Perfboards are really annoying to use. The ‘traces’ are there but all in straight lines just like on a breadboard. If you can get everything on a breadboard you should be able to move that to perfboard. I used a special tool to remove copper from traces where I needed to. Also just solder wires where you had jumpers on the breadboard.
 
After a while I found that creating my own boards was easier although you had to use a laser printer then transfer that to copper board and etch. Very messy but worked well.
 
Nowadays you may want to look at CAD programs if you want to etch yourself or use a freelancer (Riverr) to design your board and then a manufacturer to build it.

Hi Donald.
Unfortunately, we don’t intend to cover that subject in our website. 
Regards,
Sara
 

Thanks Sara. 

Hi Steve, thanks for your help. I’m using regular one pad per hole perfboard. No columns, no traces, just a grid of holes.
I’m aware of the pcb  design tools, and soldering components onto premade circuit boards is a great idea, but not one that I’ll look into for a while. I think there’ll be value in doing it the old fashioned way at first, for a while anyway.

My bad. I was thinking of VeroBoard (Stripboard )
 
For perfboard you use solder bridges. ie. you literally bridge each pad you want to connect with solder.
 
Stripboard is WAY EASIER than perfboard. The biggest pain with strip board is cutting the tracks so get a tool (Like US$9) if you go that route.
 
A couple links to help out:
The lost art of strip board prototyping
Breadboard like strip board