Whether you’re a professional starting out in your career or a small business owner looking to expand your operations, you need to establish a web presence to get ahead. Having a website is a non-negotiable if you want to build your brand online but if you’re on a tight budget, there are still a lot of ways for you to build your own online space without breaking the bank.
Nowadays, you don’t need to have a background in web development or a significant amount of money to get your website up and running. As a free website builder, for instance, Strikingly can provide you with a good starting point for the project and you don’t have to shell out a single dime. You get all the tools you need to build a functioning website and get the word out about your brand. The technical aspect of website development is already covered so you can focus on creating content that your target audience will want to read.
While there are tons of options in the market for free website builders, they are not created equal. Most platforms provide free accounts to allow users to experience their service firsthand and somehow ease them into upgrading to paying clients. It’s a common business model and one that will allow you to try out a service before committing to it for the long term but you want to think about how much you can access on a free account and is it enough for you to arrive at a decision to upgrade or not.
Having said that, the best free website builder should have the following features:
1. Ease of use
Website builders in general are marketed towards beginners and users with little to no web development experience. If you belong to this user segment, you want a platform that you can easily use without the need for a third party. Ideally, you want to go for a free website builder software that does not look intimidating to a novice.
Strikingly lowers the barrier to entry for aspiring movers and shakers by providing a free website builder and domain service that is intuitive. Get your website up in minutes and without writing a single line of code using the AI-powered site editor. Visualize what your site will look like by switching between mobile and desktop view while editing your content.
2. Variety of templates
One of the common concerns that users have about free website builders is that their options for website templates may be limited because of their account type. Understandably, some platforms choose to limit access to their entire template library to premium accounts to encourage users to upgrade.
As an internet company with humble beginnings and being the first Chinese entrepreneurial team admitted to the Y Combinator, we are all about providing startups and aspiring entrepreneurs a good solid foundation for their websites. That is why we have opened our growing library of free website builder templates to everyone - including free accounts. Choose from a variety of template options and start building a website that will help you build your web presence.
3. Feature-rich tools
When you’re just starting to build your brand on the web, it makes sense to take advantage of free tools and apps. The best free website builder should empower you to create a feature-rich website so you can try various business models and see which one would suit your brand and your objectives. For instance, Strikingly is probably one of the few site building platforms that allow free accounts to build an online store without extra cost. You can start a single-product online shop and grow it to a multi-category ecommerce store within the same platform. Scale up as your business grows.
