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Though technically branding itself as a hosting company, Weebly is much more than that. It joins the ranks to high site builders like Wix in supplying rapid-build capabilities for websites. The amount of extended functions you can build into Weebly websites are acceptable for eCommerce.
For the uninitiated, site builders offer users a set of resources, usually such as building blocks that they can use to assemble a web site visually. However, what makes Weebly a bit more unique is that with these great features, anybody wanting a site can utilize it and publish their website at no cost.
This means of building sites becoming increasingly common, with many site builders sprouting up across the net. Some are great, some are good – so what makes Weebly unique, if it’s? Starting up in 2007, Weebly climbed to sponsor around 50 million sites globally before it had been acquired to get a whopping $365 million in 2018 from Square, a payments processing firm.
This indicated two things to me that Weebly was flourishing, and eCommerce was likely to get even bigger on the platform. The purchase also involved that Square would be able to obtain a leg up on the worldwide eCommerce company scene.
Let us explore a few of the pros and cons of Weebly as it is today.
What We Like About Weebly
1. Solid Site Speeds
Weebly enrolls a strong A rating in the BitCatcha rate test. Not surprising given that it’s intended to host eCommerce sites. Response prices are fantastic from the US but tend to drag on the farther they are out of that zone.
Although this is reasonably normal, given that their servers are most likely to be based in the united states, the response rate from Asia, as indicated by the Japan server outcomes, was somewhat disturbing.
Although showing great Time to First Byte (TTFB) at WebPageTest results, some weaknesses have been revealed in image compression, and content caching has led to the poor response from several servers.
2. Templates to Begin with
Many moons ago, Weebly has a slew of templates to select from, but for some reason that they cut it down into a more manageable 35. I will be honest here and say that I’m a little on the fence about the whole variety of templates.
On the flip side, it feels as if a reduction in the amount is cutting costs somehow. It is probably due to the requirement of pruning out older templates that wouldn’t fit well for cellular responsiveness.
In general, I believe that the templates available do give users a wide enough spectrum to act as a launchpad to design their websites without turning them into mindless zombies hoping to get one-size-fits-all.
3. Editor Is Simple And Easy
To use as soon as you’ve selected your template, you can then move on to the drag and drop editor. With a few quick site builders, the expression’drag and drop’ is figurative, but using Weebly, it’s a drag and drop editor.
To construct the pages you desire, all you must take action to drag objects from the toolbar on the left of this display and drop them in the page area in the place you want. There are many things you may add, from plain text boxes to complex product list blocks.
You’re ready to go right from the time you strike the editor, no need for extra downloads, no ridiculous loading times, or any additional measures required. If you want a simple website, everything is right there from the beginning.
Given the simplicity of the design and ease of use, I’d say it would be hard not to use the Weebly editor to build normal sites. This makes it an excellent pick for complete beginners to website construction.
Additional Features
- Customized Code. This usually means that Weebly is also acceptable for programmers that need greater control over the layout of their sites.
- Though not quite extensive, the SEO attributes that Weebly has become the system allows for the entrance of header and footer code, Search Engine Indexing control as well as redirects. This can be more than what I’ve observed so far in many cases.
- Allows Contributors. This might be helpful if you would like the input of a designer or author or someone specializing in another field.
4. The Weebly Mobile Application (At Version 5.0)
There’s a lot of detail on the Weebly Mobile App so do not dismiss it just because of the term ‘mobile’
This is something I haven’t seen yet, besides with Weebly. Don’t be fooled by the term ‘mobile’. The Weebly Mobile App is just what the whole term means – Weebly comes with a program that will work on your mobile device and allow you to edit your site there.
The world is changing to mobile, and even on my websites, I am seeing mobile users much exceed the number of users that come via desktop devices. So why not shift the development experience to mobile as well?
The Weebly Mobile Application can be obtained on both popular platforms – iOS and Android. This usually means you could use it on your iPhone, iPad, Android phone, or Android tablet. Not only are you able to check your site statistics and other information, but you can edit your website too.
It provides users a real touchscreen drag and drop editor, which not only functions with the basics but even lets you handle complicated backend tasks such as order processing, fulfillment, stock check, acceptance of obligations, and so on.
If you choose to, you can work offline as a way to sync any adjustments made when you get connected back to the Internet. This is a strong program and seriously expands the capabilities of Weebly.
