So, your hosting plan is handled?
Step one sorted. Step two: A Google Search for - “Make website no code.”
You may find that SITE123 pops up on the many listopias. Why?
This noob-friendly builder offers everything needed to start quickly, even SITE123 Free Hosting (if you missed step 1).
Get:
Mobile Optimization & Custom Graphics- International Multi-Lang eCom Stores
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Mobile Optimization & Custom GraphicsLet’s look closer and see if this is one of the best free website builders around - plus a how-to on getting started simply.
Time is Money
Our SITE123 review leaves no crucial [digital] stone unturned in the effort to save our readers their hard-earned money.
The scope of our SITE123 UK review:
(Unsure of how to navigate the builder? You’re in luck — we’ve got that covered as well.) On with the analysis then - of what might be one of the top website builders on the market today:
Our Verdict ⚖️
Overall, if you're beginner who's interested in a quick website setup and a certain level of customizability, SITE123 would be great for you.
However, it lacks more advanced features that intermediate and experienced users would benefit from. Also, you should seriously be getting those features anyway for the steep price.
PROS
CONS
SITE123 UK Review 🇬🇧
Novice Website Builders Will Love It
Is SITE123 the best UK website builder?
No, but the good far outweighs the bad. We can’t see ourselves suggesting any other website builder to newbies before it.
Honestly, it feels like this was made by people who couldn’t find a service that paid enough attention to their goals and limitations when they were starting.
SITE123 is an absolute wonder to first-time website builders, and we know exactly why.
Great for Beginners
SITE123 has plans that include website editing as well as high-quality hosting services at no additional cost. And did we forget to mention the SITE123 free domain?
That’s right: You get to save money on domains as well (even the free plan offers a subdomain).
Likewise, you don’t need to manually submit your site to search engines because SITE123 does this for you. When you create your site, it will appear in Google (or Bing, if you’re that kind of person).
eCom Product Integration
Budding artists and small-time entrepreneurs alike benefit from how fast SITE123 launches online stores, all of which have:
- SSL certificates
- PayPal and credit card options
- Currency conversion
- Per-item custom pricing
SSL certificatesYou’ll find SITE123 templates perfect for selling any product, and you may find SITE123 to be a good option if you read a Shopify review and realized that Shopify needs a bit of coding knowledge.
And since its content distribution network (CDN) servers are found worldwide, your online store loads quickly no matter where visitors (a.k.a your potential buyers) reside.
Quick & Simple Website Setup
How hard is it to create an entire website? With SITE123, we can simplify the process into three steps:
- Pick a free template based on the website type
- Upload your content
- Publish your brand new website
But how will your site look on mobile devices? That’s no issue. SITE123 websites are made with utmost responsiveness in mind — it will look good on smartphones and tablets alike.
Expensive
Okay, don’t be confused. Yes, we’re telling you here in our SITE123 review that this free website builder is pricey.
To be fair, SITE123 doesn’t have to be expensive, but if you want more (and better) features, you’ll need a premium plan, and the cost is a tad high if you’re not willing to do annual billing at the least.
And the first two paid plans don’t even include an E-commerce system for selling your goods at services.
Lacks Advanced Features
Sure, we like the variety of templates and the simplicity of their editor, but the lack of complex and more scalable options stops this from being the ideal long-term website builder.
For one, SITE123 should’ve included the typical drag-and-drop editor because that would’ve made it easier to change specific, minute details of a website layout.
We can’t add all the features we like since SITE123 doesn’t allow external code — and the E-commerce system lacks features like payment trackers and automatic invoice creation.
How to Use SITE123?
Ideal for Rook-ies ♖
We said making a website is easily done in three general steps, but we must elaborate this in our SITE123 review. We want you to know exactly why we find this website builder beginner-friendly.
Here’s the full, seven-step process:
1. Picking Your Website Type 🚧
What’s your website about? If you have a clear idea about what you want to achieve with your site, it’ll be way easier to choose one of the many free templates.
Currently, you’ll find 10 general website types:
- Business
- Blog
- Photography
- Music
- Event
- Restaurant
- Creative Arts
- CV
- Landing Page
- Online Store
And if you click on, say, Business, you’ll find specific website templates ranging from tattoo studios to law firms and yoga glasses.
