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ABOUT WEEBLY |
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First of all, let me say that I am not an employee of Weebly, nor do I work for them in any capacity. I'm just a customer who fell in love with their free website software. I have tried building free websites over the years on a multitude of sites, but have never found the quality, nor the varied layouts and elements that Weebly offers. I only help customers design their sites using the free version, but Weebly does offer an upgraded version that offers more perks if you're interested. For the small businesses that I'm targeting, I think you'll find that the free version has plenty to offer.
It is very possible to create a website on your own, and if you like to play with design, I encourage you to do so. However, if you don't like learning new software, feel you don't have a creative bone in your body, or simply don't have the time to invest yourself, that's where I'd be happy to help. I've already gone through the learning curve with this software and this aspect alone can save a lot of time. I'm passionate about designing websites! Your only cost is for my time to create it and the only requirement is your ability to correspond and send files via email.
Below are just a few things that drew me into Weebly. To see more of what Weebly can do, I invite you to check out their website at: www.weebly.com For limitations I've discovered using Weebly, please scroll to the bottom of the page.
It is very possible to create a website on your own, and if you like to play with design, I encourage you to do so. However, if you don't like learning new software, feel you don't have a creative bone in your body, or simply don't have the time to invest yourself, that's where I'd be happy to help. I've already gone through the learning curve with this software and this aspect alone can save a lot of time. I'm passionate about designing websites! Your only cost is for my time to create it and the only requirement is your ability to correspond and send files via email.
Below are just a few things that drew me into Weebly. To see more of what Weebly can do, I invite you to check out their website at: www.weebly.com For limitations I've discovered using Weebly, please scroll to the bottom of the page.
The things that impressed me the most were:
1. THE WEBSITE IS FREE. There are no monthly fees to keep it going unless you choose to upgrade, which you could easily do through Weebly. You are also free to maintain the site yourself.
2. THERE ARE NO ADS attached to your website. Most web hosting services I've tried over the years always have a slew of ads running down the side of your page. The only thing you see on these web pages is a very small line at the bottom that says "create a free website with weebly". It can be removed with their upgrade, but it's really not obtrusive at all. Scroll to the bottom of this page to see for yourself. Your free website also includes the weebly name in the web address, but again, this could be removed with an upgrade if you chose to do so.
3. OODLES OF PAGES: The group that first referred me to Weebly said you were limited to one page. Not true. They just didn't know how to do it. The most I've used on a website is 36 individual pages. This makes it very easy to organize and manage a lot of information.
4. MORE THAN ONE WEBSITE: With the free version, you're now allowed to set up ten separate websites per email address before needing to upgrade. So if you set up a business website and decide later to add a separate personal or hobby sites, it's very simple to do.
5. NO PHOTO LIMIT, SLIDE SHOWS, LINKS: With the free version you can add as many photos as you like, set up slide shows, as well as link to other webpages, youtube videos, etc... They've recently made upgrades so that some embedded files can now be added to the free version as well.
6. ABILITY TO SELL: If you have a PayPal account, you can even sell items with the free version. So... if you want to sell your creations or products, just set up shop and direct customers to your website. In my opinion this is where Weebly drops the ball. There are some limitations for those who plan to sell high volume, so please inquire and I'd be happy to see if Weebly could work for your situation.
7. INDEX YOUR SITE: Weebly allows you to index your site with search engines and verify your site with Google and Bing so you can be found by customers. However... it doesn't hurt to add your website address to your ads, business cards, and newsletters. I can help you with those as well.
8. REASONABLE UPGRADE FEES: If you later find your website is in need of new features or you want to register your domain name (dropping the "weebly" from your address) the upgrade fees are within reason. As of Oct 2010 these are the quoted upgrade fees per the weebly website:
PLEASE NOTE: I work strictly with the free version of weebly. Upgrades or adding your own domain must be done by you, and ONLY after the free website I design has been completed and released to you after payment. I will not be responsible for lost domain fees if you create a second weebly account while the first one is in progress. Thank you.
1. THE WEBSITE IS FREE. There are no monthly fees to keep it going unless you choose to upgrade, which you could easily do through Weebly. You are also free to maintain the site yourself.
