Creating a website seems like a complicated process. Many people think you have to be a star web designer or know how to code. Well, you don’t. You don’t need to be a techie or learn any complicated HTML or CSS code to make a fully functional website. In this article, I will explain how to make websites for absolutely no cost. I will then provide useful resources to make even more complicated websites like this one.

It is a common saying that nothing in this world is free. While this may be true for many things in the world, websites are not one of them. Nowadays, there are a plethora of useful resources that allow any entrepreneur or person to make a website for free.

Google Sites

Google Sites is a free and easy way to create and share web pages. It is powerful enough for a company intranet, yet simple enough for a family website. Google Sites allows you to start a website from scratch or use one of their attractive templates. It is the best thing to hit the web since Google Apps.

For a long time I’d been wanting a way to have a more private area, where others could still contribute without having to give them full administrative privileges to my domain – and Sites fits the bill and then some. I’ve used it to support many varied activities including private notes and conversations with clients, keeping track of my assignments and homework, letting my friends and colleagues create their own web pages, collaborating with others on content for books and engineering designs, and even sharing pictures of our new dog with my friends. It’s easier and faster than a wiki, I can control who can see or contribute to a given site, and it’s just downright fun to use! It also allows you to easier integrate Google Adsense and Google Analytics, two of the most important tools for any web manager.

Sample Google Site

Wordpress.com

Wordpress is another free resource that allows you to build a website using the hundreds of free themes online. Wordpress offers two packages: wordpress.com (the free one) and wordpress.org (the platform that I use for this website that requires a domain and some additional work). In order to build a website at absolutely no cost, Wordpress.com is a great resource. You can get a website started in less time than it takes you to read this sentence. All you need is an email address. You’ll get your own WordPress.com address (like you.wordpress.com),a selection of great free and customizable designs for your website (called themes), 3 gigabytes of file storage (that’s about 2,500 pictures!) and all the other great features listed here. You can add as much as you want for free, your blog can be public to the world or private for just your friends, and its premium features are completely optional.

It’s just not for blogs! WordPress.com has a feature called “pages” which allows you to easily create web pages. For example, you could add an “about me” page with your biography, and a link to that page would be automatically added to your sidebar. You can even create an entire web site using pages on WordPress.com, with a custom home page and your blog as one of the sub-pages.

Wordpress.com Sample

Webs

Webs, like Google Sites and Wordpress.com, allows you to create a fully functional website for absolutely free.

Not only does Webs offer more than 300 professional templates for businesses and personal websites, it also allows you to sell your products and services via integrated web stores. You can upload multiple images, set your prices, and collect payment via PayPal and/or Google Checkout (you can also do this with Wordpress.com, but this requires a little more knowledge of HTML coding). Moreover, Webs allows you to create conversations with a blog or forum, allowing you and your customers to post your thoughts and share your experiences. One of the coolest features is the mailing list feature. Webs allows you to keep your customers up-to-date on the latest and greatest products, services and sales via e-newsletters. Like Google Sites and Wordpress, Webs comes with the ability to track the number of visitors that come to your site. This shows you what interests customers and will help you better manage your site and business.

Webs Sample

Which is the Best?

Google Sites, Wordpress and Webs are all great tools to create websites.

In my opinion, though, due to its expandability with widgets and large usage basis, Wordpress is one of the best alternatives to creating a website. One thing I love about Wordpress is that with a little time, you can make your website look 100% professional. Any website created on Google Sites will always stand out as being a Google Site; whereas a Wordpress.com website can be masked to look unique. I personally use Wordpress for this website. While it is the Wordpress.org version of Wordpress that allows private domains and even more features, I love the ease of use and performance of Wordpress.

So overall Google Sites, Wordpress and Webs are all ways to make a website for free in order to expand your business or just have fun on the web!