I was just 12 years old when I created my first website, and remember spending hours upon hours teaching myself how to code. Since then, I must have built close to a hundred and therefore, naturally, one question I am frequently asked is how to build a website from scratch. Um, where do I begin?
Luckily for me, I now have a suitable answer to this question: Jimdo.
Jimdo is a cross-platform website builder in which you can create and maintain your own website for free, without the need to know how to code. Interested? Hit the jump to find out more!
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Setting Up
With Jimdo, the process of setting up a website takes under a minute, as opposed to an hour or so when compared to going it alone. Finding a trusted domain registrar and hosting provider is no easy task, especially for those with no prior experience. Instead, Jimdo eliminates this step, leaving you to concentrate on the design and promotion of your website rather than tediously comparing bandwidth speed, storage space and other technical mumbo-jumbo.
With Jimdo, the process of setting up a website takes under a minute.
Simply choose a layout from a selection of five, pick a website name and you’re done! Easy, huh?
Personalise Your Website
Once your new website is up and running, it is ready to be personalised. Adding a new element to your page is a piece of cake, and there is a choice of five to get you started: Heading, Text, Photo, Text with Photo and Photo Gallery.
Every element inserted into your website may be placed almost anywhere you’d like on the page by sliding its name up and down the scale situated within the Page Content menu. From here, you can also add another element too, or delete a pre-existing one.
Adding a new element to your page is a piece of cake.
Additional webpages may be included by visiting the Navigation menu and tapping + Page, while pressing Edit enables you to delete or rearrange each page in a sequence of your choosing.
Fine-Tuning
Every single website created via Jimdo is optimised for both mobile and desktop browsers and, during the design process, it is possible to switch between the two to see how they compare.
Jimdo is optimised for both mobile and desktop.
Visit Jimdo.com to edit your website further. Here, you can change the colour scheme and layout, insert a background pattern, adjust the Search Engine Optimisation settings, and so forth. Personally, I think that this should also be included in the app itself, and not exclusively via the Jimdo website. Perhaps the developer can address this in a future update.
Take Full Control
If you would like more control over your website, there is an option to subscribe to either JimdoPro or JimdoBusiness. JimdoPro enables you to tweak the look and feel of your website, integrating social media to reach a larger audience. Priced at $90 per year, JimdoPro also includes a domain name, five gigabytes of storage, e-mail address, website statistic, and is advertisement-free.
JimdoBusiness is an ideal solution for businesses looking to increase their online presence. For $240 per year, JimdoBusiness can help you setup an online store, rank high on Google and Bing, and comes complete with two domain names, unlimited storage, 20 e-mail addresses, password-protected content, website statistics, priority support via e-mail and, of course, is advertisement-free.
On the Go
Jimdo is the only cross-platform website builder in existence, which is surprising in this day and age. Now, instead of waiting until you are sat in front of a computer to correct a spelling mistake or update important information, this can be done on the go via a smartphone or tablet, too.
Design and Functionality
One of the first things you will notice about Jimdo for iOS is how user-friendly it is. Sporting a minimalist menu bar, along with clearly identifiable icons, Jimdo is exceptionally easy to navigate, and attractive-looking to boot!
Jimdo is exceptionally easy to navigate, and attractive-looking, too.
I like that Jimdo is not at all overwhelming for the first time user. Quite often, I will launch an app and not have a clue where to start but, with Jimdo, it’s obvious. Before trialing the app, I must admit that I was somewhat sceptical about building a website on such a small screen but, to be honest, there is not much difference between using an iPhone and a computer, and the small screen did not limit me in any way.
Conclusion
Jimdo is, in a word, fantastic. I am impressed by how simple it is to create and maintain a basic website, and the ability to edit cross-platform is incredibly useful, as I am sure you will agree. When comparing Jimdo to the cost of hiring a professional website designer, Jimdo is clearly the cheaper option, even when factoring in the optional payment of a subscription, and will no doubt yield the same result for less than half the price.
Jimdo will appeal to anyone wanting to create their own website without spending a large amount of money, and is perfect for those who do not wish to spend hours glued to a computer screen, but would like a hassle-free yet professional-looking website.
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