2. THERE ARE NO ADS attached to your website. Most web hosting services I've tried over the years always have a slew of ads running down the side of your page. The only thing you see on these web pages is a very small line at the bottom that says "create a free website with weebly". It can be removed with their upgrade, but it's really not obtrusive at all. Scroll to the bottom of this page to see for yourself. Your free website also includes the weebly name in the web address, but again, this could be removed with an upgrade if you chose to do so.
3. OODLES OF PAGES: The group that first referred me to Weebly said you were limited to one page. Not true. They just didn't know how to do it. The most I've used on a website is 36 individual pages. This makes it very easy to organize and manage a lot of information.
4. MORE THAN ONE WEBSITE: With the free version, you're now allowed to set up ten separate websites per email address before needing to upgrade. So if you set up a business website and decide later to add a separate personal or hobby sites, it's very simple to do.
5. NO PHOTO LIMIT, SLIDE SHOWS, LINKS: With the free version you can add as many photos as you like, set up slide shows, as well as link to other webpages, youtube videos, etc... They've recently made upgrades so that some embedded files can now be added to the free version as well.
6. ABILITY TO SELL: If you have a PayPal account, you can even sell items with the free version. So... if you want to sell your creations or products, just set up shop and direct customers to your website. In my opinion this is where Weebly drops the ball. There are some limitations for those who plan to sell high volume, so please inquire and I'd be happy to see if Weebly could work for your situation.
7. INDEX YOUR SITE: Weebly allows you to index your site with search engines and verify your site with Google and Bing so you can be found by customers. However... it doesn't hurt to add your website address to your ads, business cards, and newsletters. I can help you with those as well.
8. REASONABLE UPGRADE FEES: If you later find your website is in need of new features or you want to register your domain name (dropping the "weebly" from your address) the upgrade fees are within reason. As of Oct 2010 these are the quoted upgrade fees per the weebly website:
- Monthly Fees for Upgraded Version (expected increase 01-07-13)
- Register Domain Name
PLEASE NOTE: I work strictly with the free version of weebly. Upgrades or adding your own domain must be done by you, and ONLY after the free website I design has been completed and released to you after payment. I will not be responsible for lost domain fees if you create a second weebly account while the first one is in progress. Thank you.
THE LIMITATIONS I'VE DISCOVERED WITH WEEBLY
Domain names and online stores have been the two main weak points using the Weebly software. I've addressed both issued below so you can decide if Weebly will be a good fit for you.
DOMAIN NAME CONCERNS
Domain names can sometimes be a deal breaker when dealing with weebly. I only work with the free version of weebly which is why I'm able to charge so much less than others. With the "free" sites, the new web address will have "weebly" in it. For instance yourbusiness.weebly.com. If you don't want the "weebly" in your address, once the free site has been built and paid for, it is a very simple process to purchase a domain name through weebly, assuming it's available. In fact you are prompted to do this every time you exit the weebly editor and I'd be happy to check availability of a particular name if you like.
The problem surfaces if you currently have a domain name from elsewhere that you wish to use. If you try purchase that particular name, it will show as "unavailable" (since you already own it) which leaves you with a few choices:
1) Keep the "weebly" in the name (also keeping it free)
2) Change to a different domain name and pay a fee through weebly. This is a good option if you don't have a lot of advertising using the old name and don't mind losing the fees you've already invested in that name. You might possibly use .net instead of .com if you love your current name.
3) Use the free domain temporarily, letting the old domain account expire and pick it up later through weebly when it's made available again. Of course you'd need to change any print advertising you currently have.
4.) Have someone else transfer your old domain name to the new account. There is a process described on the weebly site for doing this, but unfortunately it's beyond my technical level and involves contacting your old domain host. They "say" it's simple for a techie person, so if you have a computer geeks in your life, it may not be that hard. :-)
All of these choice would apply only after the free site has been completed, paid for, and turned over to you. This domain issue has been a stickler with other clients as they have a lot of advertising out there under the old domain name and understandably don't wish to change. It just depends on how important it is for you to keep that old domain address or if you think you can get it redirected by someone else after the fact.
