I often whine about how full my inbox is, but there are major advantages to this…
- Emails generate ideas for blog posts and videos
- I get to stay in touch with common problems people have with regards to my niche
- It reminds me that people are actually visiting my sites — always a good thing, right?
If you are familiar with my work, you know that I’ve had success with building websites through WordPress and Site Build It!.
I think they are both great platforms with their own set of pluses and minuses.
I also believe there is a gap that still needs to be filled between the world of website design and education about making money online for the average person.
What I’m about to write has been on my mind for some time. And your emails over the years definitely confirm the gap exists. I will explain what I mean below.
WordPress
WordPress is probably one of the most robust, flexible website building platforms on the planet, and the plugins make it that much sweeter. The more I use WordPress, the more I love it.
Not to mention, you can’t beat the selection of well-designed themes — both free and premium.
The downside to WordPress, however, is that it doesn’t come with an instruction manual for making money. Many people just throw up a site, along with a few posts and expect the money to just roll in.
But the reality is, cheap, quick and easy doesn’t necessarily equate to online success.
Having said that, you can take it upon yourself to learn. There’s a ton of free information out here that will teach you how to build a successful, money-making site with WordPress, and many have done just that — all on their own.
Site Build It!
Site Build It! is now more than ten years old, and since its introduction, I have yet to find a more complete training manual for actually understanding…
1) The psychology of marketing summarized in laymen’s terms
2) The concept of PREselling, and
3) Converting a visitor into a lifelong follower/customer
Even if your SBI! site doesn’t make any money yet, you at least understand a lot more about what needs to happen before you start seeing success (assuming you actually absorb the Action Guide info).
I hear it all the time. Ex WordPress users who move over to SBI! often email me. Some of them may not be making any money yet, but they appreciate how thorough SBI! is — especially when it comes to understanding the process.
Many of you often praise me for what I’ve taught you, but I learned a lot about writing and Internet marketing from following Ken Evoy since day one. Even before SBI! launched, I was already a fan of his books.
But…
There’s one area where Site Build It! (in my humble opinion) has never been able to match WordPress and that is their templates and functionality (open source plugins, etc). In fact, the templates have been a big reason many people shy away from buying.
I often hear, You want me to pay $29/month for THAT? 
Now, if you’ve made any sort of money online, you know that the design plays a role, but it’s not the only determining factor in how much you will make.
Let it be known that I once used those “dated templates” and my SBI! site was making a couple of thousands of dollars per month in spite of the fact my design was — as many would say – stuck in the 90′s.
And if you want me to keep it realer than real, my self-made Dreamweaver design still isn’t all that great, but it does pretty well traffic-wise — even after a slap from Penguin in April. No complaints here.
But I digress. As far as the templates go, SiteSell has updated them and they look a little better from what I’ve seen thus far.
They still don’t hold a candle to WordPress themes in my opinion, but they are a step forward, for sure.
Yes, design is not the only factor of success, but it’s still important because first impressions mean a lot to people.
And let me just say that the first impressions of the original SBI! templates were NOT GOOD to say the least.
Right or wrong, many people do judge Site Build It! on their templates alone. They couldn’t care less about how great their entire system is if they can’t produce the design they want.
It’s human nature. People will judge a website building product by how the websites look, period.
My Wish
So this gap I’m referring to has to do with WordPress winning the design/functionality game and Site Build It! winning the education game.
It would be awesome if there was a way to marry the two — which is why I’d love to see SiteSell give their customers the option to install WordPress.
I can almost hear Ken Evoy sighing now. 
But wait. Hang with me.
For years, SiteSell has pitted themselves against WordPress with articles like this and publishing statistics about how poorly WordPress sites perform on average.
I agree with some of Ken’s points about “full blogging” not being the best format for every kind of website, but here’s my rebuttal to that statement…
WordPress is not just for “full blogging.” You can actually use it to create a site that functions exactly like a static/traditional site — the very format SiteSell recommends.
So instead of working against WordPress, I believe there is an opportunity to marry SiteSell’s unparalleled guidance with WordPress’ functionality for those who want it.
And I should point out that you can still use WordPress with SBI!, but you have to sign up with another host and they don’t technically provide support for how to use WordPress with their Action Guide — which is why I just tell people it’s technically not compatible with SBI!.
An Example
My website NapturallyCurly.com is a WordPress site, but is actually setup more like a traditional site because I personally didn’t want that “full blogging” website that Ken often refers to.
When WordPress 3.0 came out in 2010 they added a menu feature that allows you to change the main navigation linking structure with ease.
This was a game-changer for the average non-techy, WordPress user. Prior to that, you had to actually know how to edit the PHP code to change your navigation, or purchase a premium theme that provides shortcuts through the admin panel.
Manipulating the organization of the pages/site structure is no longer the headache it once was, and I really learned a lot while building Napturally Curly in 2010. That’s when I started to change my tune about building sites with WordPress.
Here’s something else I’ve noticed…
Literally… at least once a month I get a comment from someone stating they like how the content is organized.
At first I found it odd that so many people kept saying that because it just makes sense to present the information in that manner.
But then I remembered that most people these days are used to WordPress and Blogger sites being organized by post date and category.
I used a lot of static pages, but still made use of dynamic content when appropriate — which is the beauty of WordPress.
I’m probably in the minority today, but I have always preferred a more traditional, static website layout, and maybe it’s because that’s how I learned to build websites before the blogging era came about in 2004.
Old habits are hard to break, I guess.
But the point is you can build any kind of site with WordPress. It just doesn’t have the valuable training-wheel guidance that SiteSell provides to beginners.
What About SBI!’s Block Builder?
Let me also make it clear, I’m not by any means suggesting that SiteSell should get rid of their site builder and replace it with WordPress. Could it stand some improvements? Yes, but no need to eliminate it.
Believe it or not WordPress fans, some people actually hate WordPress and want nothing to do with it. (I know this because I also get many of those emails as well. LOL) So a lot of their customers would probably prefer to keep using their builder.
Not to mention, SiteSell just invested all this time and energy upgrading the Block by Block Builder. So that would be a slap in the face.
All I’m suggesting is that SiteSell give customers *the option* to install WordPress and incorporate advice into the Action Guide for how to setup a WordPress site to function with their “tiered model” for content organization.
Now their customers will have the best of both worlds — the preliminary education and the latest functionality (themes, plugins, etc). And those who prefer to use the site builder can do so if they wish.
Details, Details, Details
Of course, I’m not sure how feasible this is for SiteSell from a technical standpoint (For example, how would this work with some of their proprietary tools like Analyze It!?), or if it’s something they’d even consider.
In the end, this may not make any sense at all for their business.
I also know that security is a huge issue with the company, and they pride themselves on never having their servers hacked — something no other major host could boast about, I’m sure.
Allowing WordPress installs could open up a host of security issues for SiteSell, which may be one reason they may never do it.
It’s easy for an outsider like me to suggest this without knowing all the technical ramifications this could bring. But as a long-time fan of the company, I just thought I’d throw it out there based on the feedback I continue to receive.
To Sum it Up
So the SBI! vs. WordPress discussion continues to permeate on this blog, my inbox, and forum. As for my opinion, I will continue to say…
Nothing beats SiteSell’s all-in-one tools/training and collective support, but WordPress wins the functionality/design war by far.
And speaking of collective support, if you’re an SBI!er and you lost traffic during the Panda or Penguin update, make sure you stop by the SiteSell forums to read Ken’s latest suggestions and findings.
What a read!
Ken has gone above and beyond the call of duty by providing some data results and analysis (for customers only) from SBI! sites hit by Panda and Penguin.
It literally took him hours upon hours to collect the data and write up all that information, so at least take the time to read through it all. You’ll need a couple of hours and maybe even a cold drink. Nevertheless, it’s worth the read.
Even if you weren’t impacted, you should read it anyway.
It’s developments like this that make me proud to be affiliated with SiteSell — yup, 90′s templates and all!
Granted, Ken Evoy doesn’t know anything more about Google’s algorigthm and future plans than the next guy, but to see actual reports and characteristics of sites that were impacted and those that weren’t, along with suggestions for the future, was a really fantastic read.
Can you imagine GoDaddy or Hostgator providing that kind of lengthy support and analysis after a massive algorithm shake-up like this? Yeah right. It will never happen.
Now, in the wake of Penguin and all the other SEO changes, I do hope that SiteSell will continue to expand their teachings beyond SEO and focus more on other areas.
Too many people, whether they use WordPress or Site Build It!, are too reliant on SEO, and that just cannot be the focus anymore if you want your online business to survive.
With Panda, Penguin and now the budding Google Knowledge Graph, it’s becoming clear that Google has a different agenda now, and I’m not so sure how much content publishers are a part of the plan anymore.
Sorry for the brief tangent, but I felt that was important to mention with so many SBI! customers who read this blog.
What Do You Think?
Phew! This was a long post, so I hope you hung in there with me and my ramblings. Am I completely off my rocker here or does anyone else agree with my suggestions?
I mentioned the person who left WordPress for SBI! above, but I also hear from SBI!ers who leave for WordPress.
If this describes you, would you have stayed if you could have switched to WordPress internally and learned how to apply SiteSell’s branded CTPM model (Content-Traffic-PRESell-Monetize) with WordPress?
I have a feeling this is going to open up a juicy discussion — or at least I hope so anyway.
Don’t let me down, guys and gals. Let the comments begin!
Hi, my name is 
WordPress has always been the top platform used, just like you didn’t hesitate to write in the article.
I do believe design has importance to your blog, and I don’t think you can last with out a good design on your part. But hey, you were still able to make a couple thousand dollars per month on your other project.
I still think wordpress is the way to go, and it gives flexibility not matched yet.
