Yes, there is a Wix free account option that you can use for your online presence. However, there are several problems with the free account that you might want to consider first. Here is a list of what you get with the free account and what can be better when you move to a premium account.
Assigned URL
The first thing that you have to consider is how your website will be listed on the line. With a free account, your URL will look like this: username.wixsite.com/siteaddress. This style can be hard for customers to enter within the address bar. It also looks messy for visitors to use and looks messy.
This style of URL is also harder for ranking on Google and other search engines.
If you have a premium plan, then you can upgrade your domain to a custom option. This will look more professional and serves to offer you better returns.
Adverts
One of the big down points of a free Wix account is the adverts that will appear on every page of your website. These are not chosen by you and can advertise anything that can include competitors, brands that you don’t agree with and other elements. These adverts can draw attention away from your message, redirect traffic from your website and make your website look really cluttered.
In addition, you won’t get a dime from the click or impressions that are created on the advert. All the revenue that is generated by the adverts goes to Wix. This is despite your efforts being the one thing that is promoting the content and the page.
As soon as you upgrade your plan so it is one of the premium options, these adverts are removed from your website. This can really help you improve your professionalism and allow you to keep customers on your website.
Storage and Bandwidth
With the free website option, you are limited on storage and bandwidth. The free plan gives you 500MB on both storage and bandwidth. For smaller websites like those personal websites where you don’t want to publish much or have large amounts of traffic, this isn’t going to be much of a limiting factor. However, if you’re looking to earn a lot of revenue from your website, these limits are very challenging as you grow your business.
When you move to a premium account, then you will have more storage and bandwidth. This can help you have a website that performs better.
Online Payments
If you want to take payments on your website for products, services or donations, then the free plan is not going to be good enough. You will need to take one of the other plans starting with the Business Premium Plans. These are the only payment plans that allow you to take payments.
Customer Support
If you’re new to website building then you will want to make sure that you have the knowledge to help you get up and running. While there is support for all Wix users, the support is definitely better when you have a premium account.
They have access to better support and it will respond better. If you’re not sure that you have the technical skills, the free option might not be for you.
Google Analytics
With Google Analytics you can see what is going on with your website at a glance. You can see the number of visitors, locations, behavior on your website and even see how much money you’ve made on the website. However, with the free account, Google Analytics cannot be connected.
Final Word: Is Wix Really Free?
Wix does have a free option, but there are problems with the free account. Namely, there are challenges when it comes to making your website rank well online and you can’t use some features. So be sure that you really want a free website before choosing this option.