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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. However, they now limit you to only 5 items with a free account. There are some ways around this if you just want to show your items with a price and have customers contact you directly for purchase... in other words, there would be no online store where a customer could check out via paypal.
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. However, they now limit you to only 5 items with a free account. There are some ways around this if you just want to show your items with a price and have customers contact you directly for purchase... in other words, there would be no online store where a customer could check out via paypal.
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
- $39.95/yr 1 year
- $33.95/yr (save 15%) 2 years
- $29.95/yr (save 25%) 5 years
- $24.99/yr (save 37%) 10 years
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.
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.
Website Designed By Teresa Reid