Hi Samuel:
Yes, WP is the most flexible and robust platform out there (with all the free plugins and templates. HOWEVER, if I had to choose between a well designed website with content that does NOT connect with your target market OR a bland site with content that pushes your market’s hot buttons, I’d choose the later every time.
Lisa’s point with SBI is the assistance that comes with SBI. The pre-selling, the whole marketing process, etc. If you got all that training already, WP sites are the way to go.
It depends on where you are in your internet marketing career. After reading this, it seems that training that uses WP sites is the way to go.
Great summary, Charlie.
Nice Charlie! Winning!
As a WordPress Webmaster, I concur that design is of up most importance, but functionality is key.
And getting into the consumer’s head is never a bad thing. So in conclusion, the ideal platform has to be a combination of the two.
I never thought about comparing SBI! and WordPress, although I have seen a few topics about that on Website Babble.
For me, I try not to overthink the design of my blog, but I do fiddle with it from time to time. I think people get caught up on the design aspect and produce little content or a design that is hard to navigate.
When I think about how a site looks, I try to think about my wife. Sometimes I would sit and watch her look for something online. I realized she doesn’t really care what type of site it was – Blogger, WordPress, SBI – as long as it had the information she was looking for.
Online marketers think like online marketers. I wonder how many actually sat and just watched what the average person does when they look for information. You can provide the best looking site, but if your visitor can’t find what they need, the won’t stick around too long.
I think that wordpress is much better than Site Build it.
I have a lot of use wordpress for my website. This is because I think wordpress ease in setting up the web. And has provided many interesting themes. But your writing makes me want to try other alternatives than wordpress. Thanks Lisa
There’s definitely more than one way to succeed. It’s about finding what works for you.
Hi, Bahrul. If you are accustomed with a platform and you are satisfied by it, why would you change it? Maybe on new projects, that I would understand…
Lisa,
Thanks for this post. You make some great points here. There is a need for
someone to combine the level of info provided by SBI! with WordPress.
Hey Lisa:
Thanks for the great post comparing WordPress and SBI. I use SBI because I was a newby on the web and needed to learn alot from Ken (and from you, I might add). I agree that the lack of opportunity to really create a inspiring design has been a problem, but with the Block Builder 2 update, things are looking better. I do like all of the analytic tools that are included in SBI as well–which does help with affiliate marketing strategies.
That’s great, Ann! I thought the BB2 templates were OK, but I’m not sure I saw them all. Are you using the BB2 yet?
Lisa I am using the BB2 on the small second site that I have and have found that there are way more ways to make the pages inviting and aesthetically pleasing. Right now I am looking for a better design for my top image. It is taking some time because it is a site about coaching so I am taking my time to find the right banner. But everything is easy to install for someone who is not well versed in html or css. It is easy to modify stuff which is what allows the SBI sites to look unique.
I love WordPress, but I really think it depends on the purpose of the site. If a person wants to put up a site to sell affiliate products or items they have created then SBI may be a great option.
However, everything SBI teaches you about selling online can also be learned outside of SBI an applied to any type of site, regardless of how it’s built.
If you are looking for longevity by building a brand and community around your site then I would definitely lean towards WordPress. The flexibility it offers above everything else, makes it always my first choice.
And don’t underestimate the power of appealing to someone’s sense of style. While yes, if people come to your site and they are looking for certain information, the design doesn’t matter to some. But internet users are becoming more savvy everyday and when I stumble across a site that looks like a standard SBI template, I tend to leave – quickly.
I feel like I am always being SOLD something, which can lead to biased opinions.
Plus, I have worked for Google as a search engine evaluator and trust me while they make broad updates to their algorithm, sites are graded by real PEOPLE. Do what you can to ensure your site has valuable information, doesn’t look spammy or look like some out-of-the-box website.
You brought up a great point…. longevity.
From the emails I receive, many people say they felt SBI! was great for beginning but then outgrew it. I think if they were allowed access to a more advanced building platform like WordPress (if they want it) then it may encourage some of those people to stick around. So then they get the best of both worlds — WordPress and the unparalleled education.
I do agree that a lot of what they teach can be found on the net, but some people do find value in having all that in one place. But if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t mind going out and learning it on your own then you won’t find as much value in SBI! as the person who likes having everything in one place.
I too have used SBI for a number of years and moved most of my sites to WordPress because it provides much more flexibility as far as scheduling post, remote publishing and tons of easy design options. But I truly love SBI for the education and instruction that is given.
I must agree with you when you mention that “many people say they felt SBI! was great for beginning but then outgrew it.” I am one of those people and YES… I would gladly spend more of my money and time with SBI if they would incorporate some kind of option for WordPress.
After using WordPress and getting to know even the little bit that I know how to do in WordPress, I don’t know how someone could not fall in love with it.
With that said… I think that there is a serious miss-understanding of the difference between the two. SBI has a “website builder” included in it’s business building system, and WordPress is a website builder (though extremely powerful) period. If the two were to be used together like you and I and many others have done, results can be seen on many levels.
Thank you very much for touching on this subject.
Good post Lisa! I’m too much into the design of my website to even consider using SBI over wordpress.
With all the plugins available you can still get a very organized non blog like site with WP. SBI may need to come to the conclusion that if they can’t beat WP, they should join forces and allow their members the option to install WP.
I would certainly consider looking into SBI if that was the case!
WordPress is my all time Favorite, lots of plugin support, good SEO aspects, multiuser support really makes WP awesome than SBI.
Still, I have never use Site build up for my any project so I don’t have any experience of it but wordPress is one of my favorite that allow us to easily build site and also it support with different useful plugins.
Hi Lisa,
I’m glad to see you bring up this topic, and I am actually a bit surprised that as an active advocate of both WP and SBI you haven’t spoken much on their relationship before.
Unfortunately, Ken’s decision on this one was made a few years ago. He has invested everything and more into the new Site Builder and the deal is done and dusted; he’s made that abundantly clear.
Ken believes, and asserts as fact, that the new site builder is a quantum leap ahead of every other site builder on the planet, including WP. I’ve yet to see anybody with experience at both platforms agree with him, though there are plenty disagreeing right now.
The decision to compete with WP rather than work with it was a make or break one for SiteSell, and many are not optimistic about how it will pan out.
I’m also glad you brought up the SEO thing. Ken doesn’t like to use the word SEO, but you are right, SBI’s efforts are directed squarely on keyword-mining and organic search engine traffic. This has resulted in SBI sites having a spammy feel about them (mine included, to my great regret!), even when the content is good.
As one commenter above noted, this isn’t a good look to humans, so it is inevitable that it won’t be a good look to search engines eventually either. It is possible that Penguin is the start of worse things to come for SBI in that regard.
Like you, and other veteran SBIers as it happens, I believe SBI should focus on what it’s good at (education and training) and outsource the rest. I certainly have them to thank for my understanding of online marketing principles.
Back to the WP ‘lockout’: the closed-shop strategy worked for Apple, but I don’t think it makes sense for SBI. It is just impossible for one company (one person it seems a lot of the time) to be deeply across organic search, email marketing, ebook publishing, ppc etc.
The next year will be crucial for SBI, so it will be interesting to see what happens. One thing for sure though, any attempts to get Ken to consider integrating with WP (in any helpful, non-trivial sense) will fall on deaf ears.
Cheers,
Derek
What a fabulous comment, Derek and this is the kind of feedback I would hope this post would generate.
I have to say I sort of agree with the outsource piece regarding the design.
Yeah I don’t really think you’ll ever see WP and SBI! joining but I really wanted to put this out here just to get people talking…. and it seemed to work.
My headset is focus on word press and I don’t really know what the other side of the world is. Thank for this
Hey Lisa,
Thanks for this insightful comparison between SiteBuild! and WordPress.
I have heard you talking about SB before but I have to admit, firstly I have done WordPress stand-alone, then I started using Thesis with it (we both know the magic Thesis can make happen) but I recently started using Catalyst, which in my opinion can do exactly the same with custom hooks than Thesis without having to dive too deep into PHP, HTML or CSS.
Although I am a CSS junky and love playing with HTML, ‘default’ is not something I am all that comfy with most of the time but even so, Catalyst has plenty of playing ground reserved for those toys.
All in all, I am still quite happy with WordPress, it does what I need…for now
Catalyst, huh? Haven’t heard much about this theme. I’ll have to check it out!
Yes indeed Lisa. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what you’ll find. Especially when you were an enthusiastic fan of Thesis at one time which I know you were.
I myself have been quite excited about Thesis until I’ve been playing around with Catalyst
Nice comparison, Lisa.
But from your article it’s not really obvious that you can use any custom designed template with SBI and upload your own HTML.
I doubt that those who are really into WP choose a cookie-cutter theme.
Whether I used SBI or WP (and I use both), I always have a custom design created.
Those who do well with WP most likely don’t use the Twenty Eleven theme that comes with WP.
So I don’t think the question of design has anything to do with SBI – if one is serious about an online business.
Hey Tomaz! Couldn’t agree more about the online business comment — nothing else is as complete as SBI!.
The reason I didn’t bring up “Upload Your Own HTML” is because so many people who have emailed me about this has said it was confusing and they had trouble doing it. That’s why I even wrote a guide in addition to what SiteSell provides. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to help those understand how to do that.
Just understand this article was inspired by feedback I receive and in the past year so many people have left SBI! because they wanted WordPress functionality. Now does this mean they went on to be successful using WordPress? I have no idea, and we all know success is more than just design.
All I’m saying is it would be nice to have that option as an SBIer.
Lisa, I agree there is a gap to be filled. I was an SBIer and now I am with WordPress.
I did not leave SBI because I believe WordPress is superior because you have to do the work.
