Review of Weebly – website builder tool

Introduction –

As a matter of fact, knowing how to build a website from scratch is one of the most crucial skills you need to master in this day and age! 

You will be able to save a significant amount of money on web developers and designers and have the edge over your competitors. Websites allow you to keep up with the latest market trend and manage your online traffic. Aren’t these benefits fascinating! Guess what? You can smoothly learn how to build a website, all on your own – using Weebly! 

 Weebly, a subsidiary of Square Inc, is one the best website builder that allows anybody with zero technical skills to create and establish their website online within a couple of minutes. It offers a wide range of templates without punching a hole in your pocket. 

 Every expert was once a beginner. On similar lines, I spent a lot of time mastering the art of building a beautiful website using Weebly. Let me walk you through my journey.

Background –

My friend is incredibly passionate about baking, and he decided to start catering to customers online. Initially, he was skeptical because of the complications and expense. Keeping in mind various benefits like order taking, performance, and analytics, helping customers with queries, Photo gallery, he decided to create his website.  

While evaluating various platforms to build a professional website for my friend, I came across Weebly. Compared to other websites like Homestead.com, it was too pocket friendly.

The first thing I noticed was how easy it is to use. The full process was as easy as pie. I enjoyed playing with different templates, fonts, and tools to create my website. It seemed super friendly for a beginner like me. 

By now, I’m sure you are waiting to explore some new exciting features. You are at the right place! Here’s why – 

1. CUSTOM DOMAIN NAME – Weebly offers custom domain names. For example – “XYZ.COM,” “XYZ.IN” according to your choice. You have an option to transfer your domain. 

TIP: Notice the offers and savings before making a purchase! 

Discover the best domain for your brand.

2. PARALLAX & REVEAL EFFECT – Parallax effect is used when the website layout notices the background of the web page moving at a slower pace to the foreground, creating a 3D effect as you keep scrolling. If used sparingly, it can impart a subtle element of depth that results in a unique and distinctive website. 

3. INSIGHTS AND ANALYTICS – Insights are metrics that help you evaluate your performance. Weebly enables you to determine your traffic source, number of visitors, and which pages they visited. 

• Real-time Stats – Weebly helps you calculate real-time stats so that you can keep a close eye on your traffic and data patterns. 

TIP – For more in-depth insights, Weebly makes it easy to add Google Analytics code for advanced website tracking. 

• Performance – You can easily track how many people visited your website, what search terms they used to find your website, and which website referred traffic to your site – from the Weebly dashboard. Sounds magical. Isn’t it? 

4. SSL SECURITY – SSL security has deemed a prerequisite if you want to run a useful website that is safe for the users. 

Security Sockets Layer provides a security layer that helps encrypt all communication between the browser and the web server that is currently serving the page. This security encryption helps to prevent hackers from interruptions and to collect information during a web session. 

TIP: I highly recommended you turn on SSL for the entire site. 

Generate your free privacy policy at Weebly!

5. DRAG AND DROP – Using the drag and drop feature, you can add elements like photos, texts, maps, and videos. Since there is nothing to install and upgrade, this process is hassle-free. Weebly enables you to drag and drop slideshows, videos, and dynamic content. 

6. Coupons Builders and Gift Cards – Don’t we all love coupons and gift cards? Use the coupon builder tool from Weebly! Weebly helps you offer coupons to your customers as incentives to purchase your product. You have the power to control the type of discount, length of time, and the type of order to create your high – powered coupon codes.

7. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – Did you know, over a third of online shoppers use Google, Bing, etc., to find products to buy? So, search engines are your website’s best friend. Weebly has a built-in feature for E-Commerce Search Engine Optimization. Use descriptive, keyword-driven titles and customize your page URL’s for a better match. 

You don’t want to miss this. Check out Weebly’s features!

These features aided me greatly. I hope this benefits you too. 

While experimenting and evaluating, I came across tools that made my website building journey 2X times easier. Here are six pros that make Weebly stand out from competitors. 

1. FOR BEGINNERS: Weebly is efficient and straightforward. If you have a beginner looking forward to exploring the art of website designing, Weebly is right up your alley.
2. INTUITIVE – Intuition is what exactly we expect from a website builder. Isn’t it? The operations and tools are not complicated at all. In no time, your website will be up and running. 
3. 99.97% UPTIME – Uptime means how reliably a system has been running.  100% uptime is ideal. Anything less than 99.90% is usually considered to be performing poorly. Weebly’s high score makes it stand out from its competitors. 
4. THEMES – You may be wondering how difficult it will be to design a website from scratch or how you can attract buyers and get the attention of search engines. Don’t ponder, my friend. It’s all there and easily customizable. Weebly offers numerous themes, custom fonts, layouts to enhance the aura of your page. Permit your ideas to be the substratum of your website. Let creativity gush down your veins.
5. UNLIMITED STORAGE SPACE – If you are a pro plan or a business plan user, you can access unlimited storage space and bandwidth! However, only the free Plan has a limit of 500MB. Your files cannot exceed 10 MB in the free Plan or 250 MB on the professional Plan. 
6. LIVE PREVIEW – I’m sure you want to double-check your web page’s contents and designs before publishing. Be it a desktop or a phone device, Weebly gives a good idea of how your profile appears to the general public before publishing anything. 

