Web.com Review (2023) – Small Business Bonfire
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Have you been searching for a new web host and come across Web.com? If so, you’re likely asking yourself, “Is this a reliable company for hosting web pages?“
Asking these questions is essential, as choosing the wrong hosting provider can be costly and prevent your website from performing at its best.
Hey there! I’m AJ, and I’ve worked with web hosting companies and website builders for over a decade.
My goal with this Web.com review is to provide small business owners and entrepreneurs like yourself with a reliable, in-depth guide.
The Tweak Your Biz (TYB) team and I set up a staging site on Web.com and thoroughly tested the provider, observing how well it performs compared to other website builders and hosting services.
Web.com is an adequate hosting solution for small business owners and those needing comprehensive hosting.
For instance, Web.com offers hosting, a website builder, email hosting, and more under now company name, simplifying organization.
Web.com’s speed and uptime perform exceptionally well for the company’s monthly rate. And the uptime often performs better than the company’s 99.90% guarantee.
Additionally, the website builder is an excellent tool to have. Anyone can customize one of the pre-made templates with the company’s drag-and-drop tool.
Also, the web builder solutions include helpful marketing tools like SEO features, email templates, and Facebook and Instagram integrations. Web.com does an excellent job of simplifying online selling.
The downsides of Web.com are its renewal rates and lack of hosting plans. While you receive a free domain name and low introductory hosting rates, Web.com charges much more your second year using the platform.
Also, Web.com only offers shared and WordPress hosting solutions. The company does not have advanced solutions like VPS, reseller, or dedicated server web hosting.
Therefore, there may be better choices than Web.com for a large-scale company or a rapid-growing website.
We noted the pros and cons as we set up a staging site and utilized Web.com’s various tools and features.
Being aware of these advantages and disadvantages is crucial before committing to Web.com.
Web.com Hosting Pros
- Fast setup process
- Free SSL certificates
- Simple web hosting plans
- Inexpensive introductory rates
- The excellent website builder tool
- Free domain with every hosting plan
- Experts design a website for you (optional service)
- Support for WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, and other scripts
- Social media promotion is available to increase web presence
Web.com Hosting Cons
- Domain name renewal rates are high
- Hosting plans have a high renewal rate
- The user interface is outdated in some areas
- Site builder plans aren’t as strong as Wix or Weebly
- Hosting solutions are best for businesses (not very flexible and useable for other types of sites)
Web.com provides shared and WordPress hosting solutions. Also, the hosting service has well-known website-building plans.
Regarding the shared hosting solution, Web.com charges the following rates:
- Basic: $2.95 monthly
- Plus: $4.95 monthly
- Premium: $6.95 monthly
The WordPress hosting solutions follow the same price points but are optimized for the CMS.
Further, here are the packages for site builders at Web.com:
- Website: $1.95 monthly
- Website and Marketing: $3.95 monthly
- Online Store: $9.95 monthly
- Online Marketplaces: $24.95 monthly
Remember, these are the introductory rates. After the first billing cycle, you are responsible for paying the renewal rates (which are significantly higher).
Rather than rely on other’s opinions, we created our staging site to observe and determine how well the hosting service performs.
We used the Basic hosting package to test Web.com’s shared hosting speed.
Frankly, the results surprised us!
A basic website on Web.com delivers fast loading and the Largest Content Paint times.
Despite only having data centers in the United States (Florida and Atlanta), Web.com delivers reliable speeds that are perfect for small businesses.
Web.com has a 99.90% uptime guarantee for its shared hosting solutions.
As we conducted uptime tests on our staging site, we found Web.com often over-delivers on its uptime promise.
For example, our site experienced near-perfect uptime of 99.98% during our four-month testing period.
Web.com delivers excellent uptime for a low introductory subscription price!
Regarding ease of use, Web.com lived up to its reputation during our testing period.
The hosting provider simplifies installs with popular CMSs like WordPress, Magento, Joomla, and Drupal.
Also, Web.com includes all the basics into its shared hosting plans, ensuring you have the security and website management tools you need.
We found the Basic plan through Web.com easy to use and intuitive, making it a perfect solution for beginners and business owners!
Our experience using Web.com was pleasant.
Features like a free domain name and free SSL certificate during the first year of service are certainly enticing.
And the introductory rates are available at a reasonable price.
However, the subscription price renews significantly, which is not worth the price.
Still, the speeds proved reliable, and the uptime performed better than what Web.com guaranteed.
We recommend Web.com for a new business website looking to create an online presence!
