Free website builders are great for hobby sites, portfolios, or testing an idea. But for trades and service-based businesses that need leads, local search visibility and a professional brand, free plans often fall short due to limited SEO, ads, slow performance and poor scalability.
Hobbyists, short-term landing pages, learning the platform.
Platform ads, subdomain branding (yoursite.provider.com), limited SEO and features behind paywalls.
Time spent fixing SEO, lost leads from branding, and upgrades to remove ads often exceed upgrade fees.
Here are the free plans most small businesses explore first — with quick pros and cons for trades and service businesses.
Easy drag-and-drop builder with many templates. Good for control, worse for long-term SEO unless upgraded.
Powerful CMS core, but free plan limits themes, plugins and monetisation. Best if you plan to scale to paid hosting later.
Fast, reliable, and free with a Google account. Very basic design control and poor for SEO-rich business sites.
Good for small online stores on a budget. Free plan shows branding and limits ecommerce features.
Excellent for single-page landing pages and micro-sites — very low cost to upgrade when needed.
There are many niche builders and CMS options; pick one that prioritises mobile speed, SEO and clear ownership of content.
When you compare a free site to a managed Congero website, the difference for a trades or local service business is clear — conversion-focused design, local SEO, and unlimited updates.
Clients often find that paying for predictable, conversion-focused performance ($49/month) delivers more leads and revenue than the hidden costs of "free" platforms.
TRY CONGERO DEMOUse a free builder if you’re experimenting, need a temporary landing page, or have no immediate need for leads or local search visibility.
Events, pop-ups or a quick microsite where branding and SEO aren’t priorities.
Learn the basics of web design without financial commitment before scaling up.
If you don’t need leads or local customers, free plans are adequate for basic portfolios.
Ask these questions before you commit to a free plan.
A local plumber launched on a free builder but struggled to rank for "emergency plumber near me" and lost leads due to brand credibility. After moving to Congero, with a proper domain, local SEO and conversions-focused pages, enquiries increased by 80–120% within 8 weeks.
Answers to what small business owners ask about free website builders and managed alternatives.
Free plans usually come with restrictions: platform ads, a subdomain, limited SEO tools and storage. To remove these limits you usually must upgrade to a paid plan — which often costs more over time than a predictable managed service.
Not necessarily — but limitations like slow page speed, poor mobile experience, missing schema and unbranded domains can negatively affect local rankings and click-through rates. A site optimised for local SEO is usually a better investment for service businesses.
For trades and local services, a conversion-first template with local SEO and a clear call-to-action matters most. Congero can build a live, mobile-responsive, SEO-ready site in under 60 seconds and keep it updated via simple text messages.
Moving can be straightforward for simple sites, but complex layouts, custom features and content ownership can complicate migration. Choosing a provider that allows export and clear content ownership reduces friction.
Congero is a flat $49/month in 2025, including domain, hosting, SSL, local SEO, unlimited updates (via text) and monthly analytics — a predictable cost that often outperforms free plans when measured by leads generated.
See a professional, lead-ready website built for your trade or service in under 60 seconds. Keep total control, get local SEO and unlimited edits — all for a predictable monthly fee.
TRY THE 60-SECOND DEMOGet a fully functional, mobile-responsive website live in 60 seconds with Congero's AI-powered process. Learn how it wor...
Read MoreLearn how to select, collaborate with, and maximise ROI from a design agency. This step-by-step guide covers definitions...
Read MoreDiscover affordable small business website design services that deliver professional, mobile-responsive sites with local...
Read MoreLearn how to get an affordable small business website that looks professional, ranks locally and costs just $49/month. S...
Read MoreEnter your name and number and we'll get you started immediately. Get your demo in 60 seconds.