I left SBI because I was not happy with their block system.
It is too elementary for a person with design knowledge but the HTML pages are too advanced unless you are a webmaster.
I could make money with either system but they manage your content, you have to make the content quality.
This is exactly what I’ve been hearing a lot in the past year, but hopefully BB2 will change a lot of that for existing customers. Thanks for the comment, Michael.
Hi Lisa
I like this post but I have to admit that I have no website at all. If I’m going to use word press, how do I make keyword research for a topic?
Hi Lisa,
I agree totally here. The fact that SBI doesn’t support WordPress is the very reason I haven’t come on board with them. Everything else about them is amazing, so it feels like they are lagging a bit behind the times and not capitalizing on the potential to include WordPress as an option.
For the past couple of years when I had a new site in mind, I kept thinking about SBI, but I knew I needed a blog for that particular website. To me, it would just be extra hassle and expense to buy other hosting to do that when I’d love to see it happen at SBI.
And that’s not knocking SBI at all — I’ve really been tempted to come aboard with them, but I really need to have that WP option to make web life sweeter
Hey Sharon,
Your comment here aligns with what I’ve been hearing for years and it’s exactly why I wrote this post.
As someone pointed out, I didn’t mention that you can upload your own HTML with SBI! but honestly, that is a hassle for the average newbie which is why you see so many people just stick with the templates. I know because I am constantly having to help people walk through the “upload your own html” process after they purchase. I even wrote an additional guide to help people because I kept getting questions. Hopefully their newly designed block builder will help.
So that brings me back to WordPress — which has many more “ready themes” that wouldn’t require as much custom work on the backend.
First impressions are huge. Even though design is not the fundamental reason for success online, it’s what people notice. And many have told me they feel SBI! is dated. Why? Because of the templates they see. It’s hard for people to look past that. They don’t care about the unparalleled training and education because all they are seeing is the package. Not saying it’s the way it should be, but that’s the way it is.
Thanks for the feedback!
I’ve seen some VERY heated debates on Internet forums about WordPress versus SBI.
It was always a silly argument to me. It’s like asking if an orange is better than an apple. Hey people, they’re both good! And they don’t need to be enemies!
And they really shouldn’t be compared. SBI is more of an education, whereas WordPress is a content management system. Sure, SBI has its own CMS, and it’s the weakest part of SBI. There’s no reason you can’t take the EDUCATION from SBI and use it on a WORDPRESS site, just as you have, Lisa!
I don’t see why SBI sets itself up as a competitor to WordPress either. Does it have something to do with sites like this, perhaps? http://lissowerbutts.com/site-build-it-scam-review/
Ken, just because other people want to put WordPress against SBI, doesn’t mean you need to!
The main reason they did it is because the public compares the two platforms all the time. The noise really got loud when WordPress started taking over the website building market share. Not to mention, the existing SBI! customers started asking about WordPress.
So Ken started writing about it to defend his product and explain why they can’t really be compared.
If you don’t own SBI!, it’s easy to think it’s just a competitor of WordPress with a $299 price tag. So why would someone buy SBI! if they can build a better looking site for cheap?
Most people aren’t going to take the time to investigate what SBI! really is. They see the initial designs and write it off as an overpriced GoDaddy with outdated technology.
They don’t see what goes on behind the scenes, which is why I mentioned that tidbit about Ken’s post Panda/Penguin reports. That’s a benefit you’d never get anywhere else.
So giving people the option to have the functionality and providing high-level support for how to use their teaching model with WordPress would quiet a lot of noise, I think.
But as someone said above, it’s not going to happen (SiteSell incorporating WordPress) and I didn’t think it ever would. But I’m still glad I wrote this post because I’m enjoying reading the feedback from everyone.
“The main reason they did it is because the public compares the two platforms all the time.”
Ah. Yeah, that makes sense then. If the public is going to say a lot about it, then it’s good business sense for Ken/SBI to make some official statements.
P.S. An acquaintance of mine, Rebecca, uses both SBI and WordPress. Like many businesses do, it took a few years to build up, but now she’s very successful with it. Here’s her site: http://www.world-of-lucid-dreaming.com/sbi-review.html
This is one of the best designed SBI! sites I think I’ve seen. She just updated this, right? I remember reading her case study on AssociatePrograms.com but her design was different.
This is exactly what I’m talking about. If the average site looked like this, it would make all the difference in the world when it comes to first impressions.
Now THIS is what SiteSell needs to showcase. LOL
Yes, SiteSell should definitely showcase her site!
Her design has looked like this for many months, I believe. I think she did a minor update recently. Thanks for mentioning AssociatePrograms, I’ve never been there before. Cool site.
glad you finally wrote a post on it Lisa. very insightful and detailed. as you know, i have a mix of both, a double digit number of niche sites on wordpress / traditional static HTML and a handful of SBI sites, all of which are doing well (thankfully).
although i have not been able to pinpoint the root cause of the reason each does specifically well on its respective platform, i can tell you that 2 of my sites that got hit the biggest during penguin were SBI sites.
do you think this is because of the internal linking methodology they teach?
penguin is all about over optimization, and SBI’s methods of internally linking to T2 and eventually to Home using the exact match keyword violates the penguin guidelines. i am very much interested in your thoughts here?
now to go back to the original topic, both platforms are solid, but for someone who wants to dive straight in, SBI offers a good solution albeit limiting (the design aspect more so). that said, one can always switch to another platform over time and as more experience is gained.
don’t you think so?
Hey Sunil,
I thought about you as I wrote this and hoped you’d comment since you, like me, use both platforms.
I think Penguin may have more to do with the exact match of domain and anchor text more than anything. In fact, I think I remember reading Analyze It! has already gone through some changes since the Google updates.
As far as switching, yes, in fact that’s exactly what is happening. People I hear from do start with SBI! and switch over which is why I was wondering if allowing a WordPress install would retain some of those customers who feel they have “outgrown” SBI!.
It’s really unfortunate because SiteSell continues to educate their customers on the latest happenings and dissecting all the hype/info on Internet marketing and SEO — again something else other hosts don’t do. So it’s a shame for people to leave all that great education just because they want to start using plugins or see a WordPress theme they are dying to have.
I got an email last week from a lady who was torn. She absolutely loves how Ken Evoy keeps everyone updated on all the latest happenings with SEO, internet marketing, etc. but she was starting to get more traffic and there was this advertising script she was dying to install and it was compatible with WP. So I hear a lot of comments like “I really want this functionality, but I don’t want to leave the education that SBI! provides.” These kinds of comments and emails are what inspired this post.
I think allowing WP as an option may help with customer retention for those who feel they need more in terms of technology. I don’t think it’s gonna happen, but I thought I’d throw it out there to get comments from everyone.
My website http://www.kieranspt.com was my first attempt and works quite well. It is done through SBI with upload your own HTML as the block builder didn’t do it for me. It’s gone through a few changes and updates and the education has been great.
However because of the restrictions in what can be done on the site and also the difference in price I’ll probably be changing to WordPress.
What I was wondering was how would my site perform in SEO compared to SBI? Would there be a difference in search results between two identicle sites with just having the difference of SBI or WordPress, or don’t the search engines even take that into account?
Your host change is not going to make a difference in SEO. What matters is inbound quality links and content. Google doesn’t care where your site is hosted. They care about the online profile and that is all about marketing and content. By the way, nice design.
This is just a guess, but in my experience, WordPress sites tended to get indexed quicker than my pure HTML pages. It didn’t matter much though.
Do you use a sitemap plugin? Could be because the new content is submitted instantly thanks to the plugin. I’ve noticed my static sites index pretty quickly though as well. Another reason blogs are often indexed faster is they tend to be updated more frequently and the more you update your site, the more frequent the search engine bots visit your site to look for new content.
I did use a sitemap plugin, but I had my pure HTML sitemaps plugged into Google Webmaster Tools too. I’d guess that it’s because the WordPress sites were updated more frequently, like you said.
Brilliant. Thanks so much!
Hey Lisa. Thanks for finally coming out and discussing this. There is so much misinformation about the differences coming from folks who don’t really understand. You’re credibility might help to finally set things straight.
And there is training on WP out there… for FREE by the way. The Challenge by Ed Dale offers some great teaching using pretty much the C-T-P-M model. What I also like about it is they teach how to test your niche within 60 days to see if it’s really worth sticking with it before spending all the time building out the site. If it’s not succeeding you sell and move on to another site and niche. That makes a lot of sense to me and something that SBI could never teach.
Plus they update the training every year with the latest and greatest.
Keep up the good work!
The Challenge sounds interesting! Thanks for the recommendation.
There is good information out there about successful site building, though it can be difficult to find. I’ve seen a few courses from high-end bloggers that ranged in price from $50 to $400, and honestly most were either on par or worse than the “Action Guide” that SBI gives its clients, in my opinion.
In other words, good information is out there, but there is a lot of crummy information about “internet marketing” too. I think that’s why we like Lisa so much. She keeps it real!
The best education product I’ve seen for blogs is probably ProBlogger’s “31 days to build a better blog” for $29.99. That’s a great deal and full of good info. Link: http://www.problogger.net/31-days-to-build-a-better-blog-join-9100-other-bloggers-today/
Hey Rick,
Good to hear from you. Never heard of The Challenge. It may be something worth looking into if you are sold on WP. I still have yet to run across the complete education that SiteSell provides, but I haven’t really looked either. I’m also admittedly a bit biased because I did learn so much from SiteSell back in the day so I do have a degree of loyalty to them. Having said that, I’m not afraid to say where there are improvement opportunities.
