Homestead Review: Design (4 stars)
Lots of Design Customization That's Easy to Do
A Homestead website is easy to customize to give it the exact look you want. Its WYSIWYG ("what-you-see-is-what-you-get") click and drag system lets you move and adjust all the images, text boxes and graphics.
You can't easily switch between templates though - this makes you lose all your previous work. Plus all the extra customization is only available on their downloadable builder, which is kind of a cheat since our reviews are focused on online builders.
Lots of High Quality Templates
Homestead claims to have 2000+ templates in over 100 categories (we didn’t count). The templates are very professional-looking. With so many categories, it’s easy to find one that will suit your business. Some even have subtle animations built into them.
Nicely Designed Templates
Can't Switch Between Templates
If you decide to change your template after you've already got your site created in SiteBuilder, be prepared for a lot of cutting and pasting. You can't simply click and choose another design and have your content automatically transferred into it. You have to cut and paste all your text and images for every page of your site.
Customization Paradise
If you’re picky about how your website looks and want complete control over your pages, this website builder will deliver. Not only can you add your logo, you can also modify a template’s colors and design elements.
Check out how we resized the green bar – Nifty!
Tons of Images of All Kinds
Homestead’s image library is huge! They say they have over 1 million. It’s no wonder they don’t bother with categories. Instead, they have a handy searchable database.
Search Over a Million Stock Photos
In addition to the image library, there are a number of additional design libraries for you to use, including animations, buttons, headers, clipart and even sound bytes. This makes creating a specific look or effect for your website a much smoother process.
Advanced Design Capabilities Only Available in Downloadable Builder
The only issue we have with Homestead’s system is that most of these great design features are only available on the downloadable version. The online version is very limited in comparison. And the storefront builder, care of ProStores, is completely different and nowhere near as versatile. Click here to read the design review for ProStore's editor.
Pricey Design Program Gives You a Customized Site
If you want Homestead to design your site for you and give you a unique look customized around your business, prepare to pay the price. It's a whopping $999 dollars for their Deluxe design package.
If you want some customization but don't want to pay that much, you can go for the QuickStart set-up, which gives you a site that isn't unique, rather they incorporate your logo and colors into one of their QuickSite templates. This service is $249.
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