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Mr Site Takeaway Website Pro
Price: £99 inc VAT per year

Features
Performance
Ease of use
Value for money
Overall

Reviewed By: Andy Shaw

This review updated: 29/03/2008
Featured in magazine:
Issue 181
Manufacturer Contacts:
Supplier: Mr Site
Tel: 0870 803 1495
Web Address: www.mrsite.co.uk


Web User takes a look at the latest upgrade from Mr Site, which provides a professional website with a minimum of effort

There's practically nothing stopping you from building your own website nowadays. Free software, from blogs to sophisticated site editors, can help take your favourite hobby or conversation topic and put it online. If you're willing to splash some cash, however, you could get a professional website complete with complex add-ons like an online shop and built-in optimisation for search engines, to push your online presence further.

Features
Mr Site Takeaway Website Pro comes in a box, despite the fact that it's actually an online service. There's a book and a disk included but it's the registration card containing your password that's the key element. Type the activation URL into your browser along with your password, choose a web address to register your si te under and you can start designing. Everything is then run via the web, which lets you choose from a large selection of interesting and modern-looking designs; control the page count, content and navigation of your site; and publish it online.

Performance
We were pleasantly surprised at how well the service fulfils its promises. Thanks to a good number of decent design templates, it's easy to make an attractive site. Extras like the shop go beyond the call of duty, organising the financing with PayPal and letting you organise things like stock in the background, as well as just offering items for sale. The search-engine optimisation is sensible rather than sensationalist, and there are a range of other options to drop into your site from photo galleries to forums, covering all the requirements of most modest wannabe web builders.

Ease of use
The ease of use is what you're going to benefit from most with this system. The web-based interface is a pleasure to use and even absolute beginners will find the process a breeze. Obviously, such ease of use brings limitations in terms of flexibility, so those already comfortable with a bit of website tweaking may find it too basic.

Value for money
While there are free services available, some people are willing to pay to smooth off what can actually be quite a steep learning curve. This system is ideal for that crowd, letting most people make a simple website with a minimum of fuss, even if some requirements, like setting up an online shop, are quite complex. You could even try and make the site pay for itself as it's easy to add Google adverts and Mr Site has its own affiliate scheme.

More Web Design reviews:

• Mr Site Takeaway Website Pro
• Magix Website Maker
• Serif WebPlus 10
• Mr. Site
• NetObjects Fusion 10