Jimdo is a website builder centred around the idea that it's easy to use for everyone. It provides everything necessary for you to start your own website and you can make anything from a blog, to an ecommerce store to a restaurant site.
German based Jimdo doesn't require tech skills or web development knowledge to create a website. Although it's being around since 2007, it's not as widely known and used as the bigger names like Squarespace or Wix.
Since it strives to be easy to use for everyone, it's a one-stop shop for buying your domain, hosting, setting up and designing your site, and then for the every day tasks like managing your online store, writing and publishing blogs. There is even the option to manage your email accounts.
To further remove any barriers, Jimdo offers with Dolphin an automated website builder that uses AI for users who’d prefer an ultra-simplistic approach. Of course there is still the more traditional website builder Jimdo Creator with which you build your site from the ground up. This is Jimdo’s main platform. And if you already know other website builders, it will feel familiar.
Pros and cons of Jimdo
TL;DR Jimdo is a simple and intuitive tool to build a personal or small business website. Its Creator pricing is fair and Jimdo bills its users annually.
Pros
- A free tier plan where you can try out all its features
- It's an easy platform to work with, it requires no coding or tech knowledge
- There is a mobile app to manage your site
- It has in-built SEO capabilities
- You can customise the templates with HTML and CSS
Cons
- Limited ecommerce functionality
- No backup
- No import and export functionality
- You can't have a team for your site (for example several authors)
- Only pricing of Jimdo Creator is available
Who is Jimdo for?
Jimdo is a solid choice for building a personal project or a small business site. You can create anything from a blog to online store or bakery. Its ease of use will appeal to novices and people who don't want to concentrate on building or maintaining their online presence but on growing their business.
It’s a simple solution for small-scale websites. In a nutshell, Jimdo is a good start for individuals who want with their own personal sites or small online appearances.
It's a good pick if you plan to run a small content-based site and sell some products occasionally on the side.
How easy is Jimdo to use?
The main reason why people create websites with website builders is that they are easy to use. It's a combination of signing up, the user interface and the tools for creating your site that make how easy it's to use. You don't need coding skills, but some may offer editing functions for CSS, HTML, and Javascript. In Jimdo's case, it really makes it possible for every one to create and manage a website.
Once you have signed up and confirmed your mail, you can choose if you want to create a website, a shop, or a blog. Then you have to decide if you want to use the traditional Creator or its artificial design intelligence solution Dolphin. Beware though, there is no easy way to switch from Creator to Dolphin. It also seems there is no way to switch from Dolphin to Creator, or at least nothing could be found in the help section.
Building a website with Jimdo Dolphin is a matter of answering a few questions and the AI will generate a site that you then adjust to your needs or liking.
In Creator, you control the process of building your site from the ground, but you still use Jimdo's templates. It takes just a tad longer than with Dolphin mode. The interface is very well thought out so that it's very easy to grasp and you get around quickly.
Filling in the content such as images or website copy is very intuitive in both modes. You just click into the field and can edit immediately. Jimdo is easy to use but sometimes too simple and limiting.
Jimdo even has a mobile app with which you can create and more importantly manage your site on your mobile device, be it phone or tablet.
Jimdo themes and templates
In Creator mode, you get to choose the template that you want. Compared to other website builders, Jimdo has a limited range of templates. But this is not necessarily a disadvantage, if you want to quickly set up your online appearance. The templates are all modern, responsive, and all free. They are also customisable in regards to colours and texts. Jimdo gives you the option to add additional HTML and CSS and you can create custom templates.
How to manage your ecommerce store in Jimdo?
In creator mode, you can access the ecommerce functionality directly in the website builder itself.
You can add products anywhere on a page that you want. Fill in the details in the product element panel, where you also add product options and variations.
You can configure your store settings with shipping options under the section store where you also process orders.
Jimdo's ecommerce functionalities include
- a shopping cart
- secure checkout implementations
- payment processor integrations
- shipping and inventory management
- ability to accept coupons and discounts
- set up automated email responses
- define the selling terms and conditions
- multiple currencies
You see that some things are missing like support for selling digital goods or product categories.
The Dolphin mode also has in-built ecommerce capabilities. Here, you add a new product via the menu and then you will be guided through the steps of creating a new product. As with the website builder, its ecommerce features are also less comprehensive.
Jimdo's integrations
There is no plugin or integration store if you want to extend the functionality of your site.
Jimdo lets you integrate with any service or product that offers an embedded code or widget. This works well for basic services like displaying a calendar or videos. Anything more than that, like integrating with your accounting or shipping service is not possible.
What marketing and SEO tools does Jimdo have?
SEO
Except on the free plan, the SEO features are solid. You can use page titles and SEO-friendly headings (h1, h2, etc), add meta description, and create Google-friendly URLs based on your page titles.
Blogging
Jimdo Creator has an integrated blog that you first need to activate. You can add tags to your posts and group them in categories. You can set up an RSS feed.
Jimdo Dolphin does not provide blogging function at the time of this review.
Payment options
Jimdo doesn't charge any transaction fees or limits to how much you can sell. They also don't have an in-house payment processor, but offer PayPal, Stripe, and manual payments. Expect these companies to slap on a charge for each transaction.
Jimdo security
Whichever plan you choose, your site will be protected with SSL. But, there is no backup function, paid or free. There also is not import and export.
Jimdo customer support
You can find answers in its knowledge base and FAQ. If you need more help, you can contact Jimdo via email and social media. It does not have a phone, live chat, or a site restore option. It offers a ticket support that you can access when you are editing your site.
Jimdo pricing
In a sharp contrast to all the user friendliness and ease of use, Jimdo's pricing structure is as complicated as it gets.
To get it out of the way, Jimdo Creator and Jimdo Dolphin have different prices, but you only see the prices of the traditional website builder Creator on their site.
So, if you decide after sign up to build your site with Dolphin, the prices are different. And once you have started building your site, you can't switch between Creator and Dolphin.
Both modes have a free tier and four paid plans for website building. The prices are more or less like other builders.
As mentioned, all plans come with an SSL included.If you want to use your own domain, you will have to go with a paid plan. If you want to run a store, you will have to choose one of the 3 Online Store plans.
Is Jimdo the right choice for you?
Jimdo is an all-inclusive website builder that wants to make it possible for ordinary people to create websites.
For anyone who wants to build a simple and modern website without too much hassle and in almost no time, take Jimdo into consideration.
The free tier is great for people who just want to create a simple personal blogging site. It’s also a good pick for those who wouldn’t necessarily be willing to fork over payment information to try out the features.
That said, if you want to focus on ecommerce, or are a medium to large business and need a store with more functionality and power, take a look at Shopify. If you value high quality design, want to show your portfolio, or in general are working in the creative industries, Squarespace will fit the bill.
Original post: Jimdo review
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