How to Build and Manage a Website with No-Code Tools

Introduction

Building a professional website can feel intimidating, especially if you have no programming experience. Yet with no-code tools, you can now create a complete website without writing a single line of code.

These tools let anyone, even complete beginners, build a website that meets their specific needs, whether that's starting a personal blog, a small business, or even an online shop.

In this article, we'll walk you through, step by step, how to build a website using Ghost as your content management system (CMS), Tally for creating forms, Calendly for managing appointments, Stripe for online payments, and other no-code tools. *

These solutions will help you build a fast, secure and easy-to-manage website, all while keeping things affordable.

Installing Ghost CMS

The first step in building a website with no-code tools is choosing a content management system (CMS) that will form the foundation of your site.

Ghost CMS is an ideal option, because it combines ease of use with real power, and it's purpose-built for content creators.

Here's how you can install Ghost CMS using different methods depending on your needs.

Step 1: Install Ghost CMS

Option 1: Use Ghost Pro

If you're after a turnkey solution, Ghost Pro can be a good choice. Here's how to go about it:

1. Sign up for Ghost Pro: Head over to Ghost.org and sign up for Ghost Pro. This managed hosting service lets you focus on creating content, without worrying about technical matters such as server maintenance.
2. Set up your site: Follow the instructions to configure your site. You'll choose a hosting plan that matches your needs, then set up your domain.
3. Initial customisation: Once installation is complete, you can access the Ghost dashboard and start customising your site by choosing a theme and adding content.

Option 2: Self-hosting with DigitalOcean

For those who prefer more control and flexibility, self-hosting via DigitalOcean is an excellent alternative:

1. Sign up for DigitalOcean: Create an account on DigitalOcean and head to your dashboard. (You receive $200 in credit over a 60-day period when you make a $25 deposit.)
2. Create a Ghost Droplet: Select the option to create a new Droplet and choose Ghost's one-click installation image. This method greatly simplifies the installation process.
3. Access the server: Connect to your server via SSH using the credentials provided by DigitalOcean, then follow the on-screen instructions to finalise the installation.
4. Set up the domain: Finally, you'll need to configure your domain name in the DigitalOcean control panel so it points to your new Ghost site.

Option 3: Hosting with Abstract27

Abstract27 offers a hybrid solution that combines the flexibility of self-hosting with the simplicity of a fully managed service, so you get the best of both worlds.

Here's how to create your Ghost website with Abstract27:

1. Sign up for Abstract27: Visit Abstract27 and choose a plan that includes Ghost hosting.
2. Set up your site: Abstract27 supports you and takes care of the installation. You also benefit from dedicated support and training to get the most out of your site.
3. Extra benefits: Abstract27 offers unique features such as automatic backups, simplified server management, and expert support, making it an ideal option for anyone who wants maximum flexibility with minimum hassle.

Step 2: Customise your Ghost theme

Choosing a theme:

Once Ghost is installed, the next step is to choose a theme that reflects the style and identity of your site. Here's how to go about it:

1. Browse the themes: Explore the Ghost theme library or platforms like ThemeForest, where you'll find a variety of paid and free themes suited to different types of sites.
2. Install the theme: Download the theme of your choice and import it via the Ghost dashboard by going to Settings > Design > Upload a theme.
3. Customisation: You can change the colours, fonts, layout and much more, directly from the dashboard. For more advanced customisation, access the theme files via the Design > Code injection section, or download and edit the theme files on your computer.

Adding forms with Tally

Forms are essential for interacting with your site's visitors, whether to collect information, allow newsletter sign-ups, or run surveys.

With Tally, a powerful and intuitive no-code tool, you can create and embed custom forms on your Ghost site in just a few simple steps.

Step 1: Create forms in Tally

Sign up for Tally:

1. Access Tally: Head over to Tally.so and sign up for a free account. Signing up is quick and gives you access to all the features you need to create forms tailored to your requirements.
2. Create a form: Once you've signed up, you can start building your first form. Use Tally's drag-and-drop editor, which lets you build your form by adding fields, buttons and other elements without needing to write any code.

