Weebly was founded by students at the Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) in 2006. The university required students to maintain an Internet portfolio of their work. In response, three business students decided to build a platform that made it easier for their fellow students to build their portfolios.
Type: Drag & Drop
This type of platform can be referred to as a “renter” because your monthly fee covers everything you need. However, you can only dress the website and you only own the elements that you bring to the website builder. Like renting an apartment, you do not own the sink and cannot take it with you when you leave. On Weebly, you do not own the code or the design. So, if in the future you decide to leave Weebly, you can only take your text and images with you.
Features
Weebly hosts websites, blogs, and online stores (e-commerce) providing a scale of options in monthly packages: Free, Starter, Pro, and Business.
The Drag and Drop Editor
Technical skills are not required to build a website here. Easily add content elements like text, photos, maps, and videos. Select the type of element you want to add and drag it onto the webpage. Edit your text without the knowledge of HTML or CSS with the built-in text editor, which works similarly to standard word processing software.
Themes
Select from over 100 professionally designed templates. There are enough to fit nearly any preferred design. Choices range from classic to minimalist to bold. Each theme also comes with multiple color schemes to further distinguish your website. Here are some Examples.
Mobile-Ready
All of the Weebly themes are built as responsive websites, which means they are ready for viewing on mobile devices. If you want more control over the look of your website on Apple and Android mobile devices, Weebly has a mobile website editor. As you build the mobile experience, you can edit on the drag and drop interface and test the website with Weebly’s virtual mobile devices.
Slideshows
There are six slideshow templates in the Weebly slideshow maker. You can upload photos by dragging photos from your computer, then use the slideshow maker to display the images with captions. The slideshow maker also allows control over the transition speed, types of transitions, and auto-plays the slideshows.
Images
Weebly users also gain access to their royalty-free searchable image database. Great websites rely on high-quality images. Weebly offers free and paid photos for use on your website.
Video Integration
Add your videos from video hosting websites like YouTube or Vimeo with Weebly’s video embed tool or host your own videos in your Weebly account.
Forms
Using Weebly’s drag and drop form builder to create a contact form, questionnaire, or other form needed to collect data with text boxes, checkboxes, and drop-down menus. Receive the form submission to email or export it from your website dashboard.
Blogging
Add the blog module to add a blog to your website. Weebly allow control over the categories, tags, and sidebar and includes an RSS feed, social media tools, and comment controls.
Advanced Editor
Weebly has an advanced editor module where HTML, CSS, and Javascript can be added or customized for your website. BGAmedia can doe this for you if we determine together it’s the best way to go.
E-Commerce
Weebly offers an integrated shopping cart, secure checkout, and inventory tracking. You can sell physical or digital items, as well as, services. Your viewers can easily filter through your store by color, size, or other parameters assigned to your products. Additionally, as easily as your viewers can purchase your items from their mobile phone; you can also manage your store. Charges for transactions are 2.9% + $0.30 transaction fee. In addition Weebly charges you an extra 3% transaction fee in their Pro plan.
Benefits of Weebly
User-friendly – EASY
Creating your website is very easy, intuitive, and fast. Registering for an account takes you through a setup process that asks about the purpose of your website. This can be a website, online store, or a blog. Next, you choose your theme, the color of the theme, and your website’s URL or website address.
Once these elements are set-up, you are placed into the website’s drag and drop builder. The builder includes messaged tips that help to guide you through the process.
The whole process can take less than 30 minutes, or if you are in a huge hurry you could do in less than 10 minutes. Weebly is made for the person that needs a simple website right now.
All Inclusive
All Weebly accounts include the drag and drop website builder, website hosting, unlimited pages, and online storage space.
Analytics
Weebly has built in website statistics, which includes website views, page views, search terms used, and information on the websites that referred the viewer to your website.
SEO
Weebly websites are designed with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind. All accounts include a sitemap, HTML friendly coding, meta descriptions, and the website speed and mobile responsiveness that search engines now expect.
Cloud-based Hosting
Cloud-based hosting means that several computers work together to guarantee website resources. Every time someone visits your website a resource is used. Traditional website hosting stores your website on a single dedicated or shared computer. When your website reaches its allotted resources an error can occur in delivering your website to people. Cloud-based hosting assures performance a bit more.
Website Speed
The cloud-based hosting and website themes are designed for quick website load times.
Website Security
The hosting plans include protection against spam and hackers. Weebly’s business plan includes additional SSL security and a secure sockets layer that establishes an encrypted connection between the website host and the website viewer.
Website Address
When you register with Weebly you are assigned a subdomain (example: XYZcompany.weebly.com).
Custom Website Address
Weebly
also allows you to connect your own domain or website address. So, if
your company owns XYZcompany.com you can add it to your account and
people will be able to access your Weebly website by entering
XYZcompany.com into their website browser.
Weebly Pricing
Weebly offers four packages: Free, Starter, Pro, and Business. All four packages include the drag and drop website builder, free hosting, unlimited pages, storage space, and support via email and chat.
Note that the prices quoted below are for 2 year plans. Buying a shorter term contract will increase your monthly costs.
Free
The free package is the only package with limited storage space (500 MB) and visible website branding. Also, a custom website address is not an option at this package level.
- Storage Limit 500MB
- Free hosting
- Chat & email support
Starter – $8 p/m
Signing up for a year will cost you $8 p/m. The starter package is the first level that removes all limitations on storage space and removes the Weebly branding.
This level also includes a customize the website address, access to more analytics, and you can customize the footer of your website. Also, you can add up to 10 physical products or services to your online store.
- Storage Limit – Unlimted
- Free hosting
- Chat & email support
- Unlimted pages
- 1 year free domain
- $100 Google ads credit
Pro – $12 p/m
The Pro one-year plan costs just $12 per month.
A Pro package adds phone support, HD audio and video hosting, password protection on pages, and in-website search for your viewers. The number of products you can sell increases to 25 and you can create a membership section with up to 100 members.
- Storage Limit – Unlimted
- Unlimited pages
- Free hosting
- Chat & email support
- 1 year free domain
- $100 Google ads credit
- Phone support
- Membership site – 100 users
Business – $25 p/m
Business plans costs $25 per month when you buy a years subscription.
The Business package is Weebly’s highest level package. With this plan, you gain SSL security, unlimited memberships, and a registration button. You can track inventory, create coupon codes, add a shipping calculator, have the ability to create coupon codes, and add an unlimited number of products and services, as well as, digital goods to your online store.
- Storage Limit – Unlimted
- Unlimited pages
- Free hosting
- Chat & email support
- 1 year free domain
- $100 Google ads credit
- Phone support
- Membership site – Unlimited users
- SSL security
- Membership registration functionality
Visit the Weebly site for more information. Last week’s post was on WordPress. Next week, we’ll look at Wix.