A guest post by Alex Levitov.

There was a time when creating a site meant writing tons of code in HTML. Thankfully that era has gone, and now anyone can build their website without any code.

You read that correctly. With easy to use free website builders, you could have a site up and running in no time even if you are a complete newbie at this. That’s because WYSIWYG editor (What You See Is What You Get) does the trick.

Simply put, you get to see the webpage layout that you are creating by dragging and dropping elements from a toolbar. But all WYSIWYG editors are not created the same. There are other factors, too, such as themes and plugins that determine the choice.

Without any more ado, let’s plunge in.

Best free website builders for beginners in 2020

1. Wix

Even with our eyes shut, we can tell you it is the most dependable among all the free easy website builders we have seen. If you are going to avoid the WordPress ecosystem and want something reliable and easy of use, you just cannot go wrong with Wix.

The Israeli startup is 15 years old and, as of today, is used by 150 million websites. That alone gives an idea of the trust that users repose in it.

Features

• Wix offers you a free plan with no strings attached. However, you cannot have your own domain name but use a Wix subdomain.
• The free plan gives you 500 MB storage and 500 MB bandwidth, which is decent enough for a basic website.
• You also get a mobile optimised version of your website with the free plan.
• Use free apps from the Wix App Store to add a lot of new features to your website.

2. SITE123

The main USP of SITE123 among easy website builders is it is not at all technical to use if you are a beginner. This makes it the top choice of those who are testing the waters and trying to find if they wish to earn from the digital realm.

SITE123 has high-quality servers all over the world that maintain a cloned copy of your site. This basically means that every user has access to the site geographically closest to them and this reduces latency hugely.

Features

• You can sign up for free. This will give you access to their splendid web editor and all the themes. The downside is that you cannot advertise.
• SITE123 offers a commenting system for you to engage your blog readers, and an RSS system to let your followers keep track of your post updates.
• With 500 MB storage and 1 GB bandwidth, you have enough for a basic website, without paying a dime.
• The editor is straightforward, and creating a basic site does not take more than a few hours. Tech help is readily available, and all the common questions are answered in the knowledge base hosted on the site.

3. Jimdo

Jimdo is a German startup that began offering a web editor back in 2007 about the same time as Weebly and Wix.

Its strong points are its classic looking templates that are perfect for every purpose unless you are looking to launch an avant-garde boutique.

Apart from the standard editor, Jimdo has a module known as Dolphin that sets up the site using a question and answer process. If you not only don’t want to code but also won’t get your hands dirty with an editor, tell Dolphin the outlines of what you want, and it will set up a site for you. What can be easier to follow if you want to create a simple website.

Features

• The editor is very intuitive. There are no complicated menus and navigation levels. Just a few clicks, and your site is ready to launch.
• It is one of the most responsive to SEO. SEO is needed if you want your site to rank high in search engines. You have complete control over page descriptions, metadata, and alt-tags. The platform even has a built-in tool that tests your page for SEO efficacy.
• Jimdo allows access to the backend as well as HTML and CSS code to change the site in any way you deem necessary.
• You get 500 MB storage, 2 GB bandwidth, and up to 5 free pages for your website in the free plan.

4. Weebly

Weebly is a suitable alternative to Wix. We consider it to be the best website builder for small businesses. It has been taken over by Square in 2018 and used by 50 million websites. This makes it smaller than WP and Wix but still bigger than all the rest put together.

The templates are stylish and can be changed to some extent by editing HTML code underlying it.

Features

• It can be modified completely using Android and iOS apps. You could change the layout from your mobile phone and tweak anything in the web design without the help of a laptop.
• Weebly not only provides responsive themes but also an image library with thousands of photos and clipart. The aesthetics of a Weebly site are next to none.
• You can code your own template. This flexibility will enable you to have exactly the size you want and not settle for design constraints dictated by a theme.
• Free SSL security is a key benefit that makes Weebly’s free plan a great option if you want to build a website that may require user information (and hence, must be SSL secure).

5. Webnode

Though slightly unknown, Webnode runs 20 million sites. Webnode features a versatile drag and drop web builder that is in a new avatar, thanks to a significant design overhaul.

Webnode gives you about 50 different themes, and they can be customised using a real-time editor. This allows you to change the elements and view the changes as they happen instead of opening up a Preview window.

Features

• You can add unlimited pages to your free website based on Webnode, which is a superb benefit for anybody looking to build a multi page website.
• It is multilingual and offers support in 16 languages. This is ideal if you are looking to open an online store that would sell merchandise across the globe.
• Your free website will be hosted on the Webnode subdomain.
• You get access to reliable customer support over phone, email, and chat with the free plan, which means you will have someone to rely on for solutions to technical issues.

What next for your free website?

Without any doubt, Wix was the very best. It is a matured platform and offers a huge array of themes to choose from. Even those with minimal understanding can benefit from using it. Wix servers are fast, and you have access to a large app market with well-designed plugins.

About the author

Hi, I’m Alex Levitov. I’m a tech and web development writer with over 7 years experience in developing UX/UI field. The last 3 years I’m running my own web blog and write analytic articles for different online magazines. You can follow me on Facebook.

The post How to create a perfect free website for beginners in 2020? appeared first on Fairy Blog Mother.