According to statistics, Ghana has approximately more than 9million internet users, which makes up about 34.7% of the population. To reach out to such a massive number and meet their internet needs then using a free website in Ghana resource is definitely the way to go.
There are loads of advantages in creating a free website in Ghana. Firstly, you will be able to get a thorough experience with the builder as you decide whether you would like to upgrade to the premium plans. Secondly, you can operate a website without worrying about the billing emails.
At the end of the day, are free website builders all that good? Let us look at some deal breakers that you need to consider before signing up for a free website in Ghana.
Factors to Consider in Setting Up a Free Website in Ghana
- The cost of upgrading should come with clear benefits
- Domain name. Some free builders will not allow you to link your custom domain name to your website and the ones that they generate are normally quite unprofessional
- Minimum advertising. A site that has a lot of ads all around does not look as good as the one that does not have. Most free websites contain ads therefore you just have to choose one that does not have as many
- Adequate storage. Most of the free builders have a limit on the amount of content you can upload to your site
- eCommerce features. Selling through a free website can be limiting therefore you need to ensure you have all the core features you need before creating one
- Ease of use. Whether paid or free, an easy to use website is a standard for all website builder.
- Free SSL certificate. Most websites have a standard practise of including a free SSL certificate for all their sites, but some free plans do not include this in their package
Let us find out from samples of the best free website builders that put into consideration the above-mentioned factors.
Free Website Builders in Ghana
UCraft
This is a unique website builder that allows you to connect your existing domain and an SSL for free. At the same time, it is a relatively advanced website builder that allows you to edit fonts, colours and spacings on your site.
Pros
- One can connect a domain name for free
- Modern and stunning templates
- The size of the ad on the free website is acceptable
- They include SSL for the free plan
- Reliable customer support
Cons
- You can only access the basic elements with the free plan
- The editor is slow to load sometimes
- It is not as easy to use
Olitt
This website builder is known to be fast, produces edge websites and has the most affordable deals. They have an intuitive editor and other inbuilt tools to enable you publish your site in the shortest time possible.
As a user, you get a seamless experience building an edge site with all the advantages highlighted below as well as the possibility to upgrade your site.
Pros
- All sites are Search Engine Optimized
- Assured security for your site. All websites come with a SSL certificate
- One gets a free domain for the first year after publishing your site with Olitt
- Numerous industry specific templates accessible for free as well as a free resume builder
- An easy to use builder with a drag and drop editor
- A fast loading website that has inbuilt frameworks like CDN and GZIP compression technology
Cons
- Fewer templates for the free version
- It can be pricier than some builders due to its superior features
Weebly
This is one of the largest website builders. They have many incredible features but the large ad on the website’s footer is not appealing.
Let us look at some more pros and cons that come with Weebly’s free plan.
Pros
- Ease of use
- Responsive themes which look great and adapt to other devices like smartphones and tablets
- Team management which allows more than one person to edit the website
- Contains membership areas which allows you to open parts of your website only to members
Cons
- One cannot create international website that has multiple languages
- It is difficult to customize your website since it is a highly structured builder
Wix
This builder is used by more than 100 million people from 190 countries. It is quite affordable, and its builder is one of the easiest that you can use to get your website in a few minutes, which also applies to new users.
Pros
- It has a simple drag and drop editor and an intuitive dashboard that allows you to quickly place your elements where you need them to be.
- The automatic website backup keeps your work safe
- Great help features which includes a search button for the knowledge base
Cons
- You cannot switch between templates after publishing the site
- For you to scale your site you have to invest in third party apps
Webstart
This website builder is a solid choice for a free plan. They allow access to the key features, for example blog and allows you to activate the online store.
In addition, it easy to move elements around when editing but the templates are few in variety. Stated below are more pros and cons that you can expect from this free website in Ghana.
Pros
- The online store includes 10 products for free
- A generous storage of 1GB
- SEO settings can be edited for all pages
- The advertisement at the footer of your site is acceptable and can be closed by the site’s visitors.
Cons
- They prevent a mobile-optimized view on mobile devices for the free plan
- The SSL encryption is included in the free plan but it’s charged for the premium plans at a high cost.
Jimdo
This is one of the fastest loading free website builder in Ghana. To add, they have good designs that are mobile-friendly and have a rather good outlook.
On the other hand, it lacks features such as Appstore and blog but still resourceful enough for beginners to try it out. More advantages and disadvantages are stated below.
Pros
- It is easy to use which makes it very friendly for beginners
- Search Engine Optimization is one of Jimdo’s strengths. The backend gives you total control over elements on the page as well as SSL encryption
- It has a mobile app that enables you to build a website from a tablet or smartphone both Android and iOS
- Great customer support
Cons
- Templates are quite restricted hence it is impossible to easily move things around
- The online store lacks a credit card gateway. Presently, you can only do manual payments or use PayPal.
Webnode
Webnode have a modern editor as well as stylish and responsive themes. The only downside is that you cannot change the initial theme after your first choice. On the other hand, they have an intuitive interface and gives you the option of upgrading to a premium plan.
Pros
- A small ad on the free plan
- Great for Search Engine Optimization
- A reliable backup and restore feature
Cons
- The free plan does not contain an ecommerce option and the blog feature is quite limited
- Missing key features
Site 123
This is one of the easiest website builders that has remarkably good-looking themes that are responsive. The process of creating a website has also been simplified by far using only three steps: choose a design, add content and publish!
You can comfortably create a free website in Ghana as much as it will show a small banner at the bottom of the page. Let us explore more pros and cons that you can expect when using Site 123.
Pros
- You can create a multilingual site as it provides the option to translate your website.
- It has a free plan that you can use for as long as you want
- It is easy to use as it has everything predefined so all you have to do is fill in your content and it will be displayed correctly
Cons
- To get rid of ads you have to use the advanced plan
- Layout restrictions hinder one from creating unique websites
- Limited access to areas where coding knowledge is required
In conclusion, using a free website is beneficial especially when the budget is tight, or you are just a beginner. In the long run, you will experience a couple of limitations that come with the free plan. Therefore, upgrading a free website in Ghana to a paid plan is a great idea to unlock more features for your site and hence run a more optimized website.