If you’re interested in creating a website for free, there are plenty of tools available online that can streamline the entire process. Using a free website builder can be a great choice for people who want to create an online presence while keeping their costs low.
There are several factors to keep in mind when using these website builders. This post includes some of the main considerations so that you can start building your website with more confidence.
Table of Contents
1. Choosing a Website Builder
Some people opt to hire a developer to build their website from scratch. However, if you’re looking to keep your costs low, using a website builder may be the preferred method. There are tons of free website builders available which can make it overwhelming to find the one that’s right for you.
We recommend using a website builder that’s easy to use. The easier the builder is to use, the less overwhelming the process will be and you’ll be able to have a fully functioning website up and ready sooner than later.
One of the key features to look out for includes a drop and drag function. This is a super-easy way to add and remove content into different areas of a web page without needing to know about coding.
If you’re looking to promote a strong brand image, be sure to consider whether the website builder has enough customizable choices. Ideally, a website builder with multiple plugins and options means that you can be freer to create a website that shows off your brand.
An excellent benefit to having your own website is being able to see your analytics. Therefore, make sure to use a free website builder that includes analytics including details about who is visiting your site and how often you’re gaining traffic.
Being able to see this information allows you to grasp a better understanding of your market so that you can make adjustments where necessary.
2. Security
Website developers are constantly creating new ways to defend against cyber criminals and using a website security scanner is crucial for keeping your site safe. These scanners work effectively to find any anomalies within your website so that you can take steps to eliminate the threats.
As a result, your customer data can be kept safer which is crucial for maintaining trust between you and your clients. There are so many types of viruses and malware online that it can feel daunting trying to keep track of it all. Using a high-quality web security scanner can make this task a lot more doable.
So, be sure to consider whether the free website builder that you’ve chosen includes a scanner. If not, you may want to factor in the cost of using a security scanning service as it’s vital for maintaining website security in today’s online climate.
3. Design
The design of your website is an incredibly important factor to consider. This is because a large proportion of visitors will make their decision to stay or leave based on how well a website is designed.
There are tons of ways that you can approach designing your website. However, website visitors tend to respond well to websites that have a clean design. If a website is too cluttered with images, colors, and information, it can be off-putting for a visitor trying to make sense of it all.
Therefore, simplicity is key. Make sure that you provide visitors with clarity when they visit your site. It’s also important to consider how your website will look on mobile phone browsers as many people may visit your website on their smartphones.
Creating a grid layout with images and titles is great for allowing visitors to click through your website with ease and clarity. Many websites also include a lot of white space instead of filling the pages with images. Too much information makes your design cluttered.
In addition to this, you should consider what you want visitors to know about your company first. Create a priority list of importance regarding the different elements of your company that customers should know about. You can then add this content at the top of your webpage.
People are less likely to scroll through your website which means that you should include the most important details as soon as possible.
4. Considering Your Target Market
Thinking about who your target market is will help you create a website that’s catered specifically to them. If you approach designing a website without knowing your target audience, you may lose their interest when they visit your site.
It may be a good idea to take a look at other websites within your niche and take notes on how they’ve designed their websites. You’ll likely find common themes that visitors are responding well to. You can then implement similar designs and themes to keep your audience engaged.
5. Navigation
The overall navigation of your website is key to ensuring that visitors can click through the various pages easily. If website visitors find it difficult to navigate your website, they’re more likely to leave sooner than later which means that you could be losing out on customers.
A good website’s navigation will make it effortless for people to click through different sections and find what they’re looking for. You should also keep in mind that people are clicking on many great websites regularly which means that if yours falls short, the flaws will stand out more.
Make sure that your website is structured in a way that makes sense. If there isn’t a clear structure, visitors may struggle to find what they’re looking for. Therefore, you should consider including main headings and subheadings to break up the content so that visitors can easily understand what they’re reading.
Conclusion
Now that you know a little more about some of the most important considerations when building a site with a free website builder, we hope that you’re able to approach it with more confidence.
In a nutshell, the main considerations include the following:
- Choosing an easy-to-use website builder
- Creating a clean & well-structured design
- Knowing your target audience
- Implementing security scanners for protection
