No matter who you are or what you do, chances are good it will benefit you to have some sort of online presence. Social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook allow you to connect with friends easily. If you own a small business, a website will help you to get exposure, reach customers, and even make sales. Website building is sometimes looked at as being cost-prohibitive for many individuals and small businesses; however, there are plenty of options that will allow you to create a free website depending on your needs.

Consider Your Audience

Before you begin building a website, you will need to consider what kind of online presence you're looking to attract. If you're a blogger, you'll obviously start writing with your own page on a popular blogging website. The same option wouldn't make much sense for a restaurant (although a blog might be a good addition to a more functional, larger website). Don't sign up for a website until you've determined the best place for your online presence. There are free website options for those with restaurants, for instance, that cater to the business. Bands and music groups, in addition to opening a MySpace page, should look for free website builders that allow streaming music, gig updates, and a photo album.

Choose a Site and Sign Up

Once you have considered the type of website, its time to find an appropriate free website builder. The best website builder will vary depending on the type of website you need. For example, both Blogger and Wordpress allow you to create a free blog. Webs.com will allow you to create your own personal, group or business website. Microsoft Office Live will also allow you to create your own free website for any purpose. Let's Eat is geared towards creating a free restaurant website, while Dark Jam Band Websites is intended to allow bands and musicians create a free site to showcase their work. There are many options available, so you will need to pick the best one for you. Some of these sites will require a minimum of information---a Blogger site, for instance, is a snap to sign up if you have a Google account, since Blogger is a Google offering---while others will require a little bit more personal information from you, such as address and phone number. Beware of web hosting that purports to be free but requires you to provide credit card information. You might end up getting billed after just a few months of a trial membership.

Create Your Website

When it comes down to actually building the website, you might be up against a bit more of a learning curve. Many website builders will give you a little bit of extra help on this score, with free tutorials and walkthroughs that will explain the process. Other hosting companies will leave it up to you to figure it out. Make sure that your website, when it is finished, serves your needs. Does it contain all the information you need people to know? Is that information easy to access? Is it visually appealing? Try out your new website on friends and family members and get their honest feedback. Because you'll need to update it frequently in order to keep it interesting and relevant, you'll always be able to improve.

Source:

Build Free.org

Sites.Google.Com

Kadena-Olaa