Ya The Challenge is comparable to SBI without being as overwhelming. Everything is pretty much video based… and like I said they redo everything each year to take into account what has changed. The basic training is free but they also have an advanced membership site called the Immediate Edge (that’s how they make their money). Anyway, I like it just as much as SBI and I agree I’m very grateful to Ken for all he taught me. SBI still has the fundamentals right… but so does The Challenge. And if you don’t mind a link it’s at http://www.challenge.co.
Hey Lisa,
Oh boy, the can of worms. Let me put my IT hat on. When I was in IT, if I had called a meeting and said…
“OK, guys, you know that centralized and controlled database we have? The one that allows us to track all the traffic, the keywords, and pretty much, well everything that all of our websites do so that we can make recommendations on exactly how to structure a site to gain traffic? Let’s dump that.
Instead, let’s allow each individual site to install a MySQL database with a schema defined by someone else, so instead of one controlled DB with centralized reporting, we’ll have thousands of uncontrolled DBs. And, oh yeah, every time WP makes a schema change to their DB, or every time one of our users tries to upgrade and breaks something, we’ll have to fix it.”
I would have been killed (to put it nicely).
I use WP, and I use SBI!. I just don’t see any logic in trying to change your entire infrastructure to accommodate someone else’s design, and losing so much functionality and control in the process. It would be a monster.
And you are probably right, which is why I threw that paragraph in about it probably not being technically feasible. It’s also good to get an IT guy’s perspective because clearly I have no clue what would be involved in what I just proposed. It’s always easy to suggest things like this from my side, right? LOL
Hi Lisa, I like wordpress and have gotten use to it over the years. I did have an SBI site a long time ago.
But it didn’t go very far. I printed out Ken’s manual and it was a VERY large printout.
I had it bound. anyway, I think, as you mentioned, there are pros and cons for both
A complete newbie might really enjoy the step-by-step that SBI provides.
Hey David,
Yes, it’s definitely enough info there to be bound! For sure. lol
I have a wordpress blog. But I would love to try out SBI.
As for merging or “marry the two”. I think it is possible (but as you said, I might think different if I knew the technical side).
In the action guide, they could have a section on how to use the WP dash board.
I don’t think Keyword researching would be different.
To offer their tools like Analyze It! and others, they could offer them as plugins to SBI! owners.
As for security, I find it hard to believe there servers have never been hacked (at least once). There is no such thing as a perfect and secure system. Now if they add wordpress, I could see them getting hacked. More often, or for the first time.
Having said all that, I might think differently if I knew the technically side, or how this would affect their business.
Personally I have never used SBI, I have been a WP fan for over 5 years and I enjoy using it.
But I have heard that SEO is included in the price of SBI. You get access to some amazing lessons about SEO and you get one amazing tool that does the hard work for you.
Has anybody used SBI here?
Hey Jeremiah
I think it’s important to emphasize that SEO help comes with SBI!. It’s not as if they do the SEO for you, but they guide you as best they can. One other benefit of having SBI! is Ken Evoy does a wonderful job of continually updating his customers on “the state of Internet marketing” and provides relevant advice. He also does a good job of quieting all the noise around certain events.
Here’s an example. When the Google Plus social network launched, everyone was worried that if they don’t join they would lose their rankings. Ken predicted it would be a failure, and for the most part, he was right. Of course he’s not employed by Google and knows nothing more than anyone else, but he does a good job of summing up the “state of Internet marketing” when new tools and services come out. It’s nice to have that additional guidance and insight as a customer.
I was with SBI a couple years ago, and the SEO tools are nice, but they’re not as detailed or as nice as something you might see from SEOMoz or a similar service.
The only thing that I don’t like about WordPress is that it requires programming skills to create a WordPress theme. Now, I am going to learn programming, even though I’m more of a designer than a programmer. Also, I’ve used Artisteer before. But the templates that I’ve “designed” with that program aren’t good enough to add to my portfolio.
why doesn’t someone with access to the SBI training simply package it up and sell it to WordPress users?
It’s interesting. We are reaching what I believe will be a golden age of web development, where software will powerful enough for everyone to create websites without having to know code. There are a ton of options out there. Adobe Muse and Realmac Rapidweaver seem to be two on the fore front of easy yet powerful web development.
Thanks Lisa for this great post. I read it immediately you posted it and have written a long response using my phone. Unfortunately when I clicked submit my phone just got frozen. I got so angry and sad! But today I am in a good mood again:-)
For sure, there is a gap to be filled!
But I would just like to respond to your statement:
“People I hear from do start with SBI! and switch over which is why I was wondering if allowing a WordPress install would retain some of those customers who feel they have “outgrown” SBI!.”
Well, true. But remember that some people leave SBI not only because they have learned a lot.
I know that nothing compares to SBI, the all-in-one-package even by price. However, some leave SBI because they have learned a lot, but perhaps they aren’t making money [maybe because of their niche choices]; and they feel that it is not easy to sustain their monthly or yearly subscription. You get what I’m saying?
So WordPress becomes a winning alternative because of great designs and it is cheaper to maintain a good website. And their SBI learning experience makes them do well with WordPress.
MagD
For sure, that’s another reason people may switch — I definitely agree. Some people leave because they now understand the fundamentals and want to apply it to a platform that is cheaper to maintain. I definitely feel like even on my WordPress sites I take and apply the education from SiteSell over the years.
I have an SBI site and I couldn’t be more happy with it. It’s made all my dreams a reality. No, not money (quite yet), but just the easiness of it. I feel like I can do whatever I want whenever I want. Plus I try to make my design not look so dated.
That being said, my next website is going to be on WordPress because of the cost. Isn’t it like $17 a year compared to $300? I’m not switching my current site over to WP because the SBI forums are a great asset, and that alone is worth $300 a year, imo. Plus it would be too much work, lol.
But I would like to try something different next go-around, and for cheaper, and with better designs, so it looks like WP for me.
I really have nothing bad to say about SBI, though. For a complete newbie like myself, it has turned my idea into a reality, and it makes me very excited and proud of what I’ve accomplished so far.
Thanks for the comment, Matt. Glad to know you are happy with your purchase. I think a lot of people feel the same way as you. They use SBI! for the initial education and knowledge-building, but migrate to something else later to save money and gain functionality.
Again! Another reason why providing more “current technology” may entice people to stick around and not feel like they’ve “outgrown” SBI!.
The SBI forums can be helpful if you read the right posts (for your particular situation), but there are also posts that will lead you astray in your attempt to create a successful online business. Just because you read something in a forum, doesn’t mean it’s true…
I actually use wordpress for creating my sites and I have never bothered trying other methods like using site builder. I guess I will have to give it a shot. It seems to have an edge over wordpress.
I have been using WordPress since my day 1 on web. But SBI also seems to be a good alternative. I will check it out soon. Thanks for the comparison.
I think WP is still the winner on these, but I should also check SBI so I can compare them closely. Thanks for introducing SBI
I’m not convinced that the platform matters all that much. The success or otherwise of your blog will be governed by the kernel of the idea for your blog. That said, design is underniably important as it is the first impression people will get of your blog. Incrasingly I think good design is a requirement stemming from people’s increasingly high expectations of websites and blogs!
I have to agree. Having created successful sites on SBI!, WordPress and using plain HTML, I’ve learned that it’s really more about marketing and execution at the end of the day. However, I wanted to do this post because it would be nice if there was a way to package WordPress’ technology and SiteSell’s training. If someone ever comes out with “WordPress It!” I would be right on board as an affiliate. LOL
This is true that the platform doesn’t matter, but with SBI there are step by step instructions that are really easy to follow and understand, which eventually helps a non SEO person like me to better optimize the site to face the SE’s.
I have personally used both, and WP is also decent, but as a personal choice I prefer SBI!
A lot of people who don’t like SBI! or feel they can “learn it all for free” don’t appreciate that aspect of SBI!. What they fail to realize is some people value that extra advice all in one place such as yourself. However, if you are the kind of person who feels you can learn it all on your own, then SBI! may not be for you.
The bottom line is everyone values different things which is why there are choices.
Very informative post, Lisa. You forgot to mention one thing about SBI!, however. You don’t have to use BlockBuilder to create your site. If you know something about CSS, HTML and JavaScript, you can start from one of their stylesheet templates and customize it to get the look and feel that you want and handcode all your site pages. As a professional Software Developer this is the route I chose.
Thanks, Jeff. I didn’t forget that actually. I left it out on purpose (other than the part where I mentioned that my SBI! site was a Dreamweaver site.)
Now I’m just basing this on the emails I receive, but I’ve found that the average person who buys SBI! is a bit intimidated by the process of uploading their own HTML through their system. That’s why you don’t see a lot of SBIers take that route in the beginning.
It’s also why I created my own guide for newbies. People needed more advice outside of what SiteSell provides so I took it upon myself to create another how-to manual.
So for someone like yourself who is probably a little more savvy than the average person, you can go outside of blockbuilder quite easily. I probably fit into that category too as I had no trouble uploading my own design.
But for the average newbie (which make up most of SiteSell’s customer base), that’s a pretty steep learning curve — especially when you’re just getting started. So while that option is there, it’s often an overwhelming task for the average person. And of course there are always going to be the exceptions like you and me.
It’s a pain in the butt, though. It’s not as easy as uploading your files with FTP. You have to adhere to their directory structure, and if I recall correctly, it only let me upload one file at a time.
Correct. Again, another reason most SBIers stick with the current themes instead of using a custom template.
Thanks for the review, actually I’m very much comfortable using word press it’s user friendly and its so sweet to use them.
I like wordpress just of their huge plugin collection, If other engine can provide those pluging i will go for that!
I have wordpress sites and blogs, also I use some of my wordpress for adsense and affiliates. Before I use FTP to build websites, but now I love working with wordpress easy to use and google friendly.
