1and1.com:Websites Made Easy

 I can happily say that as of four weeks ago, I completed my first website using the tutorial provided by 1and1.com.  Due to time constraints, I was not able to spend a lot of time building my website.  However, My 1&1 Website afforded me the opportunity to gain an online presence, and attract new customers.

 Based on my personal experience, I have composed a list of advantages and disadvantages of building a website with 1and1.com.

 Advantages of using 1and1.com

• Cost-effective.  Compared to other companies that offer similar build-your-own-website packages, 1and1.com is very affordable.  For example, for $9.99 per month you can purchase the MyWebsite Basic, which offers unlimited web page creation, email setup, and a host of other benefits.  For those who only need a website to upload pictures/images to share with friends and family, such as proud parents who want to show off pictures of their newborn, would benefit from My Website Basic, which is only $5.99 per month.
•  Great domain selections.  Domains are always on sale.  You can procure cheap domains such as .net,    info, .com, .co, .org, and .us, all under $10.00. Domains can be purchased with or without a website, which is especially beneficial to those who use domains as target urls to their website or other websites.
• Over 200 templates to choose from.  There are over 200 pre-designed templates to choose from according to your company’s business type.  Choose from the many templates background, and fonts that 1and1.com has to offer, and you are well on your way to creating a beautiful website.
•   Fair and accurate billing procedures.  1and1.com bills on a quarterly basis, which is beneficial because you do not have to worry about paying them every month.  However, since they do auto-pay, you will need to be disciplined to set monies aside to be debited from a valid credit or debit card each month. 
• 30-day trial period.  This particular company doesn’t bill you until 30 days from when you purchased your website package, during which time you can cancel the contract.  The 30-day trial period is a great opportunity to generate income and traffic before your first payment is due.
•  Allows for social bookmarking. You can easily integrate Facebook and Twitter, providing you already have established accounts, as well as other social networking sites such as Digg, Tumbl’r, and Reddit.
•   Editing Is Easy.  Editing such things as your layout, font, navigation keys, page structure, etc is made easy just by moving your mouse over the content to be edited.  For someone who is not particular computer savvy, like me, you will find that this is definitely a plus.

 Disadvantages of using 1and1.com

•  Discourteous service from the technical support team.  While it is true, that they will definitely answer any questions that you have with your website, and try to resolve any problems that you, from my experience they are often very impersonal, rude, and arrogant.  I thought it was just a figment of my imagination, until I read other reviews.  On a few very rare occasions, I have had the pleasure of speaking to a few technical support team staff and sales consultants that very pleasant and helpful.  
•    Lengthy process for transferring/connecting one domain to another domain/website package.   Should you decide to purchase sub domains and would like to have them connected  to a specific website package, it is imperative that you communicate this to the sales consultant upon procuring your additional domains.  Otherwise, you have to go through 16 steps to successfully transfer/connect your sub domains.  It happened to me and personally I think it is a hassle!
•  Restricted use of images in their Image Library.  Due to licensing restrictions, there are many images from 1&1.com’s image library that you cannot use, without having to pay additional fee to upload on your site.  For example, I tried to upload an image of an iPad on my site, using iStock photos, but received a message stating due to licensing restrictions I would have to purchase the image for $10.00.

 In final, from own personal experience with 1and1.com, the advantages far surpass the disadvantages of procuring a website package and conducting business with them.  For new business owners, purchasing a website package from 1&1.com is a great way to jump start their business and develop an online presence.  For more information about 1and1.com including how you can build your own website and/or simply purchase a domain name,visit http://www.greatdomains4cheap.com.