How to Build a Website from Scratch for Free in 7 Easy Steps

Building a website from scratch can seem daunting, but it doesn't have to break the bank. With a few simple tools and some know-how, you can create a professional-looking site without spending a dime.

To start, you'll need a domain name. This is your website's address, and it's free to register one on services like Namecheap or Google Domains. You can choose a .com, .org, or .net extension, depending on your site's purpose.

Next, you'll need a web hosting service. This is where your website will live, and it's free to host on platforms like GitHub Pages, Wix, or Weebly. Make sure to choose a service that aligns with your site's needs and goals.

Building a website from scratch can be a fun and rewarding experience. Coding is like cooking a meal from scratch - it takes more time and effort, but the result is a website tailored exactly to your taste and needs.

You'll need to choose your coding language(s), and the most common ones for frontend and/or backend web development are HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, Python, Ruby, and C#. For beginners, it's recommended to start with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Coding a website from scratch can take anywhere from a few hours for a basic homepage to weeks or more for an ecommerce site. Starting simple is perfectly fine, as a website can evolve over time.

To get started, you'll need to choose a code editor, such as Visual Studio Code. You'll also need to write your HTML, create a CSS stylesheet, and put your HTML and CSS together.

Here are the basic steps to code a website:

By following these steps and learning the basics of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, you'll be able to build a website from scratch for free.

To build a website from scratch for free, you'll need to choose a JavaScript library or framework to power your site. I recommend using a library like jQuery, which is widely supported and easy to learn.

For hosting, you have several options, including GitHub Pages, which offers free hosting for static websites. This is a great option if you're building a simple site with minimal interactivity. GitHub Pages is free, easy to set up, and integrates well with GitHub repositories.

You can also use a service like Netlify, which offers free hosting for static websites and supports features like automatic code deployment and SSL certificates. Netlify is a great option if you want more control over your site's configuration and performance.

HubSpot's Free Website Builder is a great option for those who want to create a professional-looking website without any coding skills. You can build a website from scratch in no time with their drag-and-drop website builder.

One of the standout features of HubSpot's Free Website Builder is its pre-built themes and templates. These make it easy to get started and create a website that looks great right away.

You can also customize your website to fit your brand's unique style. With built-in marketing tools and features, you'll have everything you need to attract and engage with your audience.

Here are some key benefits of using HubSpot's Free Website Builder:

You've got your JavaScript website coded and ready to go, but now you need to get it online. Choose a hosting server and domain to launch your website.

Cloudflare Pages and Netlify are great options for hosting services, offering fast global performance and free hosting.

A domain name is your website's address on the internet, so pick one that's short, simple, and relevant to your business and brand.

Using a free domain name from a web hosting provider can look less professional and may affect your search engine rankings.

You can use Cloudflare Registrar to purchase your domain name, which offers the cheapest prices and is a quality service.

Once you upload your website's files to the host and point your domain name to those files, you'll have a working website.

Mastering Git and GitHub is a game-changer for any coder. Learning Git and GitHub was like learning to save my game in the coding world. It lets you keep track of changes and experiment without fear of losing your work. Git is like a safety net for your coding progress.

With Git, you can easily merge branches and unlock new levels in your coding skills. The first time I successfully merged a branch in Git, I felt like I had leveled up. You can store your code safely on GitHub, a social network for your code.

Designing your website is a crucial step in building a strong online presence. You can create a website with an easy drag-and-drop website builder, allowing you to customize your online presence with pre-built website themes and page templates.

To ensure your website is easy to read, follow basic web writing guidelines, such as keeping sentences under 25 words and using no more than three sentences per paragraph. This will make it easy for visitors to scan and understand your content.

Before creating content for each page, draft simple outlines for the structure of each page, including the header or title, subheads, and a description of the information each section and subsection should include. This will help you stay organized and ensure your content is well-structured.

To cultivate an online presence and brand identity, you'll want to consider your website's design and content. A website can help you communicate your brand's vision, core values, and founding story, in addition to what products and services you offer.

