If you’re an artist, an independent professional, or a retailer, your business could benefit greatly from an online presence. Going online is more than an option these days; it’s an absolute necessity for many professional branches. The good news is that you no longer need to invest a top dollar to create a top website. You’ll barely need to scratch your wallet. Come with us, and find out more.

Pixabay

Free Is Beautiful

There’s a common misconception among beginners of this market that free content can’t be quality content. Yet, everybody loves free stuff. Free samples of this, free classes, and free spins in an online casino are abundant. Specialists in the field suggest you unlearn this conception and make the best of every free tool available online. The idea behind this principle is that your website won’t be built overnight.

So, there’s no need to pay monthly subscriptions from day zero. Like Wix and WordPress, most editing platforms offer free options for building your website. We suggest you start from there and only consider paying for something you can’t have for free. Starting a small business is quite challenging, and your funds will probably be better allocated elsewhere.

Step One: Choose a Platform

All the options below have both free and premium packages. It means you can start using their free features and then make an upgrade when you’re ready for something more. If you don’t have an e-commerce page yet, have a look at some of the most popular options around.

• Wix
• WordPress
• WooCommerce
• Shopify

Step Two: Plan the Sitemap

Those platforms provide free templates for several kinds of businesses. Those templates are great starting points if you don’t have something personalized just yet. Remember that your page should be user-friendly, have legible fonts, and not be cluttered with information. Now, it’s also time to think about what kind of plugins you’ll want to use. Choose a gallery plugin, an audio plugin, and a video plugin.

• Colorlib (photo gallery plugin)
• SoundCloud (audio plugin)
• Easy Video Player

Step Three: Introduce Yourself to Google

Pixabay

It doesn’t matter how beautiful your website looks. If it isn’t optimized for search engines, your page will head to oblivion. Enter the free SEO plugins to help you position your page better on the searches.

• SEOPress (WordPress)
• SEO Wiz (Wix)
• Google Search Console

Step Four: Get In Touch

Include a section on your website for visitors to sign-up for newsletters and promotions. It’s possible to schedule mass emails at different times of the month, with other contents. Also, consider including a live chat option so that clients can talk instantly to you. Every platform will have its live chat plugin and newsletter creator.

Step Five: Get Paid

If you’re selling goods and services online, it’s vital that your clients can pay you through your page. Luckily enough, there are plenty of costless options for that, too. If you wish, get paid and receive donations via e-wallets, credit and debit cards, and even cryptocurrencies.

Conclusion

After the last step is completed, your website is not ready. However, it’ll count on a solid structure for your next moves, like upgrading your subscriptions and paid advertisements. Remember that creating a professional and fully functional website takes time and effort.