Should Steve drop his Site Build It recommendation?

[toban]

I purchased SBI based on Steve's recommendation. I trusted that Steve had the integrity to recommend only the best products. I was thoroughly disappointed with SBI, and wrote about it: A Negative Review of Site Build It (SBI).

I find it very strange that there aren't more negative opinions of SBI. Perhaps it's because SBI users are almost all new creating websites, so they have nothing to compare it to. I had a bit of webmaster experience before starting, so I found SBI to be a very mediocre product. The free alternatives out there are just so much better. After trying SBI, I started using Wordpress. I can't tell you how much better it is .

I honestly think that Steve should reassess his recommendation of SBI. He's doing a disservice to his readers by promoting a lousy product. There are much better alternatives available. I think one would be much better off starting a Wordpress site (it can do blogs and/or content sites).

Anyone else feel the same way?

[Lauxa]

Well, SBI is geared for the completely un-tech-savvy. Anyone with a modicum of webmaster experience should use something else. Because of this I would never try Site Build It. Beginners can get very overwhelmed doing even simple web administration, trying to change the look and feel of their site, etc.

Do you think that even for a complete beginner, SBI has nothing of value to offer?

[sirkinm]

Like Toban, I bought Site Build-It and I didn't like it either, so I asked for a refund and they were true to the word concerning the money-back guarantee.

I'd agree with Toban that it's not very good, even for newbs. Site Build-It sites tend to look the same (very outdated and non-Web 2.0), and even if they work on some level, they promote quantity over quality. Moreover, I had technical difficulties with publishing, and they couldn't solve my problem. That said, Steve is very up-front that it is good for newbs, and though I consider myself a newb in this area, if other newbs swear by it, he's probably right.

Personally, I like SquareSpace for easy website development and hosting (plans start at about $8/month -- pm me and I'll give you a referral link ), though there are plenty of free alternatives. The alternatives might not help you make the type of copy-cat, high volume sites that Site Build-It seems to promote, but they can help you easily make very attractive sites with easy to use WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editors. Webs.com and Weebly.com spring to mind.

[Holistic Star]

I've learned a lot from SBI and will renew my subscription even though I've not made anything this year from it. (I didn't ever monitize my site).
I'm starting again with a completely new tack and am very positive about it given what I've learned in this previous year.

I don't want to have to learn coding (I understand a little html but that's it) so it's good for me to have someone to take care of the back end.

In terms of the L&F I agree they are very clunky and offend my taste sensibilities! However a new 3 column template is being launched soon which might help. When I'm up and running I'm going to by a template by Rebecca from this site (world-of-lucid-dreaming) as I that's a lovely site and you would never know it was SBI from looking at it.

In addition I thought it might be useful to mention something. I had a few articles about detoxing on my old wordpress blog. I removed them and transfered them to my SBI site. Even though I only put 3 pages up before I took a long break, those three pages are consistenly getting more than 300 visitors a month with no marketing and nothing being done to the site for 6 months or so. The same articles with the same keywords had precisely 0 visitors per month when they were on my blog. To me it proves that SBI does something good, even though I don't know what it was.

[ChaosKiwi]

I typed "how many people have made money from site build it" into google and it came up with a bunch of negative reviews!

I think everything that steve states about site build it is true. It could help a dedicated total noob to make a income generating web site.

However I believe that most newbies that choose site build it didn't have the sense to do some research and find out alternatives. And if they cant do this I seriously doubt there chances of producing an income generating website.

This leads to the fact that a dedicated total noob would probably weigh up the other options, learn some technical basics and use something else. Rendering Steves argument obsolete.

Should Steve take down his Site Build It recommendation. I would say that is completely up to him. As I said before his recommendation is accurate (though improbable). And the affiliate program looks juicy! But a negative site build it thread on his own site might influence that decision.

[toban]

Originally Posted by Lauxa

Do you think that even for a complete beginner, SBI has nothing of value to offer?

I used to think that SBI could be useful to a complete beginner, but I'm becoming more doubtful by the day. Right now, I would tell a newb to put in the little bit of effort and learn how to set up their own Wordpress (I even wrote a short guide). If they were completely computer illiterate, I would suggest having someone build and tutor them, or skip online business altogether (why play your weaknesses?) I just don't think it's smart to be locked into SBI's system. Once a newb gets a handle on things, he'll find that SBI is limiting and frustrating.

