How to Built a Website for Free Without Code

A Comprehensive Guide from Design to Connecting Your Domain

If you’re interested in building a personal website or a web page for your side hustle, you’ve come to the right place!

This article will include a comprehensive step-by-step overview of how I built my personal website at no cost without a single line of code. It will also guide you through the process of purchasing a free customized domain and how to link your domain to your site.

1. Choosing a Website Builder

There are many professional website builders available such as Wordpress, Wix, Weebly, Webflow, Squarespace, and the like. These platforms are great options and offer their own unique benefits. When it came down to choosing a server, I wanted a platform that’s easy to use and affordable, hence I went with IM Creator. Below you can follow the decision matrix I used.

IM Creator is completely free for students, artists, and non-profits. You can apply for a free license on their website and start designing your interface right away. There are a variety of existing templates available, but you have the flexibility to customize your own layout and add code if you desire.

2. Purchasing a Domain

Namecheap provides a free domain for university students for one year. After one year, you are able to renew your existing domain or purchase a new one at a competitive price. To claim your free domain, go to their site, and register your university email. For those interested, there is also an option to link your domain to GitHub.

I looked into several other domain providers and Namecheap was by far the most affordable and the easiest to set up. However, if you aren’t a university student, you can purchase a domain from GoDaddy for $0.99 for the first year.

3. Connecting Your Domain to Your Site

The process of connecting your Namecheap domain to your IM Creator site is quite simple. First, you’ll need to change your domain’s host records. This allows your domain to point to your server. Once you log into your Namecheap account, click manage, then click advanced DNS. Add the two records listed below under host records:

• Type (A Record), Host (@), Value (34.96.116.138), TTL (automatic)
• Type (CNAME Record), Host (www), Value (im-router-service.com.), TTL (30 min)

Click the green checkmark at the end of each record to save it. Note that these are the only two records you need. If there are other records already listed, you can delete them by clicking the garbage can icon.

Second, connect your domain to IM Creator by changing the domain. Once you’re in edit mode, click publish, and you’ll see an option to change the URL that gives access to your site.

Thanks for reading my first Medium article! Feel free to check out my corner on the web jessicasun.me and follow me on Medium (Jessica Sun).

P.S. This article is not sponsored and all opinions are my own.