How to build a website for free

two screens on a desk showing different webpages

(Image credit: Photo past Lee Campbell on Unsplash)

Building a website for you lot or your business has, traditionally, always been quite an expensive endeavor. This is considering at the very least, you would take needed to pay for hosting, domain registration, and - unless y'all designed and developed the website yourself - professional person help to build the website.

Yet, in the last few years, advances in engineering hateful things accept changed, and now it's more than possible to build a website for free, without spending a cent. One of the simplest ways to do this is choosing one of the best website builders, signing up for your preferred service's free plan, and so creating your own site yourself.

The best matter about undertaking this process yourself is that you don't demand to have any spider web evolution or design experience. That's because the more complex elements of the website building procedure are taken care of for you. Hither, we'll outline the steps you need to take to build a website for gratuitous.

Step one: Choose a gratuitous website builder

Wix's homepage — Wix is one of the world's most powerful website builders (Image credit: wix)

There are numerous complimentary website builders on the market place. Most have their own sets of pros and cons, which ways you volition need to spend a footling fourth dimension choosing the all-time option for your needs.

For example, Wix is the earth's most popular builder, and it comes with a nifty free plan. However, the sheer ability of its editor means that a lot of people take trouble learning how to apply it, and information technology might not be the best option for absolute beginners.

On the other side of the equation are options like the GoDaddy builder, which is quite bones but extremely easy to use. Information technology doesn't offer anything about the power of competitors similar Wix, but it's a great choice for absolute beginners with little confidence.

Step 2: Create an account

GoDaddy's account creation webpage — Creating a new GoDaddy account shouldn't take you more than a couple of minutes (Prototype credit: GoDaddy)

Virtually website builders with a gratuitous forever option are very like shooting fish in a barrel to go started with. Normally, you will be asked to provide a few personal details, such as your name, email address, and a countersign. You lot shouldn't ever accept to enter payment information when signing up for a free website architect.

For example, GoDaddy asks for your electronic mail address, a username, and a countersign when you're creating an business relationship. It also allows you to connect your Facebook and/or Google accounts to streamline the login process.

Step 3: Select a template

a selection of Weebly's website themes — Weebly has numerous professionally designed themes (Prototype credit: weebly)

Every complimentary website builder worth using has some sort of template library. Here, you will find a choice of high-quality, professional designs that you can use equally a starting point for your new site. In most cases, templates are heavily categorized, allowing you to quickly filter them according to the type of site you desire to build.

Weebly is a dandy example of a website builder with excellent templates. Information technology comes with a selection of professionally designed themes that you can get-go editing instantly. These tend to exist extremely attractive, and you shouldn't have as well much trouble finding something you lot like.

Step 4: Cull a subdomain

Weebly's options menu for domain names — Weebly lets you set a branded subdomain (Image credit: Weebly)

Most free website builders, including Wix, Weebly, and GoDaddy, provide you with a branded subdomain. In general, you will be able to customize this, only it will have some sort of extension related to your builder. Y'all won't be able to connect your own domain without upgrading to a paid programme.

For example, Weebly gives you a domain that looks like "mywebsite.weebly.com" and lets you customize the "mywebsite" part. On the other hand, GoDaddy simply sets your domain as "websitename.godaddysites.com", and you tin't modify this.

Pace v: Prepare your global design settings

GoDaddy's website builder in use — GoDaddy lets you select from a range of font pairings and global color schemes (Image credit: GoDaddy)

Note that we've used the GoDaddy website architect every bit an example for the rest of this guide, due both to its popularity and beginner-friendly editing interface.

Now that you've signed upwardly for a new account and selected a template, information technology's time to start editing your website. Get-go past customizing global design settings. GoDaddy allows you to select a color scheme and two universal fonts, but another builders let you modify fifty-fifty more than than this.

GoDaddy's website builder in use, with menu tabs open — GoDaddy allows yous to add new pages with just a few clicks (Image credit: GoDaddy)

Before you start editing your site's content, it's a good thought to create the pages you're going to need and link to them from your chief menu. Nigh website builders make this very easy to exercise, and many even take templates for things like contact and service pages.

With GoDaddy, creating a new folio is extremely straightforward. Simply head to the "Website" tab of the editing carte on the correct of the screen and click the pocket-size plus symbol in the top right corner. And so, label your page, specify whether to show information technology in your main menu and/or footer, and hit the "Create Page" button.

Stride 7: Customize your pages

GoDaddy's website editor in use — Editing with GoDaddy is extremely easy (Image credit: GoDaddy)

One time you've created the pages you demand, information technology'due south time to jump into the content cosmos and page pattern processes. Some website builders, similar Wix and HostGator, use a drag-and-drop interface that lets you position blueprint elements exactly where you want them.

Others, like GoDaddy, use department-based editors with predefined layouts. Whatever the case, it'southward a good idea to play around with your layout for a while until you're happy with it. And then, start adding custom content to your pages. Every editor is dissimilar, but nearly of them allow you to click on different elements before personalizing them.

For instance, if y'all're using GoDaddy, you simply have to click on the element you want to edit. Various editing options will appear on the right of the screen, and in near cases, you lot will also be able to edit by typing or adding new content directly to the page itself.

Step eight: Optimize your site settings

GoDaddy's site settings demonstrated via the site editor — Make certain you edit your site settings before publishing (Image credit: GoDaddy)

Once you're happy with your pattern, you should effort and optimize your site settings to some extent. Different website builders are dissimilar, but GoDaddy allows yous to add a favicon, basic metadata, and social media links, among other things.

Step 9: Hitting publish!

GoDaddy's website builder window confirming site publication — Once you're happy, you tin can publish your site (Epitome credit: GoDaddy)

If you've got this far, congratulations! As long as you're happy with your overall pattern and content, information technology'due south fourth dimension to hit publish. Recall, you lot will be able to continue editing in one case you've sent your site live, and so don't worry if things aren't admittedly perfect.