Originally Posted by Holistic Star

I don't want to have to learn coding (I understand a little html but that's it) so it's good for me to have someone to take care of the back end.

Wordpress takes care of the back end/coding stuff. All you have to do is use the one-click installer that most web hosts offer. I didn't need any coding knowledge to set up Wordpress. I didn't even have to look at the files or do any FTP.

Originally Posted by ChaosKiwi

I think everything that steve states about site build it is true. It could help a dedicated total noob to make a income generating web site.

Of course, one can succeed with SBI, but my point is that there are better alternatives. I think Steve honestly wants to help his readers, which is why I think he should drop SBI and promote something better. Looking at trends in web technologies, it seems that open source is the way to go. As it gets ever easier and cheaper to build a website, SBI is going to die a slow death.

[Savage]

SBI is NOT a tool for creating a website.

If you want to make a website, go use WordPress or any of the other free tools. Make it as modern and snazzy as you'd like. Get cheap hosting for less than $10/month. Seriously.

SBI is a tool for building an online business, one that generates a solid income for the site owner. That's what it's designed for. That's what it's good at. That's why I recommend it and will keep recommending it. To date I've found no other service that can deliver what SBI provides in this area. I've challenged people to show me a better service. So far no one has.

Sadly, many people seem to think that a website equals an online business. A blog isn't a business. A CMS isn't a business. A wiki isn't a business.

One of my local friends is currently making her own SBI site right now (she was on Day 6 last time she updated me). She bought it because of my recommendation. She already has a website. But now she wants to have an online business that drives traffic and generates income for her family. That's why she's using SBI. And I know she'll succeed with it because she's very driven.

If you bought SBI because you wanted to make a website or because you need a site with certain aesthetics, you should indeed get a refund because that's not what the service is for. SBI's purpose is to help you create and deliver value to people and to generate income from your work.

You can try SBI and then quit and complain about what you didn't like and suggest alternatives, but then you still don't have a business.

Alternatively, you can actually follow their steps, create an online business, and enjoy the income it generates for years to come.

I could give you a long list of tech and design improvements people say I should make to StevePavlina.com. But very few of them will actually matter in terms of the service being delivered. The visitors to my site care about the content and what they get out of it, not what CMS is used in the background.

You don't need to go high-tech to generate lots of traffic and abundant income. If anything the fluffy tech is just a distraction, and the more complex it is, the more burdensome it is to manage.

In the time it takes to write a negative review of SBI, you could also create a nice content page for your own SBI site.

[bluedragon]

Originally Posted by toban

Perhaps it's because SBI users are almost all new creating websites, so they have nothing to compare it to.

SBI IS intended for new users who have NO experience in creating websites. Steve has said countless times that if you are experienced, you don't need SBI. SBI does exactly what it says it does, and lacks exactly what it says it lacks.
I am dissapointed with it too, but only because I've evolved past it and now I will start my second site on my own, with Wordpress and separate hosting.

[Dev]

Originally Posted by bluedragon

I am dissapointed with it too, but only because I've evolved past it and now I will start my second site on my own, with Wordpress and separate hosting.

Can you please list the reasons for your disappointment?

[ginkgo]

Thanks a lot for the above info and thanks to Steve for allowing it to be up here. I am experienced but it was said that SBI could even help experienced people to do better so I was considering getting it and promoting it. So thanks for saving me this trouble. I will post something about making more money with Google ads.

[munish]

Originally Posted by toban

I purchased SBI based on Steve's recommendation. I trusted that Steve had the integrity to recommend only the best products. I was thoroughly disappointed with SBI, and wrote about it: A Negative Review of Site Build It (SBI).

I find it very strange that there aren't more negative opinions of SBI. Perhaps it's because SBI users are almost all new creating websites, so they have nothing to compare it to. I had a bit of webmaster experience before starting, so I found SBI to be a very mediocre product. The free alternatives out there are just so much better. After trying SBI, I started using Wordpress. I can't tell you how much better it is .

I honestly think that Steve should reassess his recommendation of SBI. He's doing a disservice to his readers by promoting a lousy product. There are much better alternatives available. I think one would be much better off starting a Wordpress site (it can do blogs and/or content sites).

