Web.com is really a website hosting & website builder brand of the net.org Group. They are among the largest and earliest brands in the market. The Net.org Group also owns brands like Network Solutions, Register.com and 1ShoppingCart.
Together with GoDaddy, they have several the greatest brand recognition in everyone because of their huge investment TV, radio, billboard and traditional advertising. In Atlanta, I believe they’ve purchased a significant area of the bus stop ads. Additionally they sponsor the second tier professional golf league in the usa.
That sort of offline advertising plays for their core marketing message because the one place to obtain your website, internet marketing and everything to choose it. Though from a technical perspective, Web.com offers only entry-level hosting & a do it yourself website builder application with upsell marketing services.
You should check out Web.com’s plans and prices here.
Because of my skepticism using their offline ads, I’ve never formerly attempted Web.com. But following a friend was asking about the subject, I made the decision to try them having a small trial website.
Here’s my Web.com Hosting review – structured with pros & cons according to my recent experience like a customer.
Skip towards the conclusion & next steps here.
Disclosure – I receive referral charges from companies pointed out on this web site. All opinion and knowledge is dependant on my experience like a having to pay customer or consultant to some having to pay customer.
Pros of Web.com Hosting
There are plenty of Web.com reviews online – usually with user-generated reviews according to anecdotes and private experience. That’s fine however i have a different approach. Like I’ve stated in other hosting reviews, there’s no such factor like a “best” hosting company. The “best” may be the right fit for the project according to your objectives, budget, experience & expertise. Simply because one company isn’t a good fit for you personally does not necessarily mean it’s a bad fit for another person.
Web.com differs.
Web.com’s only pro is it works okay for somebody who desires a really fundamental drag type website while they have the cash for something better.
The very best example for Web.com is really a Hamburger King that charges hipster all-organic hamburger restaurant prices. On a single hands, they’re technically supplying something which works, however, you would not utilize it when they didn’t advertise everywhere using very specific marketing messages.
For “meh” companies, I attempt to drag out some benefits of using on them others. But I can not look for a single need to use Web.com.
Every potential advantage turned to be a fantasy.
For instance, they have the symptoms of solid discount prices, however it auto-renews at high rates. Their speed & performance made an appearance to become great, however they have really low memory limits and sources (so performance is just good on really small sites). They’ve phone support – but have awful DIY customer care (as well as their phone reps focused more about upselling than answering my fundamental questions).
If you’re interested in the facts, I’ll cover more within the cons section below. Or skip towards the conclusion and then steps for alternatives.
Cons of Web.com Hosting
Greater than many web hosting companies, Web.com has disadvantages. Listed here are the disadvantages which i found while using the Web.com for hosting.
Prices
Web.com markets themselves like a one-stop shop to obtain your website. They provide free website help along with a free website builder – you just pay single low rate per month.
Their 30 days opening rate (for that website builder product) looks attractive at $1.95/mo – but it features a major asterisk.
It escalates to $22/mo following the first month, and quickly will get much more costly with add-on after add-on. That $22/mo is much more costly than the most costly website builder plans available – in which you would a minimum of obtain a better website builder – like Squarespace or Weebly.
Should you search through the website offers and then try to register *only* for hosting to set up WordPress or some bit of website software, you’ll get prices that’s a little bit more competitive. However, it’s still more costly compared to most costly brand hosting, plus much more than affordable starter hosts.
Aside – even their domains are absurdly overpriced. They offer a “free” website name with purchase, however that same website name will renew at $37/year….when compared with $14.99yr w/ GoDaddy and/or perhaps a typical hosting company or $10/yr with NameCheap.
Plan Structure
When you purchase any product which can help you make a website, a core area of the plan’s hosting (ie, a spot for your site files to “live”).
Most website hosts either sell the hosting with complimentary website building tools or they’ll sell everything like a package. Here’s one website landing page on Web.com selling the “free website package” with ongoing charges.
Web.com takes both approaches. You pay different prices based on what approach you select, while you are becoming exactly the same factor within the finish (hosting with built-in website builder tools).
For instance, Web.com sells a do it yourself Website Package. It offers hosting along with a website builder. It’s $1.95/mo and rises to $22/mo. They likewise have Hosting plans under Other Products. Diets likewise incorporate the web site Builder tool, but start at $5.95/mo and renew at $12.95. Quite simply – same product, different names and various prices.
 
Observe that within the second image – I have the website builder despite the fact that I purchased a normal hosting package…not the “website builder package.”
I known as customer support relating to this discrepancy (I had been completely unclear about things i had subscribed to) – and she or he confirmed. They’ve different prices and various packages with respect to the “customer’s feature focus.”
In either case, their hosting plans have low caps for databases, disk space and domains, and emails on every tier – such as the Premium Hosting level. These caps mean that you’re restricted to on the best way to expand your website – or add new microsites.
User-ambiance
To become fair to Web.com – there can be some value in offering packages that sell simplicity or hosting plans with low caps. Not everybody really wants to compare different plans or search for more features when fundamental features is going to do fine.
However, if you sell simplicity, your process should really the simple. Web.com’s register process, their backend as well as their tools are just “user-friendly” inside a 2006 kind of way.
