Answering key questions like these first will make it much easier to figure out the best way to approach creating a free website.
It pays to do your homework here instead of just blindly choosing one of the website builder options, since there are differences in quality, features, and other factors. [2] X Expert Source Ross TaylorMarketing Expert Expert Interview. 4 May 2021. ZDNet has a good 2021 review of free website builders, for example. [3] X Research source TechRadar’s 2021 review is another good option, and there are others as well. [4] X Research source You can make your search even more specific based on the type of website you want to create. For instance, do a search for “best free website builders for small business 2021. ”
How easy is it to get started? Is the website design process simple and intuitive? How much advertising will be put on my site by the website builder? How much storage space do I get for free (250 MB, 500 MB, etc. )? Can I sell products on my site? If so, how and how much? What will the domain name look like? How much personalization of the domain name can I do? Does the website builder offer any search engine optimization (SEO) tools? Will my site get SSL security so visitors to my site don’t get a warning that it may be a security risk?
More storage space. More design templates. More domain name personalization. Less advertising on your site. Increased ability to make sales on your site. Enhanced customer support. More SEO tools and support.
Building a website with a CMS isn’t substantially more difficult than using an online website builder, but it’s not a great option if you lack basic coding skills. Putting your site online is also more complicated this way. Note that WordPress. org is a CMS, while WordPress. com functions more like a typical free online website builder.
Why do they need your billing info for a free account? Basically, they’re very much hoping that you’ll choose to upgrade to a paid account! Some website builders include your username as part of your website’s domain name, so choose one that reflects the type of site you’re aiming to create.
By browsing through the list of available templates and selecting the one you like best. By answering a few questions to lead you to a shortlist of potential templates that should suit you.
Say, for instance, that you’re building a fan site for your favorite baseball team. The website builder might have a “sports” template that’s a good start, but you can make it even better by adjusting the color palette to the team’s colors and incorporating more baseball-specific graphics and elements.
You don’t need any kind of coding skills here—website builders operate on the principle of WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get), meaning that the text, images, and so on that you add will appear exactly that way on the finished website.
For example, Wix uses the following format: yourusername. wixsite. com/yoursitename; while Weebly’s format looks like this: yoursitename. weebly. com.
If you’re not adding much content and don’t alter you chosen template, you can create and publish a website in as little as 15 minutes with pretty much any website builder. More than likely, though, it’ll take you 1-2 hours, maybe more, to get everything set up the way you want it.
Paid options often cost around $10 USD per month, and offer a lot more freedom and flexibility. After all, website builders make money by turning free customers into paying customers! That said, if you’re just looking to get a fairly straightforward website out into the world, sticking with the free option may work just fine for you.
