Network Solutions & Domains – A Brief History
For those who acquired domain names in the 90’s, they probably remember Network Solutions as THE one place to register domain names for FREE, before the industry was opened up to competition in 1999 and Godaddy proceeded to dominate the domain industry.
NetworkSolutions.com in year 2000
…and 15 years later in 2015
Fast forward 15 years and Network Solutions is still a top 5 domain registrar and offers a number of web services like web hosting, email services, and their website builder.
Network Solutions Website Builder
Network Solutions was purchased by Web.com in 2011 and since then, they have migrated their website builder offering from the one shown in the graphic below to the newer Web.com website builder.
I wasn’t sure this was the case, so I confirmed with them on Twitter (see tweets below).
@WebEminence We only are offering the NEO builder at this time. Thanks ^dw
— Web.com (@webdotcom) June 9, 2015
The NEO builder they are referring to is the one shown on my video below, which gives a full review of the website builder offered by Web.com and now also by Network Solutions.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s49RAWmZRg4
The Web.com Effect – Focus on Sales – Not the Customer
In researching the Network Solutions website builder, it’s difficult to find pricing and what you actually get. Their sales pages still show the old Network Solutions website builder and the pricing shows introductory pricing with an asterisk. You can read the fine print to find the real price you’ll pay on a monthly basis, but this sales tactic highlights the main complaint I (and many people) seem to have with Web.com and its companies.
Web.com seems to be very focused on the sales process but not so much on their product development and customer experience.
This is made obvious in a few ways
- Low introductory pricing to get people on board
- Average website builder that gets the job done but does NOT compare to higher end website builders like Squarespace and Weebly
- Poor sales pages that don’t accurately reflect what the customer is actually getting.
- Dedicated call center to handle cancellations and attempt to retain paying customers (money might be better spent building better products)
I love companies like Wix, Squarespace, and Weebly, that continue to innovate and offer quality website builder solutions that are a great value to the customers. These younger companies focus on comprehensive documentation to provide customers with the answers they need and also offer knowledgeable customer service in my experience.
In my mind, Web.com tends to create sub-par products that are rarely updated and rely on the their established presence in the industry, ongoing marketing, and uneducated consumers to fuel their growth.
My goal here is to educate consumers to understand who the best companies are offering the best products.
Read my reviews and watch videos on the best website builders offered to find a solution suitable for your needs that offers a good value.
Network Solutions Hosting Any Good?
It’s important to note, my commentary here is focused on the Web.com company in general and the website builder service they offer. They also offer traditional website hosting products like Linux and Windows hosting, but I don’t have direct experience with these products.
Make sure to check out other web hosting reviews for Network Solutions on the web and feel free to ask me for website hosting advice fit for your specific needs.