Here are a couple of the things I’ve read:

• SBI owns your domain, not you. So, if you want to transfer it to a new web host, either you won’t be able to… or it’ll cost you, big time.
• You have no control over your website because you don’t have access to the backend.

So, are they true? Well…. NO.

Does SBI Control Your Domain?

SBI functions as both a web host and your domain registrar when you sign up with them. So, they DO register your domain name for you (through Tucows.com)… at no additional charge. But they don’t own the domain name; you do. I’ll prove it to you. Just follow these steps:

1. Go to this page: http://results.sitesell.com/scsweb.html
2. On that page you’ll see a list of many successful SBI websites. (Or you can also look at my SBI site URLs on the right sidebar here.)
3. Next, go to http://www.betterwhois.com & insert any of the SBI URLs from the Results page or mine here and look at the Administrative Contact listed. It doesn’t say SBI, SiteSell or anything like that, does it? (Unless of course you happen to choose anguilla-beaches.com, which IS owned by the daughter of SBI founder, Ken Evoy.)

So, you can easily prove to yourself that SBI does NOT own your domain; the SBI website owner does. And should an SBI owner decide to transfer their site away from SBI, all they have to do is initiate a domain transfer. It’s as easy to do at SBI as it is anywhere else. I know, because I’ve done it. Just be sure to save your pages before you do so, because you’ll have to upload them all over again to your new web host. And it doesn’t cost anything to leave SBI either; in fact, they’ll probably give you a prorated refund if you ask.

One other thing… if you DO leave SBI, any functionality you were using, such as forms, Content 2.0 or the ezine mailer, will obviously no longer work once you leave SBI.

Do You Control Your Website?

Some people equate not being able to do traditional FTP file uploads or being able to access your backend directly with not having control over your website. Again, this is NOT true. You can’t upload batches of files, and that is something most experienced webmasters like me find a little frustrating. SBI says it helps avoid problems when you can’t directly access your database of files. I’m not sure I buy it. But I also don’t buy that it means I’m not in charge of my own site.

The SBI staff never touch your site or anything in it. You own and control all your content. You add and subtract functionality in complete freedom… as you see fit. Over the past few years, they have given you more and more control, albeit somewhat indirectly to much more functionality than was originally true.

For example, you didn’t used to be able to install a true blog, a forum or a php-based shopping cart script on your SBI site, because you couldn’t upload PHP files or install PHP based scripts. But about a year ago, they rolled out a new module called InfinIt that now makes all that possible by putting those add-ons in a subdomain of your site (which is actually hosted elsewhere, but appears to be a seamless subsection of your site). Here’s an example on one of my sites:

http://mama.motor-scooters-guide.com/

So, my answer once again to the many SBI myths that have to do with your control over your own site is once again… WRONG! SBI is not the enemy; it is simply a tool to build a successful business on the Web.

Apparently, our world is so negative and we’ve been ripped off so often, that many of us find it hard to believe that a company might actually deliver on its promises and that the price we pay for it is worth it. Is this true of SBI?

Well… do a Google search on Site Build It scam and you’re going to find more than a few rants from people claiming unequivocally that SBI is a scam. And to my eyes, that’s a real shame. Because nothing could be further from the truth.

Let’s look at the definition of a scam. In simple terms, it’s basically the same as a fraud. But, a more detailed definition tells us a scam is a fraudulent business scheme meant to victimize or deprive its victim by deceit. In other words, it is an attempt to intentionally mislead a person or persons (known as the mark) usually with the goal of financial or other gain.

I think, if you’ve been skulking around the Internet with the intention of building a money-making website for very long, you’ve probably experienced at least a few instances of Internet marketing scams. Sales pages that proclaim, “Make money while you sleep…”, “$50,000 in 30 Days without spending a dime!” and the like. Nine times out of ten, those so-called gurus either outright lie about their results and the methods used to achieve them, or they omit key steps in the equation.

How many ebooks and video learning programs have you bought that left you high and dry when you were finished? If you’re like me, more than you care to admit to. It’s a common experience in those of us who long to become our own boss and make money from home… unfortunately. And there are any number of true scammers just waiting to take your money.

