Weebly: Homepage kit in the test

Weebly: Homepage kit in the test

With Weebly's website builder, you can quickly create your own website. The selection of designs and functionalities meets almost all requirements.Weebly: Website Builder Review

The website builder lives up to its claim: everyone can create their own website in a short time - and in a way that makes it look good. The selection of themes could definitely be a bit larger, but the existing templates impress with their good and responsive design. The editor is reserved and clearly designed and can be operated intuitively. A big plus is the extensive App Store, where users from a wide variety of areas can find a large number of suitable widgets for their online presence.

Per

Very simple and intuitive operation

Extensive App Center

Mobile app

Integrated statistics and marketing tools

Minimum contract term one month

Free plan

ConsWeebly: Website Builder Review

Hosting outside the EU

Mediocre selection of templates

minor flaws in e-commerce (payment methods, tax rates)

Support in English only

Rather limited selection of themes

No local backup possible

No WordPress integration

Editor's test note

2.3Weebly: Website Builder Review

good

To the offer: Weebly

Build a website without having to access the programming code? Modular systems make it possible. There are now numerous providers on the market who address a similar target group. But which system is suitable for whom, what do you have to pay attention to and what are the costs? COMPUTER BILD tried out the most common construction kits in a large comparison test and explains the details and differences to you. Today in our series: the website builder from Weebly.

1. Weebly: What does Website Builder offer?2. Weebly: Helpful Features for Businesses3. Weebly: Easy and intuitive to use4. Weebly Pricing and Services5. Weebly in the test: conclusion

1

2.0

Good

Jimdo

JimdoWeebly: Website Builder Review

To the offer

2

2.1

good

IONOS

IONOS

To the offer

3

2.2Weebly: Website Builder Review

good

Wix

Wix

To the offer

4

2.3

good

Web node

Web nodeWeebly: Website Builder Review

To the offer

5

2.3

good

GoDaddy

GoDaddy

To the offer

5

2.3Weebly: Website Builder Review

satisfactory

Weebly

Weebly

To the offer

7

2.4

good

DomainFactory

DomainFactoryWeebly: Website Builder Review

To the offer

8

2.5

satisfactory

One.com

One.com

To the offer

9

2.7Weebly: Website Builder Review

satisfactory

Squarespace

Squarespace

To the offer

10

3.2

satisfactory

Site123

Site123Weebly: Website Builder Review

To the offer

Complete List: Best Website Builders Reviewed

Weebly: What does Website Builder offer?

A quick overview of the features Weebly comes up with:

Security: SSL encryption is included in all plans.

E-Commerce: Weebly offers an integrated e-commerce module that you can use to set up your own online shop.

Free Version: Website Builder offers an unlimited free version with limited functionality, Weebly subdomain in the name and ads in the footer.

Responsive design: All templates are optimized for mobile devices with responsive design and can be previewed in desktop and smartphone views.

Domain: Starting with the Pro tariff, there is a free domain for the first year. An existing domain can also be transferred.Weebly: Website Builder Review

Blog: Weebly offers good opportunities for bloggers.

App Store: In addition to the widgets that are already included in the editor, the App Store offers a variety of free and paid extensions.

Statistics and analysis tools: The kit comes with its own statistics tools, and Google Analytics can also be integrated.

Mobile app: You can edit your own website while on the go using the Android or iPad app.

Weebly is an American company based in San Francisco. With the Website Builder, founded in 2006, more than 40 million websites have already been built worldwide. The company has belonged to the payment service provider Square since 2018, which has also significantly expanded the e-commerce functions.

With its simple and clear user interface and the choice of one free and four subscription plans, Weebly is just as suitable for private individuals as it is for the self-employed and small businesses. The construction kit comes up with a small but fine selection of mobile-optimized templates for websites and online shops and offers SSL encryption in all tariffs. Connected to a large app store, an app can be found for almost every function you are looking for.

Website or shop: Weebly makes this decision for the user at the beginning.

Weebly: Helpful features for businesses

Who wants to use Weebly not only privately, but for his company, will find a lot of useful functions. The creation of contact forms is easily possible via the editor, and password-protected areas can also be set up from the Pro tariff. Here the number of members is limited to 100, in the business tariff an unlimited number of users can be registered. There is also a template in the editor for survey forms. A good selection of social media integrations of the popular networks is also given.Weebly: Website Builder Review

If you are looking for special templates and functions that are not part of the basic equipment of the editor, you will often find them in the App Store. There is a wide range of widgets from the areas of social media, sales and marketing. Menu cards for restaurants can be found here as well as FAQ sections, table functions or a live chat. Most of the apps are currently only available in English.

Creating your own website with Weebly does not require any programming knowledge. All content can be easily placed on the page using the drag-and-drop editor; there is no need to manipulate code. However, if you are familiar with HTML and want to integrate your own code, you can do this with Weebly.

Search engine optimization is also no problem with the kit: All basic SEO functions are included with Weebly. Meta titles and descriptions can be edited, URLs can be customized, and images can be alt texted. The blog function is also mature. The individual posts can also be SEO-optimized and the time of publication can be scheduled. A comment function is already integrated, but the Disqus and Facebook systems can also be integrated. What is missing is the ability to set up multiple authors.

Weebly comes with its own statistics tool that tracks page views and unique visitors over the last 30 days. The account dashboard gives you an overview of the most important figures at a glance. The integration of Google Analytics is also possible. With "Weebly Promote", the kit also offers its own tool for email marketing and sending newsletters. It should be noted, however, that the program does not offer a double opt-in, as provided for in the EU.

