Weebly is good for your small business if you are still starting. This website builder has been in the digital world since 2007. Weebly has grown a lot, powering 50 million sites worldwide. But, users have been considering it to be a bad idea since its recent merger with Square. There have been some limitations and dissatisfaction among users. But despite this, Weebly is still a good option for small businesses. Most especially, if you have no technical knowledge.

Weebly’s drag-and-drop functionality creates a website easily, even without technical skills. This is beneficial for your small business if you can’t afford an IT team. Weebly offers over 500 themes helpful to 86% of its users. These templates are cost effective to help your small business establish your brand. Yet, its advanced customization still needs improvement.

Moreover, Weebly has been improving ever since. Now, sites created on Weebly are mobile-responsive. Your sites can look good on all devices. This is so important since 40% of transactions now occur online. Today, we are going to look at the reasons you should and should not use Weebly. We will tell you everything you need to know so you can start expanding online. But first, let’s take a look at these pros and cons:



1. Weebly’s Ease of Use

Weebly has a user-friendly interface. It’s a platform for small businesses. With its drag-and-drop functionality, your small business can quickly create a professional website. Plus, if you don’t have an IT team or web development resources, Weebly is one of the perfect builders for you. 



It’s so easy to get started with Weebly. Sign up for an account and choose a template that matches your branding. With the drag-and-drop feature, you can add text, images, videos, and other elements. All these elements can create a visually appealing yet functional website. Whether for ecommerce, blogging, or SEO–Weebly has easy-to-use features for you.

The interface is simple but some plan to leave because of dissatisfaction. This all started with their merger with Square. Square has been doing some changes and have led to a less smooth experience. You may experience glitches in the website’s functionality. Additionally, it lacks features compared to other platforms.

To solve this issue, familiarize yourself with the features. Check for updates and improvements to take advantage of Weebly. Also, consider integrating third-party apps or plugins. This can enhance the functionality of your website. 

2. Weebly’s Templates and Design

Design is crucial in a small business website–rather, in all websites. Weebly boasts how 86% of its users praise its quality templates and over 500 themes. There are a lot you can choose from. These templates are customizable. They can match your brand’s aesthetic. As a small business that’s starting out or if you’re on a budget, Weebly’s templates are cost-effective. You can establish an online presence with this boasting feature from the platform. All you have to do is browse through the selection of templates. You can customize the colors, fonts, and layouts of your website. 

But, if you are into more advanced customization, Weebly may lack. Once you find it restrictive, you can get professional help. Update your website from time to time so it can still look fresh. Also, you can install a premium Weebly theme over your existing website. It’s simple and your content is still there. Page Builder is another tool to help you customize website layouts as well. 

3. Weebly’s Mobile Responsiveness

Weebly has a reputation for its mobile responsiveness. Its templates are responsive and good-looking for phones, tablets, and computers. With Weebly’s mobile site editor, you can preview what your site looks like on phones. Plus, this feature can reach your audience well since 40% of transactions are now done online. 

But, the customization options for mobile devices are less flexible. You can’t change your layouts or adjust the design elements so much. Also, there are advanced animations that may need more time and coding expertise to work. 



If you still wish to use Weebly, you can limit the screen space on mobile devices. Put on the content that you need and make sure it's clearly displayed so mobile users can access it. Also, optimize your images for mobile viewing. Not only does it enhance user experience, it can improve loading times. Test your website so you can do revisions. 

4. Weebly’s Ecommerce Capabilities

Weebly is a perfect contender for your ecommerce needs. It offers ecommerce features for you to become an online retail space. The builder features product listings, inventory management, and simplifies selling online. Also, it integrates with payment gateways like PayPal, Stripe, and credit card payments. Weebly does all this to ensure a hassle-free transaction for you and your customers.

You can start your ecommerce store with Weebly by selecting your preferred layout. Then upload your products, set prices, then you’re ready to sell! Weebly allows you to take charge of your online stores. You don’t need complex coding or design skills.

Its downside though is that its ecommerce tools are only for small to medium-sized stores. But when you go larger, you have more demands. Weebly cannot meet your needs. Also, its integration with Square has made it more restrictive. It is not as flexible to give ecommerce solutions.

