The cheapest website builder: what you give up

2 min read · Updated

The short answer

The cheapest website builder plans can get a small business online, but usually with trade-offs: the builder's branding or ads on your site, no custom domain or email, limited control over titles and descriptions, and no easy way to move later. For a new business testing an idea, that's fine. For an established one, those limits cost customers.

What free and bottom-tier plans usually leave out

  • Your own domain, or you pay extra to connect one.
  • Removal of the builder's ads or branding.
  • Control over page titles, descriptions and redirects.
  • Enough storage for real photos.
  • A way to export the site if you leave.

When cheap is fine

A new business testing demand, a one-page site with hours and a phone number, or a temporary site while a proper one is built. Put your own domain on it if you can, so the address stays when the site changes.

When it costs you

When you need a page per service, pages for the areas you serve, and control over how search results describe you. At that point the cheapest plan is the one that's hardest to grow out of.

Questions

Is a free website builder good for SEO?

It can rank for your name. Competing for your services usually needs more control than free plans give.

Can I use my own domain on a cheap plan?

Often only on paid plans. Check before you build.

Should I build it myself?

If you'll keep it updated, yes. The build is the easy part.

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