Wednesday, March 3rd
2021 Website Builder Reviews
Site123
- Cost: From $0 to $12.80 per month
Site123 is a basic website builder for novices wanting to create their own website. You can begin on the free pricing level and start with any of several modern-looking website templates. Then, with the website editor, you can create a mobile-friendly, search engine optimized website and host it for free on a custom domain. You can even use it to set up a simple online store to sell your products all over the world. If you get stuck, you have access to 24/7 live support via live chat.
16 Website Categories To Choose From
The first step is to choose what type of website you want. Site123 offers 16 different categories ranging from Business to Photography to Music to Community.
Name Your Website And Sign In
The next step is to give your site a descriptive name, one that people might search for when looking for the product, service, or content your website offers. After that, you provide your name, email and a password. Or use Facebook or Google to sign in.
You're On Your Own
Once you're logged into the Site123 designer interface, you are greeted with a "Start building your website" prompt. Unfortunately, it doesn't really do anything to guide you other than also show a dialog for engaging with support in live chat. From here, you're on your own to figure out what to do next.
Hundreds Of Photos That Are Free To Use
One challenge of building a website is finding a good source of photography that doesn't cost a fortune, especially if you need a lot of images. Site123 provides a bank of hundreds of high quality photos. There are no royalty fees or other restrictions on using the images.
Custom Domain Name Is Worth It
Free hosting is limited to a subdomain. The subdomain is much too numeric and cryptic for anyone to remember, and it won't help you with SEO, so you'll want to have a custom domain. To enjoy the benefits of a custom domain, simply pay $12.80 per month for a subscription and forward your domain to Site123's IP address.
Create Unlimited Websites Under Your Account
The number of websites you can create and host is unlimited. You can create and manage them all under a single account. The site is stored on Site123 servers and replicated across the world to reduce loading time for visitors far from your location.
More Like A Design By Form
We weren't really that impressed by the set of controls or the flexibility of the design interface. Site123 feels more like a "design by form" than a true website editor.
Unable To Change The Layout
If you decide that the content you uploaded to your new site doesn't quite work with the design you selected, Site123's FAQ states that you can choose a different layout and style that works better. Unfortunately, we were not able to locate the means by which we could change the layout. One nice feature, though, is that your website automatically reformats itself optimally for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
Not Impressive
Site123 isn't very impressive if you're looking for a flexible and future-proof way to create and maintain your website presence. We suggest you check out the other offerings in this review.
Which Service Offers the Best Website Builder?
The way you build a website can directly impact the success your website has in attracting and retaining customers. So, it's important to choose a website builder that maximizes things like search engine optimization (SEO), usability, the speed at which each page loads (page speed), mobile browser compatibility, accessibility for users with disabilities, and dozens of other requirements.
Website builder software and services aim to remove the technical barriers that come with more sophisticated methods of building websites. With a website builder, not only is content easier to author, you also become a "drag and drop" designer of your home page and supporting sub-pages. This can be a blessing or it can be a burden depending on the quality of the website builder, how much time you have and your tolerance for learning curves.
Website Builder FAQ
Continued from above...
Whatever you choose, remember that you may be stuck with your decision for a long time. In other words, think in the long term and visualize what your needs will be not just months from now, but years from now.
As you decide which website builder will be the best choice for your needs, there are several factors to keep in mind:
- Flexibility. How will the site builder hold up as your site needs change over time?
- Usability. How easy is the tool to use?
- Search Engine Optimization. Does the service allow you to manage SEO?
- Stability. Does the builder work without errors or glitches?
- Cost. What will you spend to use the builder and get all the features you want?
- Reputation. What do other users have to say about the website builder?
TopConsumerReviews.com has reviewed and ranked the best website builders available today. We hope this information helps you create the perfect site for your business, non-profit organization, or your own personal projects!
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