Web building could no longer be a reserve of programmers and software engineers with the coming of Yola, an application that helps people lacking programming skills and languages including HTML and graphic design to build their own websites.
The application offers a range of templates online where users fill in their details and add the widgets and plugins available online. It in addition registers domains, hosts them and integrates e-commerce and blog software on the sites.
Yola has three packages at present with the free service as the most popular and consists of free web building, 1 GB memory storage, 2 sites and 5MB upload.
The second service includes the Bronze package — costing $4.95 a month — that includes a custom domain, 2 GB storage memory, 5 sites, 5 MB upload and 30 day phone support. The service also has $50 adwords revenue and limited email accounts.
The last and best service, according to Yola, is the Silver package at $9.95 a month with custom domains, 5 GB storage, 25 sites and 100 MB upload with CSS editing and free stock images and unlimited email accounts. The Silver package also has $75 in revenue support of adwords and $25 from Facebook.
Users have to log into their account to use Yola site builder before selecting preferred templates, add widgets, edit the wording upload images from the Yola stock gallery and save to publish.
Speaking during their 5th year anniversary, Yola CEO Trevor Harries-Jones said: “changing the way small and medium sized businesses launch and grow their business online by providing them with an all-in-one solution to create and manage their online presence”.
Over the years, Yola has moved from the free Site builder for their clients, to custom domain names, email addresses, mobile friendly sites, website analytics, online eCommerce store, and link to social networks and also offered appointment scheduling and email marketing and SEO tools.
Presently, Yola has won the Business Week’s 50 Best Tech Start-ups, The Industry Standard 100, and Fast Company’s Fast 50 Reader Favorites.
Yola began as SynthaSite and received a $ 5 million financing from Columbus Venture Capital and later a $ 25 million from Swiss based Reinet fund.
Yola’s competitors include services include Blogger, WordPress, Weebly, Wix, Webs, Jimdo, Lifeyo, Webnode among others.
Yola has built sites including for Habitat for Humanity, Zumba Fitness and Amhurst University.
