Top 5 Free Website Builders In The UK You Should Know
By Sam Nguyen
In this post, we will dive into the top 5 free website builders in the UK, empowering you to test and choose the ideal free website builder in the UK for your online business.
Top 5 Free Website Builders In The UK
What To Look For In A Free Website Builder In The UK
When selecting a free website builder in the UK, consider the following key factors to ensure you find a platform that aligns with your needs and goals:
- Ease of Use: Choose a website builder with a simple user interface that makes building a website easy. Important features include drag-and-drop tools, clear navigation menus, and easy content editing. Opt for platforms that provide tutorials or guides for a smooth start.
- Mobile Responsiveness: Make sure the website builder offers responsive templates and strong mobile editing tools. You should be able to preview and adjust your site for various devices.
- Templates and Customization Options: Look for platforms that offer many templates. Beyond quantity, prioritize quality – templates should look good and be customizable. Ensure you can adjust colors, fonts, spacing, and layouts to match your brand’s look.
- Bandwidth and Storage Limits: Determine if what’s offered meets your needs and if the platform allows growth, indicating if you need to upgrade later.
Top 5 Free Website Builders For UK Businesses
Here are the top 5 picks of website builder UK free, ensuring a cost-effective and user-friendly online presence.
WordPress
WordPress is a free website builder ideal for blogging, offering unique built-in features such as comment boxes, RSS feeds, and analytics. It presents a simple interface for users without coding expertise and various customization to fine-tune websites for multiple needs.
Standout Features in the Free Plan:
- Diverse Themes: WordPress’s free plan offers many pre-designed themes for easy customization, letting users create unique and attractive websites without advanced design skills.
- SSL Certificate: The plan includes a pre-installed SSL certificate, encrypting data between the website and visitors, enhancing security, and improving search engine rankings.
- Jetpack Essentials: Users get Jetpack’s essential tools, providing website statistics, social media integration, and basic SEO to improve performance and online visibility without extra plugins.
- Generous Storage: With 3 GB of storage, the free plan allows for efficient content management, which is particularly beneficial for businesses showcasing products or services with multimedia.
- Daily Backups: The plan ensures daily backups, giving users peace of mind that their content is safe and can be restored, maintaining website continuity during unexpected situations.
- 24/7 Support: Access to round-the-clock support means users can get help anytime, ensuring they can confidently address issues and manage their websites.
Pros:
- Cost-effectiveness
- Abundance of free templates
- More features compared to other free site builders
- Regular backups
- Strong community
Cons:
- No custom domain
- Storage limits
- No ecommerce features
Weebly
Weebly (also known as Square Online) is an easy-to-use, free website builder in the UK, similar to Wix but simpler, which is good for those who want an easy website creation process. Weebly offers free SEO tools, making it a great option for small businesses looking to improve their online presence.
Standout Features in the Free Plan:
- Mobile-Responsive Templates: Weebly provides templates that automatically adjust to different screen sizes, ensuring a good user experience on all devices, which is crucial in the mobile-first world we’re living in.
- Drag-and-Drop Editor: The platform features an easy-to-use editor that allows users to create websites quickly and easily without any web development experience, making it ideal for beginners.
- 500 MB of Storage: It includes enough storage to start a website, blog, or small business site, allowing users to manage and upload content without worrying about space immediately.
- Basic eCommerce Features: The free plan comes with essential eCommerce tools like an integrated shopping cart and secure checkout, offering a preview of what’s possible with an upgrade and providing a foundation for small businesses to begin selling online.
Pros:
- Excellent website builder with included SEO tools.
- Scalability options for upgrades.
- Intuitive drag-and-drop interface.
- Mobile responsiveness
- Fast website loading times.
Cons:
- Storage limits
- Limited customization
Jimdo
While less renowned than some competitors, Jimdo secures a spot in our top 5 free website builders in the UK due to its ease of use and unique offering – the ability to create a free online store.
Standout Features in the Free Plan:
- Selling Ability: Jimdo’s free plan allows users to sell up to 5 items, which is perfect for individuals or small businesses starting in e-commerce.
- Professional Templates: The platform offers a variety of appealing templates suitable for blogs, websites, and online stores, ensuring a professional look for all types of sites.
- 2 GB Bandwidth: It generously provides 2 GB of bandwidth, more than many free builders, supporting a good amount of traffic without slowing down the site.
- 500 MB Storage: The free plan comes with 500 MB of storage, enough to begin with content management and website building effectively.
- User-Friendly Interface: Known for its simplicity, Jimdo’s platform is especially easy for beginners to navigate and get their site up quickly.
- Mobile App Access: It offers convenient on-the-go website management, a significant plus for those who prefer to work from mobile devices.
Pros:
- Free ecommerce functionality.
- User-friendly and easy to use.
- Professional-looking templates.
- Generous bandwidth and storage for a free plan.
Cons:
- Limited template selection compared to other builders.
- Limited to only five products to sell
Site123.com
SITE123 is a straightforward and user-friendly website builder in the UK tailored for individuals without prior website-building experience. It prioritizes ease of use and simplicity, making it an ideal choice for beginners who need to establish an online presence quickly.
