free website designer
How to use free website design tools to build credibility, get found on Google, and grow your business
Free website builders are tempting — they cost nothing and get you online fast. This guide shows how to use them properly: choose the right tool, structure content for SEO, speed up performance, capture local leads, and know when to switch to a managed service like Congero for long-term growth.
Why use a free website designer?
Free website builders are useful for early-stage businesses, testing offers, or getting a basic online presence quickly. They remove financial friction and let you validate demand before investing in a paid solution. But using them well matters — a basic free site can be invisible to customers unless you optimise content, speed and local signals.
Fast to launch
Get a single-page site up in under an hour to test a campaign or share on social.
Low cost
No commitment lets you validate ideas without a big spend.
Easy edits
Drag-and-drop editors let non-technical owners make updates quickly.
Choosing the right free website designer
Not all free tools are equal. Use this checklist to pick one that will scale with your needs:
Key selection criteria
- Custom domain allowed: Prefer tools that let you connect your own domain on the free or low-cost tier — it’s crucial for SEO.
- Mobile-responsive templates: Make sure templates look great on phones.
- Meta tag control: You must be able to edit page titles and meta descriptions.
- Fast hosting & HTTPS: Ensure the platform serves pages over HTTPS and has reasonable load times.
- Export or upgrade path: Can you export content or upgrade to paid hosting later?
- No intrusive branding: If the free plan forces large ads, it may hurt conversions.
Popular free builders and when to use them
- Wix / Weebly: Good for quick marketing pages; watch for paid feature locks.
- WordPress.com: Powerful for content-heavy sites; free plan is limited — consider low-cost upgrades.
- Google Sites: Extremely simple and free — best for internal pages or very basic info pages.
- Carrd / Tilda: Great for single-page landing pages and lead capture.
Plan your site: structure that converts and ranks
A simple, well-structured site beats a flashy, confusing one. Small business sites should focus on clarity, trust and conversion.
Essential pages
- Home: Clear headline, one-sentence value proposition, hero image, primary CTA.
- Services/Products: Individual sections or pages for each service with benefit-focused copy.
- About/Trust: Short bio, credentials, trade licenses, insurance, team photos.
- Contact: Phone, email, address, opening hours, and a simple contact CTA (link to phone or email).
- Testimonials: Real reviews or before/after photos — social proof matters.
Content hierarchy & CTAs
- Headline: Describe what you do and who you serve in one line.
- Sub-headline: Offer 2-3 supporting benefits.
- Primary CTA: Phone call, book a quote, or WhatsApp — make it front-and-centre.
- Secondary actions: Testimonials, gallery, or pricing FAQs to reduce friction.
Content brief template (use this)
- Business one-liner (what you do + who you serve).
- 3 primary services with 2-sentence descriptions each.
- Top 5 service areas (suburbs/towns).
- 3 customer testimonials or case studies.
- Contact details and preferred call-to-action.
On-page SEO: the must-do checklist
Even with a free builder, you can control the basics that influence Google rankings. Do these on every page.
Technical & meta basics
- Title tag: Primary keyword + service + location (under 60 characters).
- Meta description: Compelling summary with call-to-action (under 155 characters).
- Heading structure: One H1 per page, then H2s for sections.
- Clean URLs: keep them short and keyword-focused (example: /plumber-sydney).
- Sitemap & robots: Ensure your builder creates a sitemap.xml and allows search engines.
Content & keywords
- Keyword intent: Use phrases customers use — "emergency plumber near me", "kitchen sink repair Sydney".
- Service pages: Dedicate a page or section to each service; target one primary keyword per page.
- Local signals: Mention suburbs, service areas, and include an address on the site.
- Schema: If your builder supports structured data (LocalBusiness), enable it for better rich results.
Speed, images, and user experience
Fast pages convert better and rank higher. Many free builders add bloat—here's how to keep your site lean.
Image optimization
- Resize images to the display size (don’t upload a 4000px photo if it's shown at 800px).
- Use modern formats (WebP if supported) and compress (60–80% quality for photos).
- Add descriptive alt text that includes keywords naturally.
Performance tips
- Avoid autoplay videos or heavy animations on the hero section.
- Limit third-party scripts (chat widgets, trackers) — add only what you need.
- Use the builder's built-in caching and CDN options if available.
- Test with Google PageSpeed Insights and aim for mobile score 50+ on free builders; 90+ is ideal.
Lazy loading & placeholders
Enable lazy loading for below-the-fold images. Use small blurred placeholders to improve perceived speed on mobile.
Local SEO: win nearby customers
For most small businesses, local searches drive the highest-value leads. Do these steps to appear in local results and Google Maps.
Google Business Profile
Claim and fully populate your Google Business Profile. Keep NAP (Name, Address, Phone) consistent across web and local directories.
Service-area pages
Create short pages or sections for suburbs you serve. Avoid duplicate content — write a unique sentence for each area and include a call-to-action.
Local citations & reviews
List your business on key directories (TrueLocal, Yellow Pages, Facebook). Encourage happy customers to leave Google reviews — respond to reviews professionally.
Tracking & analytics: measure what matters
Install basic analytics to know where your leads come from and which pages convert.
Must-have tracking
- Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
- Google Search Console — submit your sitemap and monitor search queries
- Phone call tracking (or use a dedicated tracking number for campaigns)
- Conversion events: form submit, click-to-call, booking clicks
How to act on data
- Identify pages with high traffic but low conversion — improve CTAs and trust signals.
- Spot keywords bringing traffic and create more content around them.
- Use location data to focus local ads on suburbs with the highest conversion rates.
How to grow your online presence after launch
A website is a starting point. Use these practical growth steps to turn visitors into paying customers.
Content & blog
Publish short, localised articles answering common customer questions. Example: "How to stop a leaking tap in [Suburb]". These rank well for long-tail searches.
Local ads & offers
Run small Google Local Service or search campaigns for top services. Promote limited-time offers and track conversion closely.
Partnerships & referrals
List on local Facebook groups, partner with complementary businesses, and ask for referrals from satisfied customers.
When to upgrade from free to a paid or managed site
- You need faster load times or better uptime — paid hosting and managed services improve reliability.
- Custom domain & professional email — essential once you start converting leads regularly.
- Unlimited updates & support: If you don’t want to manage edits yourself, managed monthly services (like Congero's $49/month plan) include unlimited updates, local SEO, domain, hosting and analytics.
- Scaling marketing: If you start spending on ads, use a managed provider to ensure landing pages convert and tracking is correct.
Quick start checklist for free website designers
- Pick a tool that allows meta tags, HTTPS, and a custom domain.
- Write your one-line value proposition and add it to the hero as H1.
- Create dedicated service pages (or sections) with 300–600 words each.
- Optimise title tags and meta descriptions for each page.
- Compress and add alt text to every image.
- Claim Google Business Profile and add NAP info on your site.
- Install GA4 and submit sitemap to Google Search Console.
- Test mobile usability and PageSpeed Insights — fix the top 3 issues.
- Get 3–5 customer reviews and add them to your site.
Frequently asked questions
Is a free website good enough for my business?
Can I move from a free builder to another host later?
What free features should I never skip?
Need a faster, all-in-one alternative?
Free builders are great to start. When you want predictable results, better local SEO, and unlimited updates without the headache, Congero builds professional websites in minutes and manages everything for a flat monthly fee — hosting, domain, local SEO and unlimited text-in updates.
Start with a free site to validate — upgrade when you want predictable, professional results without the technical hassle.