Here are some key elements to consider when planning your basic branding and content strategy:

It's a good idea to gather any necessary graphics before you start building your website. This will ensure that you have all the assets you need to create a cohesive and engaging online presence.

Fluid design is a great way to create responsive websites. It involves using relative units like percentages instead of fixed pixels.

Using percentages instead of pixels saves you from writing multiple media queries. For example, setting a smiley face image to 50% of the body's width makes it 200 pixels wide if the body is 400 pixels wide.

Fluid design makes your website fit into whatever space it's given, just like water flowing into a container. It's all about making your website adapt to different screen sizes.

In fluid design, you don't need a media query to scale your elements. Instead, you can use relative units to set the size of your elements based on the container's width. For instance, if the body is 400 pixels wide and the smiley face is set to 50% of the container's width, it will always scale to fill the container to the specified amount.

A great example of fluid design in action is setting a picture to take up 50% of the screen, no matter how big or small that screen is. This approach makes your website visually appealing and user-friendly, especially on different devices.

Establishing a color scheme is a crucial step in creating a cohesive brand identity. Your website should match your company's existing visual identity, if you have one.

If not, you'll need to determine which colors to use in your website design and graphics. Don't worry if you don't have a graphic design background - it's not as complicated as it sounds.

You'll need to understand a few basics, like matching the colors you're already using if you're building a website for an existing business. This will make your website immediately identifiable as your business or brand.

You can use what you've learned about color psychology and hex codes to create email and social media content that matches your website too. Just keep it clear and simple for now - you can refine and polish your website copy later.

Here are some key things to consider when establishing a color scheme:

Creating a page outline is a crucial step in designing and developing your website. It helps you organize your thoughts and structure your content in a clear and concise manner.

Before you start creating content for each page, you should determine what information those pages will need to include. This can be done by drafting simple outlines for the structure of each page.

A good page outline should include the header or title for each page. This will give your visitors a clear idea of what to expect from the page.

Your outline should also include subheads for each page. These subheads will help break up the content and make it easier to scan.

To create a page outline, consider the following essential elements:

Having a clear page outline will save you time and effort in the long run. It will also help you create a website that is easy to navigate and understand.

Updating your homepage is a crucial step in making your website look presentable. This is where you'll start to add some personality to your site.

Once your homepage is looking good, it's time to create a menu. This will help you begin to add top-level category pages to your website. You'll be given the option to view a tutorial, which will help you set up the menu the best way.

Customizing your site menu is a bit like designing a room in your house - you need to think about the layout and how everything will fit together. The video shows how to create a menu in more detail.

To add extra pages to your site, head to the Quick Links section underneath Site Setup, then click Add a page. You'll then have the option to choose page templates or start with a blank canvas to design pages that look exactly the way you want.

Choosing a domain name is a crucial step in setting up your website. You want a name that's short, simple, and relevant to your business and brand.

A domain name is your business' address on the internet, so pick one that's easy to remember and spell. This will help customers find and remember your website.

Using a free domain name from a free web hosting provider can look less professional and get confusing for customers. It may also result in worse rankings on search engines due to security and trustworthiness concerns.

Cloudflare Registrar offers the absolute cheapest prices for domain names, making it a quality choice. They also offer a seamless integration with Cloudflare Pages, making it easy to manage your website.

Now that you've built your website from scratch for free, it's time to make it live for the world to see.

Navigate to the home section of your dashboard, where you'll find the "Launch your site to the world" option under Site Setup on the upper right side of your screen.

To build a website from scratch for free, you'll need to gather the right tools and resources.

Choose a free website builder like WordPress, Wix, or Weebly, which can be accessed through their official websites.

These platforms offer drag-and-drop interfaces, making it easy to design and customize your website without coding knowledge.

For hosting, consider using a free service like GitHub Pages or Google Sites, which can be linked to your website builder.

GitHub Pages, for example, offers unlimited storage and bandwidth, making it a great option for small to medium-sized websites.

Additionally, you can use free online resources like Canva or Pixlr to create professional-looking graphics and images for your website.

Remember to always check the terms and conditions of each tool and resource to ensure they meet your website's needs and comply with their usage policies.