Weebly

{{infobox website

| name = Weebly

| logo = Weebly Logo.svg

| logo_size = 200px

| screenshot = Weebly editor.png

| caption = Weebly's page and website editor

| founder = {{ubl|David Rusenko|Dan Veltri|Chris Fanini{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/26/square-acquires-weebly/|title=Square is acquiring website builder Weebly for $365M|last=Ha|first=Anthony|website=TechCrunch|date=April 26, 2018|access-date=January 19, 2020|archive-date=February 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200221214114/https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/26/square-acquires-weebly/|url-status=live}}}}

| founded = {{start date and age|2006|3|29}} (Beta)

| parent = Block, Inc.

| type = Web hosting service

| license =

| website = {{URL|https://weebly.com}}

}}

Weebly, a subsidiary of Block, Inc., is an American web hosting and web development company based in San Francisco, California. Founded in 2006 by David Rusenko, Chris Fanini, and Dan Veltri, the company offers WYSIWYG website creation services and hosting. David Rusenko served as the Chief Executive Officer, Chris Fanini as the Chief Technology Officer, and Dan Veltri as the Chief Product Officer.

History

The company was established to simplify the process of building personal websites. In early 2006, Rusenko began development of Weebly in his college dorm at the Pennsylvania State University where he met Chris Fanini. By June 2006, an invitational beta version was introduced, followed by the official launch of a private beta in September 2006. Before its acquisition by Block in 2018, Weebly had raised approximately $35 million in funding from a range of investors, including angel investors and venture capital firms.{{Cite news |last=Newton |first=Casey |date=August 14, 2011 |title=Startup Weebly takes profitable leap forward |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Startup-Weebly-takes-profitable-leap-forward-2335262.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250116011131/https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Startup-Weebly-takes-profitable-leap-forward-2335262.php |archive-date=January 16, 2025 |work=San Francisco Chronicle}}{{Cite news |last=Green |first=Alisha |date=April 26, 2018 |title=Why Square CEO Jack Dorsey is spending $365 million to buy out these startup founders |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2018/04/26/square-acquires-weebly.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250116012704/https://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/news/2018/04/26/square-acquires-weebly.html |archive-date=January 16, 2025 |work=San Francisco Business Times}} In 2018, co-founder Dan Veltri departed from the company.

In March 2007, Weebly re-launched with its WYSIWYG editing interface,{{cite news|url= https://techcrunch.com/2007/05/09/weebly-launches-blog-platform-bags-650k-investment/|title= Weebly Launches blog Platform, Closes $650K Investment|first= Blake|last= Robinson|date= May 9, 2007|work= TechCrunch|access-date= September 24, 2012|archive-date= September 30, 2012|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120930075625/http://techcrunch.com/2007/05/09/weebly-launches-blog-platform-bags-650k-investment/|url-status= live}} "Pro" accounts and Google AdSense monetization features, as well as compatibility with Google Chrome and Safari.{{cite web|url= https://venturebeat.com/2008/06/10/weebly-a-simple-web-page-creator-adds-a-simple-way-for-users-to-make-money/|title= Weebly, a Simple web page creator, launches Adsense feature and pro accounts|first= David|last= Adewumi|date= June 10, 2008|publisher= Venture Beat|access-date= September 24, 2012|archive-date= June 23, 2012|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120623133028/http://venturebeat.com/2008/06/10/weebly-a-simple-web-page-creator-adds-a-simple-way-for-users-to-make-money/|url-status= live}} In 2010, the company added French, Italian, Spanish, and Chinese languages{{cite web|last=Ha|first=Anthony|date=February 24, 2010|title=Simple website builder Weebly goes international|url=https://venturebeat.com/2010/02/24/simple-website-builder-weebly-goes-international/|access-date=January 19, 2020|website=VentureBeat|archive-date=October 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211024230757/https://venturebeat.com/2010/02/24/simple-website-builder-weebly-goes-international/|url-status=live}} followed by integrated JotForm software into its services.{{cite web|author=Roy, Rohit|date=1 April 2016|title=Weebly Users Gain Access to Easy-to-use Form-Creator JotForm|url=http://www.martechadvisor.com/news/interactive-content/weebly-users-gain-access-to-easytouse-formcreator-jotform/|publisher=Martech Advisor|access-date=11 January 2017|archive-date=10 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110115447/http://www.martechadvisor.com/news/interactive-content/weebly-users-gain-access-to-easytouse-formcreator-jotform/|url-status=live}} On October 1, 2015, Weebly Carbon was released to allow plugin integration among other features. In 2016, Weebly began focusing on its e-commerce offerings with the release of Weebly 4 and Weebly Promote, an integrated marketing tool.{{Cite web|title=How Weebly 4 Is Leading An E-commerce Revolution|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/stephanrabimov/2016/09/21/how-weebly-4-is-leading-an-e-commerce-revolution/|access-date=2018-04-25|website=www.forbes.com|language=en|archive-date=2018-01-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126235301/https://www.forbes.com/sites/stephanrabimov/2016/09/21/how-weebly-4-is-leading-an-e-commerce-revolution/|url-status=live}}

