# Launch a news site step by step

> Set up Ulakom step by step: site, design, categories, first stories, domain and Search Console. You’ll end with a live news site ready for Google.

*Guides · Updated: 2026-10-06 · 8 min read*

Welcome aboard! This guide gets your news site up and running quickly and correctly. A few small choices now save you a lot of time in the months ahead.

## How Ulakom works (and what you’ll set up with this guide)

Think of Ulakom as both your newsroom desk and your technical team: you focus on content while hosting, security, speed and SEO run automatically.

To make that happen, you’ll need:

- A site (name and address)
- Categories and a menu (the reader’s path)
- Content sources (editors, bots, Discover)
- A domain and Search Console (so Google finds you)

## Ulakom features you’ll use

- **Design editor:** Homepage and story pages with drag-and-drop blocks.
- **News bots:** Automatic stories from sources, made original with AI.
- **SEO foundation:** NewsArticle schema, news sitemap and speed optimisation.
- **Analytics:** Live readers and most-read stories.

## Step 1: Create the site

Open your site in three steps with **Websites → + Add new site** at the bottom left: name and address, starter design, plan. If you started from a template, clear the sample stories with **Delete demo content** on the **Publish** page. See [create your first site](https://ulakom.com/md/en/help/sites/create-your-first-site.md).

## Step 2: Choose the design

### Choosing a template

Start with the template closest to your publication: general, local, sports, business or lifestyle.

### Brand settings

Set the logo, site icon and colors as described in [branding](https://ulakom.com/md/en/help/design/branding.md). Change the page layout with **Websites → Manage → Design → Edit Design**.

## Step 3: Categories and menu

Start with no more than 6–8 main categories so readers don’t get lost. See [categories and menu](https://ulakom.com/md/en/help/publishing/categories-menu.md).

## Step 4: Publish your first stories

Have a few stories in every category before going live. Write them, set up a [news bot](https://ulakom.com/md/en/help/bots/create-bot.md) or import from [Discover](https://ulakom.com/md/en/help/bots/discover-trends.md).

> **Tip:** Create your imprint, contact and privacy pages at this stage. Google News and AdSense look for them.

## Step 5: Connect your domain

Add the domain in **Websites → Manage → Subscription → Domain**. Nameservers for a root domain, a **dns.ulakom.com** CNAME for a subdomain. See [connect your domain](https://ulakom.com/md/en/help/sites/connect-domain.md).

## Step 6: Search Console and sitemap

Once your domain is active, add your site to Search Console in one click with **Manage → SEO → Connect with Google**; your sitemap is submitted automatically. See [Search Console connection](https://ulakom.com/md/en/help/seo/sitemap-search-console.md).

## What comes next?

- [Get ready for Google News](https://ulakom.com/md/en/help/seo/google-news.md)
- [Set up ad slots](https://ulakom.com/md/en/help/ads/ad-slots.md)
- [Turn on web push](https://ulakom.com/md/en/help/engagement/web-push.md)

## Common questions

- **How long does setup take?:** Creating the site takes minutes. With design, categories and first stories, most publishers go live the same day.
- **Do I need technical knowledge?:** No. The domain step needs a DNS change, which is shown step by step on screen.

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Source page: https://ulakom.com/en/learn/launch-a-news-site