Challange: Build a website for FREE.

I have a friend who needed a website for his buisness, but didn’t want to spend much money. So my challenge was to see if I could actually build a website for FREE.

I looked at a few options. Each with thier pro’s and con’s. I decided that I wanted to try the Elementor editor, I had heard so much about.

I have to say, I suprised myself, and I was even more suprised by how easy it was to use. This was my first experience using Elementor, and it won’t be my last. I’ve quickly fallen in love with how simple this visual editor is to use, with the end result being a proffessional website that does everything a paid template would have given me, but without the expense. Here is the end result: Tradesman’s Mate.

Here’s what you will need.

Firstly you need to have your domain name and hosting organised. My friend already had a domain name with Ventra IP, and he built a very bad (ugly) website using Wix. So he organised hosting with the same provider for only $8.95/month. This was actually cheaper than he was paying for the Wix site! Ventra IP were helpful in changing the nameservers so they pointed to the correct domain. I can’t fault the support from these guys! The will even install wordpress for you.

Let the fun begin!

• Firstly we need to install WordPress, depending on your host provider there will be different ways to do this. With Ventra IP, you can access the installer through Cpanel/Softalicious. Most providers will be happy to install WordPress for you if you are unsure.
• Next we need our editor plugin. Go to https://elementor.com/ and click the free download button. Once your download is complete. Login to your WordPress site (you should have a welcome email with the details). Look for ‘Plugins’ in the left hand menu, and click ‘add new’. Upload the zipfile you just downloaded and activate.
• Before we can start creating our site, let’s grab a theme to make life simple. WordPress itself comes with loads of themes, but they are mainly compatible with either the classic editor or the recent Guttenburg editor. I guarantee, you won’t look back after using Elementor. This is an entirely free product, no pushy sales here! So I went hunting for free elementor themes, there are quite a few around. I went with a theme from Theme Grill. The templates are free, with the option of upgrading to Pro if you want all the bells and whistles. Elementor also comes with pre-designed themes, that are easy to install and all templates are mobile responsive.
• At this point you will need some idea of what you want your site to portray. In my friend’s case, He wanted his services, location, a gallery and a contact page. When selecting a template, keep in mind what you want the end result to look like. Make sure the template you choose works for you!
• Once you have selected your template and downloaded it, you need to upload it to the WordPress dashboard. Look for ‘Appearance’ in the left hand menu and then click ‘Themes’ and add new. You can skip this step if you want to use an Elementor theme. Most themes come with documentation to help you edit and adjust the theme to create your own brand.

Website Built in 1 Day!

The first thing you will want to do is watch these short videos on how to use Elementor. I only watched one 3 minute video and I was off and running! I had the site fully designed and live in less than a day. My friend has no trouble editing it and is very happy with the outcome.

Conclusion

If you just want a very basic site to give you an online presence, this is one of the quickest and cheapest ways to get your site up and out there. This site design was completely FREE! However,  If you need a more complex site, with a shop or complex galleries for example, you will need to look at upgrading to Elementor Pro, which is only $49USD for a single site licence per year. Still an affordable option with several added extras.