Design your form:

1. Add fields: Choose from a variety of fields such as checkboxes, radio buttons, dropdown menus and more, to capture the information you need.
2. Customise the appearance: Tailor the form's design so it blends seamlessly with the look of your site. Tally lets you change the colours, fonts and layout directly from the user interface.
3. Configure the submission settings: Decide what happens after a visitor submits the form. You can redirect users to a specific page, display a thank-you message, or send an email notification.

Step 2: Embed Tally forms in Ghost

Get the embed code:

1. Share the form: Once your form is created and customised, click "Share" in Tally. Select the "Embed" option to get the HTML embed code.
2. Copy the code: Copy the HTML embed code provided by Tally. This code will be used to add the form to your Ghost site.

Embed the form on your Ghost site:

1. Access the Ghost dashboard: Log in to your Ghost site's admin interface. Navigate to the page or post where you want to embed the Tally form.
2. Add the form: In the Ghost editor, switch to HTML view by clicking the "+" button and selecting "HTML". Paste Tally's embed code where you want it within the content.
3. Publish the page: Save and publish the page or post to make the form visible and functional on your site. Test the form to make sure it works correctly and collects data as expected.

Managing appointments with Calendly

Managing appointments is a crucial aspect of many sites, whether for consultations, meetings, or any other planned interaction.

Calendly is a no-code tool that greatly simplifies scheduling appointments, automating the booking process and avoiding tedious back-and-forth emails. Here's how to integrate Calendly with your Ghost site.

Step 1: Set up Calendly

Create a Calendly account:

1. Sign up for Calendly: Head over to Calendly.com and sign up for a free account. Calendly also offers paid plans with extra features, but the free version is enough for most users.
2. Set up your availability: Once you've signed up, go to your dashboard and configure your event types. Define the time slots you have available for appointments based on your schedule.
3. Customise the appointment settings: For each event type, you can customise the duration, the location (for example, online via Zoom or in person), as well as other important settings, such as the questions to ask before confirming the appointment.

Step 2: Integrate Calendly with your Ghost site

Get the Calendly link or embed code:

1. Share your availability: After setting up your event types, go to the "Share your link" section to get a direct link to your booking page or an embed code to use on your site.
2. Copy the link or code: Depending on your needs, you can either use a hyperlink to your Calendly booking page, or embed an interactive calendar directly on your Ghost site.

Add Calendly to your site:

1. Embedding via a hyperlink: If you choose to use a direct link, simply add a hyperlink to some text or a button on your Ghost site. For example, you could write "Book an appointment" and point the link to your Calendly page.
2. Embedding via HTML code: If you'd rather embed a calendar directly on a page or post on your site, switch to HTML view in the Ghost editor and paste the Calendly embed code. This calendar lets your visitors choose a date and time directly on your site, without leaving the page.
3. Test and publish: After embedding Calendly, be sure to test the feature to check that bookings are being recorded properly and that everything works as expected. Once you're happy, publish the page or post.

Setting up payments with Stripe

To monetise your website, you'll need a reliable solution for handling online payments. Stripe is one of the most popular and powerful no-code tools for this task.

It integrates seamlessly with Ghost, allowing you to offer paid subscriptions, sell digital products or collect donations with ease.

Step 1: Connect Stripe to Ghost

Create a Stripe account:

1. Sign up for Stripe: Head over to Stripe.com and sign up for a free account. The sign-up process is simple, but make sure you have your business or personal details to hand, as they're needed for verification.
2. Set up your Stripe account: Once you've signed up, configure your account by adding your bank details, your payment preferences, and other details required to start receiving payments.

Connect Stripe to your Ghost site:

1. Access the membership settings: Log in to your Ghost site's Admin dashboard, then go to Settings > Membership.
2. Connect with Stripe: In the "Payments" section, click Connect with Stripe. You'll be redirected to Stripe to authorise Ghost's access to your Stripe account.
3. Finalise the setup: Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the connection between Ghost and Stripe. Once connected, Stripe will handle all payments for subscriptions and other transactions on your site.

