SiteBuilder Review: A Dud in an Ocean of Feature-Rich Website Builders?

Do you want to use a website builder packed with unique features and offer you more control? If so, you can put your faith in SiteBuilder. It’s a remarkable website builder that offers a balance between convenience and affordability. 

SiteBuilder lets you get started and grow your website without any hassle. You can think of SiteBuilder as a tool that helps you find and customize an apartment (with website templates and customization options) rather than buy a house (build a website you can use for years). 

Its drag-and-drop site editor lets you create a powerful website for multiple uses. SiteBuilder does not require users to have any coding knowledge, making it perfect for website builder newbies. 

It offers several templates and makes it reasy to find the right one for your website’s niche. As far as the interface is concerned, it’s clean and well-organized. Also, the plan prices are affordable. That means you don’t have to burn a hole in your pocket to create a new website without any experience. 

So, if you think that SiteBuilder is the kind of platform you are comfortable working with, keep scrolling to learn more about it. We discuss the pros, cons, and features of SiteBuilder as a part of our series of website builder reviews below. 

Pros and Cons of SiteBuilder 

Pros 

• Speed, Security, and Convenience: Did you know that SiteBuilder offers hosting services for all kinds of websites? That means you can also use it as a place to store your website files along with a builder, which is an advantage. Not to mention, this website builder uses Google and Amazon services, which makes it reliable, secure, and convenient. Also, it provides security and backups with the package.
• Short-Term Pricing: Compared to other website builders, SiteBuilder’s pricing plans are a bit cheaper. It even has a structure on each plan, which lets you enjoy maximum benefits. Also, the eCommerce plan price is quite affordable. 
• Simplicity of Core Features: Sometimes, the extra and new features make a website builder really complicated. That’s why SiteBuilder only focuses on the helpful core features. That means if you want a quick and essential website, SiteBuilder is the right option. 
• Site Building Process: Another reason to choose a website builder is its simple building process. The setup process will always be straightforward, no matter what plan you have selected. You only need to click on Get Started, create a password, choose a template, and you are done. 
• Drag and Drop Editor: The last advantage of using SiteBuilder is its drag-and-drop feature. This feature actually works the way you expect it to.

Cons

• SEO and Marketing Tools: SiteBuilder offers marketing and SEO tools, but they’re limited to the basics. There are no Sitemaps or Schema. Also, there are limitations to where you can add content to your website. It is partially an advantage because SiteBuilder focuses on offering convenience rather than control. So, when you don’t have enough control, adding advanced marketing tools can become difficult. 
• Access to HTML/CSS: You might know that SiteBuilder offers several options in the template editor, but it doesn’t offer access to the HTML/CSS of the page. But you can add verification tags. While this limited access is common in the website builder world, it still puts SiteBuilder users at a disadvantage. 
• Growth Path: SiteBuilder is a simple website builder that is great for newbie users. But this simplicity restricts it from letting the users grow and evolve their website. That means if you want to customize your website more later down the road, you will need to switch to another tool. 

SiteBuilder Overview 

By analyzing the SiteBuilder from a broader perspective, we found that its drag-and-drop editor will run out of customizable blocks quicker than expected. You can effortlessly create a simple website through it, but SiteBuilder is not suitable for creating advanced websites. 

This website builder is gaining popularity for its ease of use. But it is struggling to stay in the competition due to other areas, including value for money and features. It is the main reason why several users opt for alternatives to SiteBuilder. 

To keep this SiteBuilder review crisp and transparent, we have analyzed this website builder, from value for money to customer service. During the research, we found that SiteBuilder doesn’t have high-quality features. 

So, if you really want to create an outstanding website and would like to modify it in the future, you can trust other builders available in the market. As a beginner, you might find SiteBuilder quite helpful, but it doesn’t have the juice to power and scale the website in the long run. 

Once your online presence starts growing, your website must be updated. And the limited features of SiteBuilder might decrease the quality of your website. 

Is SiteBuilder Easy to Use?

SiteBuilder can let you create a website without requiring any coding knowledge because it uses drag-and-drop and WYSIWYG (‘What You See Is What You Get’). 

It inherently makes it easy to use. We will get into some specific features that make it easy to use in this section.

Getting Started: Fast and Simple

SiteBuilder always prefers simplicity. This website builder has even got 4.3 out 5 stars in the ease of use test survey. It clearly shows that SiteBuilder is an excellent platform since you can easily get started with it. But if you want to customize the web pages further, its limited features might frustrate you. 