As a newbie with SBI and exposure to other blogging platforms, here are some of my thoughts:
SBI- Yes for the forums, Yes for the training, Yes for the fact there have been no website outages(that’s important for a newbie and oldie) yes for no matter how large my site grows I’ll have space.
SBI downside-I really want to pick a theme and run with it. Psychologically if I could pick a theme that is artistically pleasing I would feel better about promoting my site. I’d rather not have to pay to have this done. That’s another issue: I’d have to give my password access to someone to do this.
One template of SBI I love is one with a beautiful modern picture of a hand holding an apple. Simple, Modern Clean. And there are about 2 more templates I like. But, apparently everyone else likes them too because they are all over the web on SBI sites.
Why aren’t other similar modern clean looking templates in other SBI template categories?
SBI has been around long enough to have familiarized themselves with the many different site concepts which appear regularly so that they could offer more beautiful, clean templates.
To their credit under the new SBI they do have some generalized template genres such as learning and education, arts, foods and others. But within these categories the template headers are not as clean and modern as they could be.
WordPress:
-glad to hear you can build a website like structure.
-scary to think if wordpress goes down how I as a newbie will be able to get the site back up.
For example one of the people I subscribe to had a host just disappear and she is totally rebuilding her word press site. She thought she had a good host.
Another blogger had to call in a group of technicians to help her get her word press site back up after being hit with a major spam attack which took her site down three times.
What I’d like to see in an ideal world is for SBI to look at some of the other templates headers out on the web and get inspired to bring a more modern look and feel to the templates and to make it real easy for you to change the “images” on the template without using photo shop or some application like that.
Yes you can upload your own header; but if it is so easy why are newbies writing you or rushing to the forums for help.
I think SBI should appoint a committee to review the templates, do some focus studies on reviewing and saving the best templates and figure out how to make them easier to use with the tools available within SBI.
As far as word press, In the long term, I’m thinking of diversifying and doing a web project with word press just to learn more about how to keep plugins updated and what can be done to keep the site safer. If I’m ever convinced that word press is easier, safer I’ll probably switch over at some point.
Hey Sandy!
And perhaps that’s the better solution instead of my original suggestion of incorporating WordPress. At the end of the day, it’s really about the designs because that’s what I’m hearing from many customers.
Maybe outsourcing the design piece to a professional design firm or person will help make the templates look more modern. I was hoping BB2 would have more cleaner templates than I’ve seen thus far. And the fact that everyone is choosing the same designs will make their selection look limited to potential customers.
I’ve also heard many nightmare WP stories of people getting hacked and losing their content. I have to say, never really heard of this happening with SBI! because their system is on lock. That’s probably one reason customers cannot install PHP scripts and other hacker-friendly stuff.
Lisa
Im definitely going with wordpress, its so compatible with search engines, and its easier to use really
wordpress is my all time fav. wordpress is very easy to use seo
It’s so funny how the day I’m contemplating on whether I should use this SBI program that I’ve been staring at for the past year(and paying for monthly might I add) that I would come to the one page that made me want to purchase SBI, and now make me kind of change my mind about SBI, LOL. My issue on getting past my brain storming section of SBI was that I wondered if I could just write all of this information that I’ve learned to put together and just have my own website, with my own design. I’ve looked up many of the SBI sites and to me they all look the same…they look uninviting. When I read them, it sounds like their repeating the same exact words over and over and over….AH! Is that going to be my website??? I don’t want to do that! I’m a crazy fun spunky girl in her 20′s that loves to share baby shower ideas! I want video tips, newsletters, comedy, information people want to hear. I know nothing about creating websites, but I’m not so sure I can show my personality to my customers using SBI. They say if you love what you’re writing about, success will follow. (Marie Forleo) just became one of her biggest fans, LOL. Anyway, I figured at this point, since you drew me into this website and I believed every word you said came from passion and real tips, and real results, why don’t I just use what you’re teaching me and do my site without having to use SBI?
Yay!
All of your comments keep proving my point.
The presentation of SBI!’s templates is what really turns a lot of people off. Your comment here emphasizes this again. Had the templates looked more current and inviting, you may not even question whether or not to use it.
But the issue some people face is if they’re going to pay a premium price, they should at least be able to have the design they want.
Yes, as SiteSell continues to emphasize, you can design your site on your own (as I did) and you don’t have to use their templates, but the average new customer is not going to want to learn Dreamweaver, HTML, etc. to get the design they want. That’s why people always say “WordPress is better” even if they’ve never used SBI!. They are judging on appearance.
They can’t get past the designs so they aren’t even interested in the tools and training after first glance.
Right or wrong, it’s what happens. I just wish their outer appearance matched their inside value.
Really good statement here:
‘But the reality is, cheap, quick and easy doesn’t necessarily equate to online success.’
I think to many people are thinking like above statement.
Thanks for these great tips and keep up the good work.
I use WordPress and personally like it due to its easy functionality.
SBI is kind of like the senario you would use on a persons appearance. A lot of people who date or go on interviews might not look to someones liking even though they have so much to offer you…you just can’t get passed their appearance, so its hard for someone to give them a chance. Who woulda thought we would treat computer programs like we do people, LOL.
This was such a great analogy!!!
Sharing such valuable and very informative post is really a great help. For me, i prefer to use WordPress since it is user friendly. Thank you and hope to learn more from you.
I love your posts Lisa! Hopefully one day I will get the hang of it like you have. Right now I am only on SBI with my site http://www.christian-living-guide.com and still learning the ropes building day by day slowly so until I figure it all out, it is best for me to stick to one thing at a time but just for now.
Lisa,
Thank you for opening the discussion about this topic.
I would like to start making progress on my website project ideas – yet I am uncertain about whether or not I am prepared enough to make them successful.
As a novice, I would love to have an option that offers the best of what Site Build It and WordPress have to offer. Based on my research, I have come to the conclusion that Site Build It is designed to help customers learn the business of creating successful websites in less time (and expense) than it takes to do it alone. However, WordPress appears to be more compatible with the main website project I would like to develop.
Therefore, inspired by your Site Build It story, I am considering using Site Build It to develop a website on a topic that appears to be the “right” type of topic for what Site Build It offers. After which, I believe I would use what I learn from Site Build It to develop a website on my greatest passion using WordPress.
Thank you for all you do to educate.
Regards,
Chantel
Hi Lisa,
I have all those free ebooks from Sitesell ( Make your Content Presell, Make Your Site Sell, Make Your Links Work, Make Your Words Sell, etc.). I even have the PDF version of their Action Guide.
Are the information contained in those free ebooks enough to build a profitable website? Because if it is THEN I THINK WE HAVE FOUND THE BRIDGE TO THE GAP BETWEEN SBI AND WORDPRESS.
Just study their free ebooks and apply the principles in your WordPress Sites. With regards to the tools, well you could use the free tools over the Internet like Google keyword tool, Google Analytics, Google webmasters, etc.
What do you think?
Hi Kristan
Using the free tools works for many people. In fact, a lot of people who don’t like SBI! will tell you that is all you need to do. But some people need the hand-holding and guidance and that’s the value of SBI!. If you are that kind of person then you will appreciate it more than the do-it-yourselfers. As far as the books, they are great but they don’t walk you through the website building part.
Hello Lisa
Thanks for the reply.
Yeah, I think I’m more inclined to the “do-it-yourselfer’s club” than the hand holding guidance.
Don’t get me wrong… I love SBI… Ken is one out-of-this-world entrepreneur and his ideas more than resonates with me. I agree that the strongest part of SBI is the education and support that they are giving.
But I could also see why people would put a great deal on their website building platform ( the blockbuilder and the templates ).
For me, it’s not so much as the design itself. I could do away with a simple pure design like that of http://www.stevepavlina.com
But I think the more pressing problem with SBI is more than the template itself. I think it’s more on the functionality.
Say for example your website is your baby. Will you be contented that your baby would learn, gain and acquire only a limited number of skills? Heck no!! You want your baby to develop his/her full potential.
And I think that’s the reason WordPress appeals to people more… because even though SBI has the GREATEST education on online business there is, their platform puts a limit on what people can do to their websites unlike the almost endless possibilities that you have with WordPress.
If only the platform of SBI is as robust as that of WordPress…. Oh well… a man can only dream so much
( Would check out The Challenge by Ed Dale… let’s see if the education in this would hold a candle with that of SBI )
Completely agree with the functionality part, Kristian which is why I wrote this post. And SiteSell will tell you that you can upload your own HTML, but the average newbie is overwhelmed by designing their own site. It’s why 90% of the sites stick with the initial block builder. It takes time and possibly even money to do your own custom design. Many don’t want to do it so they just stick with the SBI! templates.
I think if their design functionality was more “current” some people wouldn’t feel the need to move on later.
You nailed it. That is the exact gap I’m speaking about.
Well, I actually used SBI a few years ago, then canceled it, went to WP and loved it. Then after a while, I actually went back to SBI. Here’s why:
I used SBI but the “dated” templates really bothered me. And although there were a lot of things SBI offers, it is also limiting and not very flexible. So I canceled and moved to creating websites using WP.
WP is great, but the amount of “behind the scenes” work I was doing to make things work like I wanted them to was really slowing me down! Plus all of a sudden I felt I had to do 1001 things to properly SEO my page that was really taking a lot of time (and money) out of what I needed to focus on which was to create content.
So back comes SBI. The education, the evolution of the education with the evolution of the internet, the change in focus regarding SEO, and the ability to be able to focus mostly in the content creation plus the fact that I am in alignment with how SBI goes about getting the websites indexed in Google made me go back to SBI.
