Transforming the Landscape with Free Website Builders
Comfortably tucked in your office, you launch your newly minted small business. You're looking for an online footprint but lack coding knowledge or financial resources to hire a web designer. This scenario was typical a few years ago, but things have improved. Welcome to the era of free website builders, opening the virtual world's doors quickly and simply. Here are some of the best free website-building tools to help you get started.
1. Wix: A User-Friendly Option with Artificial Design Intelligence
Wix boasts over 180 million global users, having carved out its niche as one of the best website-building software. Wix employs an intuitive drag-and-drop feature, simplifying website creation by eliminating the need for coding skills. In addition, Wix's Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI) constructs your website based on the industry and site type you select. The free plan enables access to 500 MB storage, hosting services, and a domain. Wix offers a selection of over 500 templates, from restaurants to businesses, and integrates with various social media platforms for enhanced reach.
2. Weebly: An E-commerce Enthusiast's Dream
Weebly, used by over 30 million websites worldwide, stands out for its e-commerce features. Not only does it categorize templates into business, blogs, and portfolios, but it also allows sales even on its free plan. With an uptime reliability of 99.98%, integrated marketing tools, and an inventory management system, it is an attractive proposition for small businesses looking to sell online.
3. WordPress: A Giant in The Website Building Universe
Accounting for over 835 million active users, WordPress shines with its SEO tools, multilingual support, and the vast array of plugins for custom control. Its free plan offers 3 GB of storage, which surpasses many other website builders. WordPress also provides e-commerce store integration and partners with PayPal for payment processing.
4. WebNode: Perfect for a Multilingual Audience
If you're looking for a multilingual website builder, Webnode is the ideal choice. It's an appealing option with support for 20 languages and numerous templates. Plus, you'll find features such as a storage tracker, a free domain for a year on the paid plan, and up to 100 different 1 GB email accounts.
5. Jimdo: Your Gateway to easy ADI
Jimdo provides two ways to build your website: drag-and-drop or ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence). With pre-designed GDPR-compliant legal pages, responsive pages for smooth navigation, and options for multilingual websites, Jimdo effectively covers the basics. It also allows you to sell up to five products on its free plan.
6. Strikingly: Single-Page Website Specialist
Strikingly stands out for its specialization in creating stunning single-page websites. It offers a unique feature of changing the template unlimited times even after the site is live and lets you create unlimited sites with the free plan.
7. Site123: Simplification with ADI
For those uninterested in drag-and-drop, Site123 uses ADI to build a website. It allows multiple websites under one account and a multilingual website feature. Additionally, it provides pre-paired fonts and colors, a free SSL certificate, SEO features, and email marketing integration.
8. Elementor: WordPress Plugin Extraordinaire
Elementor, a drag-and-drop page builder plugin for WordPress, features a separate interface for your posts and pages. It offers many elements and templates for website design and a comprehensive WooCommerce module for e-commerce websites.
9. IM Creator: Made for Professionals
IM Creator offers bold blocks and large images to design a visually appealing website. Its features include pre-loaded content on templates, quick previews of each section, and ad-free websites, even on the free plan.
10. Duda: Mobile-First Approach
Duda focuses on mobile-friendly websites, which is extremely critical given that more than 50% of web traffic originates from mobile devices. It also provides features like restoration to earlier versions, 99.9% guaranteed uptime, free SSL certificate, and SEO tools.
In conclusion, which is the best free website builder?
Wix seems to have an edge with its extensive template options and affordable paid plans. However, every business has unique requirements. Thus, it's best to assess the features carefully and choose the one that best suits your needs. Creating a website has never been easier. It's time to build your online presence without burning a hole in your pocket.