Yes — you can create a basic website for free using platforms that offer a hosted subdomain (example.platform.com). Free plans are great for testing ideas, creating a temporary presence, or learning how sites work. But they often come with limits: platform branding, restricted features, slower performance and poor SEO.
This guide walks you through genuinely free options, how to publish your first site, when to upgrade, and a faster alternative: Congero — which can generate a professional, SEO-ready website in under 60 seconds with a free demo.
Choose the right free option based on your needs — hobby, portfolio, side-business or proof-of-concept.
Beginner-friendly drag & drop builder, free subdomain, templates and hosting included.
A flexible blogging and CMS option with free subdomain and easy publishing tools.
Great for developers and simple static sites — deploy directly from repositories.
Free platforms are perfect for learning and short-term projects. If you need local search visibility, professional design, and unlimited, no-fuss updates, a managed solution like Congero (free demo, $49/month for full managed service) is often a better long-term choice.
Follow these steps and you'll have a live website using a free plan in under an hour (often faster).
Choose a free plan from Wix, WordPress.com, Weebly, or use GitHub Pages if you're comfortable with code. Sign up and verify your email.
Tip: Choose a platform that matches your skill level — drag-and-drop builders for non-technical users, or static-site hosts for developers.
Pick a template that suits your industry — e.g., trade, portfolio, cafe. Use a clear site name and short tagline that explains what you do.
You can use the platform's free subdomain at first (yourname.platform.com) and later connect a custom domain.
Create Home, Services, About, Contact pages. Use simple, benefit-focused language, clear phone number and service areas on the home page for local SEO.
Images: use your own work photos if possible. If not, pick relevant licenced images and write descriptive ALT text.
Set the site title and meta description, add your business name, address and hours (NAP), and enable mobile optimisation. Many free builders include simple SEO fields in the dashboard.
If you're targeting local customers, include city/suburbs in your content and page titles.
Hit Publish, open your site on mobile and desktop, and check that contact forms and phone links work. Ask a friend to test the site speed and clarity.
If you use a free subdomain, expect platform branding on the footer — normal for free plans.
Share the site on social media, add it to directories, and set up Google Analytics / Google Search Console to see traffic and search queries.
Even free sites benefit from basic analytics to inform future improvements.
When you need a branded domain, better SEO performance, faster hosting, custom integrations, or a professional look without the platform's ads, consider upgrading to a paid plan or using a managed solution.
Congero offers a fast path: free demo, then a managed, mobile-responsive website with local SEO and unlimited updates for $49/month.
No credit card required • Instant preview
Free is great for starting — paid or managed options become valuable as your business needs more visibility, trust and features.
A branded domain establishes trust and helps with search rankings.
Structured data, consistent NAP and local landing pages drive more “near me” enquiries.
Managed services remove technical overhead — Congero provides unlimited text-in updates and monthly analytics.
If you want a professional site without the tech headaches, Congero builds mobile-responsive, SEO-optimised websites in 60 seconds and handles hosting, domain and maintenance for a flat $49/month — plus unlimited edits via text.
TRY CONGERO FREE DEMOEven simple sites can rank well if you follow a few fundamentals.
Include primary service + location. Example: "Plumber in Brisbane — Emergency Plumbing".
Make sure NAP (name, address, phone) is visible and consistent across directories and your site.
Compress images, remove unnecessary widgets, and test on mobile — speed impacts rankings and conversions.
Answers for beginners who want to make a website for free.
Free sites can be fine for side projects and testing. For businesses that rely on local customers, a branded domain, faster hosting and proper SEO usually pay for themselves. Managed options like Congero offer a low-cost, professional upgrade path with unlimited updates.
Yes, if you follow SEO basics: targeted page titles, useful content, correct NAP details and mobile performance. However, free plans may limit technical SEO controls — upgrading often helps with local rankings.
Traditional custom websites can cost thousands. Congero provides a managed alternative: a professional, mobile-responsive website with hosting, domain and unlimited updates for a flat $49/month and a free demo to preview your site instantly.
Yes. Most platforms let you upgrade to a paid plan and connect a custom domain. If you use a managed provider like Congero, they can migrate your content and implement local SEO for better results.
Try Congero's free demo and see a fully built, SEO-optimised website for your business in under 60 seconds. If you like it, the full managed service is $49/month and includes domain, hosting, local SEO and unlimited text-in updates.
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