How to make a website in 2026, from first page to published

To make a website, choose a builder, start from a template or blank page, add your text and images, check how it looks on a phone, and publish it. You can use a free option or pay for a custom domain. For a site you want live this week, start with what needs to be on it today.

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Heya is made by the team that wrote this guide, so read its row with that in mind. Prices come from each company's own pages, checked between October 29 and November 9, 2026.

The short answer

Lots of templates Wix suits people who want a wide choice of starting designs they can customize manually or with AI.
Drag-and-drop design Squarespace suits people who want to build from a designer template or an AI-generated starting point without writing code.
Pages and posts WordPress.com suits people who want to publish pages and posts, with plugin access on paid plans.
Several small sites Carrd suits people who want to publish several sites from one account, with paid plans priced per year.
Build on your phone Heya suits people making one-page or small sites who want to build and edit fully on a phone.

How to make a website, step by step

Decide what belongs on itWrite down what the site needs to say and what visitors should do next. Keep the first version to the pages and content you need now.
Choose your builderCompare the tools below against your page needs, budget and preferred way of editing. Check the plan that includes the features you want, not just the starting price.
Pick a starting designChoose a template, use an AI starting point where offered, or begin with a blank page. Replace the sample content with your own.
Add your contentPut in your text and images, then add any links visitors need. Give buttons names that say where they lead.
Check the siteRead every page and test the links. Look at the site on your phone as well as any other device you've used to build it.
PublishUse the builder's publishing option and choose your web address. If you're connecting a domain you own, follow that builder's domain setup instructions, then open the published site and check it again.

Website builders for a first website

Compare these builders side by side for their free options, paid plans, custom domains and editing tools.

Builder	Free plan	Paid from	Custom domain	Best for
Wix	$0 Free plan, no credit card	$17/mo (Light), yearly price	Connect one on Premium plans; 1 year free domain voucher on most	Big template library and business tools
Squarespace	14-day free trial, no credit card	$19/mo (Basic)	Free custom domain on Basic and Core (terms apply)	Polished designer templates
WordPress.com	Free plan, no expiry, no credit card	$4/mo billed annually	Paid plans; free first year on annual plans	Blogs and sites that grow with plugins
Carrd	Free Basic plan	$9/year (Pro Lite, 3 sites)	Pro Standard ($19/year) and Pro Plus	One-page sites and landing pages
Heya	Free: 3 sites, 5 pages each, yourname.heya.bio	$3/mo (Pro Lite)	Pro Standard (1) or Pro Plus (up to 10)	Small sites built and edited on a phone
Google Sites	Not stated	Not stated	Up to five per site (needs a subdomain like www)	Quick sites inside Google Workspace

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Not stated means the company's own pages we checked don't give that detail.

Each option up close

Wix

Free; Light $17, Core $29, Business $39 a month (yearly)

Wix offers over 2000 business-ready templates that you can customize manually or with AI, and its Free plan costs $0 with no credit card required. Light includes 2 GB of storage and 2 site collaborators; Premium plans let you connect your own domain and remove Wix branding. The displayed USD prices are for yearly subscriptions paid in full at purchase, and Wix offers a 14-day money-back guarantee.

Better at: Big template library and business tools.
Watch out: Listed prices are for yearly plans paid up front.

Squarespace

Basic $19, Core $29, Plus $49, Advanced $99 a month

Squarespace lets you start with Blueprint AI or a designer template, then design, edit and publish using Fluid Engine drag-and-drop tools without HTML, CSS or JavaScript. Its 14-day free trial needs no credit card and can be canceled anytime. You can design the full site during the trial, then choose a plan when you're ready to connect a custom domain and go live.

Better at: Polished designer templates.
Watch out: You pick a paid plan to connect a custom domain and go live.

WordPress.com

Free; paid from $4 a month billed annually

WordPress.com's free plan has no expiration date and includes 1 GB of storage, unlimited pages and posts, and basic stats for the last 7 days. It uses a WordPress.com subdomain rather than a custom domain. Every paid plan includes access to over 60,000 plugins, while annual and multi-year paid plans also include a free custom domain for the first year.

Better at: Blogs and sites that grow with plugins.
Watch out: The free plan has 1 GB of storage and a wordpress.com subdomain.

Carrd

Free; Pro Lite $9, Pro Standard $19, Pro Plus $49 a year

Carrd has a free Basic experience and a free 7-day Pro trial with no payment or credit card required. Pro Lite supports up to 3 published sites, removes the "Made with Carrd" branding and includes premium starting templates, but custom domains start with Pro Standard, which supports up to 10 sites. Pro Standard and Pro Plus support domains you own with SSL through Let's Encrypt; Pro Plus also lets you download your site's unminified HTML, CSS, JS and images, excluding server-side code.

Better at: One-page sites and landing pages.
Watch out: Pro Lite does not include custom domains.