If you can’t find the right template, talk to customer support. They will look for a template based on your preferences, and if they can’t find one, they’ll pass the template idea to their development team.
2. Refining Your Website
Even if you’ve found the ideal layout, you wouldn’t want to seem all too generic, right? This is where you focus on the specific visual elements of your website:
- Pages
- Images
- Videos
- Colours and Fonts
Apart from adding pages, you need to name and arrange them properly.
You don’t want visitors guessing which pages are the homepage and contact page, and the subpages must appear under the appropriate top-level pages.
Visual content easily grabs viewer attention, so add images and videos to pages whenever possible.
Are you worried because you don’t have enough? SITE123 has free images, videos, and icons — and you can apply image filters and create galleries.
Lastly, SITE123 offers hundreds of fonts to quickly distinguish your site from the competition. Pick a colour palette or manually adjust the colours, one by one.
3. Submitting Personal Content
This is where you check everything from the photos to the text. Two pages are important here:
- Homepage
- About Page
The homepage is what visitors will see first when they type in your URL, and it’s likely what pops up when your site appears on search engines.
Likewise, the latter helps others learn all about you and/or your business, assuring them that they aren’t browsing a generic website.
After these, fill out the other pages.
4. Adding Contact Details
Whether someone has a question or a business proposal, you need to provide all the convenient ways visitors can reach out to you.
Luckily, SITE123 has all these prepared, so you only need to add the particular details:
- Contact forms
- Social media
- Mailing list
- Google Maps
5. Managing Your Website
Your clients should know about recent developments and changes in your availability. Sellers must have an online store showcasing their digital and physical goods and services.
Likewise, it’s always a good idea to provide live chat and to effectively gather user information and habits to improve your website.
Thankfully, SITE123 can help you with:
- Blogs & Online Stores
- Online Appointments
- App & Plugin Integrations
6. Connecting Your Domain
If you don’t want to use the SITE123 free domain, you can also connect or redirect your unique domain (or domains, if you have several) to your new site. SITE123 can assist you for free as well.
7. Publishing Your Site
And that’s it. Publish your website, share it on social media, and keep in touch with SITE123 to improve website SEO.
SITE123 Pricing 💰
The Catch
Available Plans
Our SITE123 UK review uncovered a peculiar thing. If you don’t have a SITE123 account, you won’t know much about the plans and their various billing cycles. Instead, you’ll only see this:
If you aren't picky about limitations and just want a simple website, then SITE123 is one of the best free website builders out there.
Newbies will likely stick to the limited yet free plan, but what if you’re serious about your business or client growth and retention?
Then you should proceed to the paid plans:
So, here’s our problem with this: The “most popular” premium plan they show when you click on Pricing isn’t always priced at £4.50.
In reality, that rate only applies to yearly billing. If you’re unsure about the service and pay for just three months, you’re not getting a free domain — and it will cost you around £28 in total.
So if you want the free 12-month domain, you have to switch to an annual billing cycle:
The plans above show discounted rates, but that’s just for a limited time.
Without these promos, you’re bound to pay from £4.80 to £18.30 a month under an annual billing cycle, so pick your plan wisely since longer billing cycles (24 and 36 months) offer more savings.
Granted, all paid plans come with a 14-day moneyback guarantee. However, if you’re a small business and you need to sell services or goods online, your cheapest option is Professional.
Compared to Advanced, Professional has thrice the storage capacity (90GB) and bandwidth (45GB) — and it opens up the E-commerce system that can take up to 500 monthly orders.
Still, we acknowledge in our SITE123 review that you get the most bang for your buck with the Gold plan.
If your business has grown and you expect over 500 monthly orders and website traffic, Gold is the way to go. Also, this is the only plan that allows the selling of digital products.
You’re only adding under a fiver a month (if you’re at least going for an annual billing cycle) if you’re moving from Professional, and you get:
- 270GB storage
- 135GB bandwidth
- 10,000 mailing list messages
- 10 mailboxes
- 5 additional languages
- Coupons system
- Option to sell digital products
- Unlimited monthly orders
Is SITE123 Good for SEO?
