Everything You Need to Know to Create a Free Website

Build a professional website completely for free - sounds good right? However, is it even possible? Yes and no. Creating a website can be free, but publishing and maintaining it isn't.

It does not have to mean costs in the form of money, but, for example, the amount of time spent on it or knowledge required to maintain it. Find out what is hidden under the phrase "free-of-cost website" and whether it is worth choosing.

Is a free website even possible?

It doesn’t matter for what purpose you want to create a website - whether it is, for example, a private or business venture.

Why? Because creating any website yourself is now pretty easy.

You may be unfamiliar with programming if you are not a talented web designer. How will you create your professional website then? Will you need IT knowledge? Don't worry, you don't need to have any.

But does that also apply to the free website? Of course! What is the easiest way to create it then? It's best to do it with a very good website builder. Most of these tools mainly rely on drag & drop ready-made website elements anywhere in the project and supplementing them with your own content. It's so easy to create a professional-looking free website.

Free Website - Is it really free?

Already at the beginning of this article, I indicated that having a free website isn't cost-free. The very creation of it may be like that, but its publication and then its maintenance is associated with certain costs, whether in the form of money spent or time spent on managing it.

Every website you publish comes with a cost - maintaining servers, owning your own domain, applying updates and security, adding new features - it all costs money - so it can't be free. Even if you do not feel that you are paying for something, for example, because you do not subscribe to any paid plan, in practice you pay, e.g. by displaying ads on your free website. You must be aware of this when deciding to have a free website.

How to choose a website builder?

You probably already know about the existence of cost-free website builders, and you may be tempted to use them, mostly because of the very often repetitive word - for free. However, there are a few things you should pay particular attention to when choosing a free website builder:

1. The way of creating a website

A free website is free just because you create it yourself. For this reason, you must ensure that the tool you choose will allow you to build it simply and intuitively. Especially if you don’t have experience in the field of programming, among others.

At BOWWE, anyone can create a professional website, even if it's their first encounter with building online projects.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yauQ6fFk9G8

2. On-site advertising

With many website builders, when you create a free website, you must know that ads will not disappear until you decide to buy one of the paid plans these tools offer. Fortunately, you don't have such a problem with BOWWE, and you can enjoy a beautiful website without too many ads scaring out users.

3. Restrictions on creating a website

When creating a free website, it is natural that you will have to reckon with the fact that you will not have complete access to all its functionalities. However, this doesn’t mean that such a website will not be able to look professional and meet its goals.

It is worth paying attention to whether the chosen tool allows you to create the website you need. So, for example, if you want to create a website for a beauty salon, you must check whether you will have access to the price list or booking in the free version of the website.

4. Choosing a domain name

Being able to choose a domain name is extremely important. It can simply be your brand name or refer to it directly. The most important thing, however, is that it should be easy to remember and reflect the nature of your business. Therefore, you cannot choose a tool that won't let you choose your own domain name. Remember that the domain name is also an element of building identity and brand recognition.

5. Website size restrictions

Before creating a website, you should more or less have an idea of what you want on it and how many subpages in total you want it to have. This is important because when creating a corporate website, some tools may limit the size of such a project, and then you will have to make the website from scratch elsewhere or purchase a plan that will allow you to expand it. At BOWWE, we don’t limit you and let you create as large and advanced a website as you need.

Pros & cons of having a free website

As mentioned before, having a free website is a worth considering idea. However, also this solution has many advantages as well as disadvantages that must be taken into account.

How to make a professional website for free?

As I mentioned, you don't need programming skills to create a free website. I’m going to show you a simple way how you can do it yourself and at no cost.

1. Choose a tool that allows you to create a free website

There are many such tools on the market, but not all of them will provide you with a free website without any major restrictions or conditions.

2. Start creating from scratch or use a ready-made template

If you want to try your skills at creating a website or you already have an accurate vision of it, you can start building it completely from the scratch. On the other hand, if you are in a hurry or you don't feel confident creating a website from scratch for free, use ready-made website templates.

They are usually made to the needs of specific industries, so you will surely find one that will meet all your requirements. At BOWWE, you can choose from over 200 high-quality templates, which, moreover, can be freely modified to match your branding.

3. Complete all technical and SEO matters

If your website is practically ready, it's time to take care of some essential details, such as technical and SEO issues. What do I mean?

a) SSL certificate

b) friendly URLs

c) domain name

d) metadata

e) alt descriptions

f) … and much more!

4. Publish a website!

It's time to publish the page. Make sure everything looks and performs well on desktops and mobile devices. If you don't see any other bugs or things to fix, you should submit your sitemap for indexing on Google. Remember, it costs nothing and allows Google to see your website, thanks to which, among others, it will appear in search results.

If you are wondering what to do after your website goes live? Here are the next steps you should take:

a) Connect analytical tools (e.g., free Google Analytics) that will allow you to track the website's results on an ongoing basis and control whether it is meeting your goals.

b) Start carrying out activities aimed at positioning it high in the search results. You can start by auditing your page to see if there are any SEO errors. When you go through this stage of work on the website, it is worth going to the competition analysis and then conducting keyword research based on which you will optimize the content on the website so that your potential recipients can find you.

c) Promote your website. You can do it in many different ways, but before you start, do research to check your competitors' promotional strategies and search for places on the web where your site's target audience is most likely to be. Learn from the analysis and prepare a promotion plan that will be the most effective for you.

Free website - is it worth it?

In today's world, having a website is a must if you want to run a recognizable business that will bring real profits. Remember that your website is your "Internet business card" - where you make the first impression on others! This is the most effective and cheapest way to promote and develop your company.

A free website is an excellent option for those who run a small business or are "self-employed." This solution will allow you to save money (which is worth its weight in gold in the case of many companies) and manage the website most effectively for you. So don't hesitate with the decision to create a website and start working!

Also published here.