Web.com Review
One of the longest-standing website builders is Web.com. Around since the internet first became commercialized, Web.com has gone on to serve more than three million customers looking to build a presence online.
With a name like "Web.com" and comprehensive online services to go beyond basic website design, it only makes sense that many small business owners have turned to them for help. Getting an online store, hosting, and marketing tools all through the same source should logically make your life easier.
We spent time investigating the caliber of Web.com's services, prices, and customer service. They get a lot of attention for their incredibly cheap rates, but we discovered their services may have deteriorated in recent years. So even if you want a no-frills website, you might not get what you paid for.
What is Web.com?
Web.com's story began in 1997 under the name Website Pros Inc. Founded by Darin Brannan, this older iteration of the company was one of the original website developers serving small businesses online. Website Pros Inc acquired Web.com in 2007 and has since operated under the new name.
But that wasn't the only transition Web.com has gone through. They have acquired many additional companies that fit their business model and were actually acquired themselves in 2018.
Throughout its evolution, Web.com has continually added new services beyond core website development. These options revolve around online marketing, hosting service, and security.
Since the 2018 acquisition, their business model has remained largely the same, but some recent indications suggest their customer service has declined, leaving even longtime customers frustrated and without recourse.
What features does Web.com include?
Under the broader Web.com umbrella are three categories of services:
- Website services
- Marketing services
- Supportive services
These are often divided into DIY tools and expert-created solutions. Additionally, most services are available a la carte, but some packages overlap. For example, Web.com's website packages come with hosting services.
DIY website Builder
Web.com offers a drag-and-drop website builder based on more than 150 professionally designed templates. In addition, the website builder comes with at least an hour of free support and ready-made content to help you build it out quickly.
The most basic packages include website hosting and one free year of domain and SSL certificate. Higher-level plans offer features like appointment scheduling, ecommerce solutions, online payments, marketing services, and analytics.
Designed by an expert
For small businesses that need help or simply don't have the time, Web.com also offers professional website design services. This requires a custom quote but presumably could include any of the tools and features available under the DIY plans. Websites live in their own website builder or WordPress.
Technically these are not custom websites, as they are still based on a template design, but the Web.com team will customize the pages, content, and images to fit your brand.
Online stores
A newer service offered by Web.com is an ecommerce solution. Technically, these are the exact same packages detailed under the DIY website builder, just marketed to the small online retailer.
Online store functionality comes included with the eCommerce Essentials and the eCommerce Premium plans, which include features like web hosting, site editor, online payment options, unlimited product listings, and marketplace selling.
Marketplace selling is an option for the most expensive plan, and it supports selling products on Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Walmart, Google, and Bonanza.
Domains and hosting services
If you’re building a brand new website, you need a domain name and a hosting service. These are related offerings from Web.com that sometimes come with a website package (hosting) and may require an additional charge (domain names).
Marketing
Web.com's marketing department promises to bring more visitors to your website. Their expert online marketing services include directory management, SEO, and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising.
They also offer digital marketing services that you can manage yourself. These more affordable tools, like simple SEO and business directory management, are designed to jumpstart your online presence.
Security Services
Web.com offers a series of security services to protect your website and online business. These are broken up into separate packages outside of website development, including SSL certificates, basic website security (malware, blacklist monitoring, etc.), website backup, and cybersecurity.
How much does Web.com cost?
Before you dive into the pricing plans available through Web.com, note that these are prone to change depending on the length of the contract and any ongoing promotions.
Don't be surprised if your ultra-affordable price from the first month increases in the second. There are also substantial increases after your first year's subscription automatically rolls into the second.
Because the Web.com pricing model is incredibly complex, it isn't easy to summarize. Therefore, the following pricing plans should be taken as estimates only.
Who is Web.com best suited for?
Web.com serves small businesses that need to keep costs down. They also now focus on ecommerce businesses, especially with their two most expensive plans, eCommerce Essentials and eCommerce Premium. These plans contain features like real-time shipping rates, custom discount codes, secure online payment, and unlimited product listings.
Beyond a few interesting tools suitable for an online retailer, Web.com's websites are quite basic. Professional service providers, like lawyers, accountants, and mortgage brokers, will find it frustrating to work within their packages. First, their two lower-tiered options don't offer any tools for converting and serving customers online. And the more expensive ecommerce packages are designed to work with goods, not services.
We also find their pricing model deceiving. A price of $4.95 sounds great, but after the first month, you'll find your monthly bill much higher than what you signed up for. As only one example, for the Business Essentials plan, the price more than doubles from $7.95 to $19.99 per month after the first 30 days.
Then, following the first year, you'll have to shell out even more for services like hosting and domain names. These are included for the first year but are charged for the second.
All of these additional costs add up. In no time, what was sold as an affordable website is about the same price as many other options.
In contrast, B12 offers simple pricing backed by powerful tools that help you attract, win, and serve clients online. Our services come in three straightforward options: Basic, Professional, and Advanced.
Straightforward pricing means you won't get a surprise after the first month. You also won't have to pay for a security certificate after your subscription renews next year. Even our Basic plan includes the client engagement tools that Web.com lacks.