Another thing that makes SiteBuilder quick and convenient is its social media login feature. It lets you quickly sign in through your Google or Facebook account. By doing this, you can save time. 

Here’s how you can get straight down to business. First of all, you need to pick a domain name, select a plan from the available options, and lastly, enter the payment details. The available pay-up options you will find on the SiteBuilder website are monthly, yearly, to two years. After selecting the pay-up cycle, you can start building your website. Also, at the start, you will see a guided tour that can help you understand how SiteBuilder works. 

Straightforward Basic Template Customization 

One of the best things about SiteBuilder is that it has pre-filled templates that you can quickly select and easily edit. You can make better visuals and layouts to work with using the pre-filled templates. In addition, its drag-and-drop offers you the required control that is needed for basic template tweaks.

SiteBuilder’s drag-and-drop editor isn’t as fleshed out as the one that Wix offers. But at least, this straightforward editor needs users to have coding knowledge. Coming to the pictures, uploading them directly from your computer or SiteBuilder’s library can be done in a breeze. 

Another interesting thing is that all the uploaded pictures automatically get uploaded on the SiteBuilder’s file manager. It saves you from the trouble of uploading the same picture twice. 

Also, it has an in-built photo editor. That means you won’t need any extra software for editing. The photo editor is powered by Photoshop’s creator Adobe, and it’s simple to use and understand. This editor offers convenient decoration options like doodles and stickers. Not to mention, it also lets you crop your picture. 

Other site builders also come with an in-built photo editor, but the one that SiteBuilder offers is exceptionally easy to use. 

Challenging Deeper Customization

On the SiteBuilder platform, you can add pages, sections, and extra features simply by dragging them to your template. But if you want to customize to rearrange anything on the template, things might get complicated. 

But you can only arrange sections one after another. Meaning there is no possibility of laying them next to each other, which further reduces your layout choices.

Along with offering limited layout choices, this website builder also doesn’t let you move features and sections between pages. That means if there is any item, say customized map, on your homepage, you might not be able to move it. In short, you don’t get the freedom to edit and expand your website.

You can try a different website builder, like Wix, if you really want to fix this issue. It can offer a better website building experience since it has a convenient drag-and-drop builder. Not to mention, it comes with advanced customization tools that let you create a professional-looking site in no time. 

If your priority is speed as well, you might want to check out Wix ADI or GoDaddy website. These website builders can offer better speed because they use Artificial Design Intelligence to create a website. 

To create a wonderful website with these builders, you only need to enter complete details about the website that you want to create. The builder further uses the entered information to create a better website that looks great and is also responsive. 

The suggested website builders only take a couple of minutes to build a website for you in the most effortless way.  

Another reason to choose the GoDaddy website builder and Wix ADI is that the first one offers a free trial, and the latter lets you create a website for free. 

Customer Sentiments 

While SiteBuilder is easy to use, many users begin to grow frustrated after they begin to understand its limitations. The lack of deep customizability limits your capacity to make your website.

It shows a very important thing, i.e., even if a builder is easy to use, it doesn’t mean it’s enjoyable to use. Without a doubt, SiteBuilder is an ideal choice for beginners, but this simplicity can really get frustrating when trying to make any advanced changes. 

Your website is something that is the primary mode of interaction between your brand and the customer. So, you should try to keep it personal. 

When your website starts getting popular among your targeted customers, you would want to quickly edit and customize it. But SiteBuilder falls here. 

What is the Quality of SiteBuilder’s Template?

While SiteBuilder disappoints its users by not giving them the freedom to expand their website, it surely gets full marks for offering numerous templates. But then, the quality of those templates is not satisfactory. They are not sleek, lack the wow factor, and might not look as professional as you expect them to be. 

Template Variety: Several Dozen Across Industries

The dozens of templates by SiteBuilder cover a wide range of templates for every industry. They are properly organized and categorized so that you don’t have to spend several hours finding the right one. 

Template Quality: Simple but Outdated

One nice thing about the SiteBuilder’s templates is that they come with interesting dummy pics and backgrounds. If you like the available pictures, you can keep them. Otherwise, you can replace them without any issue.

It means that the dummy pictures available on SiteBuilder are a complete website on its own. So, you can effectively get a ready-made website in just a few clicks. This process saves your time and energy. 

But remember that once you have selected a template and your website has gone live, you can’t change it further. You cannot change or edit the design, making it a permanent affair. It can actually limit your growth because you won’t be able to develop your brand’s style even after getting recognition. 

