How to Make a Website for a Business 2024: 10 Easy Steps Search
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Key Takeaways: Easy Steps to Start a Business Website for Free
- Pick a domain
- Choose a free hosting provider
- Create a WordPress account
- Choose a business website template
- Choose a color scheme and fonts
- Add images to the template
- Conduct keyword research
- Add text to the template
- Review and launch your business website
- Monitor performance
Facts & Expert Analysis:
- Creating a website for your business doesn’t require any experience or knowledge of programming.
- Adoption of AI models within website builders is making the web design and building process much easier and efficient across the board.
- Before choosing a website builder, consider what advanced functionality you might need down the road, such as e-commerce, marketing tools or analytics.
If you’re trying to figure out how to make a website for a business without breaking the bank, this guide is for you. Finding the ideal domain, web host, design and essential business features for free can be challenging. However, there are website builders that are a one-stop shop for all these aspects and more, making website building simple for beginners and pros alike.
The best web-hosting providers offer award-winning templates, hosting, domain registration and handy business features for free. You don’t need any technical knowledge to build your own website either. Just drag and drop elements into your chosen template and add your content. Our 10 simple steps are easy, doable and backed by research.
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Is It Possible to Create a Business Website for Free?
Yes, it’s possible to create a small business website for free. Platforms like Wix, WordPress and Weebly offer free web hosting while also doubling as website builders. They are easy to use, and you don’t need any coding knowledge to set up your business website. Their paid plans are affordable, allowing you to scale your website as the business grows.
On the downside, free website builders are limited. Some of them, like Wix, can be notoriously slow with annoying ads and limited SEO features. Free plans have several limitations for site customization and bandwidth too. You may not have access to advanced security features either, leading to a potential security breach of business and customer data.
How to Build a Business Website for Free: 10 Easy Steps Using WordPress
- Pick a Domain
Choose a unique and free domain name that matches your business name and is easy to remember and spell. Try to include keywords in your domain for easy discoverability and stick to traditional, top-level domains like .com and .net.
- Choose a Free Hosting Provider
Pick a web host that can register and host your domain for free while also offering website design capabilities to simplify the process. WordPress is a good example of such a service.
- Create a WordPress Account
Decide whether you’ll log in with Google or another email provider. Android and iOS users can also use their Apple ID to log in to WordPress.
- Choose a Business Website Template
Most hosting providers with website builders offer free templates to get you started. Select one that aligns with your desired website outlook.
- Choose a Color Scheme and Fonts
Add your brand colors to the chosen template and select the font types that resonate with your brand. Keep in mind that some custom colors may only be available on premium plans.
- Add Images to the Template
Upload images to the template, such as your brand’s logo and other business photos, that correspond with the design you picked.
- Conduct Keyword Research
Find keywords that are relevant to your industry and list them. Try to use these keywords in your domain name (if possible) and website text.
- Add Text to the Template
Write descriptions on each page of your website. Add your vision, mission and value statements along with other relevant business information like contacts and more.
- Review and Launch Your Business Website
Review your site and launch your website once everything is in place. Send it to your employees, co-workers and even friends to get user experience feedback.
- Monitor Performance
Check how your site is performing on search engines and continuously update it to keep customers engaged.
Free Website Builders for Businesses
| Platform: | Features |
|---|---|
| Wix | 1. Hosting 2. 100-page website builder 3. 500MB of storage 4. Design templates 5. 500MB of bandwidth 6. Mobile optimization 7. Templates |
| Shopify | 1. 3-day free trial only 2. 3-month trial period at $1 per month |
| Weebly | 1. Hosting 2. Free templates 3. Unlimited products 4. Shopping cart 5. Inventory management 6. Coupons 7. Tax calculator 8. Square gift cards 9. Lead capture 10. SEO 11. Instagram feed |
| WordPress | 1. Hosting 2. Unlimited websites 3. 1GB of storage 4. Built-in newsletter and RSS 5. Unlimited web pages 6. Unlimited account admins 7. Multiple themes and patterns |
| Webflow | 1. Hosting 2. 2-page website builder 3. 50 form submissions 4. 50 CMS items 5. Localization for global audiences 6. 1GB of bandwidth 7. 1,000 unique monthly site visits |
| Jimdo | 1. Hosting 2. 5-page website builder 3. HTTPS security 4. 500MB of storage 5. 2GB of bandwidth 6. Contact forms 7. Image library 8. Mobile optimization |
| Strikingly | 1. Hosting 2. 5-page website builder 3. 500MB of storage 4. 5GB of bandwidth 5. 1-product store per site 6. 24/7 support |
All the website builders listed above offer essential business features like social sharing, search optimization, blogging, hosting, customization, forms and e-commerce features. Their drag-and-drop features allow you to use free templates to create a business website in no time. Wix, Shopify, Weebly and WordPress are our top four picks from this list.
WordPress
WordPress.com is one of the most well-known website builders out there. The platform hosts your website for free and gives you a subdomain. You’ll have access to 1GB of space, which you can use to create an unlimited number of web pages. WordPress offers thousands of free themes to users — over 11,000 to be precise.
WordPress runs basic visitor analytics and stats for you on the free plan too. You get unlimited bandwidth and can add unlimited users to your account. You can also access its built-in newsletters and RSS for free. It claims to be online forever and provides 99.999% uptime, so you don’t have to worry about data loss or downtime.