Getting the Word Out
What’s the use of having a good-looking, content-filled website if it’s not drawing enough visitors, right?
Your online business ideas won’t matter if your website doesn’t appear on the first page of search engine results.
SITE123 is well aware of how valuable SEO is to any website owner, which is why it has free SEO tools to help bring people to your website:
Meta Tags
Think of meta tags as a way of communicating with search engine robots, helping them know what your website is all about and if the content matches its description.
You’ll eventually realize a ton of meta tag types exists, but for starters, just focus your attention on these:
- Title tag
- Meta keywords attribute
- Meta description attribute
- Meta robots attribute
What you put in the title tag is what search engines will use as the title page. The meta keywords are comprised of the keywords that describe your website the best.
The meta description attribute is all about how you describe a particular page. On the other hand, the meta robots attribute helps search engine crawlers know what to do with a page.
These all seem like complicated work, but the SITE123 platform is designed for quick meta tag input.
Sitemap
When search engines crawl your website, the sitemap (as its name implies) gives them a list of all page URLs and their metadata, making it easier for Google and friends to index your website.
SITE123 automatically creates sitemaps, and you can view it anytime.
301 Redirect Tool
What if you had an old website before you made a SITE123 website, and they have the same content and focus? If someone visits an old URL link, the 301 redirect leads them to the current relevant link.
Thus, your SEO performance won’t go back to zero. Like sitemaps, the 301 redirect tool is already part of your SITE123 website code.
Webmaster Tools
If you have a Google Webmaster Tools account (if you don’t, make one for free), you can use it on your website to check how Google views it, helping you identify areas for improvement.
Bonus Features
A Gift-Wrapped Section (Must See)
Below, you can find some of the most interesting bonus features SITE123 offers.
SITE123 Bandwidth, Email Support, and Storage
The bandwidth and storage size of your website depends on your chosen plan. With a free plan, expect 500MB storage and 1GB bandwidth, both of which are lacklustre if you’re serious about your website.
With the Basic premium plan, the storage size goes from just 1GB to 10GB, and it goes all up to 270GB under the Gold plan. The same goes for the bandwidth, which ranges from 5GB to 135GB among paid plans.
But what about email support? If you have any queries or suggestions, SITE123 has a team ready to respond by email — and this applies to all users no matter their plan.
SITE123 Hosting
Once you’re done planning out and imagining what your website should look like, the SITE123 high-quality free hosting service ensures that you get your new website up and running in no time.
This is a great feature because it saves you time and money from having to search for another service provider.
Plus, the platform isn’t complacent just because SITE123 hosting requires no money from users. Servers from around the world keep websites stable.
But what about security and privacy? Aside from other cybersecurity measures, SITE123 uses a bunch of modern firewalls to secure information and maintain confidentiality.
SITE123 Customer Support
We noticed that the service isn’t without its errors or confusing features, especially when you have premium plans.
In these cases, you have to seek assistance, and SITE123 offers many options:
- 24/7 online chat
- Email
- Support centre
- Video tutorials
One of the things we dislike with live chat support is how it’s only available in English, but that’s not true for SITE123, which offers chat support in 16 additional languages:
- French
- German
- Italian
- Arabic
- Greek
- Hebrew
- Portuguese
- Russian
- Ukranian
- Spanish
- Turkish
- Romanian
- Hungarian
- Croatian
- Serbian
- Bosnian
And if you don’t like talking to people, perhaps your issues may be resolved by going through the support centre, which has videos and 18 general categories.
SITE123 Domain: Is It Free?
Okay, we need to clarify a few things about the SITE123 free domain: It’s technically free, but not all users get one.
Simply put, you’re not getting a free domain if you choose the free plan — that only comes with a subdomain.
Our SITE123 review revealed that you also won’t get a free domain if you’re only getting a three-month paid plan, and this applies to Gold, the most expensive plan.
If you want a free domain for a year, you must at least pay for 12 months of any paid plans:
- Basic
- Advanced
- Professional
- Gold
It won’t work with paying for three months four times — it should be the 12-month, 24-month, or 36-month billing cycle.
SITE123 Templates
Unlike domains, we don’t have to clarify anything about templates being free.
All plans have templates at no additional cost. You can’t download them offline, however.
