How to create your own website with Soholaunch

(Image credit: Soholaunch)

Soholaunch is a self-hosted website builder that includes a range of content management and site creation tools. Despite recent changes to its operations and being a little outdated, Soholaunch is still a user-friendly option worth considering.

In this guide, we take a closer look at creating your own simple business website with Soholaunch. Work through the following steps to get your site online in no time!

How to create your own website with Soholaunch: Preparation

Soholaunch is a self-hosted solution. Before you can begin creating your website, you will need to purchase web hosting. This provides the processing power and infrastructure needed to run the SohoLaunch program. There are numerous hosting providers to choose from. We used Hostinger, an industry-leading option with very competitive prices.

Most hosting platforms offer some sort of one-click installer (such as Softaculous or Installatron) that will install scripts like Soholaunch in just minutes. If you use Hostinger, you can take advantage of its proprietary Auto Installer, which enables you to install Soholaunch and various other programs in just a couple of clicks.

You can find the Auto Installer on your main hPanel control panel. Simply follow the prompts to install Soholaunch. A full installation guide can be found in the Hostinger support center.

You can install Soholaunch in minutes with the Hostinger Auto Installer. (Image credit: Hostinger)

Step 1: Add pages

When you open Soholaunch for the first time, you’ll be given the option of using the Web Site Wizard to get your site up and running. The first step is to select the pages you want to add to your site.

There are numerous options available, and each page you select will be automatically created. All sites have a homepage, even if you don’t select any other pages.

Adding pages to Soholaunch site — Soholaunch enables you to choose which pages to start with your site. (Image credit: Soholaunch)

Step 2: Enter website information

Next up, the Soholaunch installation wizard asks for a website email address, website title, and some basic business information. None of this is required, but it’s usually a good idea to add basic information at least.

Soholaunch site settings page — The installation wizard asks for basic site and business information, but providing this isn’t compulsory. (Image credit: Soholaunch)

Step 3: Customize your page content

Once you’ve worked through the initial setup wizard, we’d recommend customizing your page content a little more. To do this, head to the pages tab and hit the edit button on the page you want to customize.

Soholaunch uses a very unique editor. It involves adding new blocks to a grid and customizing each one individually. This can be a little confusing to get the hang of at first, but it’s actually very efficient.

You can also edit the page properties. Some things you can change include the page title, page template, keywords, and description. We’d suggest spending a little time on these, as quality descriptions and titles will help you land a higher search engine ranking.

You can add new pages and manage existing pages from the Soholaunch pages manager. (Image credit: Soholaunch)

Step 4: Try a new template

Under the Template Manager tab, you will find a selection of themes that you can use to change the global appearance of your site. Most of the built-in themes are quite outdated, but it’s possible to upload your own template if you’d like to. There’s even a template builder that lets you put together a truly personalized design.

Look out for the features included with each template. These are listed on the right of the screen, and some designs have more features than others.

Soholaunch Template Manager — There are numerous templates available, and you can upload a custom theme if required. (Image credit: Soholaunch)

Next up, we’d suggest personalizing your menu design. Under the Menu Navigation tab, you will find loads of settings that enable you to change your menu layout, order, and display settings. You can create submenus if required, and custom menu links are available if you want to link to an email address or external website.

Soholaunch menu configuration window — Soholaunch offers several tools to help you customize your menus. (Image credit: Soholaunch)

Step 6: Add plugins

The Soholaunch Add-ons Library contains numerous plugins that you can use to add extra functionality to your website. We’d suggest taking a look to see if any of them are useful. However, be aware that the plugins have not been updated for over five years.

It’s also possible to create and upload custom plugins if required.

Step 7: Familiarize yourself with the advanced tools

By now you should have a pretty decent website up and running. Under the Advanced Features Group heading, there are a few more specialized tools that you might find useful. For example, you can add a shopping cart to your site if you want to sell products, add FAQs via the FAQ Manager, and take care of your blog via the Blog Manager.

You can also access website backups, traffic stats, and more via the Administrative Features menu.

Summary

Soholaunch is something of an outdated website builder, but it’s still fully functional and surprisingly user-friendly. In this guide, we’ve taken a close look at the steps involved with creating a Soholaunch website, outlining everything you need to know to get your site up and running.

Check out our guide to the best website builders and discover some of the more modern alternatives to Soholaunch. You might also like to read our Hostinger review to find out why it’s one of our top-rated hosts, or read more about what a website builder is.