THE HIDDEN AGENDA OF WEBSITE DESIGN

Creating a website is not as complicated as it was a few years ago. It has even become a fun experience. Goodbye HTML, FTP and other mysterious terms. The hardest part today is choosing from the countless online website builders available on the market.

As you can imagine, many publishers offer you free plans to create your website. Your site is then in the cloud: no need to worry about hosting. All you need is a computer and a browser (Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Microsoft Edge).A good deal on the surface. But it is worth taking a serious look at the strengths and limitations of online website design builders. We decided to make it easy for you and do it for you.

Some time ago, Webnode carried out a complete overhaul of its editor, including adding elegant and responsive templates. Too bad, however, that it is impossible to change the theme afterwards. Webnode is a very intuitive application. No surprise, here you also have the choice between a free version and several paid plans.

The low cost version at € 2.95 per month (aptly named Limited) essentially adds the ability to use your existing domain name (only with paid plans) and to call on premium customer service. It does not remove advertising from the site. Unfortunately, there is no e-commerce option and the blog is very sketchy.

Wix is ​​the heaviest website publisher in terms of user numbers. No wonder: its features are exceptional and its models very elegant. A great choice for building a paid site - but is the free version that great?The answer is no. Just like Weebly, the advertising added in the free version is far too visible. There are actually several advertisements: one in the footer of the site plus a button at the top right of the screen.

Weebly is one of the largest online website design builders. It also tops our ranking. But given that we're reviewing free publisher versions today, our criteria are slightly different. At Weebly, the free version is precisely less impressive than the others, in particular because of the intrusive advertising (with effect on hover!) Placed in the footer.

Good point for Jimdo: the price. Even if you decide to upgrade to a paid membership one day or another, it won't cost you an arm and a leg. The cheapest offer at $ 10 per month allows you to use a personal domain name. And while you're going to stick with the free version, you're not losing out.

All Jimdo models are free and fully compatible with smartphones and tablets (responsive). You can use the Jimdo mobile app to create and edit your site. Unlike most of its competitors, Jimdo includes an online store. You can offer up to 5 products for sale; beyond that, the shop becomes chargeable.There is also Jimdo Dolphin , which targets very beginners. It website design contains only the basics of the features, but promises you a smart assistant that walks you step by step through the site creation process.

Our next candidate, Ucraft, offers a free plan to use your own domain name. On this point, other free Internet site editors automatically disqualify themselves. This plan also allows you to create up to 15 pages, use Google Analytics, and access 24-hour technical support (but in English only). The cheapest subscription, "Pro Website", starts at $ 10 per month. It gives you access to pro features: SEO, multilingual websites, etc.

Ucraft's editing module is rich in features. You can customize the design of the templates by changing the fonts and colors or even the arrangement of the elements. While this website design isn't bad, there are other tools that we find much more user-friendly.

the possibility of using a personal domain name with the free plan. In addition, the choice of models is very correct and their design is modern and attractive. Technical support has helped us a lot and the advertising displayed is not huge either. Another positive point: SSL encryption is also included.

Needs Improvement: The free plan actually only includes the main basics. To integrate social networks, advanced functions for a blog or e-commerce functions, for example, you need a premium subscription. We also encountered some sluggishness and some editor bugs (but not too bad). Also, the editing module is a bit more complicated to use than website design other solutions. Another small problem: it is unfortunately not available in French.

does not offer a website design plan like its competitors. You pay up front, but the prices are still very reasonable. Of course, your site will not have ads. You can also choose to add a personal domain name directly. The only catch is that you are limited to 5 pages. Beyond that, the subscription will cost you significantly more.

If you just need a small, ad-free website with your own domain name, One.com may be a good choice. And if you'd rather use WordPress instead of the editing tool, that's possible too. In addition, the number of pages will be unlimited!