Learning to create a business website is important when it comes to starting an online business and there’s a tendency for newbies to use website builders for this. I find a lot of them to be mediocre and that you can’t really expect much in terms of performance. Let me show you what I mean in this DoodleKit Review.
What Is Doodlekit?
DoodleKit is a website publisher and hosting company that creates websites using the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) type of editor. You just need to create an account to get started immediately.
The feature commands are presented in the form of these ‘red buttons’ (see below) whereby when clicked on, an edit form would appear for you to adjust the settings.
All the templates are preset with the basic web elements such as header, menu and page/post so this gives you a framework to start with. Stock images are also available if you need to use them for the header images.
How Much Does It Cost?
There are four types of pricing plan for this simple website builder – Free, Simple, Business and Advanced – as shown in the chart below.
I had a chance to use DoodleKit for a short while and here are some plus points that I think it deserves.
The Pros
1) The edit form makes it very simple for beginners to understand the anatomy of a website. This is very helpful for those who are totally new to website creation.
2) Like most simple website builders, no coding knowledge is required, but basic HTML features are available for those who want to attempt something more advanced.
3) The editing interface is not as cluttered as the drag-and-drop type of website builders where you need to manage multiple screens at the same time.
4) With the free plan, you can try out the platform without any strings attached.
5) In order to drive online traffic, webmasters are encouraged to do SEO (search engine optimization), social sharing and blogging for their websites.
However, having run my own online business for a couple of years now, I couldn’t help noticing what it truly lacks for business owners.
The Cons
1) At a glance, it may seem like DoodleKit offers a lot of templates. But if you look closely, they are all the same designs with just different color combinations. On top of that, the designs are not the most modern looking ones when it comes to online branding.
2) It’s clearly stated on the website settings that the template is mobile friendly yet, when tested on different browser sizes, some templates are non-responsive at all. Seems to me that this is an urgent technical error that needs to be fixed. Using a faulty template would be a huge disadvantage if you want to reach out to mobile audiences.
3) Unlike other website builders, their knowledge base is pretty limited and there’s no discussion forum to seek for immediate reference or technical help unless you submit a request.
4) Despite the emphasis on SEO, their knowledge base doesn’t provide a lot of information on this topic and even if they do, their resources would point you to Google Console, MOZ and eHow articles.
5) What is most frustrating is that, in order to publish your site, you’ll need to verify via an SMS code that will be sent to your mobile number. It has been a couple of days and I am still waiting for the code to arrive, which means until then, my site cannot go live on the internet. This verification step can be quite a drag.
Is There a Faster Way to Publish a Business Website?
Yes, there is. In fact, in less than 30 seconds, you can publish a decent website using SiteRubix. Just like DoodleKit, SiteRubix is a hosting and web publishing platform, but they offer far more superior features.
- It builds for you a WordPress website, equipped with awesome plugins that can optimize your website for better ranking and visibility.
- There are more than 1000 (free) responsive themes to match the style and brand of your online business.
- It provides 24-7 technical support that is both prompt and efficient.
- It gives you access to the online training via Wealthy Affiliate University that would teach you about how to attract traffic to your site.
- Most importantly, if you watched the video above, there’s no verification step involved. You just need to choose a domain name, select a theme and publish your site. It’s really that easy.
So, Is Doodlekit Worthy of Your Time?
If you are looking to build a simple site for personal use, DoodleKit is an okay platform to use, but I couldn’t recommend it for business purposes. Even if you are willing to pay $40/month for the Advanced package, it feels like DoodleKit is way behind technology so I am not really convinced that the high-end package would make much difference.
On the contrary, you could actually get more (way more) with SiteRubix at less than $30/month. You get better-looking websites, your webpages get ranked faster and you can definitely achieve more online traffic with WordPress.
Does this sound like something that you are looking for? Great then read my personal review on SiteRubix here to find out how you can create a WordPress website for free.
Do you have any thoughts or questions about the DoodleKit review? Please leave them in the space below and I’ll get back to you.
Hi Cathy,
Thank you for this review. I’d not heard of Doodlekit before. It looks like I managed to find SiteRubix with Wealthy Affiliate before I even started to try building a website.
Since I’ve been working online over the last 18 months, I have tried using a number of other builders (some of my friends have sites that I work on). I find that none of them have as much choice and usability as that which is provided at WA.
Thanks Cathy. That one more time confirmed me that I am on the right path.
I never heard about Doodlekit web builder platform but have used another two or three the similar.
Honestly, I am wondering who uses it? WordPress is so popular and easy to use with so many features and tools. Plus it’s a free software that can be used for personal and business setups.
Cathy,
Thanks for this Review on Doodlekit. I must admit, it is the first time I have heard of this company. But any company that is offering a free membership for you to see if it is a good fit, tells me a lot about that company.
Unlike other companies that want you to pay upfront, Doodle Kit will gain more trust with people wanting to try out this business.
What I gather from your article is that this company may be good for beginners, but someone is looking to grow their business full time it is lacking in certain areas.
I have been around a long time on the Internet so this website builder would not be my first choice. Your recommendation, Wealthy Affiliate, is the one I would choose. Having a WordPress blog today on the Internet is the best platform to choose
Doodle Kit sounds like a lot of the other basic providers out there for people to build sites with like Wix, Weebly, and Squarespace – just to list a few. From what you mention about it, Doodle Kit may or may not offer as much, and I lean more towards not as much. It does follow the various pay structure for what you get and has a website builder.
Your faster and better method of using Wealthy Affiliate is by far much more in line what I need and would believe what anyone is looking seriously at having an online business. The price point is better, and you receive so much more with all the support and training with Wealthy Affiliate.
I can see how this is useful when it comes to needing a professional looking simple site, but not really much for uniqueness and branding. I have used Weebly recently, but more so for a capture page on top of the affilate pages I have of course. Keep up these kind of reviews for us.