Step 2: Enable and configure paid subscriptions

Enable paid subscriptions:

1. Membership settings: In the Ghost dashboard, under Settings > Membership, enable the option to offer paid subscriptions. This lets you monetise access to certain content on your site.
2. Create subscription tiers: Define different subscription plans for your users. For example, you could offer a monthly plan and an annual plan, at different prices. These plans can include premium content accessible only to paying subscribers.

Customise the subscription experience:

1. Define the accessible content: Decide which articles or sections of your site will be reserved for paying subscribers. Ghost allows extensive customisation to ensure that only subscribed members can access the content you wish to monetise.
2. Set up welcome emails: Customise the emails your new subscribers receive after signing up. You can include welcome messages, getting-started guides, or links to exclusive content.
3. Test the payment process: Before launching your subscriptions, run a test to make sure everything works correctly. Create a test subscription, make a payment, and check that access to premium content is properly restricted.

Automating workflows with Zapier

For content creators, juggling several tools can quickly become time-consuming. Zapier is a no-code tool that lets you automate these workflows by connecting different applications and cutting down on repetitive manual tasks.

With Zapier, you can automate everything, from scheduling posts to sending notifications, so you can focus on what matters most: creating content.

Step 1: Set up a Zapier account

Sign up for Zapier:

1. Access Zapier: Head over to Zapier.com and sign up for a free account. Zapier offers a range of plans, but the free version is enough to set up basic automations.
2. Explore the available integrations: Zapier connects with more than 2,000 applications, including Ghost, Airtable, Calendly, Stripe, and plenty of other no-code tools you already use. Take a moment to explore the different integrations available and how they can simplify your workflow.

Step 2: Automate tasks between applications

Create a new Zap:

1. Define the trigger: In Zapier, click Make a Zap to start building a new automation. Choose a trigger application, for example, Airtable, and configure it so the Zap is triggered when a specific event occurs, such as adding a new article idea.
2. Set up the action in another application: Select an action application, such as Ghost, and configure what you want to happen after the Zap is triggered. For example, as soon as an article is marked as ready to publish in Airtable, Zapier can automatically create a new post in Ghost.

Automate workflows specific to content creators:

1. Automate publishing articles: Connect Airtable to Ghost via Zapier to create drafts, schedule posts, and update existing articles.
2. Automate sending notifications and updating social media: Use Zapier to automatically publish each new article on social media or send email notifications.
3. Track and record article performance: Set up Zaps to automatically record performance data in Airtable for easier analysis.

Test and activate your Zap:

1. Test the Zap: Before activating it, test your Zap to make sure everything works as expected. Zapier will guide you through this process to check each step.
2. Activate and optimise: Once tested, activate your Zap and let it run in the background. You can create as many Zaps as you need to cover every aspect of your workflow, freeing you up to focus on creating quality content.

Managing content with Airtable

For content creators, managing ideas, projects and posts effectively is crucial to maintaining a smooth and organised workflow.

Airtable is a no-code tool that lets you structure and manage all this data in a visual and intuitive way, while offering the flexibility needed to adapt to your specific requirements. Here's how to use it to manage your content in the best possible way.

Step 1: Create an Airtable base for content management

Sign up for Airtable:

1. Access Airtable: Head over to Airtable.com and sign up for a free account. Even with the free version, you have plenty of features for managing your content projects effectively.
2. Create a new content management base: Once you've signed up, create a database dedicated to managing your content. You can choose to start with a ready-made template or build your own structure based on your specific needs.