Anyone else feel the same way?

The only problem i see with SBI is the $ 300 price tag. ,Because i think it is difficult to make $300 in a year(Atleast during first year), if you dont have good content and many links from other sites.

You can get over 1000 visitors a month (I have around 700), still monetization is difficult.

You can get coaching to improve your site, that is extra ,3 hours ($180) .

Otherwise great support.

Anyone can build a web site using SBI.

[toban]

I don't want to have to learn coding (I understand a little html but that's it) so it's good for me to have someone to take care of the back end.

You don't need to learn any coding whatsoever to set up a Wordpress site. You don't even have to handle any files! Use the one click-installer that most web hosts have, and then build your site from within the Wordpress backend. Way better than SBI, even for total beginners.

Originally Posted by ChaosKiwi

I typed "how many people have made money from site build it" into google and it came up with a bunch of negative reviews!

Thanks for the tip! I looked into those reviews and discovered an online revolt among internet marketers against SBI! It appears to have started with this negative review, then Ken Evoy and co. showing up in the comments. The anti-SBI coalition is forming at Griz's blog where he has a huge list of negative links about SBI.

Originally Posted by munish

The only problem i see with SBI is the $ 300 price tag.

There are a lot more problems beneath the surface. If you start looking at the alternatives, like using Wordpress, you'll see that SBI is outdated (and getting moreso by the day) and is probably going to die off. It would be smart to avoid SBI just for the long term flexibility: what if SBI goes under? It's not easy to transfer out an SBI site that's built on their platform.

[bluedragon]

I hate coalitions that are anti-something.
I think people gather against anything that has a significant impact, no matter if it's negative or positive. So the existence of an "anti" group doesn't prove anything for me.

Can you please list the reasons for your disappointment?

SBI doesn't allow you to enable comments and forums, unless you integrate a 3rd party tool such as Wordpress. If I were to use Wordpress, I wouldn't need SBI at the same time. SBI doesn't manage Wordpress for you, nor does it provide support OR traffic stats for your 3rd party subdomains.
The interface is killing me. It doesn't allow for pictures over 100 kb. If you have to upload 100 photos, and you select a wrong filename for just one of them, you simply get a message telling you that "you have selected "a" wrong filename", and then you have to go through all the 100 files to try to spot where you made the mistake.
Their forums are almost useless, in my opinion.
But I can't know for sure that I would be better off without SBI, since for the moment I have never created a successful website, this being my first attempt. If it weren't for Steve's recommendation of SBI, I don't know if I would have decided to launch a website. Now this is what I want to do, in parallel with other things, for as long as I can imagine.

[TheEnthusiast]

rather use joolma or wordpress

[Bliss Sage]

Originally Posted by toban

I purchased SBI based on Steve's recommendation. I trusted that Steve had the integrity to recommend only the best products. I was thoroughly disappointed with SBI, and wrote about it: A Negative Review of Site Build It (SBI).

I find it very strange that there aren't more negative opinions of SBI. Perhaps it's because SBI users are almost all new creating websites, so they have nothing to compare it to. I had a bit of webmaster experience before starting, so I found SBI to be a very mediocre product. The free alternatives out there are just so much better. After trying SBI, I started using Wordpress. I can't tell you how much better it is .

I honestly think that Steve should reassess his recommendation of SBI. He's doing a disservice to his readers by promoting a lousy product. There are much better alternatives available. I think one would be much better off starting a Wordpress site (it can do blogs and/or content sites).

Anyone else feel the same way?

I feel exactly the same way!
Moreover, everyone keeps saying SBI is for the completely untech-savvy, in other words, me. I was first turned off by SBI because all of the SBI sites I saw were just...ugly. And I wanted a very specific look and I had a pretty good idea what I wanted it to look like.

The second misgiving I had was, when I went to the site, their advertising was so gaudy, like used car salesman advertising. I wondered why Steve would endorse something that is so flashy, which is usually an immediate "beware" sign to me; maybe someone trying really too hard to win me over or distract me because the product itself isn't all it's cracked up to be. This bad-taste advertising comes to my email now every time one of their "success story" people, SBI representatives sends me an email, addressing me by my first name as if we're old buddies and then gives the sales pitch--like a used car salesman.

