilities.

• Include the rights you want to protect in your disclaimer such as ownership over intellectual property.
• Disclaimers can also include possible risks and hazards people could experience from using your products, for example.
• Inform readers that all content is just an opinion.
• Disclaim that not all information may be accurate or could change.
• Inform readers that your content is not professional advice.

Generally, the type of disclaimer you add will depend on the type of website and service you operate.

Thanks to the stylish templates from MyWebsite Now, anyone can build a website. There are hundreds of different designs to choose from, making it easy to set up your website instantly. Simply choose a template according to your taste and customise it if necessary. Subsequent design changes are possible without having to re-insert your existing content. You can choose the colour theme, different fonts, and the right images. Using the editor, images can be edited. Compared to creating a free website from scratch, you won’t need to begin at zero with MyWebsite Now, saving time and effort.

The selection of designs lays the foundation for creating a professional website. To publish a professional or business website, IONOS provides a great selection of templates geared towards a wide variety of industries. The range of settings depends on the individual template. Each template can be modified with your own background images. Simply upload the graphic or a photo of your choice and set the transparency and colour saturation. MyWebsite Now is an ideal mix for personalised, high-quality, and functional website design. Any edits to your website can also be made using your tablet. Just switch to touch mode to get started.

Looking for more information on web design before you select a template? Check out our guide “The basics of web design”.

A direct dialogue with your customers is important to boost customer loyalty. It allows you to share news and updates on the company or your products with clients, consumers, and other interested parties – storytelling in-house.

This adds value and sets your website apart from the competition. A company blog is useful to boost the reach of your website. Google rewards websites that feature quality, relevant, and up-to-date content with a higher search ranking. If you regularly publish quality content on your blog, your website will become more visible and your business will be more successful.

Share knowledge on a topic that interests your customers. If, for example, you sell cleaning products, a blog that features cleaning tips may make sense. In this way, you can help your customers and come across as an expert within your field. It’s a marketing advantage that should not be underestimated.

Want to create a website and connect it to your external blog? Our guide provides plenty of useful tips to help you do so: “Creating a blog: step by step guide”.

Yes. We offer solutions for professional web developers if your requirements go beyond those provided by IONOS MyWebsite Now. Sometimes, even advanced users want to get more out of their CMS. Here’s how to set up your self-hosted website and how to get started:

1. Get hosting

Professionals can set up a private web server that is self-managed. Beginners are better off using web hosting offers, because security and server updates are maintained by the providers. When it comes to web hosting, you can choose from a wide range of packages. Whether you set up and use a server yourself or opt for a web hosting solution, always ensure that the storage and server performance are sufficient for your project. Good to know: some web hosts offer managed hosting packages and one-click installation, which are specialised hosting packages for popular content management systems tailored to the requirements of the applications.

2. Choose a domain

To register a domain, contact a domain registrar. You can also save your new website address via IONOS. Use the domain checker to find out whether your desired domain is still available. If your favourite Internet address is already taken, you should check whether you can secure the same second-level domain (website name) with another top-level domain. For example, if it’s not possible to register www.example.com or www.example.co.uk, there are plenty of alternatives (.org, .net, [[PU.WH.UK:online-domain|.online], etc.). If you cannot find a suitable alternative, you can try to buy the web address from the domain owner.

3. Install CMS

Once you have decided on a CMS, install the system on the web server. You can access your web space via an FTP program and upload and install everything you need there. Alternatively, many web hosts offer one-click installation for setting up content management systems. The installation is simple - the provider does it for you.

4. Select your design

Once your CMS is set up, it’s time to decide on the best layout for your website. Ideally, you’ve already thought about some of its basic features. If not, now is the time to think about who your target audience is, which categories you want to focus on, what’s a suitable layout and structure for your website, and what content you’d like to include.

It’s worth paying particular attention to the usability (user-friendliness) and the design of your website. Good usability is achieved when you focus on a simple structure that’s easy to follow and consistent across your web pages. When visitors can easily and intuitively navigate your website, it’s a testament to your site being user-friendly. A sophisticated design concept not only determines the look of a website, but also how user-friendly it is.

If you need some inspiration for your web design, take a look at successful internet services and current web design trends. Most content management systems will provide design templates or themes to help you to realise your vision. System providers that boast a large community of users usually offer many free templates to use. That means you can test a few different ones to find the perfect one for you. One of the most important criteria is that templates support responsive web design. Responsive websites adjust automatically to the display size of a device (desktop PC, laptop, tablet, and smartphone).

5. Create website content

The content of your website depends on the audience you’re trying to reach. You need a keen sense of this in order to best align the content with your target group. A precise analysis of your audience in advance can be helpful. If you’re trying to drive sales, an evaluation of buyer personas is a good idea. Content marketing methods are great tools to advertise web content or products in an online shop.

It’s important to regularly update your online content. Publishing articles and blog posts is essential for websites. Above all, pay attention to the quality of the content – this is the most important differentiator between what you have to offer and what your competitors have to offer. Images are another important part of articles (especially long copy), as they attract attention and loosen up posts. Photos can be useful to illustrate and structure articles. If you do not have any photographs or illustrations available, image databases provide many suitable photos free of charge.