What you can do is to enhance the shopping experience by maximizing the payment gateways. You can also invest in creating attractive product descriptions and high-quality images. Your content can also address more on what your products can do for them to captivate them more. Weebly has a library of apps and plugins, you can use this to make your ecommerce store more functional. 

5. Weebly’s SEO and Marketing Tools

Weebly is an excellent choice if you are looking for built-in SEO and marketing tools. With not much technical skills, Weebly integrates with different SEO tools. For instance:

• Meta Tags
• Alt Text
• URL Customization



Aside from that, Weebly integrates marketing tools such as:

• Email Marketing
• Social Media
• Content Creation
• Analytics

With all these SEO and marketing tools, Weebly’s is often less effective. Yes, they offer some utility, but they lack the advanced features found on other platforms. To get the most of the SEO and marketing features, you need to be consistent in adding meta tags, alt texts, and URLs. This will help improve search engine ranking. As for marketing integrations, consider expanding with email marketing and social media. 



6. Weebly’s Performance, Security, and Reliability

Weebly has gained a reputation for its performance, security, and reliability. This drag-and-drop builder saves time and resources because of its simplicity. They also provide good value as it boasts an SSL certificate. This certificate sends a good signal that your small business website is safe. Weebly also incorporates reliable hosting and decent loading speeds. In fact, the average loading speed for a website can be from 2 seconds to 4 seconds. 

But despite this, building a website on Weebly can be frustrating. Sometimes, it does not perform well, and it needs a refresh to work. While the loading speed is ‌ good, Weebly’s performance is not a match for some other builders. Additionally, some users have trouble with backing up or recovering their data. This is about platform features, support, and integration with Square's other services.

But if you still want to pursue Weebly, we recommend monitoring your site’s performance. Optimize images and cut heavy scripts. Export your site data so you can prevent data loss. Most of all, consider your long-term needs. Can Weebly give more flexibility and advanced features?



7. Weebly’s Customer Support

Weebly’s customer support is beneficial for small businesses. There’s a lot of support channels and resources that can cater to your website needs. The platform offers live chat, email, and phone support. These are some of the many ways so you can seek help to keep your operations running. Weebly also has a help center filled with tutorials, guides, and a user community. All these can help your business find answers and learn from others. 



The downside started since Square acquired Weebly. Some say that Weebly has poor customer service. They also say that it is not as responsive to others. There are reviews about this factor from Weebly.

If you encounter issues, then provide detailed descriptions of your issues. You have a higher chance of getting more accurate and faster responses. Also, try asking for help in all channels if you don’t receive a timely response. Since the user community and help center is active, you can find solutions to common problems.



8. Weebly’s Cost and Scalability

Weebly offers a few sets of pricing plans. All these can cater to small businesses. All these pricing plans allow you to build and customize your websites. Here is a table discussing the pricing plans and the features for each plan:

Weebly’s Pricing Plan

Weebly’s Site Features in the Pricing Plan

In these tables, you can already see the drawbacks of the platform. If you want to have all the features, you’ll need to pay $26/month. Also, there have been inconsistencies and confusion about Weebly’s pricing. Different users have reported receiving varied quotes for the same services. The prices can also vary based on where you’re located. With these issues, Weebly may not be the best long-term solution for small businesses.



Weebly for Specific Small Businesses

Weighing out the features of Weebly, let’s proceed to looking at the specific small businesses that Weebly can help boost their website. Here are the most common small businesses and the specific business features Weebly offers:

1. Ecommerce Features

• Product Listings: Display products with images, descriptions, and prices.
• Shopping Cart: Enable customers to add items to their cart and proceed to checkout.
• Secure Checkout: Integrated payment gateways ensure secure transactions.
• Mobile Responsiveness: Websites built on Weebly are mobile-friendly, crucial for ecommerce success.
• Inventory Management: Basic tools for managing product inventory and tracking sales.

2. Educational Features

• Course Pages: Create dedicated pages for each course with descriptions, schedules, and resources.
• Event Calendars: Display events, exams, and holidays to keep students and parents informed.
• Resource Libraries: Upload documents, presentations, and study materials for easy access.
• Contact Forms: Allow visitors to send inquiries or schedule appointments with faculty members.

