Do you want to create a website for your professional activity, your association or your passion? You can do this for free and easily, even without technical knowledge, using a specialized online service.
Today, there is no longer any need to master HTML, Javascript and all the subtleties of the Web to design a site with a neat design, an elegant layout and up-to-date graphics. Many online platforms allow you to create, from your usual Web browser, a site worthy of a professional without entering a single line of code. A much simpler method than having to learn to use a CMS (content management system), a very powerful tool, but which requires good technical knowledge.
Most of these platforms offer to use predefined templates and then customize them according to your needs and desires. A simplification that makes it accessible to everyone, to complete beginners as well as to more experienced users, the creation of a site in just a few hours. Ditto if it is a question of having an online store in order to sell your products there.
Another advantage of these platforms is that they take care of everything. You won’t need to look for a host or buy a domain name (provided you accept that the address of your website presents in part the name of the platform used to design it). Free, these Web services also offer, of course, to unlock more advanced functions for a fee. In most cases, this involves taking out a monthly or annual subscription in order, for example, to benefit from a personalized domain name, a larger online store, very precise monitoring tools, more present assistance, etc. Formulas to observe closely when choosing the service you want to use in order to calmly anticipate when your website or online store will begin to grow.
To get you started and start designing your website without spending a penny, we have selected five online services for you. Note that we have excluded from our selection Ionos by 1&1 which does not offer a completely free formula.
jimdo
To identify your needs, Jimdo begins by submitting a questionnaire. Depending on the answers provided, it offers a design that best suits your activity, embellished with appropriate graphics. All that remains is to personalize the set with your texts or your own images and to add the necessary modules like assembling a puzzle. Jimdo is very easy to use and even allows you to create your own logo. It only takes a few minutes to create a professional-looking homepage. Finally, Jimdo integrates Meta tools (Facebook and Instagram) in order to sell your products directly through social networks if it is an online store.
Start building a website with Jimdo
Wix
It is Jimdo’s big competitor. To create a website or an online store, Wix offers hundreds of obviously customizable templates for free. It can host an unlimited number of pages. The creation is done by simply dragging and dropping modules into the page that can then be adapted to your needs. In addition, for those who are not sure where to start, Wix also offers the Wix ADI (for Artificial Design Intelligence). By answering a few questions about your business, the service immediately creates a website whose design can still be personalized. Simple to handle, Wix also allows experienced users to dive into the code to get a custom site.
Start Building a Website with Wix
Weebly
The free version of Weebly only allows you to create a website. If it is a question of setting up an online store, you will necessarily have to pay a little (from 8 €/month with a 2-year commitment). For the site design, everything has been thought out for beginners. We appreciate the ergonomics and the composition of the pages by drag and drop. Weebly offers several themes to get started with designs that are both sleek and modern. Small subtlety: Weebly allows you to add dynamic backgrounds with videos (to choose from an available gallery or from your own files). Finally, if you have some technical knowledge, you can modify the HTML code yourself to, for example, improve your SEO.
Start building a website with Weebly
Strikingly
Designed for beginners and more experienced users, Strikingly presents itself as a rather easy to handle website editor. The layout is done by drag and drop and we take advantage of several ready-to-use page templates to find inspiration. All available templates are “responsive design”, meaning that they adapt to any screen size for visitors. Designed primarily for websites, Strikingly also allows you to set up a small online store. The free version allows you to sell a single product. You will have to go to the checkout to have more space (from 8 €/month).
Start building a website with Strikingly
Google Sites
It may not be the most intuitive service, but Google Sites has the merit of remaining 100% free. This service is included in your Google account and allows you to create websites quite quickly (it does not take into account the design of an online store). Google Sites has plenty of ready-to-use templates, and thanks to its notoriety, it’s easy to discover hundreds of free ones on the web that you can reuse and adapt to your needs. Google obliges, the integration of other in-house services such as Maps, YouTube, Calendar or even Docs, remains very simple. Google Sites remains a good service for beginners in website design but which can quickly prove to be too limited to go further.
Start building a website with Google Sites
