Community Outreach Program

Free Websites for Local Businesses

Your barbershop, bakery, or auto shop deserves to be found online. We're building free, professional websites for businesses across Kankakee County — because our neighbors shouldn't get left behind.

Get Your Free Website

Our Community Can't Afford to Be Invisible

Here's the thing — the way people find businesses is changing, fast. It used to be that foot traffic, word of mouth, and a sign on the road was enough. Those days aren't gone yet, but they're fading. People pull out their phones, ask Siri, talk to Alexa, or type into Google before they ever get in the car. And increasingly, they're asking AI.

When someone says "Hey Google, find me a plumber near Bourbonnais" — if you don't have a website, you don't exist. You won't show up in search results. You won't show up in AI answers. You won't show up in voice assistant recommendations. You're invisible to every person who's looking for exactly what you offer.

46%of all Google searches are looking for local information. If your business isn't online, you're missing nearly half of all potential customers before they even know you're there.

Small businesses are the backbone of communities like ours. The family-owned restaurants, the mechanic shops, the hair salons, the daycares — these are the places that make Bourbonnais, Bradley, and Kankakee feel like home. They shouldn't get left behind just because they can't afford a web developer or don't know where to start.

That's why we're doing this. Not for money. Not for clout. Because we live here too, and we want to see every business in our community thrive in a world that's going digital-first. This is about keeping our town competitive, visible, and ready for what's coming next.

AI Is Rewriting the Rules of Discovery

This isn't some far-off future scenario. It's happening right now, today, in our community. The businesses that have an online presence will survive the transition. The ones that don't? They risk becoming invisible.

🤖

AI Search Is Taking Over

ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity — people are asking AI for recommendations instead of scrolling through listings. If your business isn't on the web, AI literally cannot recommend you.

🗣️

Voice Assistants Are the New Yellow Pages

"Hey Siri, find a bakery near me." Voice search pulls from the internet. No website means no results. It's that simple.

📍

Local SEO Determines Who Gets Found

Google prioritizes businesses with websites, reviews, and consistent online info. A basic website with your hours, location, and services puts you on the map — literally.

📱

Digital Discovery Beats Foot Traffic

More people find businesses through their phones than by driving past them. The shift from foot traffic to digital discovery isn't coming — it's already here.

Without a Website vs. With One

Without a Website

Invisible to Google, AI assistants, and voice search
Customers can't find your hours or phone number easily
No way for new residents to discover you
Competitors with websites get all the online traffic
Relying solely on word of mouth and drive-by traffic

With a Free Website from Us

Show up in Google searches and AI recommendations
Hours, phone, location, and services — all in one place
New people moving to town can find and trust you
Level the playing field with bigger competitors
Professional online presence that works 24/7 for you

Everything You Need. Nothing You Don't.

🎨

Professional Design

Clean, modern, and custom-built to match your business. No cookie-cutter templates.

📱

Mobile Responsive

Looks great on phones, tablets, and desktops. Because that's where your customers are.

📍

Your Info, Front & Center

Contact info, hours, location, and services — the stuff people actually need to find.

Fast & Lightweight

Static sites that load instantly. No bloated WordPress installs or slow page loads.

🔄

Weekly Updates

Fill out the form with your changes — new hours, menu updates, seasonal specials — and we'll push them live.

🔍

Search-Ready

Built with proper SEO so Google and AI search tools can actually find and recommend you.

$0. Free. Always.

No setup fees. No monthly fees. No hidden anything.

Here's How It Works

1

Fill Out the Form Below

Tell us your business name, what you do, your hours, phone number, and anything else you want people to know. Photos are a bonus but not required.

2

We Build Your Site

Our team designs and builds a professional, mobile-friendly website for your business. We'll send you a preview before anything goes live.

3

You're Live

Once you give the thumbs up, your site goes live. Share the link, add it to your Google Business profile, and start getting found.

4

Need a Change? Just Let Us Know

New seasonal hours? Updated menu? Added a service? Fill out the form below with your updates and we'll roll them in every week. It's that easy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Completely free. No setup fee. No monthly fee. No "free trial" that turns into a bill. We build your website, we host it, and we maintain it — all at zero cost to you. We're a community project, not a business. We do this because we believe every local business deserves to be found online.
There isn't one. Seriously. We're not going to upsell you, sell your data, or hit you with surprise charges. The Bourbs is a community-driven project built by people who live here and care about this area. Think of it like a neighbor who happens to know how to build websites offering to help out. That's literally what this is.
A Facebook page is great for connecting with existing customers, but it's not a substitute for a website. Facebook pages don't rank well in Google searches, AI assistants can't pull reliable info from them, and not everyone uses Facebook. A real website gives you a permanent home on the internet that you control — one that shows up when people search for what you do.
A clean, modern, professionally designed static website. Think of it as your digital business card — your name, what you do, where you are, when you're open, how to reach you, and what makes you special. It's mobile-friendly, loads fast, and is built so Google and AI search tools can find you. It's everything a local business needs, without the bloat.
Just fill out the form below. Changed your hours? Got a new menu? Added a service? Submit a quick form with your updates and we'll push them live within the week. No logins to remember, no dashboards to figure out. You run your business, we'll handle the website.
We'll host your site on our platform for free. If you want to connect a custom domain, we can help you set that up — the only cost would be the domain registration itself (usually around $10-15/year from a registrar like Namecheap or Google Domains). But even without a custom domain, your site will be fully functional and findable.
That's exactly who this is for! You don't need to know anything about websites, hosting, coding, or any of that. You fill out our short form, we handle all the technical stuff. If you can fill out a form, you can get a website. It's that simple.
We're The Bourbs — a free community project built for Kankakee County locals, by locals. This service costs you nothing, requires no contract, and comes with zero obligation. If you don't love what we build, you don't have to use it. Your business info is only used to build your website and nothing else. Period.

Request Your Free Website

Fill this out and we'll take it from there. Takes about two minutes.

Doesn't need to be perfect. Just give us the gist.

We'll review your request and reach out within a few days. No obligations, no strings attached.

🎉

You're on the list!

Your request has been received. We'll reach out within a few days to get things rolling. Welcome to the internet — it's going to be great.