Introduction: A New Chapter and a Steep Learning Curve
Hi, I’m Chris Hinksman. I’m an Australian who recently moved to Lithuania and decided it was time for a new challenge. After almost two decades in the pharmaceutical industry—where precision, compliance, and clear communication were non-negotiable—I realised something unexpected. I genuinely enjoyed understanding why people make the choices they do. Why they click. Why they hesitate. And what makes them trust one brand over another.
That curiosity naturally led me into the world of SEO and CRO. These fields blend strategy, creativity, and human behaviour in a way that really grabbed me. But before I could dive too deep into them, I needed a place online to experiment, document my learning, and grow.
The answer? Building my first website….marking the start of my digital marketing journey.
There was only one problem: I had absolutely no idea how to build one. Subsequently, I realised I would need to learn step by step.
Choosing a Domain Name: Much Harder Than Expected
Initially, this was the first decision that took me longer than it probably should have. In addition, choosing a name that aligned with SEO added another layer of complexity. A domain name sets the tone. It becomes your digital identity. So I wanted something:
- simple
- relevant
- memorable
- aligned with who I am and what I’m building
- and ideally helpful for SEO
Eventually, I found a name that made sense for my direction and goals. In hindsight, I’m glad I didn’t rush this step.
Setting Up Hosting: Why I Chose Hostinger
After comparing several hosting options, I chose Hostinger. The setup felt straightforward, the pricing was reasonable, and the interface was easy to navigate as a beginner.
Once the domain was ready, installing WordPress felt like the official starting point. It was the moment the idea of “building a website” became something real.
First Impressions of WordPress: Confusing but Exciting
When I first logged into the WordPress dashboard, it felt a bit like opening a cockpit door with no training. I had tabs for Posts, Pages, Appearance, Plugins, Settings—and none of it felt intuitive.
I mixed up:
- Posts vs Pages
- Templates vs Appearance
- Elementor settings vs Theme settings
Eventually, though, things started to click. And once they did, the whole process became much more enjoyable.
Choosing the Astra Theme: Clean, Fast, and Beginner-Friendly
I wanted a clean, spacious design that didn’t feel cluttered. After exploring several themes, Astra stood out immediately. It’s lightweight, SEO-friendly, easy to customise, and the free version is surprisingly generous.
This matched exactly what I needed: a solid base that still let me learn by building.
My First Template Mistake: Create8
I picked the Create8 starter template because it looked polished and modern. But as soon as I tried adding my own content, it quickly became clear it wasn’t the right fit.
I ended up deleting most of the template and rebuilding the site structure. It felt frustrating at the time, but it taught me something important:
Don’t get too attached to the first template you choose.
Learning Elementor: The Fun and the Pain
Elementor became my go-to tool for designing pages. The drag-and-drop interface helped me experiment visually, which made the learning process much easier.
However, I also learned that Elementor isn’t “easy” in the way I expected. I had to understand:
- margins
- padding
- containers
- columns
- responsive settings
Everything affects everything else.
But every mistake helped me learn. Eventually, I found a balance where I now use Elementor for pages and Gutenberg for blog posts.
Using Gutenberg Blocks: A Different Workflow
Gutenberg is simple, clean, and great for writing. While Elementor is more flexible, Gutenberg wins when it comes to speed and simplicity.
Switching between the two tools gave me a better understanding of how WordPress works overall.
Creating a Style Guide: Keeping Things Cohesive
Once I had a structure, I spent time aligning:
- fonts
- colours
- spacing
- buttons
- overall visual identity
I wanted a clean look with plenty of white space. Creating a simple style guide prevented me from constantly redesigning things as I built more pages.
The Header and Footer Confusion
This was one of my earliest sticking points. I kept trying to edit the header in Elementor, but it lives in the Astra Customizer instead.
Eventually, I understood the rule:
Pages = Elementor/Gutenberg
Header & Footer = Theme Customizer
A small realisation, but a huge mental breakthrough.
Building Pages: Enjoyable Until Video Overlays Entered the Chat
Most pages were straightforward to build, but embedding a video with a text overlay nearly broke me. There were multiple methods online, but none seemed to behave the way I expected.
Between tutorials, trial-and-error, and more layout testing than I’d like to admit, I eventually solved it.
That moment felt like a major win.
Mobile Optimisation: The Big Wake-Up Call
Everything looked great on desktop, so I confidently switched to mobile view… and everything fell apart.
- text misaligned
- images overlapping
- buttons too small
- spacing all over the place
- video not even appearing
This was tough but hugely important. Now I check mobile first.
Plugins I Installed (And Why They Helped)
I kept things simple and practical.
Here are the plugins I used:
- All in One SEO – guided me through writing SEO-friendly posts
- Site Kit by Google – easy connection to analytics and search data
- SureForms – building simple forms
- SureMail – handling email submissions
- SureRank SEO – extra SEO insights
All in One SEO became a key tool for helping me structure content properly.
I’ve also written a separate blog post about how I used these plugins to write SEO-optimised posts.
Setting Up Analytics and Search Console
Site Kit made this incredibly simple. Seeing my first impressions and clicks was rewarding, even if the numbers were tiny. It made the website feel alive.
Testing the Website: A Daily Habit
As the site grew, I made testing part of my routine:
- checking navigation
- clicking every link
- testing forms
- assessing load speed
- confirming mobile layout
- reading pages top to bottom
Testing isn’t glamorous, but it’s essential. And it helped me catch mistakes early.
Backups and Basic Security
This was something I learned quickly:
Always back up before making big changes.
Even with Hostinger doing daily backups, I created manual backups as extra protection.
I also started:
- removing unused plugins
- updating responsibly
- using stronger passwords
- checking security settings
Security is easy to overlook as a beginner, but it matters.
Publishing My First Blog Post: A Real Milestone
Writing the first post was nerve-wracking. I kept editing, adjusting spacing, tweaking headings, rewriting paragraphs—anything to delay pressing publish.
Eventually, I just went for it.
It wasn’t perfect, but it existed. I didn’t realise the considerations needed for writing a blog for SEO.
All in One SEO helped enormously here by guiding structure and readability.
Creating a Website Checklist
As I built more pages, I realised how easy it was to forget small but important steps. So I built a checklist to keep myself organised.
You can see it here:
[Insert link to checklist]
If you notice something missing, I’d genuinely appreciate feedback.
What I Wish I Knew Before Starting
These are the lessons that made the biggest difference:
- Don’t fall in love with your first theme.
- Check mobile early and often.
- Back everything up.
- Fewer plugins = fewer problems.
- Keep the design simple.
- Learning is slow until suddenly it clicks.
- Publishing is more important than perfecting.
These are the things I’ll carry into every future website build.
Conclusion: The Journey Continues
Building this website has been difficult, frustrating, surprising, and incredibly rewarding. I’ve learned so much already, but I’m only just getting started.
I know that building more sites—three or four at least—will accelerate my learning even further. With each project, I’ll get faster, more confident, and more aware of the small details that make a website work.
This site is more than a project. It’s my place to test, experiment, break things, fix things, and share my experiences openly. It represents my personal transformation and professional reinvention.
When I’m not testing layouts or writing blog posts, I’m usually with my family, taking photos, or discovering Lithuania.
This journey is new, exciting, and occasionally uncomfortable. But that’s exactly why I’m here. If you’re reading this, I’m glad you’re here too.
Here’s to progress (and fewer 404s)
Chris