Yes WP is free, yes there is free SEO education online, but the thing is that I learned so many different opinions on SEO, as well as so many “loopholes” and “sneaky” but legal ways to do SEO that was actually turning me off. I just didn’t want to do all that SEOing! Most of the SEO education out there that I found and that was free, was actually from someone who then wanted you to buy a package, or a monthly subscription (some of which cost as much as SBI does for that ONE service!). All I want to do is a good and honest website with really good content that would help the people that access it. But I felt that some of these tips and tricks that I learned online were bordering in unethical, especially when it relates to the topic of inbound links.
SBI on the other hand has (in my opinion) a more ethical way of building a site and getting properly indexed by Google and Bing. They always say “you don’t want to make mother Google angry” in your SEO efforts, and I agree. I just want to focus on good high quality content that’s actually helpful to visitors. The SEO part I just don’t want to spend time worrying about.
Some people say that the SBI sites may look a bit spammy, and I can see why some people feel that way, I have seen some SBI sites that I’ve felt the same way, but I have also seen spammy WP sites.
What I’m trying to say is that I ultimately have control over how “spammy” my website is. If I don’t want google ads or banner ads in the middle of my written content, then I just don’t put it there, simple as that, and that goes whether I’m using SBI or WP.
So SBI is not only for the newbie, is also for those who want to keep track on the state of the internet (kind of like those who like the Wall Street Journal or some other business newspaper), internet marketing, and for those who want to focus on content creation while having most of the “behind the scenes” work taken care of.
I just started with SBI again and started writing the content and using BB2. I like it, it’s simple. The only thing I have yet to find is a spell checker, which means that I have to make sure I use the Firefox browser since it has a built-in spell checker, otherwise I would have too many typos! There is a learning curve though but once you get it it’s very easy. Finally my content creation is moving forward, slowly but surely.
But anyway, that’s my story, maybe it helps some people who are having the same conflicts I did have.
Thanks for sharing your story. I like the Wall Street analogy. One thing I love that Ken does is he keeps everyone informed on the news that *matters*. I remember when everyone was scrambling and jumping on the Google Plus bandwagon he confidently said to wait and he was right. I really do like how Ken keeps us informed on the “state of the Internet”. He has a very good eye for what really matters and what doesn’t.
When someone ask me to define the difference between SBI and WordPress I usually use these definitions:
SBI = Academy for building successful sites from scratch.
WordPress = A platform for building website.
My 2 cents.
/Mirsad
I deffinitely agree with ou Mirsad……:)
hi Lisa
I’m with SBI since November 2011 and now i have 2 website . I found your site at forum and get a lot of information here.
My plan now is to build a site with WP . And need your advice where i can start it.
Thanks
yande
Hi Yande,
Start with my tutorial video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jexUS43sdeQ
Hi Lisa,
As I understood both are content management systems that make creating web pages much simpler by separating the actual page content from the page/site design. They also enable us to create web pages without the need of a web page/site editor like FrontPage,Dreamweaver etc.
Both solutions (IMO) are ideal for creating professional websites without requiring that we master complex webmaster skills like advanced scripting, web design etc.
However I generally advise that if one has limited technical knowledge and want to learn the minimum to get his site working then choose SBI.
But I Prefer rather my choice however is WordPress. I have created a site dedicated to building websites using WordPress.
Hi Lisa,
I wouldn’t recommend that one makes his choice but first take a quick look at both solutions.
However I generally advise that if somebody has limited technical knowledge and want to learn the minimum to get your site working then choose SBI.
My Preferred choice however is WordPress. I have created a site dedicated to building websites using wordpress where you can find more information.
WordPress and Site Build-It are both 2 awesome CMS content platforms. The difference between these two content platforms is merely about how you feel using either one. Either way you look at it, site build it and WordPress are also wonderful content platforms which is major search engines love. By the way, is it really true that site build it cost $29 a month to maintain?
A commentator up here summed it up in a sentence I totally agree with: “design is of up most importance, but functionality is key.” There is always a gap to be filled, but sometimes we just have to do an effort to use what each platform has to give to its users. And each of the two platforms has potential.
SBI helps you build a business, not just a website. That’s the key to it’s value. However, any technology-based product must evolve. Design is important and people like to have a lot of choices in order to create an original website. It doesn’t matter if that’s illogical or unnecessary for success, it’s just how people are.
Rather than put so much work into trying to convince people that their logic is flawed, Ken could add template designers and developers to his team who are talented enough to mimic (not replicate) the features that make WordPress and other platforms popular. Bundling the very best features with SBI would result in a product that can’t be beat, in my opinion.
Very well put Melody. This just summed up what this article was all about. I’d love to see Ken outsource a team of designers to spice up their templates.
I see a forum post that says a person can seamlessly add WordPress to SBI..
Hi Lisa,
Nice Article you have there. WordPress has so much made blogging easy and user friendly. Truth must be told, there are host of other open source CMS out there but the truth is people have found so much solace with wordpress and the framework which it operates from makes it very easy to integrate a lot of plugins into it. If I am not mistaken, I think wordpress has much more plugins out there than Joomla and other CMS out there.
great post, i must admit….
but i always like wordpress because of its flexibility.wordpress provides almost everything for free..you can get themes , plugins easily and if you want more you can easily get premiums. thanks for this post
WordPress is definitely a good choice as it is more user friendly content management system. your article is really informative thanks
Want to create a website? Any platform or software would do the trick, either CMS or not, depends on how much do you want to know about the guts of your creation.
WordPress is great for me, I’m the enthusiast kind of guy who is doing web sites from passion, and not necessary for money. Now I recommend WP to anyone I know, due to ease of use and maintain once it is setup properly.
Customization is very easy once you know a little bit of html,css and php. And boy, php is easy if you have the brain bigger than a nut and understanding of basic logic. Web design is not for everybody, and If you need a good looking website, either learn how to make it or hire someone.
Internet has evolved, and you find everything you need out there for free, just need to know where to look for. There are tons of free or paid software/tools/platforms to accomplish that just get one and stick with it.
No gaps to fill between one and another, get yourself working, practice and you will get better either on WordPress or SBI or others.
Dedication fills the gap, nothing else!
Sounds like word press is winning out, but I could not have built my site without Site Build it. BB2 is adding more flexibility daily. I didn’t know a thing about building a website and SBI has taken me from a complete novice to a webmaster in 12 short months. I think it is the support and how to do it that makes SBI so popular with us newbies. I don’t even know what Work Press is so I am in the minority. I have a long way to go but my site is improving daily.
A complete elaboration ! Thanks !
I’ve been investigating the merits between SBI and Word Press. I came across this article by a gal named Kristi. Pretty convincing if it’s all true, plus the posts afterward. I’d appreciate any of you giving it a look and tell us what you think. Thanks.
Sorry, for got to post the link!
http://www.addicted2decorating.com/site-build-it-scam-a-site-build-it-review.html
I just want to say that personally, I don’t think SBI is a scam. Just because that woman had a bad experience with it doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. She didn’t use two of the most – in my opinion, anyway – beneficial aspects of SBI for her marketing. So really, she didn’t give it a good test run.
But she did say a couple of things that raised a reg flag for me. One is the attitude that SBI is it and there’s no need to look further. I could see the possibility of that type of attitude being fostered at SBI.
The other thing she said – and I have read it elsewhere – is that after Penguin and Panda hit web sites, the SEO oriented approach that SBI seems to favor is going to go out of date. She sites cases where traffic has actually dropped on SBI sites vs. Word Press
And as a published author, I too, would not want to be told what content to write or how to write it based solely on SEO considerations. That’s a big one for me. It’s as big for me as for those of you who want Word Press for it’s creative aspects of making a site. The look of the site is not as big a factor for me as being able to write what I want. At least that’s my interpretation of what I’ve read.
I do think SBI is a good thing for a newbie who wants everything done. I thought I was like that, but now I’m having second thoughts.
Seems to me that there must be a list of plug-ins and other software that when combined with Word Press achieve the same thing as SBI. Maybe that’s what is needed. Lisa??
Lisa,
Like you, I think Ken Evoy is AWESOME. Without SBI I’m not sure that I’d ever have taken my passion online. COMPLETELY non-techy and no desire to be techy. I love sharing my insights and discoveries with people who are open and receptive to what I have to say and share.
What an awesome post. No “rambling” at all in my opinion. In fact, you’re singing my song.
I began using SBI in 2005. EVERYTHING unfolded just as Ken said it would and things began to grow and build. All I did was write content, follow the steps and BINGO!! Love Ken Evoy for sure…smart, not to mention a great guy. One of the “good guys.”
Got to an average of around 5000 visitors before the latest slap which took it down a notch or 2…maybe 3…ouch. Anyway…not Ken’s doing. He did everything he was able to assist those who were effected. Point? Love Ken Evoy and “loved” SBI…past tense.
But look and feel….whew. My site has ANYTHING but an awesome look and feel and being in the place where I just want to focus on my passion without outsourcing, combined with the fact that their recent upgrade to 3.0 changed the way I could do things in the way I had with 2.0 is REALLY frustrating for me. It changed much of the functionally in 2.0 and made the way I had done things for 7 years and many existing pages already built; pages that were, let’s say “acceptable at best” look really funky for lack of a better word. It “could be” changed they told me about a month after contacting support BUT it would require me going through more than 700 webpages to figure out which ones would require their solutions. No thank you.
Anyway, have been considering moving to WordPress, came across your blog and found you sharing your experience VERY useful and helpful. Not sure this non-techy guy is ready to take the leap, but I have a hunch I better before 7 years of “work” (not really but you know what I mean) goes down the drain or at the least keeps going backwards instead of forward as it once did.
Thank You MUCH for sharing.
