So, you want to start a website, but you really don’t know much about it? And you don’t want to sink a fortune into buying domain names or hosting until you really know what you are doing. Well, luckily, I have a solution for you. There’s a brand new site out there called The Grid. The Grid is the best way to start a website, especially if you are a novice at it and are not really sure what you want your site to be about. The Grid can help you learn just what it takes to get started. However, The Grid is more than that. It’s a way to build a website for just about anything. So, if you would like to start a website to, say, sell clothing or to promote your local church group, well then The Grid can help you there as well. Looking to build a full, professional website? The Grid has you covered there, too.
Build Your Own Website Or Blog Easily With The Grid
The cool thing about The Grid is that it uses artificial intelligence to help you build your website. In other words, it learns from you what you like and applies it to your site. From colors to content, The Grid can practically design your website for you.
I was recently offered the opportunity to review The Grid, so I am here now to offer my insights.
To give you a true analysis of The Grid, I felt the best way would be to give you the pros and cons of it. I have also included some pics of my first article on The Grid. It is just a sample article talking about our dogs, so the design isn’t perfect yet, and I am not certain of the content that I really want to include on there, but I felt that in order to do a proper review, I had to have something up there. So, here goes.
Pros
- The Grid Designs Your Website For You- If you are new to website design or blogging, then you probably have no idea as to how you want your site to look. The Grid allows you to choose a color palette to start with. After you have written some content, it can give you a preview and ask you some questions to help determine whether or not you like the design.
- The Grid Is Easy To Use- You really just follow the on-screen instructions to get started. It will prompt you right through until you get to the screen to start typing. It even allows you to add photos and links from other websites (please make sure you have permission first, though). Nothing can get you into more trouble than stealing someone else’s material. I am by no means a blog expert (Dawn does all the editorial and technical work here) and even I figured out how to work my blog with The Grid in just a few hours.
- The Grid Can Help You Get Up And Running Quickly- One of the things that is toughest about starting a website is picking a domain name and getting website hosting. The Grid can help you with that. It will even allow you to take care of these things before you even type the first word, so that your site is ready to go and simply waiting for content. If you aren’t ready to choose your domain or get your website hosting just yet, that’s okay. You can certainly do that later.
Cons
- You Still Have To Promote- The Grid allows you to publish your work under your generic domain, which comes with your subscription, however the URL is a series of letters and numbers that could be difficult to remember. It isn’t like you can just type in a website URL and go to it, so if you want people to see your content, you are going to have to promote the heck out of it, and lead people to it. Of course, much of that can be eliminated by buying a domain name.
- Designs Are Limited- Now, in fairness, I have only had this site for a week, and, as I stated earlier, The Grid uses artificial intelligence to help design your site, so it may improve over time, however, initially, I could only change lettering, color and layout. The header stayed what I determined to be rather large, so if that is not your preference, you might not like it.
To be honest, that is about all that I could find wrong with The Grid. I will admit that after I learned a little bit about just what The Grid was and what it did, I was really excited to play with it. Have I decided to keep my subscription? Sure! What is my content going to be? I don’t have a clue yet. I am a big sports fan, especially football, so I am thinking that I might use it to rant and rave about that.
Final Thoughts On The Grid
In conclusion, if you are looking to get into the website business and don’t know where to start, then I suggest you start with The Grid. Perhaps you don’t know if blogging is for you and you just want to try it out. Maybe you want to try your hand at an online store but you have no idea if it will be successful. If you are just trying things out, you probably don’t want to sink a lot of money into a site designer and WordPress classes. The Grid will really help you quickly learn the nuances of owning and maintaining a website without a huge commitment or monetary investment on your part.
Get Social With The Grid
Win 1 of 3 The Grid Subscriptions
Three Cheap Is The New Classy readers will each win a The Grid subscription to start their own blog or website {$96 ARV each}. Entry is easy on the rafflecopter below. Giveaway opens to US residents only and ends on 1/30. Be sure to come back daily for the freebie entries!
Please note: By entering this giveaway you are agreeing that your email address will be shared with the sponsor to be added to their newsletter. You can unsubscribe at anytime.
*Cheap Is The New Classy is not responsible for delivery and/or fulfillment of this prize.
robin masshole mommy says
This is perfect for someone just starting out. Back in the day, I paid good money for someone to build my site for me.
candy says
This would have been wonderful when I first started out trying to figure out how to start a blog. Hope many first timers find your post and continue forward with their dream of having a blog of their very own to express their interests and thoughts.