What are the pros and cons of Web.com?
How good are Web.com's pre-built website templates?
After scrolling through the more than 150 website templates, some are more visually appealing than others. That said, many of the templates have a modern look and feel and fit the industry they’re designed for.
Plus, unlike other website builders with a limited public template database, it is nice that Web.com puts its entire template repertoire online. But they don't offer a portfolio, and this is an issue.
Without an online portfolio, we cannot see current clients' live websites to assess their designs' functionality, speed, and UX. We'd love to see just how fast live Web.com websites load and how they function. At the moment, we can only see static samples, which isn't an accurate depiction of the quality.
They also only offer one template under each industry or category. For example, one template is suitable for an accountant, one for an architect, and onwards. If you are a lawyer in New York City or an accountant in Miami, what happens when your competition uses the same template?
Your website builder should be able to differentiate your brand and services from the competition, even with a template.
It's also worth noting that in the last year, many reviews on third-party websites like Trustpilot have reported significant technical issues with the Web.com website builder. Many clients spoke about building out their website only to get error messages the next time they logged on. Weeks later, following a series of urgent calls to technical support, they reported their website was still broken.
In sum, while Web.com has an extensive library of templates, each industry has limited options. We cannot attest to how their websites work in the real world because they don't provide any live samples. Given the negative reviews that have popped up recently on third-party websites, there seem to be some basic functionality issues that need to be addressed.
Does Web.com offer copywriting, design, or technical support?
Copywriting
Web.com does not offer a la carte copywriting services, although they are included if you choose the professional website solution. During this process, Web.com conducts an onboarding interview to collect information on your brand and then a copywriter produces SEO-friendly content.
The price will vary depending on the scope of your quote. You are responsible for updates or you can pay for edits with a Web.com writer.
If you choose the DIY website builder, you are responsible for producing all your own original content. Web.com provides ready-made content blocks, which are prewritten generic snippets specific to your industry but not your brand. This ready-made material, which could be duplicated across every company in the same niche as you, is not ideal for brand identity or SEO.
Design
The most robust design service is provided if you hire a Web.com expert to build your website. They provide customized templates curated for your brand, logo, and content. You'll have to pay extra if you need revisions following the initial draft.
One hour of web design assistance is included with the DIY web builder.
Technical support
The good news is that all of Web.com's website packages come with 24/7 email, phone, and 24/7 live chat support. Unfortunately, the bad news is that the quality of this service is suspect. Today, dozens (if not hundreds) of negative reviews are posted on websites like Site Jabber and Trustpilot.
Multiple reviews suggest Web.com's promise of 24/7 technical support is a lie. In their experience, if a customer’s website goes down on the weekend, they are advised to try again during business hours.
Reviewers also report a laundry list of issues with the technical support team, including:
- Lengthy delays (or outright failures) in resolving technical issues
- The customer service team hangs up during calls
- The Web.com email service completely fails
- Web.com neglects the transfer of domains to other companies
- The technical support team knows little about their online marketplace tool (Ecomdash)
- There is ongoing difficulty turning off auto-renewal and canceling accounts, resulting in unauthorized payments.
What are some Web.com alternatives for small businesses?
The major appeal of Web.com is the low prices. But with the convoluted pricing structure and problematic technical support, there are much better no-frills alternatives available to small businesses.
But, what if you don't have the time as a business owner to design, write, and build your new website? In this case, B12 is a great option.
We provide online solutions specifically catered to the needs of professional service providers, like mortgage brokers, insurance agents, and consultants. From eSignatures and online payments to appointment scheduling, even our most basic plan comes with an entire toolkit of client-friendly features to get you started with better engagement.
Our three packages — Basic, Professional, and Advanced — come with experts available to help you build a better online presence. We guide you through minor updates and ongoing website maintenance as needed, to ensure your site is up-to-date and scalable.
Web.com review summary
Web.com promises no-frills basic websites for bargain prices, but based on many online reviews, something critical has shifted in how they handle business.
Only a few years ago, it may have made sense for small businesses to use Web.com's basic services because of the incredible promotions. But today, there are too many red flags to recommend their platform.
From the reviews, there seem to be ongoing issues with all of their services, from the website builder to technical support to email.
"Worst Customer Service," "I wish I could give zero stars," "I'll never recommend them to anyone," and "BEWARE" are just a few of the most recent reviews on Trustpilot.
The convoluted pricing model is another concern. Like GoDaddy, Web.com's business model revolves around offering impossibly low promotions during the first month and then doubling or tripling the price going forward. Many fundamental components of website building are not included in the advertised prices.
While you can find information on these price increases in the fine print, the pricing model catches many people off guard. Why would you compromise for basic (and problematic) services from a budget website builder when it just ends up being the same price as other companies?
Instead, working with B12 is the best of both worlds, combining AI efficiency with human expertise, all for a straightforward price and made to scale with your company.
Our powerful AI technology drafts up an industry-specific website in mere seconds, and our expert team of SEO specialists, copywriters, and designers help perfect it, so you launch in 30 days or less with all of the tools you need to grow.
Plus, you can give it a try for free!