Organise your base for content creation:

1. Create tables for ideas, projects and posts: Add tables to organise the different phases of your content creation process. For example, you might have a table for article ideas, one for articles being written, and another for scheduled posts.
2. Add fields specific to each stage: For each table, define relevant fields such as article titles, planned publication dates, distribution platforms, and statuses (in progress, to review, published). Airtable also lets you add attachments, links and notes to centralise all the information needed for content creation.
3. Create views to track progress: Set up custom views to visualise how your projects are progressing. For example, you can create a Kanban view to organise your articles by stage (idea, writing, review, publishing) or a calendar view to plan your posts for the month ahead.

Step 2: Integrate Airtable with Ghost to automate publishing

Use Zapier to connect Airtable to Ghost:

1. Create a Zapier account: Follow the steps explained in the previous section.
2. Set up a Zap to sync Airtable and Ghost: In Zapier, click Make a Zap to create a new workflow. Choose Airtable as the trigger application and configure it to activate when a new article is ready to publish.
3. Define the action in Ghost: Select Ghost as the action application and configure what you want to do with the data. For example, you can automate publishing an article as soon as it reaches the "Ready to publish" stage in Airtable.

Automate content management:

1. Continuous syncing of posts: Once your Zap is set up, it will run automatically every time an article is ready to publish, sending the data from Airtable to Ghost so the article goes live without any manual intervention.
2. Optimise your content creation workflow: Zapier and Airtable also let you automate other repetitive tasks, such as adding new content to your publishing calendar or updating social media after each post.

Managing social media with Buffer

Once your content is ready and published, it's essential to share it effectively on social media to reach a wider audience.

Buffer is a no-code tool that lets you schedule and automate publishing your content across different social platforms, optimising your online presence without daily manual effort.

Here's how to use Buffer to manage your social media as a content creator.

Step 1: Set up Buffer

Create a Buffer account:

1. Sign up for Buffer: Head over to Buffer.com and sign up for a free or paid account, depending on your needs. The free version lets you manage three social media accounts, which is enough to get started.
2. Connect your social media accounts: Once you've signed up, connect your social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) to Buffer. You'll be able to manage all your platforms from a single dashboard, which greatly simplifies managing your posts.

Step 2: Schedule and automate posts on social media

Create and schedule posts:

1. Write content for social media: Create your social media posts directly in Buffer. You can write custom messages for each platform or use the same post across several networks.
2. Schedule the post: Use Buffer's scheduling feature to set optimal posting times for each social network. This lets you publish content when your audience is most active, without having to be online at those times.
3. Automate publishing Ghost articles: Thanks to an integration with Zapier, you can automate publishing new Ghost articles directly to your social media via Buffer. For example, as soon as a new article is published on your site, Zapier can send the link to Buffer so it's shared automatically across your social accounts.

Analyse performance:

1. Track engagement: Use Buffer's analytics tools to track the engagement of your posts. You'll be able to see which posts generate the most clicks, shares and comments, helping you refine your content strategy.
2. Performance reports: Buffer generates reports you can review to analyse the performance of your social campaigns. These reports can show you trends, the best times to post, and the types of content that resonate most with your audience.

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Pro tip
Automating your posts with Buffer is convenient, but it can sometimes reduce the reach of your posts because of social media algorithms. Try posting manually first, then compare with Buffer to see whether there's a negative impact on your results.

Optimise your content strategy:

1. Adjust your posting schedule: Based on the analytics Buffer provides, adjust your posting times to maximise the visibility of your content. You can also experiment with different types of messages and formats to see what works best.
2. Reuse and reschedule content: If a post performed well, consider republishing it at another time or on another platform. Buffer makes it easy to reschedule existing posts to extend their lifespan and reach new audiences.

Conclusion

Building and managing a professional website with no-code tools is not only possible, but also incredibly effective for content creators of all levels.

By combining tools such as Ghost CMS, Tally, Calendly, Stripe, Airtable, Zapier and Buffer, you can build, manage and optimise a complete website without needing advanced technical skills.

Each step of this process lets you retain full control over your site's features while simplifying the most complex tasks thanks to smart automations.

Whether you want to publish content smoothly, manage your appointments, process payments, organise your data, or strengthen your social media presence, these no-code tools offer a solution tailored to your needs.