Practical Guide • 2025

free website for business

Build a lean, high‑visibility website at no cost — step-by-step SEO and local visibility tactics for busy small business owners.

This guide takes you from planning to launch using only free tools (or a low-cost custom domain). Follow the actionable steps to create a site that looks professional, loads fast, and ranks in local searches.

Start the Step-by-Step Try a Faster Option (No Upfront)

Cost to start

~60 min

Quick initial launch

100%

Mobile friendly

Local SEO

Optimise for nearby customers

Step 1 — Plan your site (15–30 minutes)

Start with clarity. Even a free one-page site works if it answers the right questions for customers. Planning first saves hours later.

Define the goal

Generate phone calls or leads?
Showcase work (photos/portfolio)?
Book appointments?

Essential pages

For most small businesses: Home, Services, About, Contact, and Reviews/Gallery.

Home: Clear headline + top CTA (call or message).
Services: Brief list with pricing ranges or starting prices.
Contact: Phone, email, address, opening hours.

Quick planning tip: write a one-sentence headline that explains what you do and who you serve (e.g., "Reliable emergency plumbing in Melbourne — open 24/7").

Step 2 — Pick a free platform (pros & cons)

There are several trustworthy free website builders. Choose one based on speed, control, and whether you can add a custom domain later.

Top free options

Google Business Profile website: Fast, auto-generated from your GBP listing — best for single-location local businesses.
Wix (Free): Easy drag-and-drop, free subdomain, displays Wix branding; upgrade when ready.
WordPress.com (Free): Flexible for content, free plan has limitations and WordPress branding.
Carrd: Great for very simple one-page sites; free plan is fast and minimal.
GitHub Pages / Netlify: Free hosting for static sites if you or a developer are comfortable with code.

Decision checklist

Need a custom domain now or later? (Buy domain if you can — looks more professional)
How easy is editing? Can you update images and prices quickly?
Does it allow SEO meta tags and heading control?

Pro tip: start on a free plan to validate demand; buy a cheap domain ($10–20/yr) as soon as the site generates leads — your rankings and trust improve with a custom domain.

Step 3 — Build pages & create content (Actionable)

Follow these exact actions to create pages that help people and search engines understand your business.

Home page — headline, benefits, CTA

Headline: one clear sentence describing service + location (e.g., "24/7 Emergency Plumber in Brisbane").
Subhead: two sentences explaining why customers should pick you (experience, fast, local).
Top CTA: big phone button (tel:) + a short contact form or booking link.
Trust signals: ratings, number of jobs completed, short testimonials (3 lines each).

Services page — clear, keyword-focused

List each service as its own H2 (e.g., "Blocked Drains Brisbane") with 80–150 words describing what you do and who it's for.
Include starting prices or price ranges to qualify leads.
Add 3–6 high-quality images with descriptive filenames (plumber-truck-brisbane.jpg) and alt text.

Images & media — keep it fast

Use free images or take your own — real photos build trust.
Compress images (WebP or compressed JPG) to under 200KB for hero images when possible.
Set descriptive file names and alt text (brief and keyword relevant).

Copywriting — short, benefit-driven, local

Lead with benefits: customers care about speed, price, and reliability.
Use local keyword naturally in the first 100 words (city/suburb + service).
Make CTAs specific: "Call now for same‑day booking" beats "Contact us".

SEO basics — what to do right now

These are the highest-impact SEO actions for a free business website.

Title tags & meta descriptions

Each page should have a unique title tag and meta description. Keep titles ~50–60 characters and descriptions ~110–160 characters.

Example title: Emergency Plumber Brisbane — Same Day Service | YourBusiness
Example meta: Need an emergency plumber in Brisbane? Fast, same-day service from licensed plumbers. Call 0412 345 678.

Headings & structure

Use a single H1 per page (your main title), H2s for sections, and H3s for subpoints. Headings help Google understand page structure.

Keyword intent & local phrases

Target phrases people actually search for: "emergency plumber near me", "roof leak repair [suburb]". Use one primary keyword per page and 2–4 related phrases.

Page speed

Minimal plugins, compressed images, and simple layouts keep pages fast. Free builders often optimise hosting — avoid heavy widgets that slow the page.