As with the shared hosting solutions, we conducted rigorous tests on Web.com’s WordPress hosting plans.
Again, the TYB team developed a staging site and used advanced technology and software like Google Analytics to observe Web.com’s performance.
Web.com Hosting WordPress Hosting Speed Review
Web.com has various tools and features to improve speeds for its WordPress hosting solutions.
Our website experienced faster loading times than our staging site on the shared web hosting plan.
The web host provides unmetered bandwidth and 70% faster server response times to ensure your Web.com website performs at its best!
Web.com Hosting WordPress Hosting Uptime Review
Again, Web.com provides a 99.90% uptime guarantee for its WordPress solutions.
Our staging site performed above that guarantee and only endured a few minutes of downtime during our four-month testing period.
Therefore, you should be fine with your own website experiencing undesirable uptime performance measures!
Web.com Hosting WordPress Hosting Ease of Use
Web.com’s focus is making WordPress hosting as easy as possible, and we found the platform straightforward with no learning curve required.
With Web.com’s WordPress plans, you can access more accessible website building because you don’t have to use your own code.
Instead, Web.com grants you pre-install themes, stock images, comprehensive plugins, and an industry-specific template if needed!
Web.com Hosting WordPress Hosting Our Final Take
We had a superb experience using Web.com’s WordPress solutions.
The initial monthly cost is worth the price. However, staying aware of renewal rates (especially for domain names) is crucial.
Web.com’s WordPress solutions are tailored toward e-Commerce websites needing to sell online efficiently.
Moreover, the speeds, uptime performance, and ease of use were exceptional on our end!
Does Web.com Offer a Free Domain?
Every Web.com website includes a free domain name for the first year of service.
Users can only register one domain name to qualify for this offer, and it must be one of the following extensions:
Extensions that are .co qualify for the free domain name deal but are only available for an additional fee.
After the first year, paying separately for a domain name is best, as Web.com’s renewal rates are high.
Web.com has numerous customer support outlets, including email, phone, and live chat.
While creating our staging site, we tested the live chat customer service. And we were satisfied with the response time and level of expertise.
However, some Web.com customers note their customer service experience wasn’t as successful because the agent didn’t provide clear instructions.
Fortunately, Web.com has an extensive knowledge base with blog posts about website essentials, marketplace selling, advanced features, and e-Commerce plans!
Web.com’s knowledge base would be an excellent alternative if Web.com’s live chat or phone support didn’t meet your expectations.
Web.com only includes a few security features for free with its hosting solutions like other web hosts do.
The free security features include SSL certificates and Perfect Privacy, a feature that conceals personal data on the company’s databases for a year.
However, additional security measures like malware scans, blacklist monitoring, and daily backups cost an additional fee.
The Cyber Security plan is available for $49.90 annually and includes all the major security features you would observe in most higher-tier plans at other web hosts.
If one of your primary concerns is security while creating websites, you’ll have to pay extra with Web.com.
SSL certificates are another area where Web.com falls short.
Although users get an encryption certificate with all plans, the certificate limits what type of website you can build.
Web.com offers additional SSL certificates for a fee.
These SSL certificates are available at the following monthly rates:
- Essential: $7.49
- Premium: $9.95
- WildCard: $24.17
- Extended: $19.95
Premium-level plans and higher are recommended for small businesses.
SSL certificates help improve rankings on search engines and offer better security. Therefore, they are essential to have!
Web.com offers four month-to-month plans to ensure you find the right website builder for your company.
The company simplifies creating multiple pages on a website, and the site editor is designed for beginners to use.
Also, if you ever have problems using the website builder, contact support, and an agent will handle the issue quickly.
Web.com’s website builder solutions are affordable and are available at the following rates:
- Basic website builder: $1.95 monthly
- Website and marketing website builder: $3.95 monthly
- Online store website builder: $9.95 monthly
- Online marketplaces website builder: $24.95 monthly
When creating our staging site, we used the basic website builder. Features like a drag-and-drop editor, free stock photos, and a template library came in handy.
But the Online Store or Online Marketplaces website builder is better if you’re building a business profile.
These plans allow you to create stunning multi-page sites with business-oriented services.
For example, the company offers SEO tools, customizations for online stores, shipping label creation, and the ability to sell in multiple locations.
Other site builders usually offer fewer templates or do not include online marketing and e-Commerce tools.
However, Web.com simplifies customizing an e-Commerce platform!
Lastly, Web.com offers unlimited storage space with its website builder plans.