Additional Features
- Track Data. Review your website statistics and see how it’s doing at any point of time, anywhere.
- Site Overviews. Or grow your network by simply buying new domains and adding more sites right on the app.
- Leverage on Insights. In this tab, you can have detailed information on company intelligence matters, such as where most of your traffic comes from, what type of products sell best, and in the future.
All these features in a single mobile application make Weebly stick out in the contest. In their offerings, I’ve seen a high concentrate on smaller eCommerce sites, and this program just solidifies my belief. It would be ideal for the small entrepreneur who’d probably be working on the go a lot of times.
5. App Center
Not to be frustrated with the Weebly Mobile App, the App Centre gives you add-on choices to grow your website’s capacities. This is something that I feel every site builder should have, as it keeps core business and extended functionalities separate.
In this manner, users who only need essential functions will not get an interface that’s bogged down with a lot of extras they’ll never likely utilize. At the same time, users needing extra attributes may have a range of these to match their needs.
The Weebly App Centre covers five chief sorts of programs – eCommerce, Communication, Marketing, Social, and Website Tools. They come in a mixture of free, free to try or superior, so not every elongated attribute will cost cash.
Prices vary considerably, though, so pay attention if you would like to use any of them. They may begin from as low as $3+ monthly or price as much as over $100 a month, depending on which app you pick.
Here are some of the Programs That I think can help some eCommerce websites stand out for a very low price:
- Promo Bar. This tool fixes a reactive and customizable promo pub in your site, which you may use to emphasize specific sales or featured merchandise. You may even offer discount codes or any other information you’d like to bring attention to.
- MarketGoo. One of the Apps you will need to set up if you opt to use Weebly’s SEO analysis feature. It may help do a check on your website and allow you to understand what you want to fix to maximize your SEO, which is sorely necessary for eCommerce websites.
While there is a great deal of apps from third parties, Weebly also has some it has assembled. Some of them are exciting, such as the Code Block app. This app lets you to show users formatted code great if you’re maybe running a programming tutorial site.
There are even apps to help you construct more advanced site features like tables and tabs!
6. Bonus Extras
- Free domain. This applies to every program, even the free one. The paid plans get you a domain name, but free plans can be hosted on Weebly subdomains unless you decided to get your own.
- Easy to Upgrade. All of Weebly’s plans are scalable, meaning if you buy into a strategy and realize that you want a much better one, you can scale at any time. It’s handy and allows you to test the machine starting at whatever level you’re familiar with.
- If you install the MarketGoo App, you can get a free search engine optimization analysis report on your site if you publish it. This can enable new users to tweak their SEO settings for improved optimization.
7. You can Move Away From Weebly
There are many reasons you’d want to move from a service provider — raising prices, better bargains elsewhere, not being able to acclimate to the stage, or even deciding to proceed to a new platform such as WordPress. No matter the motive, it is always best to have an option.
This was something that I found to be biased about Wix since it locks its users in and requires them to’do or die’ with the stage.
Thankfully, Weebly is significantly more realistic and enables its users to export their websites and even has a tutorial to teach you how to achieve that.
Most website builders lock you into their own ecosystem and don’t allow you to move. The only way is to delete your site and start over. You may never need to do so if you’re happy using Weebly, but you can if you wish to.
What We Didn’t Like About Weebly
1. Freeloaders Are Stuck On Your Weebly Domain
I can’t blame Weebly to this since it costs money to give away domains (and why should it give them away for free?!). However, facts are facts, and free plan users might have to be content to have their site named www.something.weebly.com.
There’s also another tiny technical problem if you are a free plan user, and that’s essentially stuck with the Weebly subdomain even if you have your domain. Weebly only allows custom domains if you are either purchased them are a paid program user.
Also, you get stuck with Weebly branding on your sites, incidentally.
2. Limited Blogging Tools
Although you may have a site section on Weebly, it’s a little different compared to WordPress, which is much more dedicated to content and permits extended functionality. Weebly’s blog posts are kind of composed like their site builder, where you drag and drop bits and pieces on a canvas.
The experience is a little odd, but that might be me since I am used to the WordPress environment. There are limits on how you can construct each blog article – the arrangement is adjusted, as in title and content.
Given the massive amount of bloggers drifting around the web and how Weebly has a free plan, I simply felt that this was one area in which they might have put far more focus. In the end, it’s not as if they are restricting themselves to eCommerce websites only.
