Posts tagged Free Web Sites

Get a Web site! That’s one piece of advice freelance writers and editors get from marketing classes and consultants at every turn. Since I started this blog a couple of years ago, I have included a number of posts about how to produce a Web site yourself using low-cost or free site builders. Whether you’re in business or just have a serious hobby, you need to keep your costs low, don’t you?

A recent post on Inspired 2 Design made a lot of sense to me, so I’m sharing it here. Basically, the unnamed blogger says that, by using free or low-cost DIY methods, you run the risk of appearing unprofessional, not really serious about your business or ministry. And, the time it takes to do your own site would be better spent going about your real business. Keep in mind that this post is put out by a Web design company, and it is a response to a post on Kudzu Business Center touting WordPress as a do-it-yourself (DIY) site builder. Read that post here.

I’ve used free sites for some things while paying for software and hosting for my own site, so I think Inspired 2 Design has a point. I find myself spending a lot of time on design and not enough time on content (which is my primary reason for having sites/blogs). The free site builders are better than they used to be, believe me. Still, you can’t do some of the fancy footwork that can be done with a professionally designed, full-featured site.

Whether you’re looking to set up a new site or revise an old one, it’s wise to check out all your options. Perhaps it’s time to get a unique design and professional help with your site. Ask your friends if they know of local people who do sites. Some of the free and low-cost Web site companies offer a design service. Maybe you can get a unique design while continuing to use your current site builder to do updates yourself. The possibilities are endless, really.

Previous posts about free Web sites on this blog:

Free Websites Revisited

Creating a Free Site with WordPress

Every writer needs to have an online presence as part of their marketing effort. Whether you write books or articles for magazines, you need to have, at the very least, a brochure-style Web site and/or a blog. If you want to go into business as a writing coach or a freelance editor, you must have a professional-looking site, preferably with a blog.

On my Wired to Write blog, I’ve checked out several free Web site options, and I’ll refer you to that post rather than repeating the information here. Go to Wired to Write before going further.

As an update to the post you just read, I want to point out some changes with Viviti. You get a two-week free trial with no ads. After that, you must choose to pay about $5.00 a month or put up with an ad across the top of the page. It’s pretty much the same with Freewebs (now called Webs). The only free site builder with no ads is Blinkweb, and it might work for you, but it does not have as many design options, and you might not be able to customize it to suit your needs.

Note the ad on my free Viviti site at http://emilyakin.viviti.com/ and on my Freewebs site. In case you missed my free Blinkweb site on my other blog, here it is again, http://emilyakin.blinkweb.com/. Some would say that the ads detract from your image as a professional.

There’s one more way to have a free site without ads, and that’s with WordPress, the blogging tool. I just completed a site for my music club on WordPress. Take a look. It is in blog format, but you can make it operate like a Web site and still use the blog feature. See my how-to post on this option also on Wired to Write here.

If you are a writer and don’t have a Web site, don’t delay. Choose one of these free options and try it out. Check out these sites built by writers with free site builders. If you decide that you can’t do it yourself, perhaps you can get someone to help you set it up and work with you until you can edit it yourself as needed. And, if the free options don’t really suit you, the paid versions are not really that expensive.

Warning: if you do choose a paid version of any of the free sitebuilders, do not buy a domain name through them. Should you decide you need your own domain name, you want to own it. In some cases, when you get a free domain with paid hosting, the company owns your domain name, not you.