Do you know that having a website for your business can actually amplify your turnover rate by a whopping 50%? As the figure indicates, everyone wants a website that looks professional and loads swiftly. However, most of the small business owners and professionals lack the technical and coding skills required to build a website. Hiring a developer might sound like a good option, but it can be a bit out of your budget at times, especially if you own a startup or small business.

This is where the website builder steps into the picture! If you need to launch an online store or need a new look for your site, free website builders are here to help you out hat the stress and headaches of manual coding. 

Building the website for your business is only a part of the puzzle: you also need to publish it. It means you need hosting and a domain. Acquiring a suitable and unique domain is one of the first things many entrepreneurs do. And it doesn't have to be expensive, either. Today, several hosting providers offer free website builders with free domain names, making it easier and more accessible to build and maintain your online presence. 

However, with so many options to choose from, which one is the best website builder for your business? Let’s look at some of the most affordable web hosting solutions to create and manage your websites with ease.

What is a Website Builder?

A website builder is an online software that allows you to design a website without any coding skills or technical background. You simply choose a template from the site and drag and drop various elements, including images, forms, YouTube videos, or interactive files, to complete the design. Each website builder has its own layer set that you can mix and match to suit your needs. 

What is a Custom Domain?

A domain name is a URL (internet address) that you enter in your browser to access a specific website or website section. Some of the common domains include .com, .org, .net, and many more. A custom domain is your unique identity to your brand’s identity or website on the internet. Once your custom domain is registered, it cannot be used by any other business. It will give you a professional distinction and help people to remember your brand easily. Moreover, as search engines are having their algorithms regularly, having a custom domain name will give you a competitive edge.

Now that you know what to look for in a website builder, it's time to choose one to design your website without hiring a developer with knowledge of coding. These days, there are plenty of beginner-friendly site builders available in the market, which will help you save time and money in the process. Here, we have compiled a list of the top free website builders to try out.

Get Free Website Builder and Domain (Custom Domain) - 7 Step Guide

1. Visit Neo's Website.

Head over to Neo and explore the website-building experience. Neo makes it incredibly easy to create a website in just a few clicks.

2. Click here - 'Try it yourself for free.

No commitments, no credit card required. Just start for free and see how quickly you can get your website live.

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3. You can add your business idea

Enter a brief description of your business. Whether it’s a bakery, a consulting firm, or an online store, Neo’s AI will tailor your website accordingly.

4. Type business name and click on generate site button

Enter the name of your business, and Neo’s AI will generate a fully designed website, complete with relevant images, text, and structure—instantly.

5. Congratulations! your site is ready click 'Edit' or 'Make it Yours'

Within moments, your website is built. You’ll see a preview with a professional design that fits your business niche.

6. Choose your free domain name based on availability

Neo offers a free domain for one year. Simply enter your desired domain name and check its availability.

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7. Congratulations! You're now the proud owner of a website with a free domain

That’s it! Your website is live with a free domain. You’re now ready to showcase your business to the world.

Key Features

• AI-powered Features: If you lack technical knowledge, fortunately, Neo simplifies the website-building process with its design intelligence. You just need to enter the basic information about your brand. The AI will transform the data into a customized, professional-looking website in a few minutes.
• Custom Domain Name: Register your custom domain name with a .co.site domain extension and 
• Drag and Drop Editor: Create an online presence by using Neo’s drag-and-drop interface dashboard, which allows you to monitor the activity of your website visitors. 
• Unlimited Customization: Neo offers customization options for building websites with Neo. You have the pre-designed templates to match your brand’s unique style and requirements and stand out from the crowd.
• Intuitive Interface: Neo has an intuitive interface that allows you to navigate the platform’s easy-to-navigate menu and efficient transitions between sections. This enables your visitors to explore your new website without any hassles.
• Responsive Templates: Neo offers customizable templates with visually stunning layouts for various mobile and desktop devices. This means your website delivers a high-quality experience on any screen size, regardless of the device type.

Key Elements to Consider Before Choosing a Free Website Builder

Website builders are a budget-friendly alternative to hiring a professional web developer to build your website. However, when you are seeking the right website builder to help you design your dream website, make sure to look out for the following. 

