A lot of people grow up building websites on platforms like Wix, Weebly, Google Sites, or other drag-and-drop builders. These platforms make it easy to get a site online without paying a cent. For many, those early websites are nostalgic snapshots of creativity – personal blogs, childhood projects, school portfolios, fan pages, and experiments in design.
But in recent years, many users have logged into their accounts only to discover something unsettling: their old sites are gone. Disconnected. Deactivated. Deleted. And often with no warning at all.
If you’ve ever used a free website builder and assumed your site would stay online forever, this article will help you understand exactly why that isn’t guaranteed – and what you can do to protect your content going forward.
Why Sites on Free Website Builders Disappear
Most major free website builders have quietly removed old content, discontinued editors, or purged inactive accounts over the years. This includes:
- Wix
- Weebly
- Google Sites (classic version)
- Other smaller or older “freemium” builders
Free plans are designed for light usage – not long-term archival storage – and the fine print reflects that.
Here are the main reasons sites get deleted or vanish:
1. Free-plan accounts can be purged for inactivity
Many free builders reserve the right to delete your site if:
- You haven’t logged in for a certain period
- The site receives no traffic
- The platform performs a system-wide cleanup
These policies often live deep in the Terms of Service, which most users never read.
2. Old editors and site builders get discontinued
Platforms evolve. When they discontinue a builder, they sometimes discontinue the websites created with it.
- On Wix, for example, all “Flash-based” sites were deleted after Flash support ended in 2020. (Wix Support)
- On Google Sites, the “Classic Sites” builder was phased out. All classic sites had to be migrated to “New Sites” or risk being unpublished.
- If you never migrated – or missed a notification – your site may have simply vanished or become inaccessible. (Google Sites)
That means even if your site was online and working – as long as it used a deprecated editor – it’s at risk.
3. Free plans offer no guaranteed storage or longevity
Free hosting is not permanent hosting.
Platforms may remove sites to:
- reclaim server space
- reduce maintenance load
- eliminate outdated / unused accounts
- comply with infrastructure changes or security updates
Because you’re not paying for dedicated hosting, there’s no guarantee your site will survive significant changes.
4. Lack of proper backup or recovery options
Even when platforms change or delete sites, backup and recovery paths are often limited.
- On Google Sites, for example, if a Classic Site is deleted and you didn’t export it or migrate, recovery might not be possible – or only possible via third-party tools.
- On free-plan builders, custom domain registration, backups, export tools – all might be locked behind a paywall or not available at all.
That means if a site is lost, it may be lost forever.
Real Examples & User Reports
On Wix, one user reported:
“I had an old site running for over five years… this year, without notice, the account got deactivated and the site is nowhere to be found.” (Reddit)
For sites built on older editors (like Wix’s Flash-based editor), this is more than anecdote – it’s official. Wix removed all Flash-based sites when Flash reached end-of-life in 2020. (Wix Support)
On Google Sites, the “classic” builder was fully deprecated. Google migrated or deleted the old sites – or converted them into drafts on the “New Sites” platform. If the owner never republished, the site is lost to public access.
On Weebly, multiple users report volatile behavior:
“Just logged into Weebly and random content from my site has been deleted including text and images… last time I logged on 4 days ago everything seemed to be in the same place.” (Reddit)
And other forum threads describe entire sites disappearing – sometimes without clear explanation, sometimes after a period of inactivity or after platform ownership changes. (Reddit)
These stories show that even non-legacy, well-known free builders are not immune to content loss.
When Free Website Builders Are Actually Fine
To be fair: free builders aren’t “bad.” They’re useful – as long as you understand the limitations.
Free builders work well for:
- Temporary projects (club sites, school assignments, event pages, one-time portfolios)
- Testing ideas quickly, without cost or commitment
- Basic, simple sites where content permanence doesn’t matter
- Disposable or ephemeral pages
If you treat your free-builder website as “temporary,” you can accept the risk.
Why Paid or Self-Hosted Platforms Protect Your Website
When you move to a paid platform – especially one where you control your hosting space – the rules change.
You’re no longer on a “free storage” chopping block.
With paid hosting (like with UltimateWB):
- Your site will not be deleted because of inactivity
- Your hosting space is yours until you choose to give it up
- Editors or site-builders may evolve, but your files remain under your control
- You can back up your site at any time, export it, move it, or keep it archived locally
- You control when your site is published, unpublished, or deleted
The difference is simple:
Free = convenience & risk
Paid = control & longevity
Conclusion: If Your Website Matters, Don’t Leave It on a Free Plan
Free website builders like Wix, Weebly, Google Sites, and others are amazing for quick, no-cost experiments. They lower the barrier to get online.
But those same builders can – and do – remove or delete content when:
- editors or platforms change
- infrastructure evolves
- users become inactive
- sites are old or built with deprecated tools
If your website represents years of effort, creativity, or memories, you deserve a hosting solution that doesn’t treat it like “disposable content.”
Paid or self-hosted platforms give you what free plans can’t: ownership, control, and long-term permanence.
If you want your site to stay online as long as you want it, choose wisely. Because once a free-builder site is gone – it’s often gone forever.
Ready to design & build your own website that doesn’t get automatically deleted? Learn more about UltimateWB! We also offer web design packages if you would like your website designed and built for you.
Got a techy/website question? Whether it’s about UltimateWB or another website builder, web hosting, or other aspects of websites, just send in your question in the “Ask David!” form. We will email you when the answer is posted on the UltimateWB “Ask David!” section.