3. Restaurant Features

• Menu Pages: Create appealing menu pages with descriptions, prices, and images.
• Online Reservations: Allow customers to book tables through the website.
• Integration with Delivery Platforms: Integrate with third-party delivery services for online ordering.
• Promotional Pop-ups: Offer discounts or promotions through pop-up messages to engage visitors.
• Contact Information: Display contact details for inquiries and feedback.

4. Travel Features

• Destination Pages: Create pages for each destination with detailed information, photos, and itineraries.
• Booking Forms: Allow travelers to submit booking inquiries through the website.
• Testimonials: Display testimonials from satisfied customers to build trust and credibility.
• Interactive Maps: Include interactive maps to showcase travel routes and points of interest.
• Social Media Integration: Connect with travelers through social media for updates and promotions.

5. Specific Professional Features

• About Us Page: Highlight the company's mission, values, and team qualifications.
• Services Page: Detail the services offered with descriptions and pricing, if applicable.
• Contact Forms: Include forms on many pages for easy client communication.
• Testimonials: Display testimonials from satisfied clients to build credibility.
• SEO Tools: Optimize website content for search engines to improve online visibility.

6. Home Services Features

• Homepage: Provide services offered and an interesting call-to-action to encourage customer inquiries.
• Pricing Page: Detail pricing information for different services or service packages.
• Testimonials: Display testimonials from satisfied customers to build trust and credibility.
• FAQ Section: Address common questions and concerns to provide valuable information.
• Contact Form: Include a contact form to submit inquiries or appointment requests.

7. Real Estate Features

• Property Listings: Create detailed property listings with high-quality images, descriptions, and pricing information. This helps potential buyers or renters get a clear view of the properties on offer.
• Agent Profiles: You can create profiles for agents, including contact information and biographies.
• Contact Forms: Customizable contact forms enable prospective clients to get in touch.
• Search Filters: Allows visitors to find listings based on location, price range, and property type.
• Map Integration: Adding maps helps clients visualize property locations and nearby amenities.
• Lead Capture Tools: Includes forms and email marketing integrations.

Because of Weebly’s disadvantages, you might think of another website builder. It’s a good thing that we have six website builders that are better than Weebly on some of the website features. Let’s look at it.

Weebly vs. WordPress

• WordPress has better features than Weebly. It has a lot of customization options, plugins, and themes.
• WordPress starts with a free plan. You’ll pay when you want to upgrade your website. Weebly contradicts its prices. 
• You can optimize WordPress for performance by highlighting it. You need extra plugins and technical knowledge. Yet Weebly is more user-friendly. 

Weebly vs. Duda, Wix, and Squarespace

• The three builders offer similar drag-and-drop functionality, like Weebly.
• For ecommerce capabilities, Wix and Squarespace are better than Weebly.
• As for the storage, Squarespace is most likely better than Weebly. It’s unlimited.
• For ease of use, Weebly and Duda are like each other. Duda stands out with its customer support. 

Weebly vs. Pixpa

• Pixpa focuses on image-focused templates and marketing tools. It’s a better builder for photographers and creatives than Weebly.
• Pixpa starts at around $7 per month. It competes with Weebly’s pricing.
• Both platforms are user-friendly but Pixpa caters more to your creative needs. 

Weebly vs. Snapps.ai

• Snapps.ai has more advanced features than Weebly. It has AI-powered image generation, SEO analysis, and link management. 
• Snapps.ai’s pricing starts at $8 per month for its Beta Pack. This already offers advanced features, unlike Weebly.
• Snapps.ai’s integration with AI provides for more ease and speed.

Snapps.ai: Better than Weebly for Your Small Business

Snapps.ai offers a more advanced solution for small businesses compared to Weebly. This builder provides AI tools and SEO tools. All these are to make your website flexible and customizable. The features of Weebly are quite limited. Both builders stand out because of its drag-and-drop interface. But, Snapps.ai offers a website generation wizard. This is easier if you’re not too much on the technical side of AI.

Snapps.ai also offers hosting on AWS with a CloudFront CDN. This actually ensures excellent performance and security, with a 99.99% uptime guarantee. You can say that Snapps.ai is more reliable. It defeated Weebly’s occasional glitches, especially now that it merged with Square.

So, as a small business, consider Snapps.ai for a reliable website builder. This is an ideal solution if you plan to strengthen your online presence.