GVO vs SBI

Never used GVO but I do have an SBI site.

It's just as you said. SBI is tailored for tech-noobs and thus is somewhat restrictive in what it allows you to do. For instance, it doesn't allow you to use FTP to directly upload files. You have to use their own system for selecting files and uploading them, which is annoying because it takes more time.

That said, everything in SBI is basically focused on helping you build a website that follows the exact SBI business model. That model is "C-T-P-M" which means "Content-Traffic-PreSell-Monetization".

Basically the jist of it is that you create a single authority website around a niche, provide valuable information that uses SEO to get search engine traffic, and then monetize that traffic with whatever means you prefer. I think of the SBI model as really the standard 'legit' authority site where you are not just trying to use blackhat SEO or dishonest marketing to make money, but you are actually building a real website that anyone and their mother would go to and say "oh this looks interesting" and reads your content because it doesn't suck.

Keep in mind that as I said, SBI is a business model and not just a web host. If you want to do something like create a bunch of micro niche sites, SBI is not for you. If you want to create a standard Wordpress-like blog, then SBI is not for you either. It is solely intended for building large, static, informational authority sites that provide real value and are intended for long-term SEO traffic generation. You will have a bad time if you join SBI expecting to do anything else with it.