How to Make a Simple Website for Free

Want to get online? You can build a website! Even if you don't know code. And it doesn't have to cost a lot. I'll show you how to make a simple, free website. We'll cover everything. From choosing the right place to build it. To getting people to find it online.

Why Create a Free Website?

Why bother with a website? Here's why it's a great idea:

Get Seen Online: A website is like your online store. Reach people everywhere.
Share What You Love: Do you blog? Make art? A website lets you show it off.
Get More Customers: A website can help your business grow. Attract new people.
Look Professional: A good website makes you look serious and trustworthy.
Be In Charge: It's your space on the internet. You decide what goes on it.

Picking the Right Spot: Free Website Builders or No-Code?

First, you need to pick where to build. You have two main choices: free website builders and no-code website places.

Free Website Builders

These are easy. Made for people who don't know code. They let you drag and drop things. They give you designs to start with. And they host the site for you. Here are some:

Wix: Lots of designs. Easy to drag and drop. Good for beginners. But the free version has limits. And Wix puts its name on your site.
Weebly: Clean and simple. Easy to use. Like Wix, the free plan has limits. And shows Weebly's name.
Strikingly: Great for one-page sites. Like a simple online card. The free plan lets you have many sites. But Strikingly puts its name on them.
Google Sites: Simple. Works with Google stuff. Easy to use. But not many fancy features.
WordPress.com: WordPress.org needs you to find a host. But WordPress.com has a free option. It has limits. And shows the WordPress name.

No-Code Website Platforms

These give you more freedom. You can do more without code. They use pictures and dragging to build things. Some have free options:

Carrd: Good for single-page sites. The free plan is basic. But good enough to start.
Webflow: The free plan is limited. But it's powerful. Good for learning about web design.
Bubble: A more advanced no-code place. You can build bigger things. But it's harder to learn.

Think About These Things:

Easy to Use: Pick a place that makes sense to you.
Features: Do you need a blog? A store? Forms?
Make it Your Own: Want a special design? Pick a place that lets you change things.
Free Plan Limits: How much space do you get? What are the rules?
Can It Grow?: Can the platform handle more if your website gets bigger?

Step-by-Step: Make Your Free Website

Ready to build? Here's how:

Sign Up: Go to the platform's website. Make a free account. You'll need your email. And a password.
Pick a Design: Look at the templates. Find one you like. Many have designs for blogs, stores, etc.
Make it Yours: Use the drag-and-drop tools. Change colors, fonts, and pictures. Make it match your style.
Add Your Stuff: Put in your words, pictures, and videos. Make it interesting. And useful for your audience.
Make These Pages: You need these:
- Homepage: The first thing people see. Make a good impression.
- About Us (or Me): Tell people who you are.
- Contact Us: How can people reach you?
- Blog (Maybe): If you want to share news or stories.
- Services/Products (If you sell stuff): Tell people what you offer.
Looks Good on Phones?: Make sure your site works on phones and tablets. Most builders have mobile-friendly designs.
Help Search Engines: Put keywords in your titles and descriptions. This helps people find you on Google.
Try It Out: Before you go live, check everything. Make sure the links work. And the forms, too.
Go Live!: If you're happy, publish your site. It will be on a subdomain. Like yourname.wixsite.com.

Finding Free Hosting

Many free website builders give you free hosting. This is easy for beginners. You don't have to find a host yourself. But free hosting has limits:

Not Much Space: You don't get a lot of space for your files.
Not Much Traffic: If lots of people visit, your site might slow down.
Not Your Own Name: Your website will have the platform's name in it.
Their Name on Your Site: The platform might show its name on your site.

If you need more space or your own name, you'll have to pay. But for a simple site, free hosting might be fine.

Making Your Free Website Easy to Find

Even a simple site can get found on Google. It's called SEO. Here's how to do it:

Find Keywords: What words do people use to find you? Use tools like Google Keyword Planner.
Use Keywords: Put those words in your site's titles and text. Don't use too many.
Good Titles: Make good titles for each page. They show up on Google.
Meta Descriptions: Write short summaries for each page. They show up below the title on Google.
Header Tags (H1, H2, H3): Use these to organize your text. Put keywords in them.
Good Pictures: Use good names for your picture files. And add "alt tags" to describe them.
Mobile-Friendly: Make sure your site looks good on phones. Google likes that.
Fast Website: Make your site load fast. Compress images. Use a caching plugin.
Link Inside: Link to other pages on your site. This helps people find stuff.
Good Content: Write good stuff that people want to read. Share it on social media.

Things to Avoid

Don't make these mistakes:

Not Mobile-Friendly: If your site doesn't work on phones, people will leave.
Hard to Get Around: Make your site easy to use. People should find what they need fast.
Slow Website: A slow site will make people mad. And hurt your Google ranking.
No Call to Action: Tell people what you want them to do. Contact you? Sign up? Buy something?
Ignoring SEO: If you don't do SEO, people won't find you.
Too Many Ads: Too many ads look bad. And make your site hard to use.
Bad Pictures: Use good, clear pictures.

In Conclusion

Making a free website is easier than ever. Use free website builders. Or no-code platforms. Follow these tips. Avoid the mistakes. You can make a great website. That gets your message across. Focus on good content. Good SEO. And making it easy for people to use. You can get online without spending a lot. Start building your free website today!