Free Website Resources For Business Owners

Running a website or small business doesn't mean you need to pay for a mountain of software subscriptions. There are free tools for almost everything - building a website, checking SEO, researching keywords, creating images, monitoring traffic, managing customers, protecting your accounts and running the day-to-day side of a business.

The problem is knowing which ones are actually worth using.

I've put together this collection of free resources for website owners, bloggers, freelancers and small businesses. Some are completely free, while others have useful free plans or limited free usage.

Website & Search Tools

Google Search Console

See how your website performs in Google Search, inspect URLs, monitor indexing and view search queries, clicks and impressions.

Best for: SEO, indexing and Google Search
Cost: Free

Open Search Console

Google Analytics

See where visitors come from, which pages they use and what people do on your website.

Best for: Website traffic and visitor data
Cost: Free

Open Analytics

Google PageSpeed Insights

Test website performance on mobile and desktop and see recommendations for improving page speed and user experience.

Best for: Website speed and Core Web Vitals
Cost: Free

Test Your Website

Google Rich Results Test

Check whether Google can read structured data on a page and identify supported rich result types.

Best for: Schema and structured data
Cost: Free

Test Your Schema

Google Business Profile

Manage how your local business appears across Google Search and Maps.

Best for: Local businesses
Cost: Free

Set Up Your Profile

Google Trends

Compare search interest, investigate topics and see how interest changes over time.

Best for: Content ideas and market research
Cost: Free

Explore Trends

Google Keyword Planner

Research keywords and discover related search terms using Google's advertising platform.

Best for: Keyword research
Cost: Free tool

Research Keywords

AnswerThePublic

Find questions and phrases people search around a particular subject.

Best for: Content ideas and question-based keywords
Cost: Free searches available

Find Questions

AlsoAsked

Explore related People Also Ask questions around a search topic.

Best for: Content planning and search intent
Cost: Free searches available

Ask Away

Keyword Surfer

A browser extension that provides keyword information while you search Google.

Best for: Quick keyword research
Cost: Free

Start Surfing

Google Search Central

Google's own documentation covering crawling, indexing, structured data and SEO.

Best for: Learning SEO directly from Google
Cost: Free

Start Learning

Free Website Testing

W3C Markup Validation Service

Check HTML markup for errors and potential problems.

Best for: HTML validation
Cost: Free

Validate HTML

W3C CSS Validation Service

Check CSS for syntax errors and problems.

Best for: CSS troubleshooting
Cost: Free

Validate CSS

WAVE

Check webpages for potential accessibility problems.

Best for: Accessibility testing
Cost: Free

Check Accessibility

Free Website Building & Hosting

WordPress.org

Open-source WordPress software that can be installed on your own hosting to build many different types of websites.

Best for: Blogs, business websites, magazines, portfolios and stores
Cost: Free software

Take a Look

Blogger

Google's blogging platform for people who want to publish a basic website without paying for traditional hosting.

Best for: Blogs and content websites
Cost: Free

Blog Away

GitHub Pages

Host static websites directly from a GitHub repository.

Best for: HTML websites, portfolios and developer projects
Cost: Free for suitable use

Host a Site

Cloudflare Pages

Deploy websites from a Git repository or by uploading prebuilt files.

Best for: Static websites and web projects
Cost: Free plan available

Build a Site

Canva Websites

Create simple websites and landing pages using Canva's website tools.

Best for: Simple websites and landing pages
Cost: Free options available

Build a Website

Free Domain & DNS Tools

ICANN Lookup

Look up registration information for domains.

Best for: Domain research
Cost: Free

Look Up a Domain

DNS Checker

Check DNS records from locations around the world, useful after changing DNS records or nameservers.

Best for: DNS troubleshooting
Cost: Free

Check DNS

MXToolbox

Check DNS records, mail servers, blacklists and other domain information.

Best for: Domain and email troubleshooting
Cost: Free tools available

Check a Domain

Namechk

Check whether a potential business or brand name is being used across online services and social networks.

Best for: Brand-name research
Cost: Free

Check a Name

Lean Domain Search

Generate domain-name ideas around keywords.

Best for: Finding domain ideas
Cost: Free

Generate Ideas

Free Image & Design Tools

Canva

Create website graphics, social posts, presentations, thumbnails and other visual content.

Best for: General graphic design
Cost: Free plan available

Start Designing

Photopea

A browser-based image editor with many features normally associated with advanced desktop software.

Best for: Image editing
Cost: Free

Edit an Image

Squoosh

Compress and convert images directly in your browser.

Best for: Website image optimisation
Cost: Free

Compress Images

SVGOMG

Optimise SVG files by removing unnecessary data.

Best for: SVG icons, logos and graphics
Cost: Free

Optimise SVG

Google Fonts

A large collection of freely available fonts for websites and other projects.

Best for: Website typography
Cost: Free

Find a Font

Free Stock Images & Media

Unsplash

Large collection of photography for website and content projects.

Best for: Photography
Cost: Free

Find Photos

Pixabay

Free images, illustrations and other media.

Best for: General visual content
Cost: Free

Find Images

Always check the current licence and usage conditions before using stock media commercially.

Free Writing & Content Tools

Grammarly

Check spelling, grammar and writing issues while you work.

Best for: Writing and proofreading
Cost: Free plan available

Check Your Writing

Hemingway Editor

Highlights complicated sentences and readability issues.

Best for: Making writing easier to read
Cost: Free web version

Check Your Writing

Google Docs

An online word processor useful for writing, collaboration and storing documents online.

Best for: Documents and writing
Cost: Free

Open Google Docs

Google Sheets

Create spreadsheets for content calendars, budgets, keyword research, stock lists and business records.

Best for: Spreadsheets and organisation
Cost: Free

Open Google Sheets

Free Video & Audio Tools

OBS Studio

Record your screen, create videos and stream live.

Best for: Screen recording and streaming
Cost: Free

Record & Stream

DaVinci Resolve

A powerful video editor with a substantial free version.

Best for: Video editing
Cost: Free version available

Edit Videos

CapCut

Video editing software aimed particularly at social and short-form content.

Best for: Social videos
Cost: Free plan available

Make a Video

HandBrake

Convert and compress video files.

Best for: Video conversion
Cost: Free

Convert Video

Audacity

Free, open-source audio recording and editing software.

Best for: Podcasts, voice recordings and audio editing
Cost: Free

Edit Audio

Free Security Tools

Bitwarden

A password manager with a free plan for storing and generating passwords.

Best for: Password management
Cost: Free plan available

Secure Your Passwords

KeePass

Open-source password management software that stores your password database locally.

Best for: Local password management
Cost: Free

Manage Passwords

Have I Been Pwned

Check whether an email address has appeared in known data breaches.

Best for: Account security
Cost: Free

Check Your Email

VirusTotal

Check files and URLs against multiple security engines.

Best for: Basic security checks
Cost: Free

Run a Check

Free Business Tools

QR Code Monkey

Create custom QR codes for websites, contact information and other uses.

Best for: Business cards, posters and marketing
Cost: Free

Create a QR Code

No tools found.
Try a different search term or category.

Before You Pay for Another Subscription

Before adding another monthly charge to the business, ask yourself:

What problem does this actually solve?

Can I already do this with something I have?

Is there a free alternative?

How often am I actually going to use it?

Will it save me enough time or money to justify the cost?

Am I paying for features I'll never use?

And then decide.