Growth Hacking Tools: How to get a Free Website, Domain & Emails

Free tools for startups and small businesses

In this age where consumers go to the internet whenever they need anything, having a strong online presence is paramount.

Many small businesses don’t prioritize investing in their online presence because it can be quite expensive. Even just a simple website could easily cost thousands of dollars.

But the great news is that there are always free (or very cheap) alternatives for most things. Growth hackers always find a way to get things done, regardless of the challenges ahead of them. A limitation of capital will never stop them from chasing after their goals.

This article will go over some ways to get a free website, domain, hosting, and customized emails to make your small business stand out online.

Disclaimer: This post contains some affiliate links and we may get paid a small referral commission whenever you click them and sign up.

Growth hacker’s guide to free small business tools

How to get a free website for your small business

1. FreeWebDesign

FreeWebDesign is a company that aims to build professional websites and e-commerce stores for every small business that cannot afford to hire developers. Its sites are currently being used by thousands of businesses around the world, from restaurants to schools, and even entire hospitals.

In addition to getting a free website, you’ll also get a free domain name, SSL certificate, and custom business emails. FreeWebDesign will build your entire site from scratch and then provide a manual on how to operate it from a WordPress dashboard.

To get started, all you need to do is fill out a form about the site you’re looking to get and a representative will get in touch with you with the next steps forward.

2. Wix free sites

Wix is one of the world’s most advanced drag-and-drop website builders. You can choose from over 500 ready-made website templates, or build one from scratch using an innovative editor.

You can also use the Wix ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) to automatically generate a personalized website by simply answering a few questions.

The downside to Wix free sites is that cannot use your own domain. Your website will also have ads that you can only remove by upgrading to a paid plan.

3. Google Sites

Google Sites is Google’s website-building tool. It’s completely free to use and there’s no limit to the number of sites you can build (as long as you stay within your 15GB storage limit).

The only downside is that its websites are generally not as stylish and advanced as you would get on Wix or FreeWebDesign. If your goal is just to have a functional website then it might be the perfect tool for you. It’s quite easy to use and has the backing of Google.

4. WordPress

WordPress is the most widely used website building platform. More than a third of the world’s websites are built on it – including this one. And while it may not be as beginner-friendly as the other tools mentioned, what you get is a much wider array of free website themes and plugins.

The downside to WordPress is that it does not host websites, therefore you’ll have to get a third-party hosting service such as Hostgator or Bluehost.

How to get a free domain name

1. Freenom

Freenom is the world’s first free domain name provider. The organization aims to bring more people online and help countries to develop their digital economies.

It’s important to note that not all domain extensions can be registered for free, including .com, .net, and .org. Freenom only provides the following extensions free:

Once you register your domain, it will be free forever and can be used on a website, blog, e-commerce store, etc.

2. Get a hosting plan that comes with a free domain

There are surprisingly not that many ways of getting a free domain. Your next best option besides Freenom would be by choosing a web hosting provider that offers free domains in their plans.

At the end of the day, you’re still going to need hosting for your site (unless you’re using self-hosted builders like Wix), so you might as well go with a provider that offers free domains.

And although that’s technically not free, you will get so many other additional features to justify the hosting fees (typically around $3 a month). These are 2 of the most popular hosting providers that offer free domains:

Bluehost

Bluehost is one of the largest hosting companies and an officially recommended hosting provider for WordPress sites.

Their plans start from $2.95 a month and you’ll get a free domain name, SSL certificate, custom email addresses, unlimited disk space, and so much more. That’s better value than getting a free domain from Freenom. You can check the availability of your free domain name below:

Hostgator

HostGator is a popular web host that’s been around since 2002. Their plans start from around $2.75 a month and come with a free domain name, unlimited subdomains, email addresses, SSL certificate, unlimited storage, unmetered bandwidth, etc.

How to get free web hosting

1. 000webhost

000webhost is a subsidiary of Hostinger, one of the global leaders in web hosting. The platform is dedicated to providing free hosting services for small businesses.

You can host a single website on a 300MB storage space and 3GB bandwidth. If you’d like more advanced features such as a larger storage space then you can upgrade to a paid plan.

2. Google Cloud

Google has a variety of affordable hosting services for students and small businesses. Although Google Cloud is technically not free, you get a $300 credit when you sign up, which is sufficient to cover your hosting costs for several months.

3. Amazon Web Services

Amazon Web Services, or AWS, is Amazon’s cloud computing platform. Its hosting services are one of the most advanced, often used by governments and large corporations. You’ll get 3 types of free offers upon signing up:

12 months free: This option is only available to new customers. Once the 12 months free period elapses, you’ll get charged the standard rates (unless you upgrade to a different plan).
Always free: This option is available to both new and existing customers. As you’d expect with a completely free plan, there’ll be some limitations on the features.
Trials: This option is ideal for people who are not sure what plan to take and would first like to test them out. Once the trial period ends then you’ll pay the standard rates.

4. WordPress.com

Not to be confused with the website building tool, WordPress.com is a popular website hosting platform for WordPress sites.

The free hosting plan comes with a 3 GB storage capacity and free website templates. The downside is that you cannot use your own domain and will have to stick to a WordPress.com subdomain e.g. yourbusinessname.wordpress.com. Your site will also have ads that can only be removed by upgrading to a paid plan.

5. Wix

Wix is not only a website-building tool, but also a hosting platform. Similar to WordPress.com, its free hosting plan is supported by displaying ads on your site. You’ll also have to stick to a Wix.com subdomain as your website address.

The advantage is that you’ll get access to hundreds of awesome website templates that you can easily edit using a drag-and-drop editor.

How to get free business emails

1. Zoho Mail

Zoho is an India-based company that provides a variety of web-based business tools. You can add your domain to the platform and then create custom email addresses for up to 5 users, with 5GB per user and a 25MB attachment limit. If you need more emails then you can simply pay for them.

Unlike most free services, you won’t have ads on your interface. Zoho Mail is secure, encrypted, and has a privacy guarantee. You can migrate to the platform from other email services, including Gmail and Yahoo.

2. BlueHost

Technically not free, you’ll have to first sign up to a paid hosting plan to get free business emails, along with several other bonuses, including a free domain, SSL certificate, 24/7 technical support, etc. The plans start from $2.95 per month.

3. Hostgator

Similar to Bluehost, you’ll also have to enroll to a paid hosting plan to get free business emails. Hostgator allows you to create unlimited business emails. That’s definitely worth the $2.75/month hosting fees.