The third misgiving I had was that I feared the options I would have to create the look I wanted would be too limited and I would end up with an ugly site just like everyone else and nothing like I wanted. Those sales representatives wouldn't answer my specific concerns when I asked. I'm sure it is way too rigid to have accommodated what I wanted.

Add to that the distinct feeling that I got from them that, if I wasn't in this site for the money, I would fail. They say you have to use keywords that they give you and so on, or your site won't be successful. Well, my website was to be full of my own creative (and other types) writing and I wasn't about to put walls up around my creativity to fit into their get-rich-guarantee scheme. In other words, I wasn't making my site for the purpose of getting rich (but that didn't mean I didn't want it to be a success or to make money--sure I do, but on my terms and, basically, I'll accept whatever results my creative freedom and ideas bring, success or not).

I have since read about others' experiences with SBI on this site and I see there is a big learning curve to get the site up and a commitment of at least a week to figure out their system, so I think I came out ahead. I finally turned to WordPress. My site was up about 5 months after I had hoped it would be, and it isn't all I had envisioned, but it is good enough for me for right now, for starters and my writings and photographs have a home now .

[sirkinm]

There was similar feedback for the 15-Second Marketing promotion, because the ad copy for it was off-putting to some.

I think that most of us feel that Steve has high integrity and doesn't hold money as his highest motivation, and he's explained his reasons for choosing these things. He was upfront in saying that he doesn't use SBI personally.

As his fans, we hold Steve to a very high standard in terms of what he endorses, huh? I'm sure he gets the point, and even if he chooses not to actively promote SBI in the future, it doesn't mean he has to drop them (unless he feels that his recommendation was misinformed).

[Rebecca800]

Originally Posted by ChaosKiwi

However I believe that most newbies that choose site build it didn't have the sense to do some research and find out alternatives. And if they cant do this I seriously doubt there chances of producing an income generating website.

This leads to the fact that a dedicated total noob would probably weigh up the other options, learn some technical basics and use something else. Rendering Steves argument obsolete.

I disagree with this comment... You can't render Steve's argument obsolete with this logic. I was a total newbie to website building - and I didn't have the sense to research other products besides SBI! This hasn't stopped me from producing a profitable website. I'm convinced there are plenty other SBIers like me who have achieved the same.

The beauty of SBI is it takes all the uncertainty away and shows you how to make a successful site - step-by-step. For beginners, that advice is invaluable!

I made my $300 back in the first month of monetization, and have renewed my subscription for year two. This is after I learnt HTML, got my own design, and now feel like a bit of an expert on SEO, writing for the web, free traffic building and everything else SBI teaches. Either I am bonkers or there is something special about it - you decide

Still, I agree that SBI is not for everyone. You all have different levels of expertise and if you have a profitable site with WordPress or others - congratulations! You don't need to worry about SBI

[toban]

Originally Posted by sirkinm

I think that most of us feel that Steve has high integrity and doesn't hold money as his highest motivation, and he's explained his reasons for choosing these things. He was upfront in saying that he doesn't use SBI personally.

As his fans, we hold Steve to a very high standard in terms of what he endorses, huh? I'm sure he gets the point, and even if he chooses not to actively promote SBI in the future, it doesn't mean he has to drop them (unless he feels that his recommendation was misinformed).

We'll I think that he's putting his reputation on the line. As more people find out that SBI is BS, it's going to impact negatively on him. In my opinion, he should come clean, revoke his recommendation, and admit that he made a mistake. He could then promote something better if he wants to. That would prove that he has integrity. Heck, he already dropped his Adsense because it the ads didn't sit well with him! If he was willing to do that, then dropping SBI is a no-brainer!!

[Savage]

Originally Posted by toban

We'll I think that he's putting his reputation on the line. As more people find out that SBI is BS, it's going to impact negatively on him. In my opinion, he should come clean, revoke his recommendation, and admit that he made a mistake. He could then promote something better if he wants to. That would prove that he has integrity. Heck, he already dropped his Adsense because it the ads didn't sit well with him! If he was willing to do that, then dropping SBI is a no-brainer!!

A reputation is the collective sum of a bunch of opinions, in my case largely coming from people who've never even met me. So to give it much concern would be silly.

