If you have a special skill or knowledge base you think the rest of the world could benefit from, now has never been a better time to create an online course. Thinkific, specifically, is a great tool for helping entrepreneurs build, market, and sell their online courses.
Recently, they also created Thinkific Site Builder, which allows you to build an entire website around your courses.
However, while its simple format makes it easily accessible for newbies, it might not be right for everyone.
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Website Building Options
Hosting websites are becoming a dime a dozen these days. Each of them has its pros and cons, and Thinkific is no different. If you are looking to build an online course from scratch, or already have one, Thinkific is still a great platform to build a website.
Their themes and templates are specifically designed to optimize the experience of your students, offering everything from videos and PDFs to email lessons and exams.
The web design tools are incredibly user-friendly, with no learning curve. Whatever template you choose will be pre-filled, giving you a guide on how to format your own material. This way, you’re never stuck wondering what to add for your next lesson.
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Pricing
Thinkific offers four different packages to choose from, one of which is free. However, these plans are a lot more expensive than sites like Wix or WordPress. You could stick with the free plan, but it’s admittedly not nearly as dynamic as the others.
The Basic plan starts at $39/month or $468 for the year. Their Pro (and most popular) plan is $79/month, and the Premier plan is $399/month. On top of those prices, Thinkific also takes a percentage of every sale you make.
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Disadvantages
Every site builder is different, but there seem to be some distinct disadvantages when using Thinkific. For starters, the customization options are incredibly limited. You are only given three themes to choose from, with very few additional color schemes or stock photos. If you start building your website and decide to change the theme, it will completely alter your content and force you to start from scratch.
There is also a lack of marketing and analytics features compared to other platforms. You can integrate tools like Zapier and Mailchimp, but only with their more expensive plans. This seems counter-productive since both Zapier and Mailchimp offer free options.
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Should You Build a Website with Thinkific?
This is not an overall negative review of Thinkific’s site builder. The platform is incredibly intuitive and holds your hand throughout the entire developing process. If you want to sell a course but are a complete novice to the world of web design, Thinkific is an easy way to get your business off the ground.
However, if you have experience in web design and coding, Thinkific might not be worth the price for you. Their limited design options could hinder your creativity, and any extra coding you do won’t transition over if you decide to change themes.
Simply put, if you are looking to build a well-rounded website with possibly a blog and other features, we recommend Wix or WordPress. However, if your only interest is creating and marketing an online course, Thinkific Sitebuilder is the perfect website for you!
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