ONLINE STORE LIMITATIONS
I've found there to be some limitations with online stores using weebly. However, depending on the quantity and types of things you sell online, it may or may not be a problem at all. Here are a few things I've noticed:
1. Items can only be paid via paypal, so you must have an account with them. This is usually not a big deal since paypal accounts are free and customers can pay with their credit card (and even checking accounts I believe) through paypal now.
2. The weebly format allows multiple sales. So... if you only have a single item to sell, a customer could potentially order several of that item. The "work around" is that we add text informing the customer that there's only one item available.
3. If you do only have a limited quantity of an item, you would need to remove the product from the website immediately once it's sold out. A second customer technically could come in and buy an item that's already been sold if it doesn't get removed quickly. Again, this is probably not a big problem if you do small volume sales, have easy access to the internet or run a bakery type business where you can just whip up another batch of cookies. However I could foresee it being a pain if you have a high volume store and don't access your website often. You don't want to spend time refunding and apologizing.
4. There is no shipping calculator available. You'd need to add the shipping onto the price of each item (maybe a flat rate, based on weight of each item, to the farthest place you mail) and add text that says "includes shipping". This limitation could be problematic if you ship out of country and prices are quite a bit different than US mailings. If you allow local purchases as well, we could list each item twice... one that includes a shipping price and one that includes the item price only.
DOMAIN NAME CONCERNS
Domain names can sometimes be a deal breaker when dealing with weebly. I only work with the free version of weebly which is why I'm able to charge so much less than others. With the "free" sites, the new web address will have "weebly" in it. For instance yourbusiness.weebly.com. If you don't want the "weebly" in your address, once the free site has been built and paid for, it is a very simple process to purchase a domain name through weebly, assuming it's available. In fact you are prompted to do this every time you exit the weebly editor and I'd be happy to check availability of a particular name if you like.
The problem surfaces if you currently have a domain name from elsewhere that you wish to use. If you try purchase that particular name, it will show as "unavailable" (since you already own it) which leaves you with a few choices:
1) Keep the "weebly" in the name (also keeping it free)
2) Change to a different domain name and pay a fee through weebly. This is a good option if you don't have a lot of advertising using the old name and don't mind losing the fees you've already invested in that name. You might possibly use .net instead of .com if you love your current name.
3) Use the free domain temporarily, letting the old domain account expire and pick it up later through weebly when it's made available again. Of course you'd need to change any print advertising you currently have.
4.) Have someone else transfer your old domain name to the new account. There is a process described on the weebly site for doing this, but unfortunately it's beyond my technical level and involves contacting your old domain host. They "say" it's simple for a techie person, so if you have a computer geeks in your life, it may not be that hard. :-)
All of these choice would apply only after the free site has been completed, paid for, and turned over to you. This domain issue has been a stickler with other clients as they have a lot of advertising out there under the old domain name and understandably don't wish to change. It just depends on how important it is for you to keep that old domain address or if you think you can get it redirected by someone else after the fact.
ONLINE STORE LIMITATIONS
I've found there to be some limitations with online stores using weebly. However, depending on the quantity and types of things you sell online, it may or may not be a problem at all. Here are a few things I've noticed:
1. Items can only be paid via paypal, so you must have an account with them. This is usually not a big deal since paypal accounts are free and customers can pay with their credit card (and even checking accounts I believe) through paypal now.
2. The weebly format allows multiple sales. So... if you only have a single item to sell, a customer could potentially order several of that item. The "work around" is that we add text informing the customer that there's only one item available.
3. If you do only have a limited quantity of an item, you would need to remove the product from the website immediately once it's sold out. A second customer technically could come in and buy an item that's already been sold if it doesn't get removed quickly. Again, this is probably not a big problem if you do small volume sales, have easy access to the internet or run a bakery type business where you can just whip up another batch of cookies. However I could foresee it being a pain if you have a high volume store and don't access your website often. You don't want to spend time refunding and apologizing.
4. There is no shipping calculator available. You'd need to add the shipping onto the price of each item (maybe a flat rate, based on weight of each item, to the farthest place you mail) and add text that says "includes shipping". This limitation could be problematic if you ship out of country and prices are quite a bit different than US mailings. If you allow local purchases as well, we could list each item twice... one that includes a shipping price and one that includes the item price only.
Website Designed By Teresa Reid
