In this digital age, one of the greatest assets your business can own is a brand website. With Content Management Systems like WordPress, website design just got easy. As a premium branding agency, we often get messages from clients asking, Can you build a website with WordPress without hosting?
The answer is “Yes”.
Yes, you can build a WordPress site without hosting. WordPress is one of the top Content Management Systems (CMS) and website platforms in the world. According to research, WordPress runs about 41% of all the websites on the internet, and for good reasons. WordPress makes it easy for anyone to create and design their websites from scratch with no knowledge of coding. The site is free, flexible, and easy to use. It also comes with a ton of inbuilt templates, designs, and extensions. The best part is that it is compatible with any third-party tool or software you can think of.
Ideally, when creating a website online, you need to have a domain name and web host. That makes your website go live online. It activates your website visibility on the internet. So, if you are keen on optimising your website for search engines, then your website needs hosting.
However, with WordPress, you can bypass the need for web hosting. WordPress’s basic version comes with a free plan that allows you to build your website without hosting. It gives you the option of creating a website for your brand without paying for hosting. You can even set up your website without a domain name on WordPress. However, it has its cons, which we will discuss in the latter part of this article.
That answers the question, “Can you build a website with WordPress without hosting?”.
STEP-BY-STEP APPROACH ON HOW TO BUILD A WORDPRESS WEBSITE WITHOUT HOSTING
We have answered your question, “Can you build a website with WordPress without hosting?” Now, let’s get down to the details. Building a WordPress website without hosting is actually must easier than you think. You don’t need to download any software. All you need is a computer, and you can set up your website with the click of a few buttons.
Here’s a practical guide on how you can create a WordPress Website without hosting.
Step 1: Sign up
The first step is to create your WordPress account. Visit WordPress.com and click on the “Start Your Website” icon as seen above. It will redirect you to a sign-up page where you would have to fill a sign-up form. In the form, you will need to provide some information. They include; your preferred username, password, email address, and blog address (Domain name).
Since you are using WordPress to create this free website, your blog address will be suffixed with WordPress.com. For example, if you choose “lizzybakes” as your blog name, it will automatically become “lizzybakes.wordpress.com”.
Step 2: Activate Your Website
To activate your WordPress website, you must confirm your e-mail address. You will receive a notification in your email as you can see in the image below. All you have to do is open your mail, read the instructions, and click on “Confirm Blog”.
Step 3: Setup Your Website
The next step is to give your website shape and form. Choose your preferred site title, icon, and tagline. Then, choose a free theme for your website. There are a variety of options you can choose from. You can also connect your WordPress website to your social media accounts like Facebook and Twitter.
Step 4: Customize Your Website
Afterward, customise your site by selecting a font style and other features you would like on your website. Some features you can choose include custom domains, SEO tools, plugins, image storage, ad-free, store, and video storage.
Step 5: Toast to Finishing!
Finally, select a free subscription plan. Then, go back to your browser, type your WordPress website address, view your website, and check how it looks. Then, edit your website to suit your test and click on “Launch”! You will receive a notification in your email welcoming you to the WordPress family.
There you go! You have successfully created a WordPress website without hosting. Easy, right? The entire process takes a few minutes to set up, and your website goes live. On your WordPress website, you can always manage and upload content on your website. Let’s highlight the use of some icons on the left black sidebar of your dashboard.
- Dashboard: For WordPress, Plugins and Themes updates.
- Stats: For viewing your site insights and analytics.
- Upgrades: For upgrading to paid subscription plans with extensive features.
- Posts: For writing, editing, and deleting posts on your website.
- Media: For uploading, deleting and managing media files such as images and videos
- Pages: For creating and creating new pages on your website.
- Comments: For moderating comments on your site. Here you can approve, delete and respond to the comments from your site readers and visitors.
- Appearance: For customising your website. You can use this to try out new themes and change how your site looks.
- Settings: For configuring and managing your website.