All templates are responsive, opening seamlessly on mobile devices. Besides, the translation tool means that you can change the language of any template into other non-English variants.
Still, even if you find the best template for your website, it’s up to you to modify its design.
And be careful when picking a template because you can’t change your website template. If you want to use a new template, you’ll have to make another website.
SITE123 Examples
If you’re unsure about finding a template for your website, we’ve picked three unique SITE123 examples to show the many ways you can use the website builder.
#1 Sofie’s Whiskey Wine & Eats
First, we have Sofie’s Whiskey Wine & Eats, a restaurant in Illinois, US.
If someone’s looking for a place to eat and wonder about this restaurant, they can just visit the website to:
- Check the menu
- See actual pics of the food and the restaurant
- Gather contact details for queries and reservations
#2 Christina Gogoula
Here we have a portfolio website for architect Christina Gogoula, allowing previous and potential clients to check her:
- Projects
- Studies
- Background
- Contact Details
The template she chose is minimalist and neutral in appearance, which is fitting for an architect with a vision like hers.
In the same vein, other professionals such as lawyers and fashion designers can set up their own short websites to showcase their skills.
#3 Invest in Albania
The last example is a great display of how a business can go global and land big projects with minimal effort.
Invest in Albania is a hospitality development company that uses a website to list:
- Hotel offers
- Resort offers
- Services
This website is for a relatively sizable company, not just for an individual or a local business.
It’s looking for huge deals, possibly in the millions, and SITE123 provided the tools for building its online presence.
SITE123 Hosting Alternatives
A Few Comparisons Against Other Top Providers
We get it: You’re still feeling iffy about SITE123 because you know about similar website builders such as Wix and Weebly.
Granted, both have their advantages, so let’s take a comparative look at these website builders vis-a-vis SITE123.
SITE123 vs. Wix
Much can be said on this particular topic, but let's focus on the details.
If you are interested in a more in-depth analysis, check out our Wix review.
Templates
SITE123 is open to hearing template suggestions, and it currently has more than 180 templates.
However, that pales in comparison to Wix, which has 510+ well-designed responsive templates.
We can vouch for the template quality of both website builders, but the sheer quantity on Wix makes us believe you’ll always find the specific template you’re looking for there.
Then again, the disadvantage of both services is that they don’t allow users to switch templates for the same website, so choose wisely.
Ease of Use
Wix has a drag-and-drop builder, which should be good news to anyone used to it.
Likewise, it works as intended, you can place elements like text boxes and galleries without any delay — it’s all smooth.
To be fair, SITE123 is one of the most newbie-friendly website builders around.
But even it doesn’t have Wix ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence), which builds your website after taking note of your website type and design preferences.
E-commerce
Like SITE123, Wix allows users to create online shops. Pick among several templates specifically made for online stores, and enjoy features like:
- Storefront customization
- Dropshipping platform
- Real-time shipping estimates
- Selling on Facebook and Instagram
The SITE123 Gold plan also has advanced E-commerce features, so it’s up to you to choose between them.
Customer Support
This is where SITE123 needs to learn.
Yes, SITE123 has 24/7 live chat in many languages, but Wix has a user forum and email and phone support, which is available to everyone with a premium plan.
SITE123 vs. Weebly
Templates
Weebly just has around 50 templates.
Granted, these great-looking templates cover a variety of themes and are responsive, but the same can be said for SITE123, which has at least over 180 templates.
Still, Weebly isn’t at a complete disadvantage.
One important factor why you may choose Weebly is that it allows users to change templates — you don’t have to make a new website to use another template.
Ease of Use
Unlike SITE123, Weebly stuck with the familiar drag-and-drop builder, which we would’ve wanted on SITE123 as well.
Still, both website builders are simple to use for building a website on your own, even without prior experience.
E-commerce
We don’t have a clear choice here because both offer decent E-commerce features.
Yes, SITE123 will charge you at least £13.70/mo for annual billing to get an E-commerce system while Weebly Pro is just £9.20/mo for the same billing cycle.
But if you have a growing business and you’re getting the most expensive plan, SITE123 is cheaper.
The SITE123 Gold plan is £14/mo for annual billing while Weebly Business costs £14.60/mo.
