Related Articles
CNET’s Cheapskate scours the Web for great deals on PCs, phones, gadgets and much more. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page. And find more great buys on the CNET Deals page.
Quick housekeeping note: Sorry about Friday’s hoverboard boo-boo. I’d written that post a few days earlier, not expecting that a federal recall would be announced the very same day. For what it’s worth, I’m still a huge fan of the products, and fully expect the battery issues will get resolved soon. Until then, we’ll just have to use our feet. Dangit!
On to business. Need a website? You might be familiar with services like SquareSpace and Wix, which aim to make the creation and hosting process as easy as possible. Take it from me: There’s still a bit of a learning curve.
SnapPages, however, is without question the most novice-friendly site-building tool I’ve tried. But it’s also on the pricey side, with Pro plans running $12 per month (or $10.80 if you pay by the year).
Not today. StackSocial is offering a lifetime SnapPages Pro subscription for $49. You don’t need a calculator to figure out that’s an insanely good deal.
SnapPages/Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET
Getting started is, well, a snap. All you do is choose a domain name (cheapskate.snappages.com, for example), then select a theme for your site. You can also pay extra for a custom domain or point an existing one to SnapPages’ servers.
From there you just start customizing your pages, adding content via drag-and-drop tools and simple editors. When you’re done, you click Publish and presto: website!
There are a couple things about SnapPages I really like. For starters, the interface is attractive and straightforward — way easier to use than SquareSpace’s, and about on par with Wix’s. Also, because it’s built on HTML5, you can build and edit pages using a mobile browser
. In other words, if you urgently need to make a change and all you’re carrying is your tablet, no problem.
That said, I’ve only dipped my toe into this service, so I can’t promise it’ll meet all your site-building needs. It does offer both social-media and shopping-cart plug-ins, along with SEO optimization tools to help you draw traffic.
If you’ve used SnapPages for mission-critical sites, hit the comments and let your fellow cheeps know what you like, don’t like, etc. Because I think this is a smashing deal, one that anyone seeking a Web presence should seriously consider.
Bonus deal: If all you need is straight-up hosting, I feel obliged to point out that StackSocial has a solid deal there as well: two years of WebHostFace Extra for $35. Regular price: $130.80. This premium hosting plan includes 20GB of storage, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited sites and 24/7 support. (Domain names are not included, however, and must be purchased separately.)
Bonus deal No. 2: Spring is just around the corner, meaning you’ll soon be able to fly the friendly skies — with your new drone! Today only, and while supplies last, B&H Photo has the DJI Phantom 2 with Zenmuse Gimbal Kit for $399 shipped. Although no longer DJI’s flagship Phantom, this model offers perks like a 25-minute battery, GPS-powered return-to-home capabilities and that GoPro-compatible gimbal kit. Just be sure to register it; it’s the law.