THE DISADVANTAGES OF BUILDING A WORDPRESS WEBSITE WITHOUT HOSTING
When answering the question, “Can you create a WordPress site without hosting?”, you must look at both sides of the coin. It is not just a yes or no question. Think of the pros and cons of building a WordPress website without hosting.
As stated earlier. WordPress offers a free and secure platform where you can build your website without hosting. However, if you want to do more with your website, then a free version won’t cut it. Using the WordPress basic plan has some limitations. If you want to monetize your website, you will need to pay for hosting on WordPress or another web hosting service provider.
Here are some disadvantages of building a WordPress Website Without Hosting.
1. Limitations on Website Monetization
Google Adsense and other advertising programs only work on a hosted website. When you create a WordPress site without hosting, you relinquish all means of earning through your website. You can’t apply for Google Adsense to earn through paid ads on your site. You can’t write paid posts, review products, add sales or affiliate links on your website. WordPress website without hosting works solely on 100% organic traffic. It restricts you from running commercial activities on your site.
With your free WordPress website, you can only use WordPress’s exclusive advertising programming called WordAds. If you apply for the WordAds program and meet the requirements, they will approve your Ad. According to the terms of engagement, WordPress gets a percentage of the revenue generated from your Ad.
The only people who can monetize their free WordPress website are authors. If you have a book for sale, then you can create an Ad for it on your website. But you can’t promote other products and services. That is why most brands prefer to create their website with paid hosting.
2. Restrictions on Website Customization
The beauty of having a website is the ability to change its features to suit your brand aesthetics. It gives your website a unique touch. But with a free WordPress website, you won’t be able to customise your website to suit your taste. A free WordPress website comes with a limited set of features that can rain your parade. It restricts you from uploading plugins to customize and extend the functionality of your site.
Some themes on WordPress are free, which work best for free hosted websites. However, you will have limited options to choose from, unlike a website with paid hosting. It also restricts you from modifying your theme features and functionality. You can only add custom CSS and fonts to your theme, but other modifications are off-limits. If you want a fully custom-built website, consider paying for web hosting.
3. Account Suspension
WordPress is very strict with its terms of use. They can go over and above to protect their platform from any form of abuse. If you violate their terms of service, they will suspend your site without hesitation. Sometimes, it could happen without a formal notification or warning to the site owner. It can just happen at random.
A visitor to your website can report for your site for illicit activities. If WordPress runs an investigation and finds your site guilty, you will be suspended indefinitely. WordPress will only give you limited time to recover your posts before everything goes up in flames. Once your website is suspended, the sub-domain will not be released for anyone else to use. So, you can’t recover it under any disguise.
4. No Room for Development
A WordPress website without hosting is more or else a free blog service. There is no room to develop or redesign your website into something bigger and better. The website speed is also slow and can be a turnoff to potential customers and site visitors. For example, if you have a simple website with free hosting, you can update your site features as your brand grows and expands. You can add an online store, bookshop, paid course, newsletter subscription, and downloadable digital products on your site. But you can’t do all that on a free WordPress website. You can only create and upload organic content and articles on your site.
5. Poor Website Security
The security of a free WordPress website is very unreliable. WordPress is an open-source platform, and it is susceptible to hackers. They do not secure your website from invasion by potential hackers. Your data and information on the site may be at risk. Unfortunately, WordPress does not offer any backup plan for such eventualities. If someone hacks your site, you may never recover your files and website.
6. No Branded Email and Domain Name
If you build a WordPress website without hosting, you cannot create a branded email address and domain name for your site. You can only generate a sub-domain and use your Gmail or Yahoo mail. Without a professional email address and custom domain, some prospective clients may not take you seriously.
Conclusively
Building a website with WordPress without hosting is an easy and affordable option for small business owners. You can start with free hosting and plan toward building a paid hosting site as your brand grows. However, we recommend you consult a web development expert before building a WordPress website without hosting. An expert can help you mitigate some of these disadvantages and better manage your website. You can reach out to Iconic Digital World to help you build a secure and top-notch website for your brand.
