Launch smarter without spending a cent
Starting your first website in 2025? You’re not alone – and fortunately, you don’t need a massive budget to begin. Thanks to an ever-growing ecosystem of free tools, it’s never been easier to build, manage, and grow a website on a shoestring.
Whether you’re starting a blog, a niche site, or a small online business, here’s a curated list of the best free tools to help you get started on the right foot.
🧠 1. Planning & Research
Google Trends
🔗 https://trends.google.com/
Before you publish a single post, use Google Trends to validate your topic. You’ll see what people are searching for – and whether your idea has staying power. Bonus: it’s free, visual, and surprisingly fun to explore.
AnswerThePublic (Free Tier)
🔗 https://answerthepublic.com/
Want to know exactly what questions your audience is asking? AnswerThePublic transforms keyword ideas into a giant wheel of real-world queries, perfect for planning content that actually solves problems.
🖥️ 2. Website Creation & Hosting
WordPress.com (Free Plan)
🔗 https://wordpress.com/
No list would be complete without WordPress.com. Their free plan lets you build a blog or portfolio with a subdomain (like yourname.wordpress.com). You can upgrade later, but it’s a solid sandbox to start with, and it will help you to become familiar with what is increasingly the industry-standard content management system (CMS) for use in managing website content.
Carrd
🔗 https://carrd.co/
Building a one-page website or simple landing page? Try Carrd. It’s sleek, responsive, and wildly user-friendly – even if you’ve never touched a website builder before.
Netlify + GitHub (for developers)
🔗 https://www.netlify.com/
If you’re comfortable with a bit of coding, Netlify offers free hosting with CI/CD deployment for static websites. Connect it with GitHub and you’ve got a professional setup for zero dollars.
🔍 3. SEO & Analytics
Google Search Console
🔗 https://search.google.com/search-console
Set this up on day one. Google Search Console tells you how your site performs in Google’s eyes. This includes details about what keywords you’re ranking for, which of your pages are indexed by Google, how many clicks you get, and whether anything’s broken.
Ubersuggest (Free Tier)
🔗 https://neilpatel.com/ubersuggest/
A solid entry-level SEO tool from marketing expert Neil Patel, Ubersuggest helps you find keyword opportunities, track rankings, and spy on your competitors. It’s limited in the free version, but powerful enough to get going.
Ahrefs Webmaster Tools
🔗 https://ahrefs.com/webmaster-tools
Ahrefs is usually a premium tool, but their Webmaster Tools offer free SEO insights for verified site owners – like backlink analysis, keyword positions, and technical audits. I use their audit tool on a daily basis to keep on top of broken links, poorly-optimized images, missing Meta Description tags and more.
📝 4. Writing & Content Tools
Grammarly
🔗 https://www.grammarly.com/
Even great writers make mistakes. Grammarly helps you polish your posts and emails with grammar, tone, and clarity suggestions. It integrates with your browser and is a lifesaver for non-native English speakers.
Hemingway Editor
🔗 https://hemingwayapp.com/
Want your writing to be bold and clear? The Hemingway Editor highlights complex sentences, passive voice, and unnecessary adverbs. It’s free to use in-browser and perfect for tightening up blog posts.
ChatGPT (Free Tier)
🔗 https://chat.openai.com/
Need help brainstorming headlines, writing outlines, or fixing awkward copy? Tools like ChatGPT can speed up your workflow. Remember, though, just to use AI as a starting point, not a substitute for your voice. Both search engines and readers are becoming more savvy in identifying AI-generated copy, and nothing beats the authenticity of a real person.
🖼️ 5. Graphics & Visuals
Canva
🔗 https://www.canva.com/
You don’t need Photoshop to make stunning visuals. Canva is drag-and-drop simple, with free templates for blog banners, social posts, infographics, and more. Great for branding your site even if you’re not a designer.
Pixabay / Pexels / Unsplash
Free stock photos that don’t suck? Yes, they exist. Pixabay, Pexels, and Unsplash all offer royalty-free images you can use on your blog or website – even commercially. Much of their range is free to use, though do pay attention to the licensing requirements of each image, as some require attribution (either a caption and/or a credit link) when used on commercial websites.
⏱️ 6. Productivity & Collaboration
Notion
🔗 https://www.notion.so/
Whether you’re organizing blog post ideas, tracking deadlines, or outlining an eBook, Notion is an all-in-one workspace that feels like the love child of Google Docs and Trello.
Trello
🔗 https://trello.com/
Prefer the kanban-style visual layout? Trello is perfect for managing content calendars, website to-do lists, and team projects. This tool from the team at Atlassian is free, visual, and satisfying to use.
⏱️ 7. A Bit of Everything
Free Webmaster Tools
🔗 https://free-webmaster-tools.com/
The aptly-named Free Webmaster Tools website offers up dozens of free, browser-based tools that make a website author’s job simpler – and they’re all free to use, without any form of registration required. This includes tools as useful as privacy policy generators, a word counter, QR code generation, a password generator, image file format conversion tools, code optimization, and much more. This is an essential bookmark for any website operator or content creator.
💬 8. Community & Support
r/juststart (Reddit)
🔗 https://www.reddit.com/r/juststart/
Need motivation or advice from others building niche websites? The r/juststart subreddit is a friendly spot for new publishers to swap ideas, wins, and fails.
Geek/Talk Forums
🔗 https://geekvillage.com/forums/
If you’re looking for a supportive community of like-minded web publishers and content creators to help assist and encourage you along your journey, our very own Geek/Talk Webmaster Forum is a great place to start. In one form or another, this community has been operating since the late 1990s, making it one of the longest standing players in the space.
Indie Hackers
🔗 https://www.indiehackers.com/
Part forum, part interview series, Indie Hackers is where solo web creators talk strategy, growth, and monetization. Lurking here can spark your next big idea.
🧠 Final Thoughts
The web industry can feel overwhelming at first – but these free tools will help you launch with confidence and grow with intention. You don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars just to get started. What you do need is clarity, consistency, and a toolkit that saves time while building value.
Pick two or three tools from each category to start with, and bookmark this page for later. As your site grows, you’ll naturally find your rhythm… and maybe even discover a few tools of your own to share with the GeekVillage community. If you do, please share them in the comments below.
Last modified: July 23, 2025
