Site Seedling vs "Free" Website Services
Why free websites aren't really free — and what they're actually costing your business
Free website services sound appealing — who doesn't love free? But there's always a catch. Here's what they don't tell you upfront — and why Site Seedling is a smarter investment for UK tradespeople and local service businesses.
| Feature | Site Seedling | Free Website Builders |
|---|---|---|
| True Cost |
From £9/month — hosting, SSL, domain support, and updates all included. No surprises.
|
"Free" design, but you pay separately for hosting, domain, and SSL — often at inflated prices through affiliate partners
|
| Hidden Upsells |
What you see is what you get. One plan, one price, everything included.
|
Free tier gets your foot in the door, then premium features, add-ons, and "essential upgrades" are pushed throughout the process
|
| Industry Focus |
Purpose-built for UK tradespeople and local service businesses with profession-specific templates, content, and features
|
Generic templates designed for any business type — no understanding of your profession
|
| Accreditations |
Built-in display for Gas Safe, NICEIC, TrustMark, and other trade certifications — shows clients you're legitimate from the first visit
|
No industry-specific features — you'd need to figure out how to add accreditation badges yourself
|
| Content & Copywriting |
Professional content templates written for your industry — ready to personalise
|
You write everything yourself, or the content is generic filler text
|
| Ongoing Support |
Fully managed — we handle hosting, updates, security, and backups. You focus on your business.
|
"We'll teach you to edit it yourself" — then you're on your own. Future changes often require hiring them at full rates.
|
| Acceptance Rate |
Open to all UK professional service businesses — sign up and get started immediately
|
Many free services only accept a fraction of applicants (some as low as 28%). You may not even qualify.
|
| Speed to Launch |
Online in hours with pre-built templates designed for your profession
|
Application wait, design review cycles, and a build process that can take weeks
|
| Ownership & Control |
Your content, your domain, your data — always exportable
|
Often built on platforms you don't control. Moving away can mean starting from scratch.
|
| Local SEO |
Schema.org LocalBusiness markup, XML sitemaps, and local search optimisation built in
|
Basic or no SEO optimisation — you're on your own for Google visibility
|
| Their Real Business Model |
Simple subscription — we succeed when you succeed and stay with us
|
Free websites are a loss leader. The real revenue comes from hosting affiliate commissions and converting you into a paying client for larger projects.
|
| Support |
UK-based support team who understand your profession
|
Varies — many are overseas operations with no UK support
|
| Support Timezone |
UK-based support during UK business hours
|
Often US or offshore, may not align with UK business hours
|
| Your Money Goes To |
A UK business, supporting the UK tech economy
|
A US corporation
|
Choose Site Seedling
Choose Site Seedling if you want transparent pricing, a website built for your profession, and ongoing support without hidden costs. £9/month for everything — and you'll actually be online faster than most "free" alternatives.
Choose Free Website Builders
Consider a free website builder if you have plenty of time, don't mind researching hosting providers, are comfortable writing your own content, and are happy managing the technology yourself. Just be prepared for the upsells.
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