In the days of old, website owners would pay designers a great deal of money to put together something that was visually appealing and functional. Today, there are many different ways to make a website without spending additional money for resources.
Instead of buying fonts or disks full of graphics, many sites today are dedicated to creative common licenses. This platform allows anything to be used for any purpose. Content management systems will often use the GPL license, which also allows the site to be used for virtually any business niche.
By exploring some of the tools available online, almost anyone can create stunning webpages.
From framework to creating graphics to engage people to visit the site from social media, here are 10 free design resource sites.
1. WordPress
By the end of 2016, WordPress made up more than 58 percent of the market share for websites using content management systems. This free platform is easy to use and can be modified to fit just about any purpose. Users have access to a wide scope of free themes as well as more than 35,000 plugins for giving the site more functionality.
WordPress usually can be installed directly from most hosting companies. However, the installer is available through direct download for manual installations.
2. Pixabay
Pixabay is home to a large number of free graphics that can be used for virtually any purpose. Most are under the creative commons licence which means they can be used whether someone is developing a blog or promoting a business.
This resource is in constant growth as members regularly upload new imagery. From photos to vector images, it’s easy to find something to fit any business. For instance, website backgrounds and creating content header images are only a couple of common uses of these graphics.
3. Pixlr
Not everyone has the money to buy a Photoshop license. Luckily, sites like Pixlr make up for the need to edit images. This website has all of the tools one would expect from an image editor while having the fun additions some of the big brand names are popular for.
Users can upload images from their computer systems, URLs or an image library such as personal folders from Google+. The best part is that the system requires no registration or logins to use the browser-based app.
4. 1001 Fonts
1001 Fonts hosts an exceptionally large database for all kinds of fonts for creating everything from header images to infographics. This is another resource that doesn’t require registration to download fonts individually for free.
Contrary to its name, this website is home to nearly 9,000 fonts with more added often. It delivers free to use personal files and commercial-use typography while including paid packages for premium access. From exceptionally fancy to basic and plain, there is a good chance users will find the perfect style for lettering at 1001 fonts.
5. Mindomo
Mind mapping is a process that can easily help developers create websites. Whether it’s designing the layout or planning future content, creating a map for brainstorming can be very helpful. Mindomo gives all the tools to take those ideas even further.
Mind maps in Mindomo can be downloaded, printed and shared. Users can password-protect their ideas as well. There are several graphic tools, layouts and customization opens that will help users break down everything from goals to task scheduling.
6. CoSchedule
Designing a website includes being able to create quality content. Aside from grammar and spelling tools, knowing how to create amazing titles is important for engaging an audience. CoSchedule delivers that ability.
The system will analyze the words within the title and provide a score based on what people find engaging. It will highlight word choices, sentiment and provide tips regarding how to create titles that get people to click on the link.
7. Pingdom
When many people make a website, they will often forget about speed. From optimizing graphics to creating caches, load time plays a big part in SEO as well as visitor retention. The Pingdom Website Speed Test helps developers find trouble areas of the website.
Users can simulate access to the site from a handful of locations and receive a report regarding speed. Pingdom will then break down all the elements and display which are slowing it down.
8. W3 Schools
W3 Schools has been around for quite some time. It’s one of the Internet’s largest collections of programming knowledge that is free to all. Whether developers want to brush up on CSS or learn HTML5, all is available to learn right now.
The knowledge that is accesible can easily help custom design ideas by showing users how to create the corresponding code. The site is free to use for learning purposes, but visitors can pay to take a test to receive a certificate.
9. Tweak Your Biz Title Generator
Even though CoSchedule helps determine if titles are engaging, they still need to be created. Perhaps developers are running into a bit of writer’s block. Tweak Your Biz Title Generator might be able to help. This app gives users ideas about what kind of content to write.
All the system needs is a single noun or verb regarding the topic, usually the keyword, and it will do the rest. Tweak Your Biz will show several different kinds of topics such as lists, questions and even celebrity related content.
10. Canva
Perhaps one of the best visual tools on this list, Canva is worth the time exploring. The free version delivers an incredible amount of functionality such as designing content headers, eBooks or even infographics to use on the website.
The system also includes the ability to create team collaborations for free allowing developers to add up to nine other people. Although the premium account greatly expands what Canva can do, the free version itself is worth bookmarking in the browser.
All it takes is time…
Thanks to the tools and knowledge available throughout the Internet, almost anyone can learn how to make a website. From automated systems that do most of the work to picking the right background, everything is online at everyone’s fingertips. Explore the vast resources of the Internet and put together a site that is amazing without worrying about spending a large amount of money.