On the contrary, these were a few challenges I faced while using Weebly, Nonetheless, they had a negligible impact during the process. 

1. SLOW – Sometimes, I have dealt with an unresponsive and slow editor. However, you can use many solutions to resolve this issue, like clearing your browser cached data. 
2. LANGUAGES – Weebly is currently available in English and many other languages. You will not be able to use non – English character sets like Kannada, Hindi, or Telugu. Nevertheless, you can always head to the Appstore and translate your Weebly website into various languages. 

So, what’s the verdict? 

Weebly is the go-to option for small and medium enterprises, personal portfolios, and small agencies that don’t have much content. However, for larger companies or sites, with a lot of information, it would not be possible to concentrate everything. Keeping in mind the features, pros, cons and comparing it to your interest, you can decide what best suits your business. 

RATINGS – After a lot of research, I have rated Weebly based on many criteria. You can find below my ratings compared to other website builders. 

OVERALL RATING: 9/10

USER INTERFACE- 8.5/10

EASE OF USE: 10/10

FEATURES: 8.5/10

PRICING: 9/10

I’m sure you agree with me, all of us want maximum benefits with minimal cost. Weebly offers just that! There are several plans available to quench everybody’s needs. For example, you are a budding blogger who wants to showcase your work to the world; the free Plan is your best resort. Similarly, if you own a small enterprise and look forward to widening your network and reach, willing to take minimum orders, the pro plan should be your go-to option. 

I have collected information regarding each Plan, price, and comparison. Keeping reading and stay curious to find which Plan suits your needs! 

Prices And Offers – 

1. Free Plan: $0 – I recommend using a free Plan if you are planning to start a personal blog, a hobby website, or a personal portfolio. But it comes with limitations like ads, no custom domain – best suited for playing around. 
2. Connect Plan: $5/month – Personal Plan is very similar to free Plan. It has the option to connect your custom domain for a personalized web address. Best suited for Personal blogs, Hobby sites, and portfolios. 
3. Professional Plan: $12/month – This is a cost-beneficial plan if you want to remove Weebly ads displayed on your site. You can unlock features such as unlimited storage, site search, and upgrade your tools. Pro plan is best for small businesses, budding entrepreneurs, and freelancers. 
4. Business Plan: $25/month – As the name suggests, it’s the best Plan for fast-growing businesses and online stores. Since this Plan has a strong E-Commerce focus, you can avail yourself of features like Inventory management, shipping calculators, and much more! 

BENEFITS	FREE	CONNECT	PRO	BUSINESS
	(basic use)	(connect a domain)	(groups and organizations)	(small businesses and store)
PRICE(When paid annually)	$0.00	$5.00/Month	$12.00/Month	$25.00/Month
Free Features			Free Domain ($20 value)	Free Domain ($20 value)
Site Features	Free SSL security	Free SSL security	Free SSL security	Free SSL security
	Connect a custom domain	Connect a custom domain	Connect a custom domain	Connect a custom domain
	500 MB storage	500 MB storage	Unlimited Storage	Unlimited Storage
	–	–	Remove Weebly Ads	Remove Weebly Ads
	–	–	Site search	Site search
Design options	All templates	All templates, Video Backgrounds	All templates, Video Backgrounds	All templates, Video Backgrounds
Storage	500MB	500MB	Unlimited	Unlimited
E-Commerce	–	–	Shopping cart	Shopping cart
	–	–	Payments through 3rd party providers	Payments through 3rd party providers
	–	–	–	Item Badges
	–	–	–	Item Options
	–	–	–	Coupon Codes
	–	–	–	Item Reviews
	–	–	–	Shipping Calculator
	–	–	–	Integrated shipping labels
		–	–	Good Shipping discounts

Conclusion – 

Creating and publishing a website might seem like a tedious process. But with the end result, you will be amazed to see the enormous impact it has made. Especially with the help of a website builder like Weebly, it’s easier than ever. 

As the saying goes, not all five fingers are the same. Whatever Plan works for somebody else may not work for you. Be sure to try your hand at everything. After all, experimentation is the key to triumph. Once your website is up and running, you will come across some issues. You can modify your website if you find any glitches.  There is always a learning curve. 

To sum it up, you can use Weebly as a nominal option to support your business or a hobby. It’s easy to use, drag and drop; security features have impressed many users. 

Remember to save some room in your budget for extra costs you are likely to encounter while using Weebly. You should prepare for three main costs – namely, domains, apps, and Email marketing. 

I’m sure you have made up your mind to pick your perfect Plan that best suits your interest. Make sure to turn your Weebly website dreams into a reality! 

Disclosure –

Since I am sharing this content free of cost without any paid subscriptions, some of the links in this post might be affiliate links, which won’t cost you anything. Although, all opinions and discussions remain my own.