I recommend what I believe is worthwhile. You are free to disagree with my recommendations of course. However, what people think of me personally as a result of my recommendations is of no consequence. If I recommend something you don't like, there's always a money-back guarantee.

[teatree]

Originally Posted by toban

I find it very strange that there aren't more negative opinions of SBI.

There are lots of negative reviews of site build it, it's just they don't come up in the search results - see here for some of them.

As for Steve - he occasionally makes mistakes, eg promoting Agloco, just when it folded and loads of people wasted aons of time on it. He's human (and exceptionally trusting).

The moral is never to buy just on one person's recomendation. Google for info (and in particular always google for negative info using search keywords such as "the problem with ...." or "... is a scam" just to see what is out there. If you go ahead anyway after that, at least you do so with your eyes open.

[sirkinm]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

...there's always a money-back guarantee.

True dat. In fact, I got my money back from SBI with no questions asked. They didn't even ask that I uninstall the software.

[ChaosKiwi]

Originally Posted by Rebecca800

I disagree with this comment... You can't render Steve's argument obsolete with this logic.

Really I'm just frustrated. Site Build It is a very attractive product to someone like me. But all I can find are either ridiculously over the top hype from people who don't even use the product. Or ridiculously over the top negativity from people who have never used the product.

Its so annoying, if they could just give out a statistic like "x amount of users made a profit in y amount of days". Rebecca800, your experience is actually the most helpful I have come across.

I have to be cheeky Rebecca and point out that your partner seems to be web savvy and that you have stated that you use dreamweaver - neither of which most newbies can access .

Omg! I have wasted way to much of my life talking about something that really has no importance, I mean A.- I don't think Steve Pavlina should alter his recommendation and B.- Come on people, Steve sticks to his guns and thats why we love him!

Ever flush a pair of pajama pants down the toilet?

[Mantius]

Here's someone who loves SBI so much that he owns seven SBI sites. Have been at it since September 2003 and is very happy with SBI. I think Steve should continue to promote Site Build It! SBI all the way!!!

[toban]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

A reputation is the collective sum of a bunch of opinions, in my case largely coming from people who've never even met me. So to give it much concern would be silly.

I recommend what I believe is worthwhile. You are free to disagree with my recommendations of course. However, what people think of me personally as a result of my recommendations is of no consequence. If I recommend something you don't like, there's always a money-back guarantee.

Hi Steve, thanks for weighing in!

Reputations are opinions in the minds of others, and when you make poor recommendations, it changes those opinions and hurts your public image (and thus your business, which is intimately tied to your name). Your credibility/integrity is what really drives your sales. As you lose credibility, you lose readers and sales. I bought SBI based on your recommendation because I trusted that you would only promote genuinely valuable products. Now that trust has been irreparably damaged.

If you're not yet aware, there's recently been a big backlash against SBI among the internet marketing crowd. These are people who know how to rank well in search engines. Whereas before, it was a chore to find negative reviews of SBI, now they're popping up all over and high up in searches. I think this will have a sizable impact on SBI's reputation, sales and future survival. It's a sinking ship, and you'd best get out before it goes under.

Furthermore, I'm a firm believer in the philosophy of providing genuine value to one's readers (which I picked up from you). I could never in clear conscience recommend SBI because I know that I would be doing people a huge disservice. The alternatives are vastly superior--SBI is a huge limit on potential. Like I said in my review, I couldn't be paid to use SBI.

At the very least, I ask that you honestly reassess your recommendation. Look at the alternatives and compare. If nothing else, at least revise your SBI sales page. I sincerely believe that SBI is a terrible product compared to the free alternatives. I wouldn't want anybody to waste their time on it, even if they can get their money back. I want to help people to become successful, and avoiding SBI is an important step.

[Rebecca800]

Originally Posted by ChaosKiwi

I have to be cheeky Rebecca and point out that your partner seems to be web savvy and that you have stated that you use dreamweaver - neither of which most newbies can access .

ChaosKiwi

You got me! My partner is web savvy and probably could have taught me how to make a website. But in truth, he was incredibly busy with his web design business last year, and it would have been a super drain to have him teach me everything he knows about the web. So when I heard about SBI through Steve, it hit me: I could teach myself! And that's exactly what I've done.