On the topic of e-commerce: Starting with the Pro tariff, you can also sell items on your own website. If you want to use your online presence primarily for the online shop, you need one of the two tariffs Business or Business Pro in order to be able to use the full range of e-commerce options. In addition to physical products, Weebly supports the sale of digital goods and services. As payment methods, Weebly only offers online payments (credit cards, Apple Pay and Android Pay) via the service provider Stripe and Paypal (only in the most expensive tariff). It is also unfavorable that only one VAT rate can be created per region.

A small drop of bitterness is the issue of support. This is currently only available in English. You will find German-language support throughout, for example at Jimdo and IONOS. A free text search can be used to search for keywords, alternatively Weebly suggests possible suitable articles based on previous actions on the site. There is also a knowledge base, an inspiration center, the Weebly Blog (all in English only) and the possibility to ask for help in the community. Phone support is only offered on the Pro plan and up, and then only during US business hours.

As with the other US providers in the test, Weebly also states that the websites are hosted in the USA and the data is therefore also stored on servers outside the EU. Compliance with the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is therefore not guaranteed from the outset. Here it is worth taking a look at the small print or getting professional advice from experts.

If you want to be on the safe side with GDPR and have privacy concerns when your website is hosted outside of the EU, then you can't help but shortlist a provider that has its servers located within the European Union and thus operates GDPR-compliant. These include, for example, IONOS GoDaddy and One.com.

Intuitive operation: elements are simply dragged onto the page.Weebly: Website Builder Review

Weebly: Simple and intuitive to use

The website builder is very easy to use, intuitive and clearly laid out. After registration, the system asks whether you want to create a simple website or a website with a shop. If you choose Shop, you can specify a few basic settings in just a few steps, such as whether you are already selling products, what types of products should be sold, etc. All entries can also be changed later.

About 30 different templates are available for both the shop and the website, which you can preview before you decide on one. Good for those who are undecided: The templates can be changed again at any time. Compared to other website builders, the selection of designs is rather small. You have the greatest design options with Wix. However, the existing themes cover a range of styles and are all very well designed. Once the decision for a template has been made, the user is prompted to specify his domain. If you already have your own domain, you can connect or transfer it now. However, both can also take place at a later point in time.

Except for the menu bar with the pages created in the template, Weebly starts with an empty page. Using the editor on the left, various content elements such as text, image, gallery, contact form or newsletter registration can be dragged and dropped into the editing window. Although there is no complete flexibility in the positioning of the individual elements, this guarantees a certain clarity of the page. Weebly sets no limits to the depth of the navigation - any number of sub-levels can be created.

Weebly offers an extensive app center that can be used to add other useful widgets from the areas of sales, social media or marketing. The basic design elements of the website such as font and size, spacing, etc. can be adjusted at any time using the "Theme" menu item. The design template can also be changed here.

If you have created one or more websites with Weebly, you can switch between the individual online presences via the account dashboard. All important statistics for the site are also clearly displayed in the dashboard. Overall, beginners find their way around easily, although providers such as Jimdo or Webnode are a bit better here.

Weebly scores with a large selection of additional functions.

Weebly: Pricing and Benefits

In addition to the free basic version, which runs on a Weebly subdomain with limited functions and a Weebly advertising banner in the footer, there are four other plans to choose from: Connect, Pro, Business and Business Plus.Weebly: Website Builder Review

If you opt for annual billing, you not only save money, you also get your own domain free of charge for the first year starting with the Pro tariff. After that, you have to pay 18 euros per year. The domain must be registered within 45 days of subscribing.

The "Connect" entry-level tariff is limited to 500 megabytes of storage space at EUR 5 per month with annual billing. Your own domain can be integrated here, so the website does not have to run as a Weebly subdomain. However, as in the free version, a Weebly banner is also displayed in the footer. Anyone who wants to use their website professionally is therefore more likely to rely on one of the three more expensive tariffs, all of which guarantee ad-free use and unlimited storage space and bandwidth.

The Pro version at 10 euros per month offers some advanced features such as the integration of video and audio players, telephone support (but only in English and during business hours in the USA), the integration of a search field in the Web presence, password-protected areas and member administration for up to 100 people. An e-shop with up to 25 items can also be set up in the Pro tariff. Goods management, the use of vouchers and the option of integrating Paypal as a payment method are only available with the business tariff.

Business and Business Pro are designed for e-commerce businesses. Apart from the extended possibilities of customization and use of the e-shop module, these two tariffs otherwise differ from the Pro version only in the unlimited number of people for the member area and priority support.

All tariffs can also be booked in the monthly payment method. Depending on the tariff, however, up to 40 percent higher costs then arise than the prices given here.

Intuitive operation: elements are simply dragged onto the page.

Weebly in the test: conclusion

The website builder lives up to its claim: everyone can create their own website in a short time - and in a way that makes it look good. The selection of themes could definitely be a bit larger, but the existing templates impress with their good and responsive design. The editor is reserved and clearly designed and can be operated intuitively. A big plus is the extensive App Store, where users from a wide variety of areas can find a large number of suitable widgets for their online presence. Weebly can also score with the mobile app. Points are deducted when it comes to support: It would be desirable if the extensive English support offer could also be translated into German.

Comparison test of the best website builders

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