Today, a website of your own is a must for every business, freelancer and organisation: it is the place where you can present yourself on your own terms, which can be found in search engines and which is not limited by the algorithm of a social media platform. And building a website is much easier than it first seems once you know what it is made of and in which order to proceed.

In this guide, we go through the technical basics of a website, the possible ways to build one, the mandatory legal elements, the basic security and speed settings, and the steps of the launch.

The three pillars: domain, hosting, content management system

1. Domain name – the address of the website (for example cegnev.hu). It has to be registered and renewed every year. For a Hungarian audience, the .hu extension is the best choice; our guide to choosing a domain covers how to choose. At aWh, a .hu domain costs €5.44 + VAT a year.

2. Hosting – the server that holds the website’s files and database, and from which visitors reach it. Shared hosting is enough for most websites; our beginner’s guide explains the types of hosting and how they work.

3. Content management system or website – the website itself: a content management system (for example WordPress) in which you can edit pages without coding, a static site, or a custom development.

The domain points to the hosting through DNS; if both are with the same provider, this is set up automatically.

How should the website be built?

Method	Benefits	Disadvantages	Who is it for?
WordPress (on your own hosting)	Free, countless themes and plugins, editable without coding, yours	Needs updating and protecting	Most business sites, blogs, smaller online shops
Online website builder (Wix, Squarespace, etc.)	Very simple, everything in one place	Monthly fee, tied to the platform, limited customisation, hard to move away	Those who need a simple site quickly and don’t want to run anything
Static site (HTML, Hugo, Jekyll, Astro)	Very fast, secure, cheap to run	Editing it requires technical knowledge	Developers, documentation, rarely changing sites
Custom development	Tailored exactly to your needs	Expensive, you depend on the developer	Special features, large projects

In most cases, WordPress is a good starting point: a large share of the world’s websites run on it, plenty of Hungarian themes and developers are available for it, and it can be extended into an online shop (WooCommerce). Our WordPress installation guide covers installing it, and our Elementor vs Gutenberg article helps you choose between the editors.

Planning: before you install anything

1. Goal: what do you want to achieve? Introduce yourself, collect quote requests, sell products, publish content?
2. Target audience: who is it for, and what are they looking for on your site?
3. Site structure: home page, about us, services or products, portfolio, blog, contact. Start with a few well-written pages.
4. Content: the text and images are at least as important as the design. Use your own good-quality photos and clear text that answers visitors’ questions.
5. Budget: domain, hosting, possibly a premium theme or plugins, a developer, and maintenance. Our articles on launch and maintenance costs cover the expenses.

Mandatory legal elements

The website of a Hungarian business usually needs the following:

• Service provider details (imprint): the name, registered office and contact details of the business, its company registration or registry number, tax number, and the name and contact details of the hosting provider (as required by the Hungarian e-commerce act).
• Privacy notice: if you process any personal data (forms, newsletter, analytics); our GDPR guide covers this.
• Cookie management: analytics and marketing cookies require prior consent.
• For an online shop: terms and conditions, consumer information (for example the right of withdrawal), shipping and payment information.
• Accessibility: since June 2025, the EU accessibility requirements also apply to most online shops and online services (microenterprises are exempt, with certain exceptions).

The full list is in our checklist of the legal requirements for launching a website. This is not legal advice; it is worth having the legal documents of an online shop drawn up by a professional.

Security from day one

• HTTPS: a free Let’s Encrypt certificate and an automatic redirect to HTTPS.
• Strong passwords and two-factor authentication on the hosting account and in the WordPress admin.
• Updates: update WordPress, the theme and the plugins regularly.
• Few, reliable plugins; delete the ones you don’t use.
• Backups: daily backups on the hosting, and a copy of your own from time to time.

Our practical checklist covers WordPress security.

Speed and SEO basics

• Fast hosting (NVMe SSD, a current PHP version) and caching.
• Optimised images: WebP format, the right size; our image optimisation guide covers this.
• Mobile-friendly design: most visitors arrive on their phones.
• Unique page titles and descriptions, meaningful URLs, logical headings.
• Google Search Console: register the website and submit the sitemap; our knowledge base article explains how a new website gets into Google and Bing search results.
• Google Business Profile, if you run a local business.

Steps to launch

1. Register the domain and order the hosting.
2. Install WordPress (or upload the static site).
3. Choose a theme and set up the basics (language, time zone, permalinks, HTTPS).
4. Upload the content: pages, images, contact form.
5. Publish the legal pages and set up cookie management.
6. Create email addresses on your own domain.
7. Check the site on mobile and desktop, test the forms and measure the speed.
8. Allow search engines to index the site and register it in Search Console.

Our website launch guide describes the steps in detail.

Maintenance

A website is not a one-off job: updates have to be installed regularly, backups checked, content kept fresh, and the domain and hosting renewed on time. An hour or two a month is enough, and it is much less work than restoring a neglected, hacked site.

Summary

A website needs a domain, hosting and a content management system (usually WordPress). Plan the goal and the structure, write good content, add the mandatory legal elements, switch on HTTPS and backups, and maintain the site regularly.

At aWh, you can manage your domain, hosting and email in one place; besides the free Web Free plan, web hosting plans start from €6.53 a year, and WordPress hosting from €13.06 a year (excluding VAT).

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a website cost?

If you build it yourself, a .hu domain and a small hosting plan cost from about ten euros up to around a hundred euros a year. If you have it built by a professional, the development fee can be many times that, depending on the size and the features.

Do I need to know how to code?

No. With WordPress or a website builder, you can create a polished website without coding. Programming is only needed for custom features.

WordPress or a website builder?

A website builder is simpler, but it ties you to the platform and comes with a monthly fee. WordPress on your own hosting is yours and can be customised and extended more freely; in return, you have to keep it updated.

How long does it take to build a website?

A simple brochure site can be ready in a few days if the text and images are available. Creating the content usually takes the most time.

What do I need for an online shop?

On top of the above, an e-commerce engine (for example WooCommerce), a payment provider, shipping settings, invoicing and the consumer protection legal documents. The hosting also needs to be more powerful than for a brochure site.

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