A website is a valuable resource that enables businesses to communicate with a wide range of customers and clients. But, figuring out how to get one can be an overwhelming prospect.
Many businesses consider hiring a web designer, but that can often be expensive and time-consuming. Another option is to consider designing it yourself. Even if you don’t have any prior design experience, a tool like Strikingly Website Builder can make creating your website quick and easy.
What is Strikingly Website Builder?
Strikingly Website Builder is a simple way to design a website using a drag-and-drop method. It’s so simple you can design an entire website in less than one hour without any instruction necessary.
What used to involve in-depth coding knowledge and hours of staring at a computer screen to accomplish now only requires your creativity and a few clicks. No matter what product or service you sell, having a quick and aesthetic web presence to market yourself is the perfect way to expand your business.
Features
Strikingly Website Builder offers a simple setup for blogs, storefronts, socials, and forums. There is no initial charge to begin building a website with Strikingly, but you can only unlock certain features by upgrading.
The upgraded plans are billed monthly or yearly, depending on your preference. The longer you commit to using Strikingly for your web platform, the more discounts are involved. The billing begins at $12/per month for the Limited plan, $20/per month for the Pro, and increases to $59/per month for the VIP. With the yearly plans, you can add a custom domain email address for an additional $25 to link your website and contact method. Note that one of the essential features of the paid packages is the customized domain name.
The Limited version offers two live sites with five pages each, unlimited site construction, 1 GB of storage for each site, the ability to sell one product of choice, and a 5% fee on all transactions. The Pro version includes three live sites with 100 pages each, unlimited site construction, 20 GB of storage per site, the ability to sell many products, the removal of Strikingly branding, and a 2% fee on all transactions. You’ll also get additional security options like password protection and being able to reset the site to a previous version, as well as some additional interactive features. The VIP version provides you with five live sites in addition to all of the benefits of the Pro version, 100 GB for each site, endless items for sale, automatic site translation, a live chat feature, 0% fee for transactions, and a personal manager for the sites on the account.
The Strikingly team will build the site for you at the cost of $59 per page if everything seems a bit too complicated or you just want someone else’s perspective to make your vision come to life. Strikingly is available in 20 different languages and can easily be translated at the push of a button. You can also set up an account through Facebook and manage your site through their mobile app (available on the App Store and Google Play).
Pros and Cons of Strikingly Website Builder
As with any web builder, there are some stand-out pros and some less exciting cons. Start with the high points, the templates are well made, there is a good variety of layouts to choose from, and the system is easy to navigate. The image editor also allows quick upload and access to the gallery of images uploaded.
Strikingly also believes that users will view the sites with their phones before viewing them with a laptop or computer. Therefore, you can manage and visit your sites straight from your phone, and they’ll have just as much pizazz as the desktop versions. The benefit of this viewpoint is that you cannot make any sizing or formatting mistakes because the guidelines are already established for you.
Additionally, you’ll get a substantial amount of features with each plan, including the store that even free users can utilize with limitations. However, the most exciting perk of using Strikingly is having multiple sites under one subscription instead of having to pay for each site separately.
Unfortunately, there aren’t many customizable options outside of the drag-and-drop process due to the phone view priority mindset. If you are a more creative personality, then the rigidity of this method may cause some frustration. Headers and titles cannot be branded as personally as something custom designed. Also, you cannot remove the Strikingly branding with the free and Limited versions. The only way to remove the branding is to upgrade to the Pro version, which is a pretty substantial cost increase if that is the sole motivation for upgrading.
Who Is Strikingly Website Builder Good For?
Strikingly is especially ideal for users creating a website for the first time or those unfamiliar with the internet because it requires no coding. Businesses that offer services that require bookings, like stylists, salons, photographers, event planners, and artists, would also benefit from Strikingly because it provides a smooth way to schedule appointments and confirm bookings.
The Strikingly website builder is also perfect for small and medium business owners who want to market professionally to a broader audience but do not necessarily have the budget to hire a web designer or have the personal design experience needed to make their own website. It is a simple and self-explanatory tool that anyone can use.
Is Strikingly Worth the Money?
Currently, Strikingly has about 6,000 users and over 12,000 live sites. Most of the active sites are from the free version. The ability to design a website so easily is a massive sigh of relief for small business owners.
What makes a Strikingly website worth the cost is the number of features available in each plan and the fact that multiple sites are included in the cost of each plan. That means you only have to purchase the plan with the number of potential sites you want instead of an individual plan for each site, which is a huge money saver. Strikingly also lets you purchase plans monthly, annually, and up to every five years, only having it billed once, giving businesses ample to budget and plan ahead. Overall, Strikingly is well worth the money for what it offers.
Can Strikingly Grow With You?
When considering what website builder to use, first make a few decisions about yourself and your business needs. Because Strikingly offers a limited amount of templates and features, it does not have the propensity to scale well. If a business is not looking to expand beyond its local market, then Strikingly is an excellent option for web design. But, if the business wants to grow beyond its local borders or provide more customized content, then, unfortunately, this platform misses the mark.
Getting Support With Strikingly
Strikingly boasts 24/7 online support to its customers through email and an online chat feature conveniently located in the bottom right-hand corner of the site. If you are inactive on the site for too long, the chat will pop up and ask if you need assistance, which is a nice bonus, especially if you are caught in a daze. However, email is their preferred method of offering support, and it allows you to keep a record of what was discussed in case the same challenges present themselves again.
With the VIP plan, you can also receive support over the phone and through the web manager included in the plan. Strikingly also has some videos uploaded to YouTube, but they do not regularly release content on that platform.
How Does Strikingly Compare to the Competition?
The pricing initially appears comparable when comparing Strikingly to other website builders like Square Space, Wix, Weebly, or WordPress. However, after looking more in-depth at all the features offered, it is definitely one of the most cost-efficient options.
Strikingly website customization is incredibly limited when compared to the other options, but the simplicity of creating a site is unmatched. Because it is a relatively newer program, it is less widely known or used. The benefit of having a smaller company that markets to smaller businesses is that the interactions are more personal and more readily available when support is needed.
The Bottom Line
Websites are a great way to market yourself and your business through the internet. Selecting the right web builder that fits your needs may seem overwhelming, but Strikingly makes it simple and fast to design a quality site.
Strikingly provides a well-put-together, easy-to-use program that is mobile-minded for the business owner on the go. You can easily manage your site from the palm of your hand within the templates provided, but your creativity has to stay within the predetermined guidelines. The web builder allows you to rapidly design and launch a site within an hour, regardless of your skill level or internet expertise. As a drag-and-drop program, there is no chance of a formatting or fitting issue, which makes designing your site practically foolproof. The best part is that you can design a website and launch it for free or upgrade to the best option for you and your business.
Web design does not have to be stressful. In fact, it can be a hassle-free experience. Whether you are a service provider wanting to organize your bookings or a small business looking to expand your marketing, Strikingly Website Builder is a budget-friendly, easy-to-use, time-saving tool that can launch you into the next stage of your business with ease.