Actually, many areas of their register process and website setup process appeared so user-unfriendly it forces people to call customer support…who then upsell other things Web.com offers.
Here’s what their backend appears like –
Everything regarding their backend is proprietary to Web.com (unlike a business standard backend like cPanel) – which means you are stuck searching through their help documentation or calling customer support again.
Furthermore, their user-unfriendliness even would go to their cancellation process. After I required to cancel a free account – I couldn’t get it done. The machine forced me to customer support where I needed to discuss my reasons having a repetition while hearing several sales pitches.
Lastly, not just is the register process and backend user-unfriendly (and ugly), additionally, it hides lots of features that some DIY customers want use of – which results in the following major drawback to Web.com.
Backend Features
Although Web.com claims they provide a full-spectrum of support for programming languages and website software (like WordPress) – I discovered the particular backend features to possess a couple of problems.
First, the backend hides fundamental server information. In case your domain is registered somewhere like GoDaddy or NameCheap, you have to point the DNS nameservers to Web.com. This method informs visitors’ browsers who key in your website name to visit Web.com’s server (where your site lives). Web.com’s DNS details are available only via customer care.
And that’s only the start – small things like MX records (you’ll need individuals to setup Gmail) and software versions were maddening to locate.
Second, once you discover the program, it might or might not work or supply the options that you’ll require. For instance, Web.com advertises a “one-click WordPress install” like other hosts. They’ve it, however, it unsuccessful the very first two occasions which i attempted to operate it. Furthermore, you can’t install software within the “root” folder of the account – meaning you are able to only install WordPress inside a subfolder of the website (ie yourwebsite.com/blog rather or yourwebsite.com).
Which means that used that if you would like WordPress to power your whole website, as well as your homepage, you need to perform a manual install of WordPress. Their auto-install only creates subfolder.
Aside – I attempted to perform a manual 5 minute install of WordPress, but threw in the towel following the Web.com database creator stored dying on me.
Another example is tracking scripts for his or her website builder product. They merely script that you could place is Google Analytics. AdWords conversion tracking, Facebook retargeting, Search Console tags, etc – none can easily be bought the actual way it is by using most website software.
Third, Web.com dedicates precious couple of sources towards the applications that you could install around the backend. I’d be unable to operate a feature heavy website on Web.com. For instance, should you added a little ecommerce store with a lot of imagery for your WordPress website, you’d have a problem with performance. Exactly the same issue would hold for installing a Listserv or any type of application. Here’s a screenshot of the speed test of the really small site –
Customer Care
Like I mention in other hosting reviews, calling customer care / service like a pro or disadvantage is difficult. Only people within the organization determine if customer support is viewed as an expense or perhaps an investment.
Outdoors of the organization, customer support reviews usually devolve into “they are horrible since i had one bad experience” or “they are excellent since i had one great experience” – neither being very useful.
Rather, I love to take a look at customer support’s availability and just how the organization invests in customer care infrastructure.
Despite the fact that my customer support conversations were enjoyable, Web.com seriously fails on measures. Their customer support works merely a little outdoors US business hrs. They route just about everything via phone, though they are doing possess a ticket submission option within their backend.
There’s hardly any DIY customer care. There isn’t any forum section, chat, knowledgebase or help center whatsoever. It appears as though any investments that Web.com makes go for their phone support…which is heavy around the upsells after they solve your condition, which results in the final disadvantage.
Upsells & Messaging
Upsells aren’t inherently bad or annoying. They offer choices for customers that are looking them, and prices low for everybody who doesn’t would like them.
However, Web.com does a couple of things wrong with upsells. First, they seem at virtually every chance rather of just when I’m searching (say at checkout or perhaps in upgrading section).
Second, their messaging for a lot of upsells is oversimplified. You’ll be able to oversimplify to the stage that you’re laying at worst or misleading at the best. Web.com comes awfully close using their upsells.
Their Search engine optimization upsells preach features that haven’t mattered since 2002 (you don’t need to “submit your website to Google” and directories aren’t a silver bullet). Their SSL upsells don’t provide any context. Their security and backup upsells makes me question what belongs to their actual plans.
The mixture of oversimplified, overpriced upsells pitched at each random chance is both annoying and results in me to question who they really are really searching out for.
Conclusion & Next Steps
Overall, I had been tossed just how bad Web.com was. I believed that any organization that spends a lot cash on offline advertising should have another business design than most competitors, but Web.com really sets a brand new standard to have an costly low value product. If you’re still offered in it, go try them out here.
If you’re searching for any webhost with excellent prices, service and product, then I’d recommend looking at Website Hosting Hub here. You may also take a look at HostGator here if you would like cheaper plans and also the choice to pay monthly. Learn to generate a website together here.
If you’re searching for a multi functional drag website builder, then I’d recommend looking at Weebly (review) or taking this site builder quiz here.
If you’re searching to have an all-in-one ecommerce platform, then I’d recommend looking at Shopify (review) or taking my ecommerce platform quiz here.
The publish Web.com Hosting Review: Pros, Cons & Alternatives made an appearance first on ShivarWeb.
“”