Then again, the Weebly Business plan includes Google Ads credits worth £75.
Customer Support
SITE123 and Weebly have live chat support, but the latter edges out the former because of its three most expensive plans having priority phone support.
Weebly has a forum as well, unlike SITE123. Still, SITE123’s help centre is arguably more comprehensive and filled with handy video tutorials.
SITE123 FAQ
Quick-Fire Round?
Now then, what else do you want to know? We’ve analyzed its strengths and weaknesses in many aspects like:
- Ease of use
- Pricing
- Customer Support
Still, it’s also essential to have the answers to common questions about this website builder. After all, it’s difficult to give your money to a company when you’re unsure of its whereabouts and security measures.
Where Is SITE123 Located?
This is a genuine mystery to some people because the About page of SITE123 doesn’t mention details like:
- Date founded
- Founding members
- Main address
Luckily for you, we scoured the web to complete this SITE123 review and give all the details. So where can you find the address? We spotted it on LinkedIn.
The SITE123 company page on LinkedIn states that it’s a private company based in Beersheba, Israel.
Also, it was founded in 2015 and currently has between 11 and 50 employees.
Is SITE123 Secure?
Just because SITE123 offers free subdomains and domains doesn’t mean it’s lacking in optimal security.
For one, it has secure servers around the world, hosting all SITE123 websites and ensuring stability.
Our SITE123 UK review discovered that the company uses the latest firewalls and cybersecurity tools to combat malware and stop unauthorized entities from exploiting code vulnerabilities.
Besides, all websites have free SSL certificates. This encryption protocol not only keeps your data safe, but it also protects consumer data.
With an SSL certificate, your clients won’t have to worry when they type in their login details or pay using their credit card on your website.
Can I Delete a SITE123 Website Permanently?
Let’s say you no longer want to keep a website since you’re building a new one after learning all about the best web design software.
If you want to permanently delete your SITE123 website, just follow these four steps:
- Go to your SITE123 website’s dashboard
- Choose Settings
- Click Delete
- Click OK when you’re asked if you’re sure about deleting your website
And that’s it — your website is gone.
Conclusion ✍️
SITE123 is one of the top-choice website builders for beginners. Consider this builder if you:
- Can’t code
- Have never made a website
- Are unfamiliar with SEO
Still, some might prefer the old drag-and-drop 
method...
Also, they aren’t overly generous with features on the free plan...
Nevertheless, the free features are all you need to start. Remember that you’re getting all these without paying anything:
- SSL certificate
- Mobile optimization
- SITE123 subdomain
- Images, icons, and videos
- 24/7 live chat support
- Multi-language support
- Sitemap & 301 redirect...
(Get better features with any of the four premium plans.)
Either way, we don’t recommend paying every 3 months - the rate is quite absurd 
. Go for the next 3 billing cycles to maximize savings.
Open and shut case.
Our comprehensive SITE123 review is now over...you should be more sure of your decision. We hope this helped you pick a website builder that works for you.
You Might Also Like:
Add your own review:
We do our best to independently research products to better help our readers make decisions. That being said, we also want to hear your opinions. We accept individual reviews that are informative and non promotional. Please fill the form below and we’ll publish your review. Promotional reviews by companies themselves will not be published. Thanks!
1 user reviews for SITE123 Review (UK)
Anthony Shaffeur Speed : Slow Usability : Easy To Use
Disgraceful and useless
In May 2021 I informed Site 123 I would not renew my subscription with them when it expired the following month. They said they understood my instruction. Despite this advice they began to bombard me with emails, so far about 25 in all, telling me I should renew. I unsubscribed to these nuisance emails and yet they continued to arrive. Worse than this however was the communication of my personal details, a private telephone number to BT, enabling that company to start sending me SMS messages from Site 123 regarding renewal. This was done without my consent and directly infringes UK privacy law – the passing to a third party of personal information for marketing or indeed nuisance calls.
I know from reading the reviews there are many like me who suffer this pestering abuse from this dreadful company. Recommending Site123 as you do is disgrace when in reality you should be doing all in your power to shut them down. This company has a very sinister side to it and should be avoided at all costs. Site123 ignore UK privacy laws.
AS.
