Webs Review: What to Do Next After Its Shutdown?

In this article, we’ll embark on an insightful journey into Webs.com, a platform that boasts an impressive 55 million websites created. Here’s what we’ll explore:

👉 Review of Webs – A good but rather basic platform
👉 What actually happened to free webs?
👉 Our Recommendation: What’s next after Webs?

Now, let’s get started.

Webs Review: A Good But Rather Basic Ecommerce Platform

Ease of Use

Webs.com simplifies website creation through its intuitive WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) builder. As you construct your website, the visual representation directly mirrors the final output upon publication.

Standard Pages

Webs.com offers an array of 6 distinct page layout configurations. Upon initiating a new page, you can opt for a preferred layout, with the flexibility to alter it later if desired. Notably, the modules you integrate into the page – your content – seamlessly transfer to the new layout, safeguarding against information loss.

Specialty Pages

Webs also present “specialty pages,” encompassing dedicated, pre-structured webpages. These contain various purposes, such as blogs, web stores, photos, memberships, videos, forums, guestbooks, and appointments. These predefined pages are accessible within the App Store and prove valuable for specific needs.

While these “App pages” adhere to a predetermined structure, permitting limited drag-and-drop functionality, they are a beneficial resource for designated requirements.

Template Design Options

Webs.com offers an extensive collection of 450 design templates, all optimized for mobile viewing. This diverse assortment spans over 20 industries, facilitating easy alignment with your field.

• However, unlike some other platforms, Webs doesn’t permit direct manipulation of HTML and CSS within these templates. This restriction limits the potential for external design modification even if you enlist professional assistance.
• Consequently, Webs.com lacks third-party template providers, similar to the situation with Wix.

Nevertheless, Webs.com does present certain customization avenues. Several themes come in multiple color schemes and select templates allow background image/color personalization. Furthermore, you can adjust font styles within the navigation bar, body, and footer.

• It’s essential to note that, when compared to other website builders, Webs’ template selection and adaptability may appear relatively limited.
• While the capability to construct a robust website remains intact with Webs, it’s worth considering that its design choices might not satisfy those who prioritize an extensive range of design options.

Support

Webs Customer Support

• Premium Plan Benefits: Subscribing to their premium plans offers varying levels of support. The Starter plan provides email support, the Enhanced plan includes email and live chat support, and the Pro plan provides email, live chat, and phone support.
• Limitations for Free Plan Users: Those using the free plan are limited to seeking support through forum discussions, potentially missing out on desired one-on-one assistance.

This differentiation acknowledges the vast user base and fairly prioritizes paying users with elevated service standards.

Webs Tutorial Resources

• Accessible Knowledgebase: Webs.com hosts a knowledge base within the dashboard, facilitating easy access to information. Users can input queries and receive relevant responses, streamlining problem-solving.
• Visual Enhancement Suggestion: A potential enhancement could involve incorporating more visual aids and tutorial videos into the knowledge base. While the text-based information is valuable, visual content could alleviate potential overwhelm, particularly for those who prefer a more visual learning approach. Nevertheless, Enhanced or Pro Plans users can utilize the Live Chat function for direct assistance.

Webs Community Forum

• Comprehensive Forum: Webs boasts an extensive and supportive community forum. Users can swiftly search for existing answers provided by the support staff, potentially saving considerable time.

Some Webs.com reviews have noted potential delays in forum assistance. However, as previously mentioned, upgrading to a paid package grants access to personalized one-on-one support, aligning with rewarding paying customers with enhanced aid.

Webs Ecommerce Store

Webs.com offers a comprehensive ecommerce solution when venturing into online retail. You can incorporate a dedicated Web Store or integrate your existing Etsy store into your website.

• Robust Web Store: Webs’ web store has essential features for successful online selling. It facilitates the inclusion of product images, descriptions, pricing, tax options, shipping preferences, various product versions, and product status. Additionally, the ability to categorize products streamlines sorting and navigation.
• Inventory Tracking: Premium accounts unlock access to an inventory tracking system, aiding in efficient product management and monitoring directly from the Webs dashboard.
• Payment Processing: Utilizing PayPal as a payment processor allows you to collect customer payments. Integrating your Etsy store provides even more payment options.
• Transaction Fee Exemption: Notably, Webs refrains from imposing transaction fees on your sales, ensuring you retain the entirety of your profits.

In our evaluation of Webs.com, we find it offers a commendable suite of ecommerce tools for establishing a web store. To fully leverage these tools, upgrading to their premium packages is advisable, especially for those committed to their business goals (further details on premium packages and pricing will be discussed below).

Webs SEO

Webs empowers you to optimize fundamental SEO elements, including titles and descriptions for your entire website. However, customizing titles, descriptions, and meta tags for individual web pages requires a subscription to a paid plan.

• Internal Traffic Tracking: Webs equips you with an internal traffic tracking tool, enabling you to monitor essential metrics like visitor count, pageviews, monthly averages, and traffic sources.
• Google Analytics Integration: Alternatively, seamless integration is possible if you prefer to utilize Google Analytics over Web’s in-house stats tracking tool. Simply insert the tracking code snippet from Google Analytics into your Webs dashboard’s “Settings” section.

Hosting and Exporting Options

Webs.com offers complimentary hosting, sparing you the need for additional payments, even if you’re not utilizing their paid plans. This convenience eliminates the necessity of managing your own hosting. Any technical or security concerns are addressed by Webs, ensuring seamless website functionality.