Is SBI one of these scam companies? I don’t believe so. Here’s why…

They Don’t Claim to Be a Get Rich Quick System

In fact, they go out of their way to emphasize that they are NOT a GRQ system, that to succeed with Site Build It takes time and a LOT of hard work and dedication. In fact, the founder of SBI, Dr. Ken Evoy (a real doctor), calls it the BAM factor. He loves acronyms, a bit too much for my tastes, but BAM = Brains And Motivation. And that’s the key to success with SBI.

That seems pretty straightforward and honest to me.

SBI Is Not Free, But It Does Provide Lasting Value

Site Build It costs money, it’s true, quite a hunk of money, when you’re just starting out. $299 to be exact (at this writing). And while that can seem like a lot, if you think about how quickly all those $27 eBooks, $30 monthly memberships and $17 softwares can add up, not to mention the cost of web hosting, domain name registration, etc., it’s probably not that different. What makes it seem like so much, I think, is that you have to pay it all at once, up front. But look at what you get:

• A comprehensive course in building a successful web-based business
• Sophisticated keyword brainstormer
• Decision software to help with choosing a niche
• Unlimited bandwidth web hosting
• Point and click website builder, with hundreds of free design templates
• Automatic preparation/submission of an XML sitemap for search engine spidering
• Social bookmarking
• Web 2.0 style tool to enable visitor interaction and content submission
• Form building tool, suitable for contact forms, surveys, quizzes and polls
• Autoresponder/newsletter mailer
• RSS feed creation and pinging
• Broad-ranging database of link clickthrough, images, form data and more
• Search engine index rank reporting
• Step-by-step tutorials, video action guide, constantly updated tools and techniques library
• Supportive forum community
• Robust support center

It’s important to note that new features, tools and tips are rolled out at an amazing frequency (at least 4 to 6 times a year), and that the price has never gone up in all the time I’ve owned my SBI sites. That $299 includes everything except the Web 2.0 tool, which is $99/year, but optional to use, and you get 25 free submissions before you pay a dime.

Site Build It Works Hard to Not Mislead You on Its Sales Pages

I already talked about how hard SBI works to tell you it’s NOT get rich quick fodder. But they also go out of their way to tell you every other fact about what it takes to succeed in online business and how Site Build It differs from their competitors. In fact, if you read all of their sales copy, it’ll take you pages and pages and probably a couple of hours of your time. Dr. Ken does love to talk, I  mean write!

I’ll be the first to admit that it can be a bit overwhelming to wade through all that information. But, if you’re the type that likes to find out everything you can before you make a decision, then you might like all those facts. One thing’s for sure… most of your questions will probably be answered by the time you’re through.  But if not, you can even ask experienced SBI webmasters your questions. They’ll help you figure out if SBI is right for you.

And it’s important to know that Site Build It prides itself on overdelivering, in every aspect. So, they don’t just deliver what they promise… they deliver even more.

Should you find after the fact that SBI is not the right match for you for any reason, you can always request a pro-rated refund. That’s a guarantee you can count on.

Now does that sound like a scammer?

In my opinion, there is absolutely no evidence and no basis for anyone to claim that Site Build It is a scam.

It’s often been said that “Content is King” on the World Wide Web, and after all, isn’t that precisely what the Web is most about? Finding free information, that is. At least that’s how I see it. So, it comes as no surprise that some of the most successful websites to be found on the Internet are content sites. In other words, sites that provide tons of content that is focused (hopefully) on rather narrow niches.

Just look at Wikipedia! I don’t know about you, but every search I do seems to turn up Wiki sites within the first page or two. But you can also build money-making content sites that are NOT in the public domain.

For example, I have websites on resume writing, healthcare careers, caring for boxer dogs, motor scooters, quick easy cooking, and Acadia National Park. Each one has anywhere from 50 to 150 pages all focused on its particular niche.

I’m a writer, so the writing part comes easy to me, as you might imagine. But what about the actual building of web pages (and all the other “stuff” that goes into creating an actual live website)? I didn’t know anything about HTML or web building when I put up my first Site Build It website. I didn’t have to, though, because SBI provides sophisticated, but super easy to use tools to build well-formatted websites that get tons of traffic and consistently make money.

How much traffic and money, you ask? Well, my resume site routinely gets over 100,000 unique visitors and makes over $1500 every single month!

In the coming weeks and months, I’ll be publishing a series of reviews and myth-busters about Site Build It and all its many modules. I’ll also answer that frequent question, “Is Site Build It a Scam?” But if you want to check it out yourself right now, visit the QuickTour page to get started.