Newbie setting up a website for the first time

By: Bala, in Category: General

Here are a few website builders that are free or low-cost and are great for people with no coding knowledge or design experience, while also allowing the use of a custom domain name:

1. Wix

  • Free Plan: Yes, but with Wix-branded domain (e.g., username.wixsite.com/website)
  • Custom Domain: Available with a paid plan starting at $4.50/month (Combo plan)
  • Ease of Use: Very beginner-friendly with drag-and-drop functionality. There are hundreds of professional, customizable templates that can help those with little design experience.
  • Features: Includes tools for online sales, SEO, and basic analytics.
  • Templates: Wide variety, categorized by industry.

2. Weebly (now part of Square)

  • Free Plan: Yes, with a Weebly-branded subdomain (e.g., sitename.weebly.com)
  • Custom Domain: Available with the paid plan starting at $6/month.
  • Ease of Use: Simple drag-and-drop builder, suitable for beginners. It offers great usability and templates tailored for different purposes, including online sales.
  • Features: You can start with an informational website and later add e-commerce functionalities easily if needed.
  • Templates: Clean and minimalistic templates, perfect for non-designers.

3. Google Sites

  • Free Plan: Yes, completely free.
  • Custom Domain: Free, but you’ll need to buy a custom domain separately from a provider like Google Domains.
  • Ease of Use: One of the easiest tools to use, though the design options are more basic compared to other platforms. No coding skills required.
  • Features: Best for a simple informational website. Limited features but integrates well with other Google services (e.g., Google Forms, Google Drive).
  • Templates: Limited, but enough for basic website designs.

4. WordPress.com

  • Free Plan: Yes, with a WordPress-branded domain (e.g., sitename.wordpress.com)
  • Custom Domain: Paid plans starting at $4/month to use your own domain.
  • Ease of Use: WordPress is relatively easy to use, with thousands of themes available for design, but it has a bit more of a learning curve than Wix or Weebly.
  • Features: Can be expanded for blog posts, online stores (with WooCommerce integration), and other features.
  • Templates: Wide variety of themes for various industries, though some themes may require light customization.

5. Zoho Sites

  • Free Plan: Yes, with limited features.
  • Custom Domain: Available with a paid plan starting at $5/month.
  • Ease of Use: Easy drag-and-drop editor, suitable for beginners.
  • Features: Includes SEO, analytics, and e-commerce functionality, which can be expanded as needed.
  • Templates: Offers clean and responsive templates for different business types.

For simplicity and ease of use, Wix and Weebly are great starting points, especially if you plan to scale your website with more advanced features like online sales.



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