Build a killer website … for free!

Yes, it’s true. These days, there are countless options for you to build your very own website all by yourself. And it doesn’t mean you have to settle for some amateur-looking site either.

Let’s start with the heavy-weights. There are a variety of platforms that are referred to as “open source,” meaning they were developed under the GNU (or general public license) and they are entirely free to use.

Although open source had its beginnings back in the 60s, the term became more widely used after Netscape released its source code in 1998. Today, open source refers to software developed by and for the public. Anyone can contribute to it and anyone can use it. No charge.

These open source website platforms are often referred to as “web application frameworks” or “content management systems” and they allow you to build impressive websites through a backend administrative interface (also called a dashboard or control panel).

Although these platforms all vary slightly, their interfaces have buttons like “create a page” or “insert an image” or “add a link,” allowing you to build your website from the ground up, one page at a time.

There are three primary platforms in this area: Joomla, Drupal and WordPress. Joomla is the most powerful but also the most complicated. WordPress is less powerful but incorporates blog functionality and is probably (statistics are hard to find) the most heavily used. Drupal is essentially in the middle in terms of functionality and 3rd place in terms of usage.

The Tactical Execution website is built on WordPress and I haven’t spent a dime on it so far. I did it all myself. Even the graphic images were free. I either created them in Word or found them on public clipart databases. Amateur, I admit, but it works.

Within one month of installing WordPress for the very first time, my website already had over 250 pages of content, improving its ranking with the search engines. I was able to quickly add pages and copy content I had created for other purposes beforehand.

Is my website good? Absolutely not. But it’s doing exactly what I need it to do and I was able to build it myself. Freedom! In fact, with some of the widgets and resource tools available these days, you can make your site look pretty impressive and it’s only going to get easier as time passes.

Check out www.widgetbox.com to get a taste.

I’m obviously a big fan of open source platforms but there are other options as well. For starters, both Microsoft and Google have introduced website-building platforms and are eager to find new users. Microsoft Office Live and Google Sites are both free platforms and are well integrated with their related applications.

Most large hosting companies also have website-building platforms available for their customers. Most of them charge a higher monthly hosting fee if your site is built on their platform and I discourage you from using them. There are just too many free alternatives to choose from.

The trend is clear. Everyone is trying to provide easier ways for average people to build impressive websites. Personally, I think it makes the most sense to align yourself with an open source platform like WordPress and let the technology push you forward.

Author Bio: Patrick is the author of \”Marketing Shortcuts for the Self-Employed\” (2011, Wiley) and a regular speaker for Bloomberg TV. Watch his video about building a great website for free on YouTube.

Category: Business
Keywords: patrick,schwerdtfeger,build,website,free