Many small businesses still do not have their own website, which is a shame. In today’s world where people look on the internet to find just about everything, businesses need an online presence.
Many small business owners probably think that they need to hire an expensive web designer to build them a site. While it is true that it is always best to have a professionally designed site with its own domain name and paid hosting account, sometimes you just don’t have the budget for this . For businesses with a limited budget a free website builder can be a decent way to get started.
Most small businesses only need a simple site with some basic text and images. Building a site like this is very easy, even if you don’t know any HTML or CSS. In fact, there are several services online that allow you to set up your own basic business site for free in less than an hour. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular of these.
1. Google My Business
Google My Business is probably one of the easiest and quickest of the website builders out there. All you need is a free Google account (if you use Gmail you already have one) and you are ready to begin building your site.
Like most online site builders, Google My Business provides you with a series of templates to easily give your site a professional look. Its site editor is pretty easy to figure out, especially if you are familiar with word processing software like Microsoft Word.
If you want you can buy a domain (www.yoursite.com) to use with your site, or you can use the free address provided by Google.
2. Weebly
Weebly (now owned by eCommerce solutions company Square) allows you to build a site in as little as an hour using their online WYSIWYG editor. This editor has been designed to be as easy to use and intuitive as possible. It has a built in tutorial that gives you step by step instructions on how to create your web pages. Like with Google My Business, you can also point your own domain to your Weebly site.
Weebly is an excellent option for people who want to create a simple site for their small business. It is extremely easy to use and even total beginners can have a website up and running in no time at all.
3. Webflow
Webflow is a powerful website builder and hosting service that allows you to create websites using an intuitive drag-and-drop builder. It has a relatively high learning curve compared to many other free business website builders, but it also offers a lot more features and control.
Webflow offers free hosting for basic sites (up to 2 pages). For larger sites and to be able to have your own domain name, you will have to pay.
4. Wix
Wix is one of the most popular website builders available. It allows you to create a site using drag-and-drop functions. Wix provides a lot of different creative options that enable you to create great-looking, fully customized sites.
Wix is one of the slightly more complex free site building services, similar to Squarespace. It comes with a variety of add-ons that allow you to create photo galleries, add social media buttons and ecommerce features like product galleries and shopping carts and more. Overall, Wix is a good option if you want to create a professional-looking site with a lot of functionality and don’t mind taking some time to learn how its editor works.
5. WordPress
WordPress is a well-known CMS (Content Management System) that powers millions of websites. If you want to use it you have two options: use WordPress.com, a free hosting service or set up a self-hosted WordPress site. Setting up your own WordPress site on a paid hosting account, however is by for one of the best ways to easily create a business site. No, it is not really free, but it IS very affordable (you will probably only need to spend about $50 – $100 per year).
WordPress is a little harder to learn than the other site builders I have listed, but in the end it is well worth it. You will find that the functionality and power offered by WordPress is a lot better than any other site builder out there. Another great thing about using it is the fact that there is a huge community of developers and users out there, so you will always be able to get support if you need it.
