Couldn't make it work, no documentation, no support
UPDATE:
Not changing my rating or review. I had a few email exchanges and got some questions answered (confirmed one code lets you use unlimited banners on unlimited sites) but there's no documentation and never got the banner to work. On those to topics I was advised that Banner used to be built into Answerly but that they broke it out into its own product and hadn't updated the documentation. While understandable, leaving dead links up is a terrible look and really makes the company look very fly-by-night. Regarding never getting the banner to load, the Banner recognized my website but the banner was never displayed. Supports answer was to have the banner shown on all pages. I didn't try that because short of a going out of business banner, I can't think of any time I'd want the same banner on all the pages of my website. Two other things, Banner has a lot of Integrations with email marketing platforms, website text talks about collecting emails, but they apparently abandoned this effort and didn't remove everything from the tool. Last issue was with support itself - in fairness I can come across as abrasive at times - but there was a lot of snark in their response when I asked about collecting email addresses and why the integrations were there if Banner couldn't be used for that. Ultimately they suggested I take my business elsewhere which I'm happy to oblige.
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
Couple of issues that make this one a pass unless someone from Banner/Answerly comes through with some answers.
1) All of the links to the Banner documentation are dead.
2) Email to support at Hi@answerly.com bounced back stating their mailbox was full. How many emails do you have to have in there to get that error?!?
[ LMTP error after RCPT TO:<hi@answerly.io>: 552 5.2.2 <hi@answerly.io> Quota exceeded (mailbox for user is full) ]
3) Tried to embed a banner on my website using their "Instant Embed" but the banner was never displayed (Gutenberg-based Wordpress website with Blocksy). Embed code was added using a Gutenberg block. I have a second site that is based on Elementor; another Sumoling reported having issues getting the banner to display on an Elementor-based site so I haven't tried it on mine yet.
4) Misleading/Confusing messaging - "Fatos_Answerly" says the banners can be used on unlimited sites, but when you register the LTD code it says it's good for only one site. But you can "connect' multiple websites to get the "Instant Embed" code for a banner. So really not sure if one LTD code lets you add banners to multiple sites or not.
5) I had the understanding that one of the uses of Banner was to collect email addresses for email lists, there are even integrations to a number of popular email marketing platforms, but it's not clear how to add a text entry field to the banner. So far it looks like just plain text, emojis, and links can be in the banner.
Happy to update my review/rating if these are addressed satisfactorily, but as of right now you'd be better off lighting your money on fire - at least that way you get a little heat and can maybe roast a marshmallow or two.
Fatos_FacePop
Edited Jan 2, 2025Hi Corey,
Our support inbox was recently affected by a spam issue, which caused issues with our inbox. This has now been resolved, so please reach out again, and we’ll ensure your requests are handled promptly.
Thank you for giving us the chance to make things right.