An overview of the Odoo website builder

The Odoo platform offers an in-house and efficient website-building tool for its users. The designated website module of the platform allows users to run website operations from a development, design, and management perspective. The tool will help users design and create a website for a company using the simple drag and drop functionality. You might have a misconception that to develop a website, there is a need for in-depth knowledge of coding and programming. You are wrong, as the Odoo website builder helps users to create a website in no time using simple tools to function. Moreover, the user can customize their website as per their own operational needs using the various default options available. Additionally, users are provided with editing options that are operational from both the frontend and the backend of the website operations.

Every operational establishment needs a website in today's operation as the website would act as a medium to conduct business rather than the conventional ways used in the earlier days. The developers at Odoo recognized the need for a website building tool in their initial version, and they inculcated the website builder and management options. In the latest version of Odoo 14, the website builder tool is packed with operational features to deal with all the modernized aspects of website requirements. We have used the latest Odoo 14 enterprise edition throughout the book, however, some extra features wouldn't be available in the Community when compared with the Enterprise edition. Additionally, the website builder brings advanced functional options to the website. This is not only useful for users but also for visitors. The website module of Odoo also helps with the creation and management of the e-commerce platform of operations running in parallel with the website management and other company operations, such as the retail and wholesale parts of the business.

The next section will provide an insight into certain misconceptions regarding website building followed by features and operational capabilities that rectify these misconceptions. Additional benefits of using the Odoo website builder will be described along with a highlight of its salient features.

Clearing up certain misconceptions

Now, when considering the need for a website in the company, some of you might not agree to it. There might be questions or concerns, such as why should my company need it? How can I design and develop it without help and programming knowledge? How successful will it be? So, before jumping into further details about Odoo's website builder, let's clear up certain misconceptions regarding it.

Why do I need a website for my company?

This could be the first question that you might think about in your mind when considering a website for your company. You could also assume the need is reserved for corporate establishments and not normal-sized business establishments. Furthermore, you could say that it's not worth it. However, a website for your company, nowadays, will act as the primary source of income generation rather than an unused entity. Due to developments in telecommunications and internet facilities, people are no longer relying on others as consultants. Instead, they are more likely to search for a product or a company on the World Wide Web. Therefore, for your company to be discovered and known by people, the need for a website is both essential and inevitable.

Cost factor

Another aspect of concern for you might be the cost factor involved. However, it can be assumed from the results of various websites of other organizations that investing in a website is beneficial and provides you with better business opportunities. Additionally, while designing a website with the Odoo website builder, the operations won't cost you a penny apart from the subscription charges of Odoo.

Is it too early to implement a website?

The answer to this question is that you are always late if you decide to implement a website after the company has started its operations. In the beginning, when a company is about to start its operations, a website can serve as the best marketing tool available to inform the customers about the products and services that you are doing business with. Additionally, this could be an opportunity for the vendors to contact you to purchase the product from them.

Having cleared up the general misconceptions of creating a website, next, we will go through the capabilities of the Odoo website builder.

The features and operational capabilities of the Odoo website builder

The Odoo website builder is the ultimate tool of operations and will allow the user to design and create a website and manage the entire operations from the same platform. The website builder in Odoo is loaded with features that help the user to create attractive, user-friendly websites that can be operated from both the frontend and backend with ease. Here are some operational tools in Odoo that can help the user to create and run an efficient website:

• The intuitive system provides the user with the option for multiple text and font styles to be used while designing the website.
• The text editing tools are similar to a word processor, ensuring that text editing can be done with ease.
• It offers customization tools that can be expensed from the frontend and backend of the module.
• You can design the website using the available building blocks by simply dragging and dropping where you want them to be according to your design.
• It utilizes promotional tools such as pop-up messages, coupons, and promotional program integrations.
• You can opt for social media integration to create a wider reach with your customers.
• You can create and manage multiple websites for a company from a single platform.
• Multi-company operations can also be managed along with their websites.
• You can enable visitor monitoring and link tracking abilities for users.
• It supports Gengo and Google Analytics integration.
• You can keep in touch with your visitors using the live chat tool.
• It offers mobile previews and editing options.
• It offers frontend HTML CSS, and JS editor tools.
• You can access various professional themes by default and source additional ones from the Odoo Apps Store.

Additional benefits of the Odoo website builder

Odoo, as mentioned earlier, is a business management solutions tool with a modular structure, which has designated modules of operation.The modules of operations are interconnected and will operate in the same direction to strive for the excellence of your company. Furthermore, there are various modules of operations that are interconnected with Odoo and the website:

• E-commerce is an aspect of company operations that goes hand-in-hand with the company website, and as a matter of fact, the user, in Odoo, can define the e-commerce operations inside the company website itself, making the management operations of both run easily.
• The user can post blogs, and create forums and various other additional pages of operations in the website, which can be managed in the same production functionality. Additionally, the e-learning aspects of the company are associated with the company's website and can be provided as a separate page, which can be accessed with ease.
• The recruitment aspects of online job postings can be done on the same website and could be managed using the designated recruitment module in Odoo.

Additionally, Odoo will not limit the function and controllability of the website. Therefore, it will provide the user with capabilities to assign employees of the company to run the various aspects of the website, such as live chat, visitor monitoring, portal user allocation, and much more. Moreover, the platform exhibits various tools of operations that allow the user with functionality options to run the company website operations more efficiently on the platform.

The salient features of the Odoo website builder

Here are the salient features of the Odoo website builder that make it capable of running the entire website building and management operations for your company:

• Forget about coding and use the drag and drop features to build a website.
• You can create and brand your website yourself.
• You can monitor and turn visitors to the company website into customers using lead development.
• You can make use of systemized SEO tools.
• You can synchronize your website with Odoo's marketing tools for digital marketing.
• You can extend the website's capabilities using the add-ons available.

This section introduced you to the basic features and capabilities of the Odoo website builder. This brings us to the end of this chapter.