• Free Plan Considerations: While the free plan comes with limited storage space and bandwidth, it generally accommodates the creation of basic websites. For expanded capabilities, upgrading to premium packages grants more storage space and bandwidth allocation.
• Exporting Limitation: A notable drawback of Webs is the absence of an exporting function. Consequently, transferring your website becomes impractical if you decide to transition to a different website builder or self-hosting. Shifting away from Webs would require rebuilding your site from scratch.
• Joint Restriction: This limitation isn’t unique to Webs, as platforms like Wix and Jimdo share the same restriction. In contrast, platforms like Weebly and Squarespace allow website exportation.

In line with our Webs.com review, we recommend exploring the platform with its free offering to assess its compatibility with your requirements. This approach empowers you to make an informed decision regarding potential commitment.

Is webs com still in business?

No, Webs.com is no longer in business. Vistaprint, the parent company, has decided to shut down the Webs.com operation. As a result, Webs.com will no longer be hosting websites, and all existing Webs sites will be shut down on August 31, 2023. Users are advised to take action and move their websites to another provider before the specified shutdown date to retain access to their content and functionality.

What happened to free webs?

The original plan was to shut down free Webs services by March 31, 2021, as announced on or before November 19, 2020. Later, the shutdown date was rescheduled to June 30, 2021. However, it appears that no shutdown occurred as of October 17, 2021. Subsequently, on July 14, 2023, Vistaprint, the parent company, announced that Webs would indeed be discontinuing its services, with the shutdown scheduled for August 31, 2023.

Our Recommendation: What’s next after Webs?

The digital landscape is ever-evolving, and with the unfortunate shutdown of Webs, countless business owners find themselves at a crossroads, pondering their next move. For those who had trusted Webs for their online presence, especially e-commerce ventures, the transition to a new platform can seem daunting. If you’re in this boat, don’t worry; we’re here to ease those concerns and guide you towards the ideal e-commerce solution for your business.

Choosing the Right E-commerce Platform

When it comes to e-commerce platforms, there are several robust options available:

• Shopify: A hosted solution like Webs, Shopify offers a wide range of built-in features, making it easy to set up and manage an online store without much technical know-how.
• Wix eCommerce: For those looking for simplicity, Wix provides a drag-and-drop interface to set up your store. It’s suitable for small to medium-sized businesses.

Try Shopify for free

Migration Process

Migrating to a new platform can seem complex, but with careful planning, it’s manageable:

• Data Backup: Before any migration, ensure that you back up your Webs site. This includes product information, customer data, and any other essential content.
• Platform Setup: Choose your desired e-commerce platform and set up the basics – things like themes, payment gateways, and essential plugins or extensions.
• Data Import: Most modern e-commerce platforms offer tools or services to help you import data from other platforms. Utilize these tools to transfer your product listings, customer data, and other essential information.
• Test Everything: Before going live, thoroughly test your new site. This includes checking product listings, testing the checkout process, and ensuring all links work as they should.

Migrating from Webs to Shopify: A Seamless Transition for Your Business

If you’re among those affected by Webs’ shutdown, we strongly recommend considering Shopify as your next stop. Basically Shopify has all the pros of Webs, and does resolve most of the cons of Webs. In particular, here’s why:

1. E-commerce First, But Not Just E-commerce

While Shopify is predominantly known for e-commerce, it offers much more than just online selling tools. With its wide array of templates and the ability to customize, you can create almost any type of website you desire. Whether it’s a blog, a portfolio, or a full-fledged online store, Shopify has the capability to host and enhance it.

2. User-Friendly Interface

If you’re concerned about the learning curve of transitioning to a new platform, Shopify has you covered. Renowned for its user-friendly interface, Shopify offers an intuitive dashboard, which means even if you’re not tech-savvy, you can easily manage your website.

3. Highly Customizable

One of Shopify’s key strengths is its versatility. With thousands of themes (both free and premium) and the ability to dive deep into code with the Liquid template language, the possibilities for customization are nearly limitless.

4. Robust App Ecosystem

The Shopify App Store is filled with thousands of apps that can help expand the functionality of your site. From SEO optimization tools to email marketing integrations, there’s likely an app for every need you might have.

5. Security and Reliability

Shopify takes security seriously. The platform offers SSL certificates for all its hosted domains, ensuring your customer’s data and transactions are secure. Furthermore, it boasts a 99.98% uptime, so your website is virtually always accessible.

6. Seamless Payment Integration

For businesses looking to sell online, Shopify offers a plethora of payment gateways. This means you can cater to a global audience without worrying about payment restrictions. Plus, Shopify’s own payment gateway, Shopify Payments, makes transactions smooth and easy for both the business and the customer.

7. Outstanding Support

Last, but by no means least, is Shopify’s support team. Available 24/7, the support staff are knowledgeable and eager to help you navigate any issues you might encounter. Plus, the platform’s extensive online documentation, forums, and tutorials mean you’re never left in the dark.

Webs.com Review: Conclusion/Recommendation

It’s always a bittersweet moment when a platform that has hosted countless websites decides to shut down. Such is the case with Webs. Many business owners, bloggers, and digital entrepreneurs are now faced with the daunting task of deciding where to transfer their digital real estate. 

If you’re in this boat, don’t worry. We recommend you take a look at Shopify.com, one of the best ecommerce solutions in the world right now.