I’m Kayla, and I actually used Bookmark to build three small sites this year. Not test sites. Real ones. I built a thrift store site for my cousin, a pottery class page for my neighbor, and a simple portfolio for myself. I’ll tell you what clicked, what broke, and what just got me a little grumpy.
(If you’d like the blow-by-blow of the build process, you can skim my step-by-step three-site Bookmark case study on Website Builder Awards.)
The quick vibe
Bookmark feels fast and friendly. It uses a helper called AIDA (an AI design assistant). You answer a few simple questions. It gives you a full layout with pages, sections, colors, and sample photos. Sometimes it’s right on the money. Sometimes it’s… okay. Either way, I got a working site on screen in minutes, not hours. That part felt great. If you’d like to see how my impressions stack up against other hands-on tests, there’s a comprehensive review of Bookmark's features and user experiences that digs even deeper.
But I won’t lie. The editor can feel stiff. Spacing can get weird. The blog tool is very basic. And the free plan puts a Bookmark badge on your site. I expected that, but it’s still a thing.
What I built (for real)
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Thrift store site: Lena’s Lucky Finds
- Time: One long afternoon, with coffee and a cat on my keyboard.
- What I used: AIDA to start, then I swapped colors to match her green logo I made in Canva. I added a three-column gallery for “New This Week,” a contact form, and a Google Map. For payments, we didn’t do a full store yet. I used simple “Pay with PayPal” buttons for a few featured items. It worked fine for a small start.
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Pottery class page: Clay on Elm
- Time: About two hours.
- What I used: AIDA picked a calm theme with soft blues. I changed fonts to something round and warm. I embedded a YouTube short for a behind-the-wheel clip. I added an “Events” section for class dates and a form with a field for “Wheel or Handbuilding?” It looked clean on my phone, which mattered because folks sign up on Instagram. I also added a weather note during a winter storm week. Parents appreciated it.
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My portfolio: Kayla Sox Writing
- Time: One evening.
- What I used: AIDA gave me a hero section with a big callout. I put sample articles, a short “About,” and a simple “Work With Me” form. I set page titles and meta descriptions. The site loaded fast. Nothing fancy. But tidy.
Setup felt quick (like, really quick)
AIDA asks what your business is, what style you like, and what features you want. You choose a few vibe words. It builds a full site you can edit. For the nerdy details on how AIDA’s machine learning picks those layouts, skim this in-depth analysis of Bookmark's AI-powered website building capabilities. I changed sections by picking “Blocks” like Hero, Gallery, Testimonials, Menu, and Contact. I moved them up and down. Drag and drop worked fine, though not perfect. Sometimes a block fought me, like it wanted to sit left when I wanted center. After a few tries, it stuck.
Here’s what helped:
- I set “Global” colors and fonts first. Then I didn’t have to fix each block.
- I wrote all headlines in plain, clear words. The prefill text is bland. Replace it fast.
- I checked mobile early. A section that looks cute on a big screen can get squished on a phone.
Editing tools I used a lot
- Gallery grid: For thrift and pottery photos. I kept it to 9 photos to load fast.
- Contact form: I added custom fields. “Budget range?” “How did you hear about us?” Easy.
- Map block: Dropped in a map with the shop address. Helpful for new customers.
- Embed block: I pasted YouTube and a tiny signup form from Mailchimp. It worked.
- Buttons: I linked to PayPal for quick buys. Later, we’ll add a proper store.
- SEO basics: I set page titles, meta descriptions, and alt text. Nothing fancy, but it helped search.
What I liked
- Speed: From blank page to decent site in under an hour. No kidding.
- Clean layouts: The prebuilt sections look modern. No mess. No code.
- Mobile view: My pages looked solid on my phone without extra work.
- Simple store start: Adding PayPal buttons or a basic product block was quick. It’s enough for a tiny shop.
- Hosting and SSL: Already on. No scary setup screens.
- Undo saved me: I messed up a layout once. I hit undo. Whew.
What bugged me
- Spacing fights: Sometimes a block had extra gap above or below. The padding controls exist, but they’re a bit touchy. I wish I could nudge with small steps.
- Blog is basic: It works, but it’s plain. Fine for news, not great for long posts with fancy formatting.
- Stock photos: AIDA gave me random photos that didn’t fit the brand. Easy fix, but still a speed bump.
- Free plan branding: There’s a Bookmark badge. It’s normal, but clients always ask about it.
- No “Export site” button: Like many builders, you can’t grab the full code and host elsewhere. If you leave, you rebuild. Plan for that.
- Editor lag: On a big gallery page with lots of images, the editor got a bit slow. Not broken, just sticky.
Real moments that stood out
- I posted Lena’s new arrivals on a Tuesday night. A regular saw the green jacket on the gallery and sent the PayPal right away. She picked it up the next day. That was a small win that felt big.
- For the pottery class, I added a short “What to bring” checklist after two parents emailed me the same question. Less back-and-forth, more clay time.
- On my portfolio, someone used the contact form at midnight. The form sent me an email right away. I replied before bed. We booked a call the next morning. Fast matters.
How it compares in my hands
- Versus Wix: Bookmark felt simpler and faster. Wix has more fancy controls, but I spent more time tweaking.
- Versus Squarespace: Squarespace looks polished and has strong blog tools. Bookmark was easier for quick starts and small shops.
- Versus WordPress: WordPress is powerful, but plugins and hosting can be a lot. Bookmark is lighter. More “open and go.”
If you’re building a nonprofit site and need to stretch every penny, check out my rundown of the best free website builders for nonprofits. Life coaches short on spare weekends can skim my field test of the most time-saving website builders for coaching sites. And vacation-rental hosts—yes, the folks with cabins, condos, and cottages—might prefer the tools in my guide to the website builders I actually use for vacation rentals.
- Need a bigger snapshot? You can scan the unbiased leaderboard at Website Builder Awards to see where Bookmark stands next to the rest.
Who will like Bookmark
- You want a clean site this week, not next month.
- You’re okay with simple tools and don’t need complex store rules yet.
- You like to edit text, swap photos, and move blocks—but you don’t want to touch code.
- You need one place for hosting, SSL, and pages, with no tech drama.
Who might not
- You need deep blog features or advanced store features like complex shipping rules, bundles, or many variants.
- You want pixel-perfect control over every tiny space and break point.
- You plan to export the site to another host later.
Pricing thoughts
I used a paid plan to connect a custom domain and remove the Bookmark badge. Worth it for client-facing work. The free plan is fine for testing or a personal page. If you plan to sell often, expect to upgrade. That’s normal with most builders.
Support and help
The help docs are clear. I used the chat once about a spacing issue. The reply was kind and on point, but it took a bit to get back. Not instant, but helpful. I also found quick answers by typing in the editor’s search bar. That saved time.
Speed and SEO, in plain words
My pages loaded fast on both Wi-Fi and 5G. I kept images small—under 200 KB when I could. For SEO, I set page titles like “Lena’s Lucky Finds | Vintage Thrift in Dayton” and wrote short meta lines. I used H1 for the main headline, H2 for section titles. I added alt text like “Green cord jacket on wood hanger.” Simple steps. They work.
One unexpected perk of building different sites is seeing how each niche speaks its own