In a Nutshell
pros
- Personal consultant available on request
- Unlimited webspace
- Plenty of templates to choose from
cons
- Not fully customizable
- Have to sign up for trial
Ideal for
IONOS is a good fit for those that aren’t quite ready to build websites using code yet but who want to host their website on a respected provider with a lot of technical firepower under their belt.
Why Go With
The IONOS website builder is a good choice for users that want to get powerful design capabilities with some versatility but who aren’t yet ready to build their own sites from scratch. It’s easy to upgrade between plans that are intended for total beginners and those which are better for users with some experience.
Features
The IONOS website builder contains the following features designed to make users’ lives that much easier.
Visual Editor
If you’re familiar with the nuances of mouse and keyboard operation then you have all the technical chops required to pull off building a website IONOS style. The visual editor is very easy to use and is essentially based on a drag-and-drop interface which users can easily manipulate by adjusting content elements.
Mobile Friendly
These days, so many people are browsing the internet on their phones that it is in the interests of every website owner to make sure that adequate mobile versions are created. With 1&1, there is no need to worry. The theme library which users can draw upon have all been carefully crafted by expert designers. And mobile responsiveness is one of the key attributes built into every theme.
Full Access to HTML Structures
While building websites based upon themes might be exactly what some users need, others might feel constricted by the idea of designing around a pre-built template. Fortunately, IONOS has both sets of users covered. Those that have sufficient technical knowledge can get full access to the HTML and CSS powering the sites. There, they can make modifications to ensure optimal display and performance.
Website Building Service
With 1&1, users have 2 tracks to choose from. They can either decide to build websites themselves or they can outsource the process to 1&1’s team of expert web developers. The website design service is available on 3 tiers, which allow users to receive a designed website with between 3 and 7 custom pages. The good news is that things aren’t set in stone: after using the design service, users can continue to make changes by using the easy beginner-friendly platform.
The service is available at the following tiers:
Marketing Support
Additional support is available through 2 add-on packages that expand upon the website building platform. The My Website Now package includes a local business listing, which propagates to 25 online directories, including Google, Facebook, and Yelp. The Creator + List Local Essentials Package features a multilingual option as well as social media and business widgets.
Pricing
For users who wish to try out the default website builder program, there are 3 packages to choose from. The good news is that these packages are all inclusive: they include both the DIY website designer as well as the hosting required to keep it on the internet. Users also gain access to the template library as well as round the clock support. Each plan comes with a free first month.
Customization
Ultimately, the site builder is a template-based tool, so users will need to first choose a template that comes reasonably close to their desired appearance before making edits.
That being said, users are able to manually edit HTML and CSS if they have the knowledge. Finally, users that wish to custom develop their websites from scratch can sign up for one of 1&1’s regular hosting plans, where totally customized websites can be uploaded to web servers over FTP.
Payment Processing
The Online Store tier is perfect for users that want to get an Ecommerce site up and running on the internet.
Users are able to add a full inventory of products and sort them by category. For payment processing, users can integrate with a variety of gateways.
SEO Tools
All the templates that the website builder works with are built with SEO optimization in mind. Users are also able to manually add meta descriptions to further boost search engine visibility. If users have knowledge about onsite SEO and which keywords to use, then they can obtain further results for their business by ranking higher in SERPs.
Customer Support Services
Once users sign up for a website builder plan, they are fully signed up members of the 1&1 / IONOS family—and can benefit from the full breadth of support resources that the team makes available.
Review in Short
1&1 IONOS’s website builder is a decent tool for those that are happy to take the template-based approach to web development. There’s also a paid design service for those that want to hand the jobs over to the pros. Users have good options—and can get better results.
About
1 & 1 IONOS is a website hosting company that was founded in Germany and which is currently under the ownership of United Internet. In addition to providing its website builder package, the company also sells domains, SSL certs, and email hosting services.
