Is Weebly a Good Website Builder?

Yes, provided you don't have large-scale eCommerce needs. Weebly is simple, affordable and effective. It’s an all-in-one domain, hosting and site builder able to run a powerful site – no coding or advanced knowledge required.

Simplicity is the advantage and disadvantage of using Weebly. Users of any skill-level can visually assemble and launch a responsive, SEO-friendly site fast.

Although not suited for large eCommerce sites, Weebly provides small-to-medium size players with a very cost-effective option.  50 million use Weebly worldwide and it is offered in 15 languages.

It is ideal for professional service providers, small-to-mid size manufacturers, non-profits or similar organizations that need a great site without the carrying costs associated with site development and management.

Weebly offers collaboration allowing site owners to invite people to edit specific areas of your site and assign them different levels of access. It’s a cool feature you won’t find everywhere.

The site-creation tool impresses with a clear, simple drag-and-drop interface that lets you easily build excellent-looking and responsive webpages. Novice users may not realize that the design limitations that come with ease of use also provide a layer of protection against inadvertent catastrophic mistakes that are so easy for novices to make when working in WordPress or other site-builders with more challenges structures and easy code access.

Weebly offers a fair selection of template designs and integrated e-commerce tools. If you’re not able to find just the right theme from Weebly, third-party themes from platforms such as ThemeForest and WebFire give you more options – be aware that these may require more technical knowledge to implement. And, additional functionality is available through Weebly’s app center. You can find over 350 apps and integrations for site-tools, social media, pop-ups, SEO, calendars, appointments, eCommerce and more.

Advanced users can customize HTML and CSS files providing greater control over website layout for users with developer skills.

Weebly is fast with outstanding 99.9% uptime. Many site builders fail on this point but our testing revealed response rates in the United States from 3ms to 81ms. Outside the US speeds averaged 136.8 ms.

SEO functionality is built right into the Weebly platform. Just like any site, the ability to rank highly on search engine results pages (SERPs), comes down to what’s in it. Factors like keywords, site content, and links are all critical elements of effective SEO. If you install the MarketGoo App, you can get a free SEO analysis report of your published site.

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What the Experts Say
PC Mag rates Weebly as a good website builder with a 3.5 star rating citing well-rounded features with limited customization. Software analysts Michael Muchmore & Jordan Minor concluded that, “Weebly is an easy-to-use builder. It lets you create and publish attractive, responsive design sites, blogs and online stores, but could use more themes and a better photo repository.

Website development expert Sophia Conti feels that “Weebly is one of the best ways for beginners to build a website that looks and acts like it was built by an expert. It still has some limitations, but if you want to keep costs low and have all your tools in one place, Weebly could be the way to go,” giving Weebly 4.6 stars.

PROS

• No coding or advanced knowledge required
• Responsive themes
• Integrated eCommerce option
  
• Switch themes without rebuilding your site
• App & integration center
  
• Outstanding uptime
• Integrated SEO functionality
• Fast site speeds
• Part of Block, Inc. (Formerly Square, Inc)

CONS

• Lacks reusable photo storage
• Limited design capabilities
• Can’t go beyond H2 headers
• Poor image editing tool
• Limited blogging tools
• Upgrade required for chat, phone or email support

 
The Bottom Line
At the end of the day, choosing between an all-in-one site builder and a custom-built site comes down to your resources and budget.
If you’re looking for simple and affordable, or you’re a one-person marketing team, Weebly is an excellent choice. You’ll be able to create a nice-looking website that can be optimized to attract web traffic, without spending a lot of time or money.
On the other hand, if you aren’t restricted by expertise and are able to handle building and managing your site in-house, WordPress may give you more of what you're looking for.