It’s entirely possible to create a free website of your own choosing, from scratch. If you want to create a free website in minutes, there’s plenty of options for you to choose from. My aim is to break down each step for you so that you have a simple guide to follow.
I’ll include ways you can create a free website, including choosing your own domain name, website hosting, and the best website builders. If you’re on a tight budget and need a free website fast, follow the steps below to create your website in a matter of minutes.
Step 1: Create a Free Website Using a Website Builder
The easiest way to start building your website for free is to choose a website builder. This makes the process much faster and simpler as often they will including web hosting and a domain name.
Choosing the best website builder for your needs is the first priority. There’s plenty of free website builders on the market, but they’re more ideal on a short term basis. Often they will include a domain name, but it will include the builder’s company name like www.mywebsite.wordpress.com which doesn’t look very professional. They’re a good starting point though, and the main thing is they are free.
Once you’ve created your website, you can use helpful resources like SkillCrush. These free resources offer web developers (even you) tools to enhance your website even further. Whether you’re looking for photos, themes, or even new fonts.
Wix
Wix is extremely easy to use and has plenty of templates to get you started. They have a free plan which you can use for free, forever. There are of course limitations compared to the premium plans which I’ve outlined below.
Pros:
- Fully hosted solution
- Free SSL certificate
- Loads of beautiful templates
- Drag and drop functionality
Cons:
- Branded adverts on free plan
- No ability to connect your own domain on free plan
- Separate subscription required for an email account
WordPress
WordPress has two versions. WordPress.org is a self-hosted version which is completely free. You’ll have to source your own web hosting and domain name, but the use of their platform is entirely free. WordPress.com includes web hosting and has a free plan available which is fairly limited.
Pros:
- Loads of additional plugins that can be installed to customise your site
- WordPress.org is completely free and gives you full control
- Has its own portfolio of themes and templates
- Most popular CMS platform
Cons:
- WordPress.com requires own hosting, domain and management
- Can be difficult to get started with
- Keep your own website backups
VISIT WORDPRESS.COM (£0/MONTH)
Weebly
Weebly has been around for over a decade. Their website builder allows you to create a website regardless of what type of site it is, ranging from bloggers to online stores. They offer a simple drag and drop solution making it extremely easy to use. Their free plan includes a free SSL certificate, Weebly branded domain name and SEO.
Pros:
- Fully hosted website builder
- Free SSL certificate
- Easy drag and drop features
- Live page editor
Cons:
- Weebly branded ads on free plan
- Weebly branded domain on free plan
- Can’t use any other features or plugins from outside sources
Step 2: Choosing your domain name
Choosing your domain name is both fun and frustrating at the same time. I can’t recall how many times I’ve thought of a great domain name and found out that it’s been taken already. Thankfully, there’s plenty of tools out there that can help with that. Domain name generators are an awesome way of searching for a domain name if you have one in mind or if you’re looking for some inspiration.
Some website builders will let you have a free domain name (though many of them will include branded domains). This doesn’t look very professional so I’d always recommend getting your own domain name.
If cost is a concern, you’ll find most web hosting companies will give you a free domain name as part of your web hosting. Some of my favourite web hosts like SiteGround include a free domain in their plans. If you do choose to go down the web host route to get your domain, you’ll likely find they include 1-click installs for WordPress for free. This means you can get your website builder and domain name entirely free.
If you’ve already sourced your website builder and web hosting for free but are struggling with a domain name, here’s a list of places you can get a domain name for free:
Alternatively, there are plenty of domain name providers like 123Reg and Ionos that offer .com and .co.uk TLDs at a very reasonable price. More often than not they promote offers and discounts like purchasing your first domain name for just 1p for the first year!
Step 3: Choosing your Web Hosting
If you’re serious about building your own website, you’ll need a decent web host. Like I mentioned earlier, if you’re using a website builder, lots of them offer a fully hosted solution. This means they provide their own web hosting for your website, including updates, security etc. This type of solution is ideal if you don’t want much to do with your web hosting.
However, if you want more control over your web hosting, you’ll need to source your own web host. There’s an absolute abundance of web hosting companies out there, but they’re not all great. That’s why I’m here, and why top10-websitehosting exists in the first place. I was sick and tired of all these web hosts claiming they were the best, when they really weren’t.
My favourite and recommended almost free web host is Hostinger. From just 80p per month, you can nab yourself powerful and stable web hosting that’s going to be great for your website. I’ll talk a little bit about their hosting, the plans they offer, and how to sign up to them super easily. If you’re on a tight budget, you can’t go wrong with this web host.
The first thing to do is to visit Hostinger. Once you’ve reached their cheap web hosting homepage, click the Get Started button to continue.
You’ll be able to see the full range of pricing plans on offer. Because we’re trying to create a website for free (almost free), I’ll recommend the Single Web Hosting plan from just 99p per month. This really is an absolute steal, I can’t stress this enough!
VISIT HOSTINGER.CO.UK (£0.99/MONTH)
At an almost free price, you get quite a few features included. I must admit, the first time I came across Hostinger I was a little sceptical. I thought for that price you probably wouldn’t get anything included but I was clearly wrong. Here’s a list of features on their 99p plan:
- 1 website
- 10GB disk space
- 100GB bandwidth
- 1 MySQL database
- 1 email accounts
- Website builder included for free
- 99.9% uptime guarantee
- 24/7/365 support
If your budget allows you to stretch to a mere £2.89 per month, you’ll get a free domain name included and a free SSL certificate. Once you’ve clicked Add To Cart on the plan that you want to go ahead with, you can nearly complete your order.
Do you want a further 10% off your almost free web hosting? Of course you do! Using code 10OFF you’ll be able to claim 10% off your entire order. I bet you’re glad you carried on reading now!
Simply click Checkout Now to complete your order. It’s literally as easy and as quick as that. Now you’ve got your website builder, domain name, and web hosting in a matter of minutes, you can create your website for free in minutes too!