Chuck
Hey Chuck
You are the perfect example of the kind of customer SBI! needs to pay attention to. You love the system, but have a desire for a better design — something I’ve been hearing a LOT of lately. If SBI! incorporated WordPress into their system then you wouldn’t need to leave. That was my point exactly in this post. Thanks for coming by! And WordPress is not all that bad. I have a video below that goes over all the ropes and it’s a very non-techy teaching format.
http://www.2createawebsite.com/traffic/create-free-blog.html
Lisa, great post!
Your remarks about SBI! providing the option to install WordPress as a CMS in addition to the in-house block builder are on point. Functionally there is absolutely no competition between WP and SBIs proprietary CMS. WP is and will always be lightyears ahead in this regard by virtue of the open source nature of it if nothing else.
But one woud be foolish to make a blanket statement like “WordPress is better” without really knowing why they are saying it. Equally one would also be foolish in dismissing WP as is often done in the SBI forums which in my humble o’ was and is largely perpetuated the mis-representation of WP and SBIs early pitting itself against WP.
In my humble, functionally SBI is just very antiquated. The new blockbuilder is trying to do what WP has been doing for years. Still in this day and age, one still can’t 301, have access to htaccess and ftp let alone ssh. Obviously there is no PHP support available to the user as well so you cant use the awesome power that brings. You can’t upload custom webfonts (licensed of course) and the default blockbuilder gives no way of using html5 unless you ‘upload’ your own pages which without ftp is not pleasant. These are major aspects of design that in the end add to the overall credibility of a website which I think we’d all agree is paramount to driving conversions. I could go on about these functional shortcomings.
BUT where SBI shines and outperforms WordPress is in education. If you are a beginner or haven’t been successful thus far online, SBI teaches some solid foundations on what it takes to build a successful online business from the ground up from keyword research to niche selection to content creation, SEO as well as some rudimentary social media marketing.
I think people mix these up a bit sometimess. WordPress is just a CMS, a powerful one at that, but it doesn’t teach you how to build a successful online business from the ground up. SBI! teaches you how to build an online business from the ground up but it’s tools are highly lacking. Can’t have your cake and eat it too right?!
In my humble, SBI has 2 things going for it: The aforementioned education, which includes the action guide as well as the tips & techniques articles and the Wordtracker based keyword research tool. These are the two things find useful. I maintain a domain at SBI so I have access to these tools because let’s face it a good keyword research tool is not cheap. Subscription to Wordtracker’s keyword research tool alone is the same subscription to SBI so hey I might as well get the education while I’m at it. I maintain a domain at SBI so I have access to these tools but I build anything that requires non-trivial interactivity and dynamic content serving using WordPress or Drupal and host the site at a host that allows secure shell access, ftp and other server-side config files.
But Lisa I’m curious and maybe you can give me a pointer or two… Am I right in assuming that you no longer subscribe to SBI?
I’ll eventually cut my subscription but at the moment I feel as though I still need the edu. How do you manage to maintain your education? Are there books, blogs, mailing lists you subscribe to. This I feel is one thing I would miss the most, so I’ve been for the most part carefully collating my reading resources from credible sources. Your recommendations would be most welcome. Also what tools (keyword research) do you use for your market research? Again recommendations welcome here.
Long time admirer, first time poster.
I do still use it. My site gets about 1500-2000 visits per day in spite of the recent Google updates and makes a decent profit. I still think it’s a good system for beginners, but their technology is behind the times. Adding the WP option would make all the difference in the world but it’s not going to happen.
The templates in BB2 are a tad bit better but nothing like WordPress.
As far as education, I have always been one to subscribe to numerous blogs so that’s how I stay up on what’s going on. I read a lot so that keeps me in the loop. For example, SEOMOZ and Search Engine Watch keep me up on SEO news. As far as keyword research I use Market Samurai and The Google AdWords Keyword Research Tool.
Sorry another post…
Guys!!! Don’t confuse the issues/points raised here.
I’ve followed the WP vs SBI and pretty much read all the ‘scam’ reviews around, with much interest and comical relief might I add. There are fanboys/girls on both sides. I’ve got to say though that SBI forums can get a bit scary sometimes… but you only witness this once you’ve been on the inside hahaha.
Anyway there are two pertinent issues here:
1. WordPress Vs SBI as a Content Management System (CMS)
2. WordPress Vs SBI as a platform for building a successful online business education being a necessary component.
1. WordPress Vs SBI as a Content Management System (CMS)
This is simple. There is no competiton here. WP is infinitely more powerful, extensible, scalable, add-your-own-superlative-here etc as a tool for building a top notch functioning website with features that most non-trivial online businessess will need at some point.
2. WordPress Vs SBI as a platform for building a successful online business education being a necessary component.
Yes WordPress is a powerful tool for building websites but a lot goes into building a successful online business. If you are beginner, you likely will have no/little idea where to start. SBI teaches you what is actually involved in building an online business. It will show you how to find a profitable niche, how to do market research in the form of keyword research so you can find profitable topics in that niche. It will show you good practices in how to structure a website and how (somewhat rudimentarily) to write for the web based on those profitable topics you’ve found in your niche and how to go about monetizing your traffic, building your traffic and marketing your business. In other words it educates you on how to actually build an online business.
WordPress = Awesome tool that you can use to create a powerful, professional looking and functioning website.
SBI = The knowledge and education neccessary on what it actually takes to build an online business and how to do it.
You need both. SBIs tool suck, but education rocks. WordPress tools are awesome but education on how to actually build an online business is non existent. You need to seek this information elsewhere, like Lisa provides on this blog. See what I mean? But you can definitely find this information, it will just take a bit of effort finding good reliable sources of info. SBI education is good in that all these grounding basics are in one place. Once you’ve got the basics down pat, then off course you know what to look out for to increase your knol’. These things aren’t as apparent to beginners.
Peace y’all.
Wow quick reply!
Way to build your community
Yeah I follow SEOMoz, Search Engine Watch, SEO rountable etc for all the SEO stuff. For keyword research I was/am considering Market Samurai. Googles various keyword tools are useful as well. I’m actually going to build a site as an experiment using Adwords keyword tool only and see what sort of traffic I can get and the reliablity of using it as a kw research tool. Then there’s the usual design blogs etc.
Is that the flat stomach exercises site? Good to see that it’s still turning a healthy profit in spite of taking a hit.
I’ll probably maintain a domain at SBI! but really most of my other projects (I’ve got 5 sites) need the functionality that SBI! can’t/won’t provide. Still the education is top notch.
Peace. Big fan.
thanks lisa… i’am newbi and i want learn here to create a website. this night i build new site. i must learn , and i happy can visit your site.
thanks you
regards
I was an early user of SBI (when their templates were awful) and you are so right about the educational aspect of SBI. But I have to admit I have since moved to wordpress for the exact reasons you shared in this post. I love the theme options and all of the plugins that are available. I don’t know that I could go back to SBI now that I’ve converted.
I hear ya loud and clear, Jamie. I hope SiteSell reads these comments. In my opinion, instead of focusing so much on building their own proprietary tools, I’d love to see them just teach people HOW to incorporate WordPress tools into their existing business model. What they teach is GREAT and still no one matches that. It’s just their tools need to catch up. They’ve spent so much time trying to separate themselves from WordPress, but they could do themselves a world of good by teaching beginners how to use the existing technology. No point in re-inventing the wheel.
ZentreCorpProjectHome001
This is a test Site for the ZentreCorp Consulting WebSite.
Hi. I haven’t been here for a while ( like a couple years, maybe ).
But, I built an SBI site back when, partly on Lisa’s recommendation.
I was also not working then and had plenty of time.
SBI was great for its structured introduction to stuff like keyword research, page ranking, site optimization, page analysis, etc. It didn’t make much money, but that’s another as story & not necessarily SBI’s fault. Anyway, I’m working now and it seemed that when I found time to make modifications to my site, enough stuff had changed with the SBI interface to where it was taking too long to do simple mods. I’ve been away from WordPress for a while, as well. But, I definitely recall it being more straightforward & more intuitive in quite a few places. So, I was looking again at WordPress for some new stuff I want to do( My Nexus 7 is opening up a whole lot of new ideas ). I was considering hosting a small wordpress site on my Raspberry Pi & got pretty close, but then looked more closely at Google Sites. For what I want to do right now, and for the foreseeable future, it beats both SBI & WordPress. I haven’t settled on a final design, but I’ve already built 5 different prototypes in only a few hours. They were built using the Nexus 7. 4 of them look really great optimized automatically on my Iphone. I’ll fire up my laptop sooner or later & see how they look there. With the trends moving toward Mobile Computing, I don’t see SBI at $200+ per website as a viable option anymore. And, I highly recommend anyone considering WordPress, to also look at Google Sites.
Sorry about the link that appears in the above reply. It was unintentional. Still getting used to editing on the Nexus 7.
Hey Lisa, firsht time commenter here.
T
I just want to say first off, your Niche WEbsites book.,…..easily the BEST $20 I EVER spent on any internet marketing product EVER. So much good quality info- no hype, no fluff, no constant upselling…just good info, straight no chaser.
As a result of reading your articles and the book, I found myself wranging with either going for SBI or going for WP because of its flexibility, ease of use, and the fact that you can do a hybrid static/dynamic site.
But speaking as a complete Newbie with not alot of money to spare, I have to say that even as informative and as your book is, I feel like I still could use the SBI experience. Mainly because as I said 1) I am a total newb and 2) not alot of money to waste so to me, there is a value in having access to a business model that gives you a solid education in the basics of starting a content based website that focuses on monetizing something you love or have a passion for. I understand the limitations of SBI from what I have read and researched over the past few days and weeks, but still, as a novice I think that it will be a great learning tool. I mean honestly, your website is proof positive of how a good content driven website is supposed to be done.
