Who Website Builders Are For
Enter: Website builders. The whole point of website builders like Wix is to let someone build a website quickly by taking out the need for any prior website development knowledge.
Even though Wix is one of the most well-known website builders and has a pretty good hosting platform, it does have its limitations. As a website builder.
Wix is simple and easy to use by nature.
Wix is made for people who want to be able to customize everything on their new website.
If your goal is being able to build a website that looks awesome all by yourself Wix is number one. All without sacrificing speed and functionality.
When To Use A Wix Free Plan
Ultimately, wed recommend using the free plan from Wix when you want to test out the features that Wix can offer, without committing to anything yet. We wouldnt encourage you to really build your business on this plan, as youll need some extra features very quickly.
If you want a successful and professional looking website, then youre going to need things like a custom domain and email accounts upfront. That means paying for at least a monthly plan. The good news is that you can pay for the services that you need month by month, so youre not locked into anything for too long.
Since the free plan is so appealing, it can be difficult to know when you should upgrade. If youre having a hard time deciding when to move away from the free plan, here are some signs that you need to upgrade:
- You want to start selling products and taking credit card or PayPal payments
- You need to build a more eye-catching image for your brand or business
- Your website slowing down and causing bad customer experience due to low bandwidth
- You want to promote your site and your company on a bigger scale
- You need a custom domain to start attracting more attention
Loss Of Brand Awareness
Brand awareness is something that you have more control over when changing your domain name. If you have frequent direct traffic site visitors , you risk losing them when you change your domain name. They may type in your old domain and when the site doesnt load, think that youve gone offline permanently.
You can mitigate this risk by using redirects and messaging. Implement a 301 redirect from your old domain to your new one for a period of at least 120 days.
Many site visitors will catch on and notice the new domain name, but you cant bank on everyone being observant. Instead, think about including a message or pop-up on your site announcing your new domain name or rebrand to make sure they see it and use the new domain name moving forward.
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How Do You Get A Custom Domain Address With Wix
Like WordPress, Wix lets you search for and register domains within their own platform. As of right now, though, they dont let you purchase or transfer in a .CA domain.
So, what if you really want your domain name to be Canadian? Not to worry – you can still purchase a .CA domain from another registrar and connect it to your Wix site in just a few quick steps. Psst – by the way: we can help you get started searching and registering your perfect .CA domain!
Time:0.5 hours
Cost: As little as $5 USD/month, plus the cost of a domain registration. Youll have to upgrade to any one of the paid premium Wix accounts to gain the ability to change your domain name on Wix to one of your choosing.
Tools:
Why Is My Wix Site Offline
You may have accidentally disconnected your domain from your site. When you connect your domain it can take up to 48 hours for your domain to propagate and your site to appear live. If after 48 hours youre still unable to view your live site on your domain, use the Wix Domain Assistant to check your domain connection.
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Connecting With Clients At Every Step Of The Sales Process
Wix allows Canadian eCommerce stores to automate emails to their clients to help close sales and snag repeat buyers.
With Wix, business owners can send emails to thank customers after a purchase, invite customers back to their store, remind customers of an abandoned shopping cart, and even request feedback on their services.
Theres also an easy way to track sales and grow your mailing list in Wix.
Via the Thank You page, users can track sales or create a customer list by using an external tool like Google Analytics or Facebook Custom Audiences.
This allows Canadian business owners to better understand their client base and to stay in constant contact to help increase the likelihood of repeat business.
The Benefits Of Using A Domain Name Registrar Like Namecheap
So, its clear here that we suggest you use a proper domain name registrar because company who specializes in domains like Namecheap or Dynadot. These companies provide domain registration services at an affordable price with excellent customer support .
While it is a bit more technical to setup properly, in the long run youll save a lot of money by using a domain name registrar like Namecheap who provides low renewal rates and free WHOIS protection.
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Wix Pricing Is It Good Value For Money
The short answer is YES. Wix can be a great value, if you choose the right plan for you. Most non-ecommerce Wix users are best off going with the Combo plan as it offers a free domain and is completely ad-free. Unless you plan on receiving hundreds of visitors to your website right from the start, this is probably the best plan for you. You can always upgrade if you need to.
If you want to open an online store, then we recommend the Business Basic plan as its the least expensive and comes with just about all of Wixs ecommerce features. Once again, you can upgrade if you need to, but this plan is the best value and ideal for most.
Lastly, we also like the fact that Wix offers a monthly payment option for all of its plans. Most website builders only offer yearly subscriptions, having the option to pay monthly rather than all up front is refreshing to say the least!
Business Unlimited Plan: $27/month
- Upgrade to this plan once youre getting steady sales
- Tools to level up your ecommerce efforts
- Add product reviews to your site a huge trust signal
- Unlock USPS discounts, and automated sales tax calculations
- Option to start dropshipping and accepting subscriptions
Sams prints are selling fast, and this is quickly becoming a major revenue stream for him. He upgrades to the Business Unlimited plan this unlocks pro ecommerce features, like the currency converter and marketplace integrations . For just $4/month more, this is a quick and cheap way to level-up his store.
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Connecting A Domain Name To Wix
If you would prefer to keep your domain name with your current host , you can still connect it to your Wix site. For that, a couple of changes in the domain name parameters are required. Check this Wix tutorial for more information.
There are two options: connecting the domain name via name servers or pointing your domain name to a Wix site:
Whats the better option then?
Usually, its option 1. Especially if you are not using any email inbox with your domain name yet, its better to connect your name servers with Wix .
