How to Create a Website Free of Cost: Beginners Guide (2022)

Want to learn how to create a website free of cost in 2022?

Our easy step by step guide for beginners shows you exactly how you can make your own website for free, using free tools from popular website builders to design and host your website.

Image of newly built website as cover image to show how to create a website free of cost

Heads up. Creating a website is easy, and yes, you can create your own website free of cost even if it’s your first time building a website.

PRO TIP: Whether you want to build a simple website for free or make a professional looking website for your business and personal brand, the process is the same. The only difference is the type of website you want to create and the web builder tool you will use to design and host your website.

How to Create a Website Free of Cost in 6 Easy Steps

To create a website for free, follow these 6 simple steps:

  1. Decide on the kind of website you want to create.
  2. Signup with a free website builder platform to build your site. Choose from any of the best free website builders for creating a website free of cost, click “Get Started” choose the type of website you want to create and sign up for free.
  3. Select a website template of your choice.
  4. Customize your site template and design as you like. Add design features, text, galleries, videos & more.
  5. Choose a free site hosting plan. You can connect and link your custom domain name if you like.
  6. Publish your website and go live. Start building your online presence.

The process explained in detail to guide you if you are a beginner looking to create your own website free of charge.

Here is the detailed step by step beginners guide to create your website free of cost.

Step 1: Decide on the kind of website you want to create

Creative website idea thinking icon

Before you begin creating a website, the first thing to do is to have in mind a goal you wish to achieve with that website as well as the purpose it will serve.

Having fully known the type of website you want to create; it becomes easy to choose a website builder platform that fits your project perfectly.

So, if you’re creating a free website for small business, photography or arts, choose Wix. If you intend to sell products online on your website, choose WebStarts or just go with Shopify instead, and if you want it for anything else, then go with any of the free website makers we recommend that suits your website purpose.

All you have to do in this stage of your website creation is to plan. Make a plan for your website structure, pages and features you would like to have on your website.

Step 2: Signup with a free website builder platform to set up your website

Choose from any of the best free website builders to start building your website for free.

Best free website builders you can use to create a free website in 2022:

Best Overall: Wix (Wix.com).

Wix is the easiest tool to create a professional-looking website as quickly as possible. The free plan allows you to create a free website and design your website as you like, but if you want outstanding features such as custom domain name and online store, go premium.

The easiest tool to create a free small business website: Weebly (Weebly.com).

Use Weebly if you need more control over your website or if you are building a website intended for a small business that needs more resources, such as large amount of web pages, space and more.

For more free website builder options, see our complete list of the best free website builders to create a free website.

Upon clicking on any of the website builder you wish to use and build your own free website, you will be taken to the free website builder sites. Click on the “Get Started” button you see on the homepage to quickly get started.

You will be asked to choose from a dropdown list of options the type of website you want to create.

Expert advice: To make your free website using free website builder tools, do this first:

Although you can proceed with the website creation process from there, don’t do it, sometimes, your website draft doesn’t save until you actually sign up.

To avoid problems, simply create a free website builder account with your chosen free site creator first. Confirm your email address and then log in to fully begin your free website creation. This way, whatever you do is saved.

Here is how to set up your free website builder and hosting account.

  • Go to the free website builder platform. You can do this using any of the links/buttons we provided.
  • Click on the “Get started” button, enter your information and click signup.
  • Check your email address for confirmation mail. Confirm your registration.
  • Log into your website dashboard.
  • Click “Create a new website” to start building your website for free.

Step 3: Select a good template for your website design

screenshot image with all templates menu highlighted to show how to select a website template for your site

Now that you’ve created an account with your website builder platform, and clicked on the “Create a new website” button to start building your website for free, the next step is to choose a website template you can easily use to customize and design your website.

Select any website template that fits your kind of website.

Step 4: Customize your site template and design to suit your style

Design thinking icon

After selecting your website template, the next thing will be to edit and customize your website as you like.

Basically, all you have to do is edit the demo content that came with your website design template and replace it with your own.

The visual webpage editor lets you add or remove anything you want, increase or decrease text sizes, adjust images and more.

You can add design features, text, galleries, videos & more. It’s really easy, just drag and drop elements anywhere you want them on your webpage.

Step 5: Choose a free site hosting plan or connect your domain name

If to an extent you feel your website design is basic enough to launch with, before adding more site features over time, click on the “Save” button.

It will prompt you to choose a name for your new website or add a custom domain name to your website.

Select the “Get a free Wix.com domain” option if you want a completely free website, or use the “connect your own customized domain” option if you want to use a custom domain (i.e. yourname.com) for your website. The latter isn’t 100% free.

Step 6: Publish your website and go live

To go live and start building your online presence, click on the “Publish Website” button.

Once this is done, your website will be live and accessible by anyone who has your site URL or domain name.

If you choose the option to get a free wix.com domain, your website should be ready to publish, but if you did choose the option to add your own custom domain, then you will be directed to the page where you can add your domain name.

Whichever the case is for you, just click on the “publish your website” button if its visible to you straight away. But if in any case you do not see the “publish website button”, simply navigate back to your website maker dashboard, you will see it there.

Congratulations, you have successfully created your own website free of cost.

Drive traffic to your new website

Now that your website is live, simply grab the link or your domain name and start promoting it. You can either do this from an SEO perspective to attract readers and customers, or you can just use social media as well as other digital marketing means like Facebook, social media websites and Google ads to promote it.

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Craig Macaulay
Craig Macaulay

Craig Macaulay is an experienced prof. in business and human resource management. His area of expertise and interest includes business strategy, planning, Fintech and corporate social responsibility. Over the last decade, Craig has mentored several students, tried lots of software and served as a business technology analyst, operation, and marketing consultant for numerous businesses. In his words "I like to help small business owners grow their business and make money online, it doesn't hurt if we all just grow, you know".