As more sellers began using the company, the company created features for doing taxes, integrations with Shippo, a Facebook Ad creator, email marketing and lead capture, abandoned cart features, the release of Mobile 5.0 to help sellers run their store from anywhere, and deep integrations with Square payment processing.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

Weebly initially faced criticism{{by whom|date=January 2025}} for its lack of CSS/HTML editing support, but this functionality was added in 2009.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

The company expanded its offices in 2015, including a {{convert|36000|sqft|adj=on}} warehouse in San Francisco.{{Cite press release |title=Weebly Opens New Worldwide Headquarters in San Francisco's Historic SoMa District |date=May 14, 2015 |publisher=Business Wire |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150514005246/en/Weebly-Opens-New-Worldwide-Headquarters-in-San-Francisco%E2%80%99s-Historic-SoMa-District |access-date=January 15, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150517071943/http://www.businesswire.com:80/news/home/20150514005246/en/Weebly-Opens-Worldwide-Headquarters-San-Francisco%E2%80%99s-Historic |archive-date=May 17, 2015}} Additionally, Weebly opened a Berlin office in 2015/2016 to offer European-based support and marketing.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

In 2018, Weebly was acquired by Square, Inc. (now known as Block, Inc.{{Cite news |last=Rooney |first=Kate |date=December 1, 2021 |title=Jack Dorsey's Square changes corporate name to Block |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/01/square-changes-corporate-name-to-block-.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250105124723/https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/01/square-changes-corporate-name-to-block-.html |archive-date=January 5, 2025 |work=CNBC}}) for approximately $365 million in cash and stock.{{Cite news |last=Ha |first=Anthony |date=April 26, 2018 |title=Square is acquiring website builder Weebly for $365M |url=https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/26/square-acquires-weebly/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241220010639/https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/26/square-acquires-weebly/ |archive-date=December 20, 2024 |access-date=January 15, 2025 |work=TechCrunch}} At the time of the acquisition on June 4, 2018,{{Cite web|title=Square Updates Second Quarter and Full Year 2018 Guidance|url=https://squareup.com/us/en/press/square-updates-second-quarter-and-full-year-2018-guidance|access-date=2021-05-20|website=Square|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-05-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521001042/https://squareup.com/us/en/press/square-updates-second-quarter-and-full-year-2018-guidance|url-status=live}} Weebly had millions of customers and over 625,000 paid subscribers. As of March 2025, Weebly is used by 0.5% of all websites.{{cite web |date=24 Mar 2025 |title=Usage statistics and market share of Weebly |url=https://w3techs.com/technologies/details/cm-weebly |access-date=24 Mar 2025 |website=w3techs.com |publisher=W3Techs}}