You might not see it as really an issue if you want a very hands-off approach. And also when your web design is similar to the selected template. But if you want to gain complete control over the aesthetics, SiteBuilder might not be an ideal option for you. 

Website builders that can offer you more freedom are Weebly and Squarespace. Both let you customize the templates. Now, talking about their individual features, Squarespace is more flexible and offers better quality. On the other hand, Weebly offers a better structure to guide the design. 

If you compare SiteBuilder’s template with Squarespace, you will notice that the templates are dull and outdated. Squarespace’s sleek and modern template design will impress you in no time. 

Other website builders can offer better templates because they have invested in website design teams that create the best templates and most innovative site features. As far as SiteBuilder is concerned, it really hasn’t invested that much money and time on the templates. 

Are SiteBuilder’s Extra Website Features Any Good?

Besides simplicity, one thing that is still keeping SiteBuilder in the business is its extra features. The advanced features aim to offer the user more than what they want. But are these features any good? Scroll down to know. 

Limited Built-In Website Features 

You might know that SiteBuilder offers several extra features, ranging from live social feeds, mailing list buttons, music, and video players. But these features lack quality, which makes them less impactful. These features are even limited if you compare them with Wix.

For example, this website builder also doesn’t offer calendars, site search functions, bookings, or an email marketing feature. In addition, where Wix offers 500MB to 50GB, SiteBuilder only offers 50MB to 10GB storage. 

In no time, you will exhaust 50MB of space on your website. And as far as the 10GB storage option goes, if you intend to make a big website, it may not be enough. It can put brakes on your site’s growth. 

That’s because once the space is exhausted, you will not be able to add photo slideshows to your website. Without a visually appealing slideshow, your presence can get limited as it’s an essential web tool everyone uses, from small business to wedding.

Moreover, your freedom to add personalized videos will also get limited. You can only add a video through this website builder by embedding a link to YouTube or Vimeo. Also, if you want to add music, you are required to use SoundCloud.

So, if you want to create a website with photos, videos, and music, you should first create a YouTube, Vimeo, or SoundCloud channel. The interesting thing about doing this is that you get a free domain for one year. Once the time expires, you can renew it at regular prices, which are from $9.98 and $442.80, depending on the level and length of your plan. 

Furthermore, if you select eCommerce plans, you can even get sales features. This way, you can quickly sell products through your website. Along with sales, the features set also includes shipping management tools, applying product variations, and creating discount codes. 

But the drawback here is that this eCommerce website builder plan is only useful when you want to sell a few items. So, it’s safe to say that the features offered by SiteBuilder don’t have the depth, or they don’t support anything more than a very basic store. 

Also, there is nothing much about analytic features, and you can’t customize your product page. So, if you want to create a better website with unique eCommerce functionality, you must try a different website builder. 

Other website builders have quality marketing tools and give you control. And if you are really interested in the eCommerce business, you can check out Shopify. It’s an excellent platform and is perfect for making everything from advanced stores to self-starters. 

Only a Few Third-Party Apps

The highlight of SiteBuilder is that it also has an App Market that lets you easily and effortlessly add these apps to your site. You can add images to social media sites without any fuss. 

But a thing to remember is that SiteBuilder doesn’t have the same range found in the Wix App Market or Weebly App Center. Along with interesting apps, the market also offers multiple third-party add-ons. This way, you can do more with your website than you realize. 

You can even add the social feed tool My Social Suite if you want. Also, you can add Amazon’s virtual assistant Alexa and security tool SiteLock. 

Is SiteBuilder’s Support Team Reliable?

Coming to the SiteBuilder’s support team, this website builder has a decent FAQ section. This section is good because it has helpful information. But then, its live chat is dismal, and knowledge base articles are poor. 

Disorganized Help Center

We have already mentioned that SiteBuilder has a friendly guided tour of its template editor. But this is not sufficient because once your site starts growing and you run into any issue, the SiteBuilder’s Help button won’t be that helpful. That’s because it’s not detailed enough to support or inspire you.

Of course, the SiteBuilder’s FAQ section has decent one-page asked questions and answers, but then the how-to articles are too brief. Also, there are not enough questions and answers. Not just this, but the questions also don’t predict the kind of problems that one can encounter while building a website. 

There’s also a search option, but it doesn’t show enough helpful results. To learn more about the search, we did a simple exercise. We have entered the word mobile, but the results that appeared were not about the mobile editor.

It is one thing that disappointed us because the help center is the place where users go to find an answer when they ever run into an issue. Compared to the Wix Help Center, SiteBuilder’s Help Center is not responsive because it does not brim with articles and videos. 

