Free website builders
While creating a website is essential for just about every business or organization, not everyone is in the same place as far as what they can afford to invest in. While we do our best to have various pricing options, we know not everyone can afford to invest in having a professional marketing team develop their website.
That’s where free website builders come into play!
There are hundreds of website builders out there, but most of them will cost you money. Of course, you do tend to get what you pay for. If you hire professionals, you’ll get professional work. If you pay for a website builder, you’ll tend to have more flexibility than you will with the free ones.
But if your budget is practically zero dollars, and you’re willing to work within the limitations of the free options, you can still get a website!
Let’s look at what it takes to get a website up and going with a free website builder.
Domain name registration
Every website has a domain name. Otherwise, you’d have to type in a bunch of numbers to surf the web! That means that every website owner also purchased a domain name from a company known as a domain name registrar.
Some popular domain name registrars include:
Can you get a domain name for free? Maybe, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Domain names are usually $10 – $50 a year, depending on whether you get a .com, .org, .tv, .me, or something else altogether. And if you pay for it, that means you own it. With a free domain, ownership is a bit sketchy, so the dollar investment is well worth it.
In general, you don’t want to register your domain name with the same company you use to host your free website. Buy your domain through a company whose primary business is domain name registration. Otherwise, things can get problematic later when you try to switch to a more professional website.
Website builders
Okay, time to get into the website builders! Owning the domain name is great, but you need to build a website to connect it to. Wading through the different options can be overwhelming, so we have just a few reputable options for you to consider.
Also, while these options are all free, many are used by professional digital marketing agencies! A professional will know the best choice for your specific case and can likely get a lot more mileage out of the option you choose.
Duda
Not only is Duda a free website builder, but it will provide you with product updates, ready-made marketing materials, and sale strategy guides to keep you on the cutting edge of the industry.
GoDaddy’s Website Builder
GoDaddy offers customizable themes and marketing tools. They are the only website builder on our list who we also recommend for your domain name registration.
Site123
This option offers creative and professional templates. Their website builder’s features include website editing, SEO tools, free hosting, and a mobile-friendly version of your website.
Webflow
Not only does Webflow help you build, launch, and grow your website, they also offer educational resources, including hundreds of in-depth videos, courses, guides, a blog, and even a showcase of websites build by other members of the Webflow community.
Weebly
Weebly gives you access to customizable webpage designs and useful tools to build your website. They provide step-by-step guidance on building and launching your website.
Wix
Wix offers over 500 designer-made templates. It allows you to customize your website and also provides a mobile-friendly version.
WordPress.org
Perhaps the most powerful of all these free options is the version of WordPress referred to as the self-hosted option. That means you can install it on your own server and aren’t tied to the WordPress server.
This is the website builder we use! WordPress has thousands of themes and plugins available, both from their directories and third-party websites. Their directories currently boast over 58,000 plugins and over 8,000 themes.
If you’re a DIYer, these website builders can help you get started creating your company’s first website. They can also give you more appreciation for professional help when you’re ready to make that move!