Specifically speaking I know that as a noob, I can definitely suffer from analysis paralysis. I have a great passion for what I want to create a niche for, I can easily think of any number of topics on the subjects..but the transition of turning my passion to profit, i,.e. keyword research,, building a website properly, THOSE are the issues that can trip me up and frustrate me and leave me feeling negative and discouraged. So I think the SBI route is the way to go for now so I can learn and have support along the way.
Just my 2cents.
And once again, your niche book is AWESOME, especially all the WP tools you recommend and the social media promotion aspect. I know some other “gurus” would charge well north of $100 for the information laid out in your book.
Also, for the person who recommended The Challenge, its basically the 30 Day Challenge by Ed Dale. The reason I dont care for it is there approach to niches is more mercenary . SBI appeals to me because it encourages you to follow your interests and passions and not what is “hot” or profitable. But, that is only my opinion and to each his own.
In the past I have used SBI for a couple of web sites, and although I didn’t make enough effort to grow an online business, I used to monitor the hits from users which seemed to grow steadily.
For the past month or so I have had a 5 page WordPress site, and according to Google Analytics there have been no hits so far, although I’m using the SEO Plugin.
Do SBI sites actually attract much more traffic than a typical WP site?
Geoff,
This is really depends on the keywords or topics you are targetting. If the topics you have written about are super competitive or just generally competitive, it is going to be harder to rank for those terms. Needless to say if your pages aren’t in the top 10 or 20 (first two pages of SERPS say) then the chances of your pages getting discovered by searchers drops quite significantly.
So firstly you probably want to go back to the drawing board and search out keywords that are highly related to the topics you cover on these pages but have less competition. Look at synoyms and that sort of stuff.
You mention you’ve had the pages up for a month or have been tracking them for a month. Whoa! easy there young grasshopper… Fisrtly have these pages even been indexed by the major search engines? It can take quite some time for pages to get indexed. Older websites or authoritative websites that publish content frequently tend to have pages spidered and indexed much more quickly than a new player.
You mention you’re using … Which one, there are hundreds! Although I’m assuming you mean Yoast. Still no plugin is going to really help you if you don’t have the basics right in the first place—which means as first step targetting keywords that are not overly competitive. There are other on page factors such as including the keyword in your page title, in an
H1, throughout the page a few times etc etc.So when you ask:
I’d say instead of asking this question, look at your basics. SEO is more than using a plugin. A TYPICAL Sbi site might attract a more traffic than a TYPICAL WordPress site because there are probably better fundamentals in place, right from keyword research to page structure thru to content. This is a question basic fundamentals. Get a few of these right and I think you’ll be well on your way.
Peace.
Great answer!!
Hi
Thanks for your detailed response.
Yes, there are many factors to be considered. Certainly I need to spend more time on the web site adding more content, and investigating how I can market the web site more effectively.
For a blog on a specific subject, I like the idea of visiting the blogs for related subjects and making useful comments .. with your own web site in the signature.
SBI definitely has one major advantage over trying to develop a web site yourself using WordPress. SBI has much more handholding, and there is a real sense of community there.
Geoff
Hi Lisa,
I’m so torn right now, trying to decide between WP and SBI also. One thing I am wondering is how people are moving their SBI sites from there to WP. Is that a hard transition to make? Do they lose traffic or see a drop in income? Does Google penalize a transition like this in some way? I know that I read one person had to install a plugin to fix their URLs. Also, do you lose the comments from people on your blog posts (not from the static part of the site, but from the blog part)? And if a person is using Content 2.0 on their SBI site, then would they lose all that if they transferred to WP?
I don’t really know much about WP but my husband does. He could set it up for me, but I’m also really attracted to all the tools and education that SBI offers. I was considering starting with SBI to get the education and then switching to WP later. My husband thinks that I should just use WP because he says it’s better, but he doesn’t always have time to help me beyond the set-up. Do you have any resources put together that would help me find tools like SBI offers, but to use with WP instead? I’ve read about tools like: Brainstorm It!, Search It!, Form Build It!, Analyze It!, and also I’m really interested in Content 2.0. Are there things like this for WP? Oh yeah and Monetize It! also. Are there things like these that I can find if I decide to go with WP instead?
I’m really struggling with the idea of putting tons of work into a website and then not being able to move it from SBI to WP if I want to. I just found the BOGO offer, and I’m trying to make a decision, but I don’t know what to do.
Is your Niche Website book similar to SBI 10 step action guide?
Thanks.
Great information Lisa. I have never used Site Build It before, but the marketing and education piece of it certainly interest me. I have been developing with WordPress for years now and love the functionality and design piece as you mentioned. However, I’m always up for learning new things, so I appreciate the reference!
What a great post Lisa.
I use both, have done for the past 5 years. I have 3 SBI sites, and 15 WP.
To cut to the chase, in monetary terms, my 3 SBI sites outstrip the 15 WP sites for income.
Nuff said.
John
Great to hear. Keep up the awesome work!
I am a big fan of SBI. I like them even more with the BB2 updates. Much more user friendly. I personally would take being taught how to actually get my content found vs. a “pretty” site. No point in having a pretty site if people can’t find your content.
Agree Jessica but it would be nice to have both.
That’s all I’m saying.
Hi Lisa,
Great post! Love everyone’s input. I’ve been an SBI’er for the past two years and I designed my own site using Dreamweaver for more creative freedom (after a recommendation from one of your earlier posts on 2createawebsite.com). Had a lot of fun and received a great education from SBI early on and I’m very glad I started that way. The site is making money, but now I am noticing that the design and navigation patterns of newer sites are starting to shift towards larger billboards and button placement (i.e. evernote.com). I am considering moving my site WP from a cost standpoint (and the possibility of a design upgrade) however I wonder about the amount of time it would take to redirect two years of links and SEO value and if I would take a huge hit in SEO rankings or traffic? Have you ever moved any of your sites from SBI to WP? If so, did you 301 all of your pages?
Thanks again for all of the great information you put out there for everyone!
Scott
Hi Lisa,
I have been one of your silent followers for a little while now. This is the first time I am ever leaving a comment on your blog.
I set up two different sites same day using wordpress for one and using SBI for the other. Both sites were making me similar amount of money. I took a two year break to study for my Masters and to take some professional exams. This makes it almost impossible for me to keep updating the two sites. The SBI site lost all its ranking, while WP still maintained most of its positions in SERP.
This gets me worrying because I applied same CTPM technique. Now my question is, is WP SEO more durable than SBI SEO?
Thanks
Chinweike
I’m not sure you can say that SBI! is the sole cause of your site ranking drop. There are so many things that go into SEO (quality of backlinks, updated content, keyword density, etc.) So I would never make a statement regarding WP being more stable. I know just as many WP sites that were impacted so I don’t have enough proof to validate your claim. There are too many factors that go into SEO today and I don’t think you can narrow it down to the hosting.
Thanks Lisa
Well I’ve been thinking of building my website’s reputation, and because I’m having school, i don’t have too much time building my website… So i was thinking of finding an SEO company to help me with that… So Lisa, do you have any tips on how to find the right value-for-money SEO company in Singapore?
The one I’m thinking of trying for is getbuzz.net . But when i met up with them they told me that they wanted to redesign my website and i had to switch from SBI to wordpress. And i’m worried because I and no marketing guru nor a designer…
And if i stick to SBI i can’t find any good templates to suit my theme of ‘badminton’. Any advice is deeply appreciated
This has got to be the most number of responses I’ve ever read on any blog… anyway. Good work Lisa!
So, I really don’t want to dedicate all my time to this, as I love my job and don’t plan to leave, but it’d be nice to make a little more money and the help I’m giving them I believe in, and honestly, I’d do it for free even, but since there’s an opportunity to cash in too, that’s great and it motivates me to actually do it.
So I have an old (and abandoned) google sites page, but I’m looking at starting something new w/ SBI, as I’m really a newb, but then I saw mlmblogtheme.com and it kinda looks like a quasi-block builder option for WordPress, so I’m looking at that too. Basically it has a list that makes it easy to change items like background colors, fonts, text style, social links, blog META Info, sidebar positioning, turn off date option, Ad Blocks, Footer Code, Extras, Navigation Bar… etc. one time cost for $97, and no, I’m not an affiliate for it (yet!), but I wanted to know if this sort of thing would make WordPress easier for us newbies, and if that would take some fears away of the website breaking down or screwing something up. For me, honestly, I don’t want to be blogging every day, or really even multiple times a week, so I don’t thing blogging is for me. I run a Facebook page and put posts on there most days, but that’s easier than full-out blog articles. I’d rather make a handfull of videos (I can edit some decent videos, so hopefully that will help), and mix that with some articles, but I’m really envisioning a more static site, and it seems SBI is better for that… or am I wrong? I really just need enough good info and videos on my site (and linked to Youtube, maybe FB etc) to get some leads in my niche, then follow up w/ them with emails or phone calls for selling something they need
i have always wanted to build a hair care site like yours, but didn’t know where to start. wordpress is a little confusing to me, because I am use to blogger. I’m getting tired of having to do posts all the time and wait for views, I want to put everything I”ve already done in one place and update every now and then. Now I have to decide wordpress or sitebuildit. Since I’m not that experience with wordpress, I may go with sitebuildit monthly plan.
As someone who has been a graphic designer for over 20 years, knows HTML and CSS pretty well, and used SBI, Dreamweaver, WordPress, and Joomla, the reason I choose WordPress is because it’s the most efficient. I can build pages more quickly with the functionality I require than any other site-building tool. It saves me time and that becomes very important when you have many sites to manage.
No it’s not perfect. Nothing is
Thanks a lot! I also saw your adsense videos on youtube. Great!