Standout Features in the Free Plan:
- Simplified Setup: SITE123 offers a straightforward setup with basic layouts tailored to your chosen category, allowing for a quick and hassle-free website launch.
- Pre-Made Designs: While customization is more limited, it provides a variety of ready-to-use designs that users can personalize with styles, fonts, and images for a unique website look.
- Exceptional Customer Support: Known for excellent support, it’s particularly helpful for beginners or those less experienced in web design, enhancing the overall user experience.
- SEO Optimization Tools: The free plan includes tools to help improve search engine visibility, which is vital for individuals and small businesses wanting to grow their online presence cost-effectively.
- Responsive and Mobile-Friendly Designs: Ensures websites look good and function well on both desktop and mobile devices, meeting the needs of the increasingly mobile audience.
Pros:
- Extremely easy to use, ideal for beginners.
- Outstanding customer support.
- Responsive designs for both desktop and mobile.
- Free SEO tools for enhanced online visibility.
Cons:
- Less design flexibility compared to other website builders.
- Your site comes with a default sub-domain
- Limited storage and bandwidth
Strikingly
Strikingly focuses on quick setup to help users get online fast. Though it has fewer features than big names like Wix or Weebly, it’s great for making eye-catching one-page websites. It’s all about ease of use, with customizable templates you can change even after your site goes live, giving users the freedom to try new things.
Standout Features in the Free Plan:
- One-Page Websites: Strikingly specializes in single-page sites, perfect for those wanting a focused and visually impactful online presence quickly.
- Template Flexibility: The platform allows template changes even after the site is live, offering the freedom to experiment and refine the site’s appearance without restrictions.
- Generous Bandwidth: It provides 5GB of monthly bandwidth, ensuring the site can handle traffic well and remain responsive to visitors.
- Online Store Feature: Though limited to one product, its inclusion of an online store allows users, especially e-commerce novices, to start exploring online selling.
Pros:
- Simple and professional templates.
- 24/7 support, including English phone support.
- Well-suited for bloggers and those seeking a concise online presence.
Cons:
- Limited to creating one-page websites.
- Limited products to sell online
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The Path Beyond Free UK Website Builders
As your online business grows, you may need to switch to a paid plan of your chosen website builder or a subscription-based website builder, especially if you outgrow the free plan’s limits.
A subscription-based website builder offers UK merchants more storage, a custom domain for a unique online identity, and advanced e-commerce features, supporting a stronger and more adaptable online presence.
Additionally, paid subscription website builders remove third-party ads for a professional look, provide more design and customization options, and offer priority customer support for quick problem-solving.
Two Recommended Subscription Website Builders in the UK
Shopify:
- Key Features: Extensive template library, powerful design tools, and robust e-commerce functionality, Shopify offers flexibility for various website needs.
- Subscription Plans: Shopify provides 5 subscription plans tailored to different requirements, ensuring scalability as your website grows.
Wix:
- Key Features: With various elegant templates, a user-friendly design interface, and seamlessly integrated e-commerce solutions, Wix is also an excellent choice.
- Subscription Plans: Wix offers plans to meet diverse website demands, providing a polished and professional online presence.
You can refer to our top 7 website builders article for a broader exploration of top website builders.
Wrapping Up
In summary, we’ve learned about the top 5 choices for free website builders in the UK. SITE123 is undoubtedly the best choice, thanks to its easy-to-use design and numerous features. With various plugins and customizable themes, it’s the optimal option for creating and improving your website in the ever-changing online world.
FAQs
Setting up a website in the UK involves several key steps:
- Define Your Purpose: Clearly outline the purpose and goals of your website. Determine whether it’s for personal blogging, business, portfolio, or e-commerce.
- Choose a Domain Name: Select a unique and relevant domain name for your website. Use a domain registrar to purchase and register your chosen domain.
- Select a Website Builder or Platform: Choose a website builder or platform that suits your needs. Popular options include WordPress, Wix, Weebly, or SITE123. Alternatively, hire a web developer for a more customized solution.
- Design Your Website: Customize the design using templates, themes, or a custom design. Ensure the design aligns with your brand and provides a positive user experience.
- Add Content: Populate your website with relevant content, including text, images, and multimedia elements. Organize information logically to enhance user navigation.
- Set Up Hosting: Choose a reliable hosting provider. Many website builders offer hosting as part of their service, or you can opt for a separate hosting provider based on your needs.
- Optimize for SEO: Implement basic SEO practices, including keyword optimization, meta tags, and mobile responsiveness, to enhance your website’s visibility on search engines.
- Configure Settings and Launch: Adjust privacy, security, and contact information settings. If applicable, set up an SSL certificate for secure data transmission. Once satisfied, publish and promote your website through social media and other channels.
SITE123 includes an online store feature, though the extent of functionality needs to be explicitly detailed. Strikingly’s free plan consists of an online store for selling one product, making these options suitable for small-scale online businesses in the UK.