Bohemian Babushka says
Your timing couldn’t have been better. Babushka’s looking into starting a new blog with her daughter and this could be a fun way to do it. Gracias for the giveaway. BB2U
Chubskulit Rose says
I wish I have a tutorial when I was just starting creating my blogs. It would have been healpful to have you article.
Jacqui @FlightsFancyMom says
This would have been great a few months ago! I had my new business website designed as well as my author site. But, I am code challenged and would never have been able to design it myself. Thanks for sharing!
Rocio says
This is perfect for beginners. Will share.
Terri Beavers says
I think this would be a good choice for a friend of mine who has very limited computer knowledge. I’ve been trying to help her get a website established but she’s having difficulty with it. I’m going to send her your link.
Dee says
I have never heard of the Grid, but I like what it is offering. I have a wordpress site and let me tell you it has taken me a long time to figure out how to really work it. So anyone who is new at this should really give them a try.
Katie says
I am a WordPress fan, personally, but this might be an option for some folks. Thanks for the thorough review!
Jennifer says
This would have saved my life 6 years ago when I started the blog. Thankfully now, I have taught myself a few web building skills and am able to somewhat do it on my own. Either way this is an amazing service.
Jeanette says
Very interesting! I need to check this website out! I love to play around with new systems and I would love to learn more about this one.
Jenn @ EngineerMommy says
Nowadays, it’s so easy to design and build your own website. Thanks for these tips. It used to be so hard to get a custom-looking site, but now it’s so much easier.
Heather Lawrence says
Oh if I could go back! I would totally have gone this route instead of paying good money for someone to build my site (That I ended up re-vamping and re-working all by myself anyways). This is perfect for beginner bloggers!
Jonna says
Loved the tutorial and honest opinions. A great resource!
Diana Rambles says
I am launching a new site soon and need a lot of help. I am definitely going to check into The Grid.
Pam Wattenbarger says
My husband wants to start his own website for our sheep farm. The Grid sounds perfect for him!
Tatanisha Worthey says
I’ve never heard of this website before. I hired somebody to do mine but now I wish I would have known about The Grid before I did. At least I could have tried it on my own first!
Amy Desrosiers says
What an awesome giveaway! I know a few people who would like to start sites so this is mega helpful for them.
Jenn says
It’s been years since I thought about creating a website. I ones used a builder similar to this one. They were very handy.
Melissa says
I get so many requests from friends who want to start their own websites but have no idea where to begin! Definitely going to bookmark this post and share from here on in!
Ann Bacciaglia says
My Sister is just starting to build her website. I will have to share this great information with her.
Oriana @Mommy's Home Cooking says
It sounds like a wonderful service!! I will share this information with a friend who wants to build a site for her products.
Brianne says
Oh wow this looks like it’s so easy to use! I will have to tell my friend about this who is just starting a blog!
Kathy says
Sounds like something great for those starting out with a website. I wish I would have know more about this back when I started. I’ll let a few friends know about this since they’re all interested.
Chloe says
This is perfect for those wanting to start their own website. I wish I had this kind of sale when I started mine!
Aimee Smith says
This sounds like such a good way to get started. What a deal.
Toni | Boulder Locavore says
Thank you so much for sharing these tips! I have some friends who want to blog but want to explore first before diving in. This would be a great start for them.
Rebecca Swenor says
The Grid sounds like something I will have to for sure look into. I have been saying I am going to start a blog for over a year now but last year was not a good year for my family. This year I am starting my blog for sure. Thanks for sharing the pros and cons which will help anyone in their decision to use the Grid to get started.
Cassie Tucker says
The Grid sounds like the perfect place to start for website beginners. I know some people that have wanted to start a blog but don’t know how to develop a good website that this would be perfect for.
Tara says
It’s great that there is something out there for someone just starting out. I can become confusing and frustrating.
Mimi Green says
This is a great resource, building a website can be really painful. When I started I had no idea what I was doing. This make it much easier.
Bonnie @wemake7 says
This is a really great giveaway and would benefit a lot of people that want to start a website. Thanks for sharing this.
Sarah Bailey says
This looks like it would be amazing for someone that needed it! I love redesigning my site.