Product

Weebly's website creator operates in a web browser, using a widget-based site builder with drag-and-drop{{cite news |author=Mary Murray Buner |date=July 8, 2007 |title=50 Best Websites 2007 |work=TIME Specials |url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1633488_1633608_1633636,00.html |url-status=dead |access-date=September 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070712093911/http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1633488_1633608_1633636,00.html |archive-date=July 12, 2007}}{{cite news |last=Russell |first=Kate |date=February 15, 2008 |title=Webscape |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/7243271.stm |url-status=live |access-date=September 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109040815/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/7243271.stm |archive-date=November 9, 2020}} functionality. Storage is unlimited, but the service restricts individual file sizes.{{cite web |author=Weebly, Inc |date=September 19, 2012 |title=Weebly |url=https://apps.apple.com/us/app/weebly/id511158309 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120707203548/http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/weebly/id511158309?mt=8 |archive-date=July 7, 2012 |access-date=September 24, 2012 |publisher=iTunes Store}} It automatically generates a mobile version of each website and supports blogging and e-commerce. Sites can be in various top-level domains, including weebly.com, com, net, org, co, info, or us.

Weebly also provides Android and iPhone apps for monitoring website traffic, updating blog posts, managing e-Commerce stores, and more.{{cite web|title=12 Best Free Website Builders|url=http://www.beautifullife.info/web-design/15-best-free-website-builders/|access-date=12 January 2018|archive-date=10 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180810145529/http://www.beautifullife.info/web-design/15-best-free-website-builders|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=iPhone and Android Apps|url=http://www.weebly.com/features/#!/mobile-apps|publisher=Weebly|access-date=27 April 2014|archive-date=26 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426231309/http://www.weebly.com/features/#!/mobile-apps|url-status=live}} Users can incorporate advertisements on their websites and track visitor statistics through Weebly's tracking tool or Google Analytics. The platform also offers integrated newsletter marketing features and supports multiple languages: English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, Polish, Norwegian, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, and Turkish (as of 2020).{{Cite web|url=http://press-preview.weebly.com/company-info.html|title=Company Info|website=Weebly|access-date=January 19, 2020|archive-date=March 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327002309/http://press-preview.weebly.com/company-info.html|url-status=live}}

Awards and recognition

Weebly has received recognition for its contributions to web development, including being listed among TIME'S 50 Best Websites of 2007 and receiving mentions in Forbes and Business Insider.{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/pictures/mmj45ifhm/david-rusenko-ceo-weebly-26/|title=30 Under 30:Social/Mobile|work=Forbes|year=2011|access-date=January 18, 2020|archive-date=February 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202234530/https://www.forbes.com/pictures/mmj45ifhm/david-rusenko-ceo-weebly-26/|url-status=live}} However, it has faced censorship in some countries and has implemented geo-blocking in several regions.

Censorship

In December 2014, the Indian government blocked Weebly in India, due to fears that ISIS propaganda was being spread through the site.{{cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/vimeo-dailymotion-pastebin-among-sites-blocked-india-anti-india-content-isis-1770814|title=Vimeo, DailyMotion, Pastebin Among Sites Blocked In India For 'Anti-India' Content From ISIS|first=Jeff|last=Stone|work=International Business Times|date=31 December 2014 |access-date=2015-01-03|archive-date=2015-01-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150102220702/http://www.ibtimes.com/vimeo-dailymotion-pastebin-among-sites-blocked-india-anti-india-content-isis-1770814|url-status=live}} On December 31, the site was again made available throughout India.{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/Indian-government-unblocks-Vimeo-Dailymotion-2-other-websites/articleshow/45731251.cms|title=Indian government unblocks Vimeo, Dailymotion, 2 other websites|first=Ravi|last=Sharma|work=The Times of India|date=January 2, 2015|access-date=January 3, 2015|archive-date=February 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150208102100/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/Indian-government-unblocks-Vimeo-Dailymotion-2-other-websites/articleshow/45731251.cms|url-status=live}}

Weebly also applies censorship to its availability with a wide selection of geo-blocked countries where Weebly is unavailable to internet users. Site owners are unable to log in from these geo-blocked locations to administer the site just as internet users cannot reach the site. According to Weebly's official support forum, the exact list of blocked countries is secret, but the employees confirmed the blocking of Côte d'Ivoire, Iran, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, as well as much of the Middle East, West and Central Africa.{{cite web|url=https://community.weebly.com/t5/Domains/Weebly-doesn-t-work-in-Russia/td-p/117497/page/2|title=Weebly doesn't work in Russia|date=15 April 2019 }}