If you are already using an external email provider, pointing your domain name to Wix may be more convenient as your email accounts will just continue working without any further changes from your side. The only small disadvantage here: should Wix ever move your website to a new server, you may have to get your A-record updated. Not a biggie, but better if it all happens in the background without your involvement.
Keep in mind that your domain registrar will be able to assist you with these DNS changes.
Be aware that the connection process can take up to 48 hours, so dont panic if you dont see immediate results.
Who Wix Is Actually For
Wix is a good fit for you if youre looking for drag-and-drop functionality but you also have a little bit of patience to take the time to master the functionality of Wix.
Once Wix is mastered it is a powerful tool that will allow you to turn a blank canvas into a work of art.
The blogging pages are kind of the opposite of the rest of Wix for whatever reason.
The blogging options for the website builder are as simple as they come.
Its basically a structured text editor that allows you to add images. Im not complaining as I think a blog section works best this way.
Wix still offers everything you could want as a blog owner. It allows authors, categories, drafts, cover photos, view counters, avatars, like counters, and read time estimates.
SEO
Wix has a pretty bad SEO reputation on the great wide web. The main reason for this is because pre-2016 Wix was built on Flash technology, which is really bad for SEO. Wix also had a few other issues with URL structures and adding alt attributes.
While Wix still isnt the best when it comes to SEO John Muller, a senior employee at Google has said, Wix websites work fine in search. What else can you ask from a website builder?
If youre using Wix, then chances are you arent an SEO expert so fine might be fine for you.
Wix offers what most users will want or need for SEO. While you wont be setting the world on fire with insane SEO capabilities Wix can still get the job done.
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Request A Transfer Authorization Code
The authorization code prevents unauthorized third parties from accessing your domain. We will need this code as proof that you have already approved the domain transfer.
- In the top right corner of your dashboard, click on your name to expand a menu of options, as shown here:
- Click on Domains in that list, as shown below, to open up the My Domains page.
- Click the Advanced tab, as shown here:
- Click the blue Transfer away from Wix link text, as shown here:
- Click the blue Send Code button, as shown below, in the popup confirmation window.
- Within 24 hours you will then get the transfer authorization code from Wix sent to your Administrative Contact email address. Save this code to transfer your domain to us.
What Is Wix Ascend And How Much Does It Cost
Wix Ascend provides additional marketing tools that arent included in Wixs standard subscriptions. Mainly think of live chat, email marketing, and better registration forms. With a paid Ascend plan your visitors also wont see any branding in your live chat window.
Keep in mind that you can also get contact forms, live chat, and email marketing elsewhere, often for free. But obviously its more convenient getting everything from Wix directly and their free plan actually isnt bad.
01 Sep 2021 Most recent price increases reflected . 13 Nov 2020 Wix now has a page limit of 100. 18 Sep 2020: New pricing structure for ecommerce plans and price increase. 08 Jul 2020: Wix Ascend Pricing added. 07 Nov 2019: Minor updates. 28 Oct 2019: Smart Finder added. 22 Oct 2019: A few minor updates. 06 Aug 2019: A few updates 01 Aug 2019: Costs for credit card transactions added. 01 July 2019: New video added. 31 May 2019: Wix increased their USD prices. 05 Apr 2019: Smaller Updates. 11 Feb 2019: Wix Email Marketing is part of Wix Ascend now. 03 Oct 2018: Wix launched the Business & eCommerce premium plans. 24 Sep 2018: Price increase and name change for the former E-Commerce plan . Its now called Business Basic. The VIP plan went up from $25 to $29 and doesnt include an online store anymore. No change for existing customers.
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How To Make A Website With Your Own Domain For Free
Author: Howard Steele
So, youve decided to create a website with own domain name for free. Someone may say that this is impossible as quality websites require deep web design expertise and application of professional web building tools. However, thats not quite so.
Creating a personal or a business website at no cost or using your own domain is possible, if you are aware of the most popular web design options and professional web building software you can use to complete the task.
When it comes to free website development, there are several things to consider. To start with, you should pick the right web building tool, many of which come with free subdomains or offer integrated free domain connection option.
If you already own a domain and wish to attach it to your website, you will have to take care of that during website setup. Mind that domain costs differ as well as the terms implied by their providers. Thus, the process of free website development is not that easy and it definitely requires certain web design background or awareness of coding nuances.
To simplify the task, we have singled out several must-have points that will help you cope with all the stages of the web design process successfully and with maximum benefit.
Who Should Use Wix
Its hard not to like Wix. Its easy to use, affordable, and fast. Anyone looking to establish or burnish their online presence will find what they need at Wix.com. Freelancers and independent contractors, bloggers, nonprofits, activists, vendors, and everyone in between can build a basic website and go live today even if they know nothing about website design.
Bottom line: Wix is a great starting point for anyone who needs a decent website fast, but doesnt have the expertise or the budget to build a truly customized site. Wix can deliver quickly, with very little effort on your part and at no or relatively low cost.
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Creating Your First Wix Website
Creating your first, second, third, or even fourth website with Wix is really easy. Theyve designed their platform to be beginner-friendly, and it does exactly that.
Navigate to Wixs homepage and click Get Started to begin building your first website.
Wixs editor is very easy to use, allowing you to drag and drop elements you want onto your website. Theres a wide choice of templates to get started with, ranging from to restaurants.
Whether youre looking to add headings, title bars, menus, or even a blog, Wix can guide you through the whole process. You can even design your website separately on mobile if you want to give it a different look altogether. Wix is designed to be mobile friendly, so your website will already be on the right track for SEO.