To start a business, especially online, a website is a must, period! The first step to own a business website for free is to make up your mind to build one by yourself. This is very possible, even if you are presently a novice. However, it requires a lot of hard work. In this post I will be outlining all the best free web elements and platforms required to build a business website.
Domain Registration, Web Hosting and Content Management System (CMS)
These three items are the first set you need to build a business website. Though the three can be mutually exclusive as packages but I put them together for the purpose of this post. Listed below are web services platforms where you can get all the three packages free.
Weebly.com
Wordpress.com
x10hosting.com
Blogger
AwardSpace
Wix.com
5GBFree.com (Domain not included)
Freehostia.com (Domain not included)
Freewebhostingarea.com (Domain not included)
Some offer their branded CMS while other offer third party CMS like WordPress, Joomla e.t.c.
Note: If your objective is to build an authority, a brand and make money long term. And you have little cash to spare. I will suggest you get an affordable self-hosted website. Self-hosted website gives you total ownership, freedom and control without limitations.
After a thorough research, I opted for a self-hosted website with Namesilo.com as domain registrar and Interserver.net as hosting company. What informed my choices were affordability, quality and package. Interserver’s standard web hosting is $5 per month. They offer the options of either monthly or yearly payment.
Get interserver.net web hosting for $0.01 the first month using Coupon Code “SCEPTER”
Though most web hosting companies offer free domain with their package. It is usually a bait. The best, standard and recommended practice is to have a separate domain registrar from hosting provider. NameSilo’s domain is $8.99 per year. Free WHOIS privacy, no end switch, no hidden fee and no renewal upcharges.
Get a domain with NameSilo at a discounted rate with Coupon Code “SCROLL“.
Alternatively, take advantage of Lifetime.Hosting offer of lifetime web hosting with just one time payment of $27, $67 or $127.
If for any reason you can’t invest in web hosting now, get a self-hosted domain from Namesilo.com and subscribe for a free web hosting with 5GBFree.com, Freehostia.com, Freewebhostingarea.com or Blogger.
Content Management System (CMS)
These are web building platforms. Best few are listed below:
Multipurpose CMS
WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, TYPO3, Contao, Weebly.
Ecommerce CMS
Magneto, PrestaShop, AbanteCart, OpenCart, Zen Cart, osCommerce, Tomato Cart, LiteCart, X-Cart, AlegroCart.
WordPress
WordPress is the most widely used CMS. Check the following infograph from makeawebsitehub.com for details.
WordPress Themes For Business Website
WordPress has over 3,000 free themes. Below are some of the best for your business website.
Multipurpose Themes
Astra, OceanWP, Vantage, GeneratePress, Total, Spacious, Optimizer, Esteem, EightMedi Lite, Agama.
Blog Themes
Cenote, Zillah, Travelify, Enigma, ColorMag, Anariel, The7, Freddo, The 100, Aquarella Lite, TheMotion Lite, MySocial.
Business Themes
Sydney, Hestia, Illdy, Onetone Pro, Moesia, Shapely, Interior Lite, Zerif Lite, West, Customizr.
eCommerce Themes
Storefront, Shop Isle, eStore, Virtue Lite, Highwind, Mystile, Revolve, Bellini,, WP Portfolio
Learning Management System (LMS) Themes
LearnPress, LifterLMS
WordPress Plugins For Business Website
Plugins extend or add to the functionality of themes. WordPress has over 40,000 plugins. Here are the best few of them for your business website.
eCommerce Plugins
WooCommerce, WP eCommerce, MarketPress, Ecwid Ecommerce Shopping Cart, Jigoshop, eCommerceWD, Easy Digital Download, Ebook Store, Sunshine Photo Cart.
Membership Plugins
Ultimate Member , Paid Membership Pro, WP Members, ARMember, BadgesOS
Forum Plugins
BBPress, BuddyPress, BadgesOS Community Add-on
Page Builder Plugins
Elementor, Siteorigin Page Builder, Beaver Builder.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Plugins
Yoast SEO, All in One SEO Pack, SEOPress, SEO Framework, Squirrly Seo, W3 Total Cache.
Widget Plugins
Black Studio TinyMCE Widget, SiteOrigin Widget Bundle, Ultimate Widget Lite, Gabfire Widget Pack, Contact Widgets.
Contact Form Plugins
WPForms Lite, Caldera Forms, Simple Basic Contact Form, Contact Form 7
Visual Editor Plugins
TinyMCE Advanced, CKEditor, Zedity, Content Tools.
Slider Plugins
MetaSlider, Soliloquy Lite, Slide WD, Easing Lite, Cyclone Slider 2.
Social Share Plugins
AddtoAny Share Buttons , Simple Share Buttons by Adder,Mashshare Share Buttons, Social Sharing by Danny, Easy Social Sharing, Social Media Feather, Shareaholic.
Live Chat Plugins
Tidio Chat, Pure Chat, Live Chat by Formilla, JivoChat, Tawk.To, WP Live Chat Support.
The purpose of this post is to help cut website expenses by almost if not 100% and research time by 75%. From the pool of few best tools outlined above you can easily choose the ones that work best for you. Meanwhile, there are other support elements, software or platforms you will still need subsequently to perfect your business website. These include images, logos, email service providers, payment gateways, accounting softwares, graphics, videos, social media, bots builders e.t.c. Download my PDF containing over 115 free business support web elements and software with premium value below for free.