Building a personal website today is easy. Building it properly — with tracking, CRM, and future scalability — is a different story. When I started working on my website, I wanted it to look professional but also function like a real marketing asset behind the scenes. I didn't want to overspend, and I definitely didn't want to depend on expensive website builders. So I decided to build everything strategically and keep the costs low.
If you want to see the final result, you can check it here: https://www.zeeshanabbas.in
The complete tech stack used to build zeeshanabbas.in — from hosting to CRM
| Tool | Purpose | Cost | Key Benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hostinger | Hosting + Domain + Email | 1-year sale deal | 3-in-1 bundle, low cost |
| WordPress + Elementor | Website Builder | Free | Full control, own your files |
| Google Tag Manager | Central Tracking Hub | Free | One install, manage everything |
| Google Analytics 4 | Visitor Analytics | Free | Page views, behavior, sources |
| Meta Pixel + Google Ads | Ad Tracking Readiness | Free | Ready to run ads immediately |
| HubSpot CRM | Lead Management | Free plan | Contacts, follow-ups, workflows |
The first step was hosting and domain purchase. I took a 1-year hosting subscription from Hostinger during one of their sale periods. It turned out to be a really good deal. With that plan, I got my domain free for one year and even received one professional email hosting account included.
Instead of paying separately for domain, email, and hosting, I bundled everything into one affordable plan. That reduced my initial cost significantly. For a personal website, shared hosting is more than enough. It's affordable, easy to manage, and supports WordPress installation with just one click.
This kept my setup simple and cost-effective from day one.
After setting up hosting, I installed WordPress. I chose WordPress because it gives full control and flexibility. Unlike many website builders, I actually own the hosting and files.
To design the pages without coding, I used Elementor. It allowed me to create layouts visually and make the site responsive without writing custom CSS for everything.
I focused on clean structure, readable typography, and clear messaging rather than flashy effects. My goal was to create a site that feels professional and straightforward.
Most people build websites and forget about tracking. I did the opposite.
Before adding any analytics directly into WordPress, I installed Google Tag Manager (GTM). GTM acts as a central control system for all tracking scripts.
Instead of pasting multiple tracking codes inside WordPress:
This makes scaling much easier in the future.
Once GTM was installed, I connected Google Analytics 4 through it.
With GA4, I can track:
Even though my website is still growing, I can already see how visitors interact with it. That data will be extremely useful when traffic increases.
How GTM centralises all tracking without touching WordPress code again
Even though I am not actively running paid campaigns yet, I implemented Meta Pixel and Google Ads conversion tracking.
Why?
Because when I decide to run ads, I don't want to start from scratch.
So technically, if I decide tomorrow to launch campaigns, the tracking foundation is already ready. Pixels are firing. Events are configured. I just need to turn on the ads.
Better to prepare early than fix tracking after spending ad budget.
I didn't want contact form submissions to just land in email inboxes. So I connected HubSpot CRM to my website.
Now when someone fills out my contact form:
Even though this is a personal website, it now functions like a small inbound system.
Here's the interesting part.
Compared to monthly SaaS website builders, this setup is significantly more affordable and much more scalable.
Design, data, and CRM — the three pillars of a performance-ready website
Building my website was not just a design project. It was a marketing foundation project. By using WordPress, GTM, GA4, HubSpot, Meta Pixel, and Google Ads tracking, I created a minimal-cost but performance-ready setup.
It's simple. It's scalable. And it's ready whenever I decide to push the accelerator. 😏
If you're planning to build your own website and want help setting up tracking, CRM, or advertising infrastructure properly, feel free to contact me.