3. You Better Be Utilized To Offline Photo Editing
There is no way to put this neatly, so I will just lay it out – you can only do a few items with Weebly’s built-in photo editor – Zoom, Blur, Darken, or use a color filter. I’m not certain why but I just have this odd feeling about a picture editor that won’t even let you crop one.
That is quite fundamental and given the range of what Weebly has realized, and I am really at a loss to explain why they have crippled image editing in this manner.
4. Pay For Additional Help
I know this to encourage clients costs money, but Weebly requires that a little more than necessary. Your support/ level depends on which plan you purchase into. It does have the necessary stuff available for everyone, including a knowledge base, FAX, and even a few video tutorials.
Additionally, it has other channels of service live chat, phone, or email. Unless you’re on anything aside from a free or starter program, you won’t have access to their telephone support or priority support.
While it will have a community forum, I browsed the region briefly, which didn’t seem very busy. There were several themes but very little interaction. I am not sure if you may depend on the Weebly neighborhood for aid.
Weebly Plans and Pricing
Free
Basic use- Free SSL Security
- Domain with Weebly Branding
- 500MB Storage
- Search Engine Optimization
- Lead Capture and Contact Form
Connect
Connect a Domain- Free SSL Security
- Connect a Custom Domain
- 500MB Storage
- Search Engine Optimization
- Lead Capture and Contact Form
Pro
Groups & Organizations- Free SSL Security
- Connect a Custom Domain
- Unlimited Storage
- Search Engine Optimization
- Lead Capture and Contact Form
- Free Domain ($20 value)
- Google Ads ($100 credit)
- Remove Weebly Ads
- Site Search
- Shopping Cart
- Accept Payments through Square and 3rd Party Providers
- Advanced Site Stats
- Phone Support
Business
Small Business and Stores- Free SSL Security
- Connect a Custom Domain
- Unlimited Storage
- Search Engine Optimization
- Lead Capture and Contact Form
- Free Domain ($20 value)
- Google Ads ($100 credit)
- Remove Weebly Ads
- Site Search
- Shopping Cart
- Accept Payments through Square and 3rd Party Providers
- Advanced Site Stats
- Phone Support
- Item Badges
- Inventory Management
- Coupon Codes
- Item Reviews
- Shipping Calculator
- Integrated Shipping Labels
- Pop-up Notifications
*Price per month billed annually.
At the entrance level, Weebly includes a free plan that accompanies a lot of restrictions. Yet that is anticipated, and it is a wonder that they offer it as entirely free as opposed to a trial. This is something which not many are willing to do nowadays, and I laud Weebly for getting it.
If you’re a little more serious about your website, then plans begin from $5 per month onwards all of the way to $25 a month.
The Free plan provides storage space, a Weebly subdomain, and free SSL but nothing much more. This could still be helpful for some use, for instance, a personal website, blog, or portfolio. These can be basic and do not need to be overly fussy.
The Starter Plan at $4 per month isn’t much better, but it will include a free domain name that Weebly worth at $19 (though a. Com elsewhere will probably set you back much less). This program does not include eCommerce features.
As soon as you go above those, the Guru and Business Plans are for those who, well, mean company. These programs permit you to list products available and turn your site into an internet shop. There’s a grab though you are paying more though, and that is the trade fee of 3% that Weebly levies on your sales.
In all honesty that this rate is reasonable because you’re able to make use of their payments and shopping cart features. If you were to go on your own, you would likely need to pay more to process payments online through a third party.
The amount of goods it is possible to list depend on which program you choose, and just the priciest Business Plan allows you to sell digital products such as software permits or things like this. It also gives you access to inventory management and coupons.
Verdict: Is Weebly a Great Buy?
I like Weebly because it does not feel that they need to oppress clients through mandatory buy-ins and extortionate rates. Even for the company Strategy at $25 a month, you are getting features that will cost you a whole lot more than if you should implement them yourself on another hosting company. If I were to compare this with another eCommerce oriented site builder, my thinking is that it would come out a champ in some specific areas.
However, it does look built for entrance level eCommerce shops, and anyone who needs to have a big product catalog may want to store elsewhere. Unfortunately, at the same time, they appear to be weak on the blogosphere zone.
The result has left me wondering if Weebly expects to compete purely on small to medium eCommerce sites.