Quick SEO checklist:

Unique title & meta for each page
H1 on page, H2/H3 for sections
Local keyword in first 100 words
Images with alt text and compressed files
Mobile-friendly layout and fast load

Local SEO & online visibility

For most small businesses, local search drives the majority of customers. Focus here first.

Google Business Profile (GBP)

Create or claim your GBP listing and complete every field (business hours, services, photos).
Use the exact same business name, address, and phone number (NAP) on your website footer.
Ask satisfied customers for short Google reviews — aim for 20+ over time.

Citations & local directories

List your business in reputable local directories (Yellow Pages, TrueLocal, local council business directories). Consistent NAP across the web strengthens local rankings.

Local content ideas

Write short posts about service areas or local events.
Create a "Service Area" page that lists suburbs you serve with a short paragraph for each suburb (helps appear in suburb searches).
Feature local customer testimonials with suburb names.

Technical SEO — easy wins

Small technical changes make a big difference. Use these free tools and snippets.

Sitemap & robots

Most free builders auto-generate a sitemap.xml and robots.txt. If you can, locate the sitemap URL and submit it to Google Search Console.

Structured data (LocalBusiness schema)

Add a small JSON-LD block to your site if the builder allows custom code. Example (replace with your details):

{
  "@context":"https://schema.org",
  "@type":"LocalBusiness",
  "name":"Your Business Name",
  "telephone":"0412345678",
  "address":{
    "@type":"PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress":"123 Street",
    "addressLocality":"Suburb",
    "addressRegion":"State",
    "postalCode":"4000",
    "addressCountry":"AU"
  },
  "url":"https://yourdomain.com",
  "sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/yourpage"]
}

Only add if your platform supports header or footer custom HTML snippets.

Analytics & Search Console — track performance

Install free tools to know what works and where visitors come from.

Google Analytics 4

Add GA4 to track visitors, pages, and conversions. Most builders have a field to paste your Measurement ID (G-XXXXXX).

Google Search Console

Verify your site and submit sitemap.xml. Use Performance reports to see keywords and pages getting impressions and clicks.

Quick conversion tracking

Track phone clicks (tel:) and form submissions as conversions — these are the actions that pay your bills.

Promotion — get the first customers

A site alone doesn't bring traffic. Use these low-cost promotion tactics.

Social & Messaging

Share your site on Facebook, Instagram, and local community groups. Use WhatsApp to send direct links to existing customers.

Referrals

Ask satisfied customers to refer friends and leave Google reviews. Offer small discounts for referrals.

Local partnerships

Partner with local businesses and ask to be listed on their websites or social pages — small backlinks help SEO.

Common mistakes to avoid

Using vague headlines — be specific about service and location.
Hiding contact details — phone and address should be visible on every page.
Ignoring mobile layout — test on multiple devices.
Not tracking conversions — if you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.

Launch checklist — get it live

Top CTA phone button (tel:), visible on mobile
Business address and opening hours in footer
At least 3 customer reviews or testimonials
All images compressed and have alt text
Title tag + meta description per page
Google Business Profile claimed and filled
Google Analytics + Search Console installed
Test contact form and call tracking

Tip: mark each item as done and then run a PageSpeed Insights and Mobile Friendly test before announcing the site.

Frequently asked questions

Can a free website rank on Google?

Yes. Google ranks sites based on relevance, speed, mobile-friendliness, and backlinks — not whether you paid for hosting. Follow the SEO basics in this guide.

Should I buy a domain?

If you can, yes. A custom domain improves trust and long-term SEO. If you can't, launch on a free subdomain and upgrade when leads arrive.

How long until I see traffic?

Local visibility can improve in days if your Google Business Profile is optimized and you get a few reviews. Organic rankings can take 4–12 weeks depending on competition.

Want a professional site without the hassle?

If you want the same SEO and local visibility benefits but prefer a done-for-you option, Congero builds professional, mobile-first websites quickly with unlimited updates and local SEO included.

See a Live Demo Learn about Congero plans

Congero offers a fast alternative if you'd rather focus on customers than website maintenance.