Pro results from a free service! (weebly.com)

Member Name: thejazzyj

Product:	weebly.com
Date:	16/07/09 (55 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Loads of options, great visuals, easy to use.

Disadvantages: None

As an ICT teacher I get 4-5 requests a year from colleagues or friends asking if I could set up a website for them. I am quite handy at making webpages but inevitably it is time that becomes a problem. I don't like to disappoint friends and now I have found Weebly, I don't have to.

What it does.
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The site is designed to create websites without needing any knowledge of web design or HTML. It does this by allowing you to drag and drop page elements (images, text, banners, etc) and create the pages you need.

Why it is good.
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I have tried various online website creators in the past and I have always been disappointed. This site has the features and the user friendly interface to be a success. I now set sites up for people and let them manage them after that. Much quicker and they get ownership which is great.

The features.
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Aside from your basics (text, images, tables etc) Weebly offers more advanced features such as videos, slideshows, thumbnail image galleries and blogs.

A combination of these features tends to serve most website needs, however if you need more than this Weebly also offers online sales, contact forms, online mapping, password protected sections and much much more. Add to this the fact that there are loads of visual styles that you can choose from and then customise.

The catch.
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Okay so all this sounds great, there must be a catch right? Not that I have found so far. Sure, at the bottom of your page there is a "Create a free website with Weebly" footer at the bottom of the pages, but this is unobtrusive and not an issue.

Ahh, I thought. I guess we have to pay for the hosting. No, the hosting is free. There is a file size upload limit of 5Mb but this is not too restrictive.

Right I thought ... they must flood your pages with adverts. Wrong again. No ads, unless you want to put your own ones on, in which case Weebly have an option for adding Google Adsense ads in for you!

Okay, I guess you can't choose your own domain ... that must be the catch. Not really. You can choose any <mychoice>.weebly.com domain for free, or buy your own domain and use that.

So no downsides, very user friendly, and comprehensive features. Thanks Weebly!

Website.
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www.weebly.com

Summary: If it looks too good to be true, it usually is, unless it is Weebly!