Is it possible to create a website for free?
With the Internet, any kind of information is readily available and at our fingertips. In addition, as eCommerce Foundation research points out, 88 percent of consumers do research on the Web before proceeding with an online or in-store purchase. At the same time, most users tend to relegate little credibility to those businesses that do not have a website.
Regardless of your industry, having a website is a necessity for any company in order to promote business and explore new opportunities.
If you are planning to shape your web project or are experimenting with a new business idea and would like to bring it online without committing too many financial resources, you might consider some options that allow you to create sites very easily and sometimes completely free of charge.
Table of Contents:
Identify the ideal platform
WordPress
Wix
Weebly
Jimbo
Creating a website for free: disadvantages
Creating a website with Shellrent
Locate the ideal platform
Are you looking for a platform that is easy to use and allows you to build your website in no time? We offer a few options that meet these characteristics while providing spendable solutions even on a limited budget.
WordPress
The most widely used platform for creating web pages is WordPress; it is an open source resource, which means that you can create and publish a website, albeit with obvious limitations, for free.
WordPress offers everything you need to launch a site in minutes, including dozens of customizable themes, hosting and a free subdomain.
As the website grows, WordPress provides the tools needed to upgrade to one of the paid plans.
Pros: community support and basic design customization
Cons: reduced storage space (1GB) and advertisements
Wix
Wix is an all-in-one platform and a popular no-code website builder. The Drag & Drop feature makes it easy to allocate page content to the desired location.
The free version is a great place to start, as you will have the necessary tools (including hosting) to start a website.
When your project requires more resources, you will have the option to easily upgrade to one of the premium plans.
Pros: technical guides and customer support available
Cons: storage space (500MB) and banner ads.
Weebly
Weebly is another website builder, similar to Wix. In its free version, it offers an SSL certificate, a subdomain, and web space.
This platform provides a structured editor, that is, it organizes pages by columns and rows. Although this may assume less flexibility, such an editor is more than sufficient to create a custom showcase.
Pros: support via chat and email
Cons: reduced storage space (500MB) and footer advertising
Jimbo
Interesting solution for creating free sites is Jimbo. The free version provides all the basic features needed to create your own web project: modern and attractive designs, SSL certificate, contact form.
The platform allows the creation of 5 pages on the .jimdosite.com subdomain, where Jimdo logo and links are placed.
Pros: automatic optimization for mobile and fast connection with social profiles
Cons: limited storage space (500MB) and no guaranteed support
Creating a website for free: disadvantages
As you might suspect, relying on a free plan, while initially proving to be a great solution, means having to adhere to limitations when it comes to functionality and customization. Paid versions do not include advertising and reserve more storage space and bandwidth.
Basic functionality. With free versions, customization and maneuvering options are limited; the platforms include only the bare essentials to bring your website online.
Low-performance hosting. An all-in-one platform is one that also includes a Hosting, which is the web space that will accommodate your project. Free plans may rely on shared infrastructure that could compromise site performance.
Minimal Support. As we have seen, the platforms considered above provide a support community that can be responsive in case of issues. Paid plans provide an additional level of support, offering prompt and more timely responses.
Creating a website with Shellrent
When creating a website, there are two main components to consider: your domain (www.nome.com) and the quality of web hosting.
The choice of domain name should not be underestimated. With Shellrent you have the option of registering your desired domain for free for the first year, opting from nearly 1400 extensions. You can decide to rely on the most popular .it, .com, .net or give your website a fresh look by directing your choice toward new TLDs capable of defining your area of expertise right away.
For example, a .bike domain might highlight your passion for two wheels, while the .art extension will indicate your penchant for the art world.
Once you have identified the domain name, you will have to choose the web space that will accommodate your project. In this sense, Shellrent advances an economical yet ideal solution to bring your business online, ensuring maximum compatibility with the most popular CMSs on the market, including WordPress.
Our Basic plan includes a weekly backup, 5 email accounts of 1 GB each, a MySQL database, Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate, the possibility depending on future needs to upgrade and to match of desired additional services.
You will be able to manage the purchase and renewal activities of services conveniently and intuitively from our Manager Control Panel, where you will also have the possibility to request technical and commercial support if needed.