|
Our Review Costs & Features Videos User Reviews |
|
We have awarded Webs.com our prestigious Gold Award in this category, having reviewed 20 Online Website Building Tools. Read our review below to find out why...
Editor's Star Ratings:
Editing Tools: | |
Templates: | |
Features: | |
Ease of Use / Navigation: | |
eCommerce Tools: | |
Customer Support: | |
Value for Money: | |
Overall Star Rating: |
Editor's Review:
Webs claim to be “the world’s largest do-it-yourself website-creation solution” and back this up with a record of over 50 million websites built with them. Formally known as FreeWebs, this tool was created to “open up the web”, allowing almost anyone to design, create and manage their own sophisticated-looking website. In fact, they claim that “if you can use Microsoft Word, you can use Webs”, enabling the average computer user to create websites that would have required a professional Web designer just a few years ago. This increasing web accessibility has been facilitated by ever increasing connection speeds and computer processing power.
Webs, however, stands out in its ability to combine these developments in a product that is unique in both sophistication and simplicity. It is for this reason that we have decided to award Webs our Number One spot in this category. Whether you choose the free version, or to pay, we think that you will be satisfied with the features available, as the simple user-interface makes Webs a pleasure to use for beginner and more advanced users alike.
Registration and creating your own page with Webs could not be easier. Simply choose a name and this will become the address of your website in the format, yourname.webs.com. Furthermore, users paying a monthly fee are able to choose a valid domain name consisting of simply www.yourwebsitename.com (or any other extension) as well as associated Email addresses. This is an excellent, cheap and easy way to present a highly professional image.
Once you have entered a password you will be asked to fill in a few more details before choosing your template and launching your site. With over 300 professionally tested templates from which to choose, chances are you’ll find something both unique and to your liking. Other website template providers do exist that offer a wider selection which advanced users or those with something very specific in mind may want to consider. Likewise, although 90% of users will be more than satisfied with the customizability of Webs’ templates, some may find them a little too rigid for their liking. This said, it would be almost impossible to improve on these drawbacks without sacrificing a certain amount of simplicity and ease of use.
This brings us on to Webs’ website site builder which, we can safely say, is the simplest in this category. It is based on a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) interface which makes adding new content, pictures, videos, and much more a breeze. By simply pointing, clicking and dragging it is possible to quickly and easily put together a professional looking website without having to understand HTML.
Overall, Webs’ web design tools and interface are some of the most intuitive on the market and certainly represent its strongest selling point.
Overall, Webs’ web design tools and interface are some of the most intuitive on the market and certainly represent its strongest selling point. Furthermore, there is an advanced mode that enables experienced users to make more complex editions to their websites. When it comes to web storage and bandwidth, users are unlikely to be disappointed as the limits may be quite restrictive. Webs.com is unbeatable for entry-level webmasters but may prove inadequate for much more experienced webmasters.
In order to kit out your website, Webs offer a vast array of features and applications which can be installed to your site with a single click. All the popular applications such as Cafepress Shop, Meebo IM, AllStar Experts, Forums, Blogs, Guest Books and donations are available as well many lesser known and more specific ones. Users can also integrate their Website to social media profiles such a Facebook and Twitter which represent excellent sources of publicity for those on a limited budget.
We were especially impressed with several excellent features that enable you to get started in Ecommerce. Even the free account allows users to list up to 5 items in a WebStore. The Webstore feature is nicely integrated with an intuitive set of options that allows almost anyone to set up their own online business. Items are advertised on your website and can be paid for with either PayPal or Google Checkout. With 4 pricing plans, Webs.com caters for customers who plan to sell a small number or an unlimited number of items in their WebStore.
Whether or not your website is intended for commercial purposes, everyone wants to increase their web traffic. This can be done in two ways: search engine optimization and online advertising. Paying customers of Webs can enjoy access to sophisticated search engine optimization (SEO) tools which allow editing of meta tags, meta descriptions and page titles.
Furthermore, the URL is generated from the name of the menu item. Paid accounts also come with Google Adwords and Facebook Ads credit which is a great way to begin experimenting with online publicity and advertising as well as boost visitors to your site. To monitor your Webpage, Webs comes with Clicky as default but users can also add Google Analytics. These tools are brilliant, providing you with in-depth website information, and are free to all. Webs make it easy to integrate these analysis tools to your website so you can effectively track all vital statistics.
In conclusion, Webs does a fantastic job in providing a high degree of sophisticated web design possibilities through, potentially, the most simple user interface available. We are happy to give our #1 spot to this product that makes website creation accessible to all, without significantly sacrificing features or content. Although there are various restrictions depending on what you are paying, we found that, whatever price plan you choose, you will be getting your money’s worth.
Furthermore, Webs’ 30 day money back guarantee should give you peace of mind when parting with your hard-earned cash. Finally, as the cherry on the cake, it must be added that Webs’ boasts excellent and responsive 24/7 customer support. For all of the above, we would recommend Webs to all users, from beginners to advanced, to organizations and individuals as a do-it-yourself website-creation solution you can rely on.
Click on the button below to check out Webs.com for yourself...
» Click here to visit Webs.com
or
« Back to our Top 10 Online Website Building Tools Reviews