Therefore, you can add unlimited products and free photos without worrying about going over your plan’s limits.
Overall, we were impressed by Web.com’s website builder and how excellent it is for e-Commerce solutions needing to create a unique online store.
Web.com offers two email hosting solutions: a Professional Email service exclusive to Web.com and a plan through Google Workspace.
The Professional Email plan boosts a website’s credentials because the email address matches the company name.
Some of the features included in Web.com’s Professional Email solutions for online stores are as follows:
- Email matching your free domain name
- Custom email inbox and signature
- Integrated calendar and contacts
- Between 25 and 80 GB of Cloud drive storage
These services cost $14.99 for the Professional Email plan and $24.99 for the Professional Email Plus plan.
Regarding the Google Workspace solutions, you can purchase one of three plans, which are priced at the following rates:
- Business Starter: $3 monthly
- Business Standard: $6 monthly
- Business Plus: $9 monthly
Most e-Commerce platforms choose the Google Workspace solution because it seamlessly integrates with existing Google services.
Some of the features included in the Google Workspace email hosting solutions are as follows:
- Email matching your website domain
- Gmail
- Google Calendar
- Docs, Sheets, and Slides
- At least 30 GB Drive Cloud storage per user
- Google Meet video conferencing with up to 100 participants
- Google Chat
Adding an email hosting solution to your website builder and web hosting plan with Web.com is an excellent idea!
Web.com offers more than a website builder with an intuitive drag-and-drop editor.
The company also provides website essentials like web hosting and professional emails.
For example, Professional Email and Google Workspace solutions are essential for any e-Commerce platform.
Additionally, whether you’re looking to build a basic site or an online store, Web.com delivers all the resources needed to complete your site submission.
The customer support team is available 24/7 to answer website development and hosting questions.
Overall, Web.com is an excellent choice for creating a powerful online presence in 2023!
Let us know in the comments section if our website builder and hosting review helped you decide on a hosting provider!
You may be interested in an alternative as excellent as Web.com’s e-Commerce plans and website builder at Web.com.
The TYB team and I found two solutions with eCommerce premium functionality and comparable prices!
Hostinger
Hostinger has shared web hosting solutions ranging from $2.99 to $9.99 monthly, and the renewal rates are lower than Web.com’s.
Further, the Business Essentials plan is perfect for e-Commerce because it includes unlimited free SSL certificates, daily backups, and unlimited bandwidth.
Hostinger’s services provide better security than Web.com.
Also, the company has plans for website builders. The website builder is easy to use and costs $2.99 monthly.
The site builder features a drag-and-drop editor, eCommerce premium features, online marketing tools, and more.
Bluehost
Bluehost is another excellent Web.com alternative because the host provides numerous hosting solutions, a website builder, and awesome WordPress hosting plans!
Also, Bluehost is designed for beginners, meaning the platform is intuitive.
Bluehost’s hosting solutions and website builders start at $2.95 monthly.
And although the website builder plan doesn’t include unlimited storage, it has numerous features to help you sell unlimited products.
The drag-and-drop editor, stock images, and marketplace selling ease are areas where Bluehost excels.
Bluehost is ideal if you require easy-to-use hosting services, an intuitive user interface, and e-Commerce compatibility!
Additional Content You Might Like
If you enjoyed learning about Web.com, read some of our additional content at Tweak Your Biz.
For instance, learning more about Web.com’s alternatives is a wise decision so you can find the best web host for your company.
Bluehost Review
Click here to read our comprehensive Bluehost review. The TYB team analyzes Bluehost’s hosting plans, site builder, speed, performance metrics, and more!
Hostinger Review
Similarly, read our Hostinger review to learn more about this Web.com alternative. The TYB set up multiple staging sites and observed speed, uptime, reliability, and more!
Web.com does not have a free plan. Instead, hosting a website on this platform costs at least $2.95. Web.com provides several advanced features, so a free plan would not benefit the company.
A Web.com charge is a payment for the hosting service, website builder, domain name, or any other product you purchase from the company.
Web.com is still operational and enables companies of all sizes to create an online presence. The company offers hosting, a drag-and-drop website builder, domain name registration, eCommerce premium tools, and email creation services.
Web.com is used by small to medium businesses and entrepreneurs who require an online presence. The hosting provider enables customers to create a website, e-Commerce store, or blog easily.
The .com domain name is the most popular TLD, so the cost of registration is higher than “less common” extensions. Web.com offers a variety of domain names, and their prices range from $10 to $50 annually!