Heya

Free; Pro Lite $3, Pro Standard $6, Pro Plus $15 a month

Heya is a no-code builder for one-page and small sites, with 68 templates or a blank-page start, and it supports building and editing fully on a phone. You can start without an account, with drafts saved in your browser until publishing; publishing requires Google sign-in, its only sign-in option, and Free supports up to 3 sites with up to 5 pages each and a small "Made with Heya" badge. Pro Standard costs $6 a month and includes 1 custom domain per account; Heya connects a domain you already own through Site settings, shows the DNS records to add, checks them and issues the HTTPS certificate automatically.

Better at: Small sites built and edited on a phone.
Watch out: Free sites show a small "Made with Heya" badge.

Google Sites

No plan prices listed

Google Sites lets you create and edit a website without programming using drag-and-drop tools, pre-made templates and an automatic grid that scales content across devices. It also integrates with Google Workspace. A published site can have up to five custom domains connected, and a custom URL must include a subdomain, such as www.

Better at: Quick sites inside Google Workspace.
Watch out: A custom URL must include a subdomain such as www.

What a website costs in 2026

You can start without paying. Wix has a $0 Free plan, WordPress.com has a free plan with no expiration date, Carrd has a free Basic experience, and Heya Free costs $0 with no time limit. Squarespace offers a 14-day free trial.

For paid plans, read the payment terms alongside the price. Wix Light is $17 per month in USD for a yearly subscription paid in full at purchase. Squarespace Basic is $19 per month, and Squarespace says paying annually can save up to 36%.

WordPress.com Personal starts at $2.75 per month when billed every 3 years; paid plans start at $4 per month when billed annually. Carrd Pro Lite is $9 / year, while Pro Standard is $19 / year.

Heya Pro Lite costs $3 a month. Pro Standard costs $6 a month and includes 1 custom domain per account. You connect a domain you already own; Heya doesn't sell domains.

Picking a builder for your kind of site

What does your site need to do? Start there.

For a business site where you want to choose a starting design and change it yourself, look at Wix's over 2000 templates. Squarespace is another option if you want a designer template or Blueprint AI, followed by drag-and-drop editing.

For a site built around pages and posts, WordPress.com gives you unlimited amounts of both on its free plan. Paid plans add plugin access.

Carrd is worth comparing if you're making several sites: Pro Standard allows up to 10 from one account. For a one-page or small site you want to build on your phone, consider Heya. Its buttons can send visitors to an outside form, booking page, shop or payment page.

And if Google Workspace integration matters to you, look at Google Sites and its drag-and-drop editor.

Mistakes that slow first websites down

Don't choose a plan from the price alone. Check the domain rules before you commit: Carrd Pro Lite and Heya Pro Lite don't include custom domains. WordPress.com's free plan uses its own subdomain, and Wix allows your own domain on Premium plans.

Keep the first version small. Write the content you need now, put it into the site, then check the published result. You don't have to fill every part of a template.

Check the payment terms (not just the monthly figure). Wix's displayed prices are for yearly subscriptions paid in full at purchase. WordPress.com's $2.75 per month starting price requires billing every 3 years.

But don't stop checking at the editor. Does each button go where you intended? Open the published site on your phone, read the text and follow the links yourself.

How we checked

We took every price, limit and feature from each company's own pages, collected on October 29, 2026. We checked the Wix and Carrd pages again on November 9, 2026. Heya's details come from its pricing page and docs, checked on October 30, 2026. The facts come from wix.com/plans, wix.com, squarespace.com/pricing, squarespace.com/websites, wordpress.com/pricing, carrd.com/docs/pro/plans, carrd.com/pro, workspace.google.com/products/sites, support.google.com/sites/answer/9068867, heya.page/pricing and heya.page/docs.

Plans change often. If a number here is out of date, email hello@heya.page and we'll fix it.

FAQ

How do I make a website for free?

Choose a free option such as Wix, WordPress.com, Carrd Basic or Heya Free, add your content and publish using the address available on that plan. Check its limits first. Heya Free supports up to 3 sites with up to 5 pages each; WordPress.com includes unlimited pages and posts with 1 GB of storage.

How much does it cost to make a website?

It can cost $0 if a free plan covers what you need. Paid options include Wix Light at $17 per month for a yearly subscription paid in full, and Carrd Pro Standard at $19 / year. Heya Pro Standard costs $6 a month and includes 1 custom domain per account, using a domain you already own.

Can I make a website on my phone?

Yes. Heya supports building and editing a site fully on a phone. You can start without an account, and drafts stay saved in your browser until you publish. To publish, you'll need to sign in with Google. You can start from a template or a blank page.

Do I need to know how to code to make a website?

No. Squarespace lets you design, edit and publish with Fluid Engine without HTML, CSS or JavaScript. Google Sites also works without programming experience, using drag-and-drop editing and an automatic grid layout. Heya is a no-code builder for one-page and small sites. Pick a starting design, then add your own content.

Try Heya free

Pick one of 68 templates or a blank page, edit it on your phone or laptop, and publish on Heya's Free plan for $0, with no time limit and no credit card.

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