Even though I own a web design and hosting company, I will be the first to tell any new entrepreneur that you might not need to be paying for a website just yet, and you CERTAINLY should not having a fancy website hold you back from launching your business.
But I also have some pretty strong opinions about the best free website options for new business owners. In this article, I’ll share three ways you can get a free website (WITHOUT having to pay extra to add your custom domain name). I’ll also share my opinions on the most common free website builders, GoDaddy, Squarespace, and Wix.
Substack: The Best Free Website for Bloggers and Content Creators
If you want a website where you can publish blog posts OR if you regularly post content on YouTube or social media and need a place to direct your followers, your best free website option hands-down is Substack.
Substack is actually a blogging platform with a social feed (similar to Tumblr or Blogspot in the early 2000’s) but with a lot more features. Not only can you publish blog posts, you can also upload videos that can be published directly to a YouTube channel as well as audio files that publish to the major podcast feeds.
After you publish a post, you’re automatically given a selection of images (and short video clips if you publish a video) to make it easy to share on social media.
The best part of Substack is how it helps you grow your audience. Anyone can see your content without creating an account (unless you choose to monetize your content and charge for subscriptions), but they are strongly encouraged to subscribe by entering their email address.
Unlike Tumblr, Blogspot, or any social media platform, you own your followers’ data. You can export and download a list of the email addresses of everyone who follows you, making it a great way to start growing an email list even if you’re not quite ready to pay for email marketing software.
Substack is completely FREE to use, and you can even connect a domain name you own for free. This means your Substack webite can live at YourBrand.com instead of YourBrand.substack.com, making it easier for people to find and remember.
Once you’ve created your free Substack account, use this guide to learn how to build and customize your Substack website.
PayHip: The Best Free Website for Anyone Selling Digital Products and Services
If you plan to sell online courses, memberships, or coaching services, PayHip is an incredible free software that will let you start doing all of that without any monthly fees.
With this software, you can build a website at a domain name you own (YourBusiness.com), publish an unlimited number of online courses, eBooks, and other digital products, and sell online coaching and memberships, all without ANY monthly fees.
How does PayHip make money, you ask? Well, you do have to pay a transaction fee (a percentage of sales made through their platform) unless you upgrade to one of their paid plans, but that means you only pay out of your profits.
I love PayHip because it lets new digital entrepreneurs advertise freebies to start building an email list and start making sales without having to worry about not being able to afford the software they need to do those things.
Canva: A Good Option if You Just Need an Informational Website (especially if you’re already paying for Canva Pro)
Canva is a free software that makes it easy for anyone to design and create graphics, digital products, free downloads, and more, but what many people don’t know is that you can actually create and host a website on Canva as well, with many pre-built templates to choose from and modify.
It does require Canva Pro (around $15/month) to connect a domain name (YourBusiness.com), and if you’re not already using Canva Pro, there are better cheap website options out there for $15/month or less.
But if you’re already paying monthly for Canva Pro–maybe you’re using it to design social media graphics, for example–then it’s great way to build a single-page informational wesbite with links.
What about GoDaddy, Wix, and Squarespace?
GoDaddy, Wix, and Squarespace are well-known website builders often chosen by new business owners because they offer a free plan, but I don’t recommend these as a free website option because a free website built with these services will have a website address like “yourbusiness.wixsite.com” and will have a banner ad at the top of the page that says something like, “Powered by GoDaddy,” and these scream “newbie” loud and clear.
Just because you’re a new business doesn’t mean you shouldn’t look professional. Even though it might not make sense yet for you to invest a lot of money in website development or monthly website costs, you should make every effort to convey a brand identity that will build trust with your ideal audience.
At some point you will probably want to turn your focus toward getting a quality website (and when that time comes, my top recommendations would be either Squarespace or WordPress, depending on the features you need), but what’s most important right now is that you actually GET STARTED and start generating income, and for that, Substack, PayHip, or Canva will do the job.
I appreciate the reminder that a fancy website shouldn’t delay launching a business. The focus on free options that still let you use a custom domain is especially helpful for new entrepreneurs trying to look professional without adding unnecessary costs.
I appreciate the practical reminder that a fancy website shouldn’t delay launching a business. The distinction between truly free options and services that charge extra for a custom domain is especially useful for new entrepreneurs comparing their choices.