I must concede that the SBI design templates are outdated (although they are releasing a new batch soon, I hear). That's when I got my partner involved, and I can't deny the re-design boosted my motivation to work harder on my shiny new site, besides appealing to visitors more. However, SBI is now working on this issue... so SBIers without their own live-in web designer can have neat looking sites too.

I began building my site with SBI's foolproof Block Builder, then advanced to using my own HTML Editor because SBI taught me HTML too. Ya see, I just can't flaw it!

Everyone has their own opinion and that's fine by me! There are probably as many web building tools as there are flavors of ice cream. Just because someone hates vanilla doesn't mean everyone else will. We all learn differently and SBI just happens to be one pretty good way to learn about web building.

I guess all I can offer is that SBI worked for me - and I certainly wouldn't have been this driven to start my own online business without it. That's gotta be worth something.

[rocksupreme]

Steve can recommend whatever the hell he wants. It's his site and his business. If he feels his recommendations are congruent with his values, who else can really judge?

[bluedragon]

Since we all have so many questions, I think it would be far more productive if we talked about EXACTLY WHAT makes SBI so effective. Let's look at the specific tools and advantages.
I must admit that myself, I haven't been able to understand why those tools are so unique and irreplacable, and I too, feel that I could learn everything they teach on my own, pretty fast, thereby, not needing to pay 300 dollars for it. BUT, I trust Steve's recommendation, and after what he has achieved in the online business department on his own, I believe none of us are equally qualified to rate a product like SBI.
I wish someone would be able to explain (beyond the marketing messages), what exactly makes SBI better than doing everything on your own, as long as it appears you can learn how to do it in a month or so max, just by reading various articles on problogger.com, Steve's articles and other websites. I'll even write to Ken himself if I have to. But if I don't find an answer soon, I will seriously consider asking for a refund in my 4th or 5th month and continue on my own.

[MidasGirl]

Originally Posted by rocksupreme

Steve can recommend whatever the hell he wants. It's his site and his business. If he feels his recommendations are congruent with his values, who else can really judge?

Well said. Why should Steve reconsider his recommendation just because of a bunch of negative nellies? The problem isn't that there's anything wrong with SBI, the problem is that the disgruntled people are usually the loudest, making it seem like it is the only reality. Why should I discard all the success stories, some of whom I know in person, because there are a few people who dislike a product? And yeah, try and find a product loved by 100% of its customers.

Personally, I have no interest in learning any html beyond the basic functions of it. And I have no interest in figuring out how to do search engine stuff and all that greek. And I have no interest in creating a pretty designed site. Steve's site is pretty basic as you can see. No frills, no decorations. And he seems to be doing quite well. If you think the design of your site is what will make you money, good luck.

I didn't discover SBI through Steve. But I'm glad he recommends it, because I truly wish I'd found SBI like 5 years ago, when I knew exactly what I wanted to do and couldn't figure out a way to communicate my idea effectively to a web developer.

You get out of anything you do what you put into it. But if you've found something better, good for you. It just means that is what works for you.

And to the OP, if you're dissing SBI and saying wordpress is better, and the evidence you have is your site in your signature, you've got to be kidding me. It definitely does not entice me to want to use wordpress.

All power to Steve and SBI. I'm about to start my second site and I know nothing about website building. I just know what I want to write about. Who would have thought it?

[Kazeko]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

SBI is NOT a tool for creating a website.

If you want to make a website, go use WordPress or any of the other free tools. Make it as modern and snazzy as you'd like. Get cheap hosting for less than $10/month. Seriously.

SBI is a tool for building an online business, one that generates a solid income for the site owner.

Thanks for these words, Steve. When I saw your promotional articles, I dismissed them from the beginning, deceived by the name of that product. Now after your words I'm going to reconsider my opinion

I can build a really good website. Not only with Wordpress, but with pure PHP, JavaScript, ASP.NET and after some education, with Silverlight (yes, I'm boasting! ) Name any technology here.

But building an online business is completely a different story.....

[munish]

I think SBI provides real value compared to just doing a dead end job.

Any way you are wasting some money and valuable time and donating your money to your employer.

Even if the success rate of SBI site is around 30% -50% ,it is still worth it.

Every business takes time to make money.

If you have to advertise your business in a newspaper do you know how much it costs?

Internet is the best option to market your services.