1. Ease of Use

Building a website should be easy for everyone, even without a degree in computer science or any technical subjects. The best free website builders focus on easy-to-use interfaces that will make the process easy for beginners and experienced technical people. 

2. Customizable Templates

Premade templates will give you a solid starting point, allowing you to envision the website of your potential.  You can choose your color, fonts, and layouts without feeling lost in a maze of menus, which is crucial for beginners with free website builders.

3. Level of Customization

Before using a site builder, remember how much control you want over your site design. If you have a specific design in mind, you need a tool that provides many customization features. Some tools provide flexibility, while others simply rely on predefined templates. 

4. Ability to Add Custom Domain

If you want your name, you can purchase or connect one with your custom domain name. Small businesses will look more professional with a custom domain rather than a subdomain. 

5. Mobile Responsiveness 

If you have just begun your small business, you want your website to look great on all devices, best smartphones or desktops. Your choice of a free website builder should offer built-in tools to adjust the appearance of your site to make it compatible with different screen sizes. 

6. Community and Support

When you are a novice website builder, having a support community can be invaluable for clearing out inevitable questions or troubleshooting sessions. Consider the documentation and tutorials to get clear explanations and step-by-step instructions on how to use the platform.

Tips for Creating Your Free Website with a Custom Domain

While it is right to start a website with a custom domain, to achieve further development and promotional success, you need to be aware of certain domain rules. Here are a few tips to create your site with a custom domain to get the desired result.

1. Prefer Domain Over Subdomain

While most website builders offer subdomains right from the beginning, it is not advisable to continue using them even after your website is published. Subdomains are suitable for testing the web-building software and exploring its features, but they are not a choice for website development and promotion.

2. Use a Suitable Domain Name Extension

Domain name extensions have particular uses, so ensure to choose the one that describes the essence of your business. While .com is mostly preferred, you can also prefer some other top extensions like .co, .net, or .org, among others. For instance, if the website is for an organization, you can use .org. If this is an informational site, you can get .info.

3. Be Thoughtful of Domain Name

A domain name should reflect your brand's unique style and vision. Ensure that it is desirable, simple, and short. A good domain name should also encompass your business name to define its friendliness so that people don't confuse it with your competitors. 

How Do We Rate These Providers?

We have rated these website builders based on their ease of creation, ease of use, customization options, and overall user experience. Our team has personally used each of these providers to create websites and thoroughly tested their features to provide you with accurate and reliable insights. This hands-on approach ensures that the recommendations reflect real-world usability and the convenience they offer to users at every skill level.

Wrapping Up!

Building a new website from scratch can be both an exciting and challenging experience. If you want to design a perfect layout or create engaging content, there's plenty of work to do. You also need to ensure a secure and reliable browsing experience with custom domain names, encompassing easy navigation and seamless eCommerce features.  The good news is that you can achieve all these goals with affordable, accessible, free website builders with domains designed for your specific needs.

However, you need to ensure regular maintenance if you want your website to be successful in the long run. Hence, instead of choosing any random website builder to create your site, you need to choose the one that will allow you to change and modify your custom domains in the future. Neo is the best website builder with a domain that fits every requirement of a small business. The platform comes with a drag-and-drop editor and AI-powered features that will allow you to build a professionally-looking and fast-loading website with ease. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Which is the best website builder for small businesses?

Every website builder on the above list is known for their ease-of-use features. However, if you are an entrepreneur with no technical background, Neo could be a good choice. With its great visual editor and user-friendly features, Neo makes it an easy website builder for small businesses to use. They also have plenty of templates created by professional designers to add a touch of creativity to your site.

2. What if you already have a domain when building a new website?

It is absolutely fine! Most established website builders like Neo, Wix, and Squarespace have a collaborative mechanism and features to transform across and subsequently register existing domains. However, you need to pay a registration fee after using the trial period. After using it, how long will it take for you to build my small business website?

3. How do I create my website for free?

Each website builder requests you to sign up for the website builder and choose a template of your preference. However, most of the builders use a drag-and-drop editor, allowing you to simply move different elements to make the desired site of your own. If you are planning to build your website,  it will take anywhere between a day and a couple of months, depending on how complicated your needs are, your experience levels, and how much time you need to spend on the process. If you are a beginner, Neo will help you build your website with an existing domain name that fits your budget accordingly.

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