Slow Live Chat 

Imagine you can’t find an answer in the knowledge base. What would you do then? Won’t you want one-on-one help? Fortunately, SiteBuilder has free 24/7 live chat (plus phone support in the US). But then its live chat support is not as responsive as other website builders. 

We are saying this because instead of having a floating “how may I help you” button, SiteBuilder requires you to fill out a form that requires you to enter your email address and name. 

After seeing your request, if a customer support team member eventually popped up, their answer might be slow and vague. You might even feel like the supporting team is simply copying answers from the knowledge base. 

So, if you ever need help from the SiteBuilder’s support group, you must be ready to run into a similar issue. 

SiteBuilder Plans: Is it Worth the Money?

If you see SiteBuilder’s plan at first, you might find them cheap and affordable, but we advise you not to get fooled by them. Its price is too high for the kind of services you get. 

Overpriced SiteBuilder Premium Plans 

Let’s start with the three overpriced SiteBuilder premium plans. You can avail any of these three plans at 50% off. So apparently, they’re not bad values, right? Maybe, not because there are a lot of hidden things that you are not aware of. 

If you really read the fine lines, you will come to know that the half-price is only applicable for the initial ‘payment term’ (month, year, or two years). And once your payment term expires, then you would have to pay the full price – as much as $442.80 for two years of SiteBuilder eCommerce website.

We want you to focus on the long-term advantages because when you choose a free website builder, you want to build a successful long-term relationship. Even if the start is nice, i.e., 50% off, you would have to pay for more than you get in the longer run. 

But just like other site builders, you save money overall by paying for a year or two upfront.

The premium plans offered by SiteBuilder offer:

• This website builder does not have ads
• It offers free web hosting 
• It has the drag-and-drop option 
• It has sort of customizable templates 
• You can get a free domain name for one year ($16 to keep if you leave SiteBuilder)
• It comes with hundreds of templates 
• You can get prompt help (only with a premium plan and up)
• Ad credits 
• Site submission to Google and other search engines

SiteBuilder Review: FAQs

Can I use SiteBuilder to build a business website?

If you want to create a business website, using SiteBuilder is not recommended. That’s because the template options that this platform offers are basic. Moreover, you won’t find any that can support large and small businesses.

This site builder doesn’t have customizable templates, which roughly translates to you struggling to create a strong or unique brand for your website. Also, the SiteBuilder’s price plans are not worth it. Surely they are affordable, but the services you will get in return are insufficient. 

So, if you are looking for a website builder that can offer you long-term support, you can select a different option. Whether you want to create a small-scale or large-scale business website, plenty of website builders won’t disappoint you.

Is SiteBuilder Free?

While many other website builders offer free trials, this one does not offer this service. You can, however, choose one of the three premium plans, i.e., the Premium plan at $11.98 per month, the Pro plan at $7.68 per month, and the eCommerce plan at $18.45 per month.

The best thing is that you can get a 14-day money-back guarantee. That means you can try this website builder without any commitment for two weeks. 

You can easily find 50% off. But unfortunately, these promo codes are only applicable for the first term. That means once you have exhausted the time, you would have to come back to the regular price. So, it’s not wrong to say that if the free website plan was not available, SiteBuilder was not worth the price. 

Is SiteBuilder any Good?

Like other website builders, this one also has its pros and cons. For instance, this platform is an excellent choice for beginners since it’s easy to use. One can quickly understand its interface and learn everything without even having any coding knowledge. 

But then, this platform also has many drawbacks. To begin with, it’s not as excellent as its competitors. That’s because it does not offer better quality designs, extraordinary features, or customization options. The lack of these things doesn’t make SiteBuilder an enjoyable platform to work within the long run. 

If you are still using this platform to make long-term websites, you will find yourself getting irritated. 

SiteBuilder Review: Summary

Honestly, we liked SiteBuilder for the first half when we used it. It’s mainly because its interface is simple, has no jargon, and does not require users to do tricky tasks setting up a website. 

But as we have already said, it’s not an excellent option for long-term use as it lacks several basic features. If you want sleek designs or if you want to make any advanced changes, SiteBuilder might disappoint you. And the price that it charges for the basic service is not justified. 

In simple words, SiteBuilder is outdated. And if you do good research, you can find some amazing options without exceeding your budget. Its competitors like Wix, Weebly, and Squarespace are trying to stay in business by offering the features that users want. 

SiteBuilder seems like it’s not making an effort. If it’s true, you can’t expect it to perform better. 

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