On the downside, free WordPress websites offer little to no customization options. You’ll also have to endure irrelevant ads appearing on your business site. Though its built-in features are meant to eliminate the need for plugins, advanced plugins are only available to paid plan users.
Wix
Wix is an easy-to-use free website builder with a drag-and-drop interface that’s great for people with nontechnical backgrounds. You don’t need any coding knowledge to get started. You can either build your site from scratch or let the platform’s Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI) feature do the work for you.
Wix offers many more free template options than competitors like Weebly and Squarespace. You also get a free demo for each template before you start customizing it. This will show you how your site will look on both mobile and desktop screens. We were impressed that Wix support offers a ticketing system and 24/7 phone support for all plans, including the free version.
However, you can’t switch your site’s design after launching. If you want to use other templates, you must create a new website and transfer your files to it. In addition, some business features require a premium subscription to access them. The free plan also has Wix advertising that you can only remove by upgrading to paid plans. Overall, it’s a great place to start making a website for your business.
Shopify
Shopify is a one-stop shop for online businesses that has everything you need to set up and run an e-commerce store. Your website is hosted for you on the platform. Shopify also offers omnichannel marketing, allowing users to market and sell their products on social media accounts and top online marketplaces.
You don’t need any coding knowledge to make a website on Shopify. There’s 24/7 support via email, live chat and phone. The unlimited bandwidth and storage allow you to add unlimited products and are great for growing online stores. The Basic plan goes for $29 monthly and gets you one store admin at a time, localized global selling, 10 inventory locations and basic analytics.
Shopify has a limited number of free themes (less than 20) and fewer customization options than its competitors. The rest are paid themes costing a whopping $140 to $400 each. Though there are no transaction fees when you use Shopify payments, costs run high when using third-party payment processors.
The only free options offered are a three-day free trial and a three-month trial period at $1 per month. Despite this, Shopify is a great place to learn how to make a website for a business.
Weebly
Weebly’s free plan hosts your website and gives you access to the majority of its paid features, with just a few exceptions. You can choose either to create a website or an online store. It’s an effective drag-and-drop website builder that allows you to get your website running in no time.
The free plan also comes with a lead capture form and SEO functionalities. Weebly lets you add third-party codes and your Instagram feed to your website. You get business features like SSL security, unlimited products, inventory management, a shopping cart and an automatic tax calculator with an online store.
You’re limited to 500MB of storage on the free plan, which is not ideal for scaling businesses. Advertisements are also displayed on your website, and you can’t use your own domain name. That said, Weebly has no transaction costs for new store owners on the Business plan, so you can sell products online for free. If you’re on the Pro, Starter or Free plan, a 3% fee is charged for each transaction.
How Much Does a Website for a Small Business Cost?
The average annual cost of a small business website is between $300 and $700. There are many expenses involved when considering how to make a website for a business. WordPress domain name costs start at $14 yearly, and web hosting starts at $25 yearly. Website security costs start at $5.99, while themes can have a one-time fee of $0 to $100. Plugins cost between $0 to $1,000 yearly.
We find the Explorer plan to be the ideal WordPress website builder for business. It offers unlimited premium themes, no ads, advanced style customization options and live chat support. This will cost you $8 per month billed yearly (exclusive of tax). Your custom domain will be free for the first year and cost $12 annually after that. This applies to .com and .net domains.
| Provider | Cost per Year |
|---|---|
| WordPress | $48* |
| Wix | $54 |
| Shopify | $348 |
| Weebly | $120 |
*Plus 8% transaction fees & standard processing fees
Final Thoughts
Regardless of which provider you choose, at Cloudwards we recommend backing up your WordPress website to protect your database and files from being wiped out. This safeguards your website in case of a cyberattack or a system error. Our guide on how to back up your WordPress website has more details.
What did you think of our beginner’s guide to website building? Do you feel ready to start creating your business’ website? Which website builder will you go with? Let us know in the comments below. Thank you for reading.
FAQ: Build a Free Business Website
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You can create your own business website by using website builders like Wix, WordPress and Weebly. You don’t need any coding knowledge to use these builders.
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Create a website for free with free website builders such as WordPress, Wix, Weebly, Strikingly and Jimdo. There are many free templates that you can use as inspiration for your site.
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Yes, it’s free to make a business website on platforms like Wix, WordPress, Weebly, Webflow, Jimdo and Strikingly.
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The cost of creating a business website starts from $300 annually.
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Valentina loves to play with words for a living. As an editor, translator, and copywriter, she has worked with texts in various fields, including tech, architecture, psychology, philosophy, and personal development. When she’s off the clock, she enjoys traveling to places new and old, going to concerts and festivals, cooking with friends, and dancing like no one’s watching. Igor is one of the fact-checking editors for Cloudwards. As a man of many talents, he has worked in customer service and SEO, is proficient in video and audio editing, and is also a trained opera singer, gracing European stages with his hometown church choir. Outside of work, Igor’s passions encompass music performance, fitness and capturing moments through travel photography. With a life enriched by diverse pursuits, Igor’s story unfolds rapidly, with many of the chapters yet to reveal themselves.
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