You don’t have to spend a fortune with web design or a digital agency to build a website. These days, there are many solutions for creating your site and saving money. Check out the five free, easy ways to create a successful professional website with the pros and cons of helping you to choose the best option for your company.
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With so many options, it can be complicated to pick the right site for your business. Are you the artsy type? If so, head to Tumblr. Are you a stiff-straight office professional? You might want to look into WordPress.
Here the pros and cons of the best five website platforms to enjoy your creative freedom.
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1. WordPress.org
WordPress is the favourite choice for web designers and developers. The platform has been around since 2003 and has become a go-to for site-building. There are many ways to use it, from small businesses to web agencies. I use WordPress for all my sites and my clients. To me its the most professional web platform.
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Pros
A primary website that comes with all the essential WordPress trimmings — unique themes, multiple pages, clean imagery — is free.
You can create a clean, polished look, which is excellent for business owners.
You can buy a professional template on ThemeForest – no need to know how to code, the developers do it for you plus they offer great support! (highly recommended). You can optimise SEO, monetise the site, explore plugins, keep an eye on analytics and more.
Cons
The learning curve is a little bit stiff, but you don’t have to be tech-savvy. On WordPress’s template, you have to spend the time to get what you want and get familiar with the site’s nooks and crannies.
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Link: https://wordpress.org/
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2. Tumblr
Tumblr is a massive creative force, used for blogging and personal sites alike. It’s perhaps the trendiest of the big three, probably because the word “Tumblr” itself has become an adjective or a verb — a catch-all term for all things dreamy or unbearably hipster.
However, Tumblr is super easy to set up. It makes building a website fun, and incredibly personal.
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Pros
It’s perfect for people with creative jobs. Graphic design, illustration, film — this site caters to your kookiest desires with its broad realm of themes. The template is perfect for showcasing artistic careers.
It’s free to set up, but you can also get a custom domain name.
It’s also a social site. You can follow and reblog other Tumblr accounts, and quickly create your blog posts.
Cons
No plugins so if you’re the customising type who’s nuts for that kind of stuff, you might want to look elsewhere.
Link: https://www.tumblr.com/
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3. Squarespace
It seems like the newest option of the trio, but Squarespace was launched in 2004 (that beats Tumblr, founded in 2007). If you listen to podcasts, you’ve probably heard a million advertisements for the crisp website-builder.
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Pros
When you create an account, it asks whether you’re building a site for “Personal,” “Business,” “Non-profit” or “E-commerce” purposes. It also automatically makes you select an available site theme.
Squarespace has a particular aesthetic, and no matter which template you choose, it’s going to look crisp and clean. You can start with a free trial.
Cons
You’ll have to pay to keep your site up and to run. That makes it far and away the most expensive site builder on this list, which could automatically rule it out for people who just wanted a quick and secure website.
Link: https://www.squarespace.com/
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4. Weebly
This gorgeous site starts off free.
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Pros
The site has a variety of beautiful themes and quickly walks you through its setup, from creating pages to adding text.
Cons
You have to pay for Weebly’s Starter plan ($8/month) allowing you to remove all advertisements and if your goal is to set up a proper e-commerce store, there are two good options: the Business plan and the Performance Plan.
Link: http://www.weebly.com/
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5. Wix
Wix is a cloud-based platform that has about 55 million users. If you want a fun, graphic look, Wix has it — something of a cross between a professional Tumblr and Squarespace.
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Pros
Like Weebly, there are free templates, but you can upgrade to a premium plan. The subscriptions range from the most basic $4.08 per month to $24.90 per month.
Cons
Your website can run slow because of the cloud-based platform, and as you know, Google doesn’t like slow sites.
Link: http://www.wix.com/
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