Product Overview of Yola
Yola is a comprehensive and user-friendly website builder designed to help individuals and businesses create professional websites without the need for extensive technical or coding skills.
What Yola Does
Yola enables users to build, host, and manage their websites through an intuitive and feature-rich platform. It caters to a wide range of users, from those creating personal websites and blogs to small businesses and e-commerce sites.
Key Features and Functionality
Ease of Use and Interface
Yola boasts a drag-and-drop interface that makes website creation straightforward. The platform guides users through simple steps, allowing them to build their site using ready-to-use building blocks that match their chosen theme. This intuitive approach ensures that all website elements harmonize, with automatic adjustments to maintain an attractive design.
Templates and Customization
Yola offers over 60 templates organized into categories such as Small Business, Personal & CV, and Landing Pages. Users can switch templates at any time without losing their previous work, a feature that provides significant flexibility. While the templates are generally basic, they are customizable, and users on higher plans (Silver and Gold) can edit CSS and HTML codes for more advanced customization.
E-commerce Features
Yola is particularly robust for e-commerce needs, even on its free plan, although with some limitations. Users can set up an online store, upload product lists via CSV files, add product variations, set shipping rates, and receive SEO improvement suggestions. Paid plans enhance these features, allowing the sale of digital goods and integrating payment options like Square, PayPal, and manual payment methods.
Mobile Optimization
Yola provides responsive templates and a Mobile Plus tool (available on Silver and Gold plans) that includes features like tap-to-call, mobile maps, and directions. However, mobile customization options are limited, and mobile publishing is only available on the higher plans.
Hosting and Domains
Yola offers fast and reliable web hosting, ensuring websites load quickly. Users can choose from using a free .yolasite.com domain, pointing an existing domain to their Yola site, or buying a unique domain name directly from Yola. Additionally, users can get a personalized email address for their custom domain.
Security and Backups
The platform includes essential security features such as free universal SSL certificates and DDoS protection. Yola also provides both manual and automatic backups to help users avoid data loss and mishaps.
SEO and Analytics
Yola allows users to customize title, meta, and description tags at the page level to boost SEO rankings. The platform also supports integration with analytics tools like Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, Pinterest Tag, and Snapchat Pixel.
Customer Support and Resources
Yola is known for its excellent customer support, offering phone support, quick email responses, and an automated help tool. The platform also features an extensive online tutorial library, videos, and blog posts to help users navigate the site builder effectively.
Additional Features
- Blogging: While Yola lacks a built-in blogging tool, it allows users to integrate their Tumblr blogs directly into their website.
- Image Management: Users can upload, store, and manage images using the File Manager and edit them with the integrated Aviary editor.
- Multi-language Support: Yola supports multiple languages, making it accessible for users whose primary language is not English.
In summary, Yola is a versatile website builder that combines ease of use with robust features, making it an ideal choice for anyone looking to create a professional website without needing advanced technical skills.