10 Ways to Create a Free Website

Just starting out? Need a site? Tight on budget?Here are 10 ways to build a free site for your business idea or for building a brand!

How Do You Get Started With a Free Site?

Are you looking for a way to build a free site on a or on a budget? 

Well, you’ve come to the right place!

I compiled for you a list of ways to create a free site, or get started with a site on a limited budget.

As a web designer, I’ve learned and championed what my brand and web design services can do for small businesses. But, I can totally understand the budgetary limitations when you’re starting out. You only really need to have a place on the interwebs to showcase your work and allow potential clients to connect with you.

Previously, I wrote a blog on why it’s better to have a website over just a social media business page, have a read once you’re done with reading this post. 

Here are 10 ways to get started with a free website for your business idea!

First, Why Websites are Necessary

First, let’s take a quick moment to talk about why websites are an important marketing asset to any business or brand.

Websites help you make connections with your target audience by building trust, credibility, and authority with your potential clients.

Second, websites can help you collect relevant client information in a contact form.

Third, websites are essential for showcasing your work, product, or services. 

Finally, a website, when set up correctly, can potentially help you streamline your business procedures. For example, if you have a booking function on your site, like this one we designed, it can help your business operate more smoothly. 

Ways to get Free Sites: Social Media Pages

1. A social media business page: Business pages on Facebook, Instagram, or Linkedin all work, I think that the most important thing is to figure out which one works best for your target audience.

I follow a successful graphic designer @blksheepcreative on Insta. She prides herself on the fact that she started with an Instagram account and consistently booked clients with only 300 followers. She actively uses her Instagram to connect with businesses before building her site. Can we say #goals?

Ways to get Free Sites: D-I-Y  

2. If you really want to have a site and don’t mind DIY-ing your site, something user-friendly like Weebly or Wix could be your best bet. (Of the two I prefer Wix because of it’s integrations, though once you go WordPress you can never really go back. And, nothing can really compare. Honestly, I just love the customizability of WordPress.)

3. Similarly, Strikingly is another competitor to the DIY website space. I’ve never tried this one personally, but have checked it out. It looks solid, so anyone who has tried it feel free to comment below, because #sharingiscaring

4. If you have a GSuite plan, you have access to a Google Site. If you’re looking for a simple and efficient way to get a site up and running ASAP, check out google site. 

5. A Free Landing Page: Mailchimp is a email marketing tool that has a free landing page function, something worth checking out when you’re just starting out. This is probably more suitable to someone launching a course or a book, etc.

Ways to get Free Sites: Portfolio Sites

6. Look for a Portfolio Site of some kind, depending on your field/industry… if you’re a creative, always be on the lookout for platforms like the following

– Behance.net for visual artists

– Etsy.com or society6.com for crafters

– Contently for writers.

These sites are also really great for inspiration.

An alternate to a Website at First

7. A Google Slides or Google Doc Link: I’ve seen writers flourish by just sending Google Doc links to leads or potential clients. If you’re a creative, you could simply create a presentation with your work or build a portfolio in Google Slides and send that information along as a link to people asking about your work. Pro-Tip: You can download the presentation as a PDF File which can instantly become your brochure/portfolio for clients.

More Advanced DIY Platforms

Once you’re ready to build a site, and have the bandwidth to learn the platforms, here are two ways to DIY a site:

8. Squarespace: Squarespace is streamlined and is super user friendly. Your involvement with the backend of the site is also limited as it’s a service that intentionally streamlines the hosting for you; which is a good thing for those looking for a quick and seamless experience.

9. WordPress + free theme: If you’ve seen all over the internet the case for having your own WordPress site, and you want to go with WordPress… First, Welcome to the Club! Next, here are the very basic things you need: a hosting plan (there are a lot of providers out there which start with minimal fees), obvi wordpress, and a theme or page builder. You can start with something like Elementor to start designing and building your site without worrying about coding.

In conclusion…

I hope this blog post is helpful to you in figuring out a way to build a site for free or on a budget!

Let me know in the comments below which method you ended up using! When your business is off the ground, and you’re ready to hire a web designer, read my other blog posts on how to get started with web design and what to think about as you prepare to design a site.