Launched in 2000, Domain.com is well-known around the domain registration and web hosting communities. Their goal: to make it easy and affordable for you to obtain much of what you need to give your website or online store business a solid foundation.
Domain.com offers a slew of web-related services, including:
- Shared hosting
- VPS hosting
- DIY site builder
- Professional website design and digital marketing services
- And, of course, domains.
With all the services Domain.com offers, we had to wonder about the quality of each. So, we took a closer look at the options to try and figure out whether Domain.com truly shines and where the company may fall short for some customers.
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Domain.com Web Hosting Rundown
Domain.com offers solid web hosting and VPS plans that fit nearly every small- to mid-range user and business. Whether you run a personal blog, small business site, or mid-sized e-commerce store, there’s a plan to fit.
Shared hosting plans are pretty typical, offering the basics you’d find with most web hosting companies:
- Unlimited disk space
- Scalable bandwidth
- Unlimited sub-domains
- Drag-and-drop site builder tool
- Email hosting with anti-spam and anti-virus
- Marketing tools that include Bing and Google ad credits, a Yellow Pages listing, and toll-free number
- 1-click installation of content management system apps (like WordPress and Drupal)
- Built-in analytics
- FTP
- MySQL
- PHP5
- Perl/Python
- Choice of Linux or Windows.
VPS Hosting
For developers and other advanced users, virtual private server (VPS) hosting may be the better option for you from Domain.com. VPS hosting plans come with the following:
- Linux: CentOS
- PHP, Perl, and Python
- Control panel (the type available depends on which plan you choose)
- Built-in analytics
- Unlimited email hosting
- Unlimited MySQL databases
- Unlimited domains.
In general, VPS hosting is going to be your best bet if security, performance, and control over the backend are a top priority when purchasing web hosting and building a new website.
Domain.com Hosting Infrastructure
Domain.com’s spotlight on infrastructure and its relationship to how fast (or slow) your website loads is something to applaud. The company notes that infrastructure is “the one thing that determines how secure, reliable, and fast your website functions” and should be the first thing anyone looks at before signing on with a host.
When you look at how the Domain.com website is structured and how it wastes no time in getting down to the nitty-gritty technical specifications, it should come as no surprise that this is one area where the company truly shines. For your own peace of mind, here is the base infrastructure your Domain.com-hosted website would reside on:
- State-of-the-art data centers
- 24/7/365 security and monitoring
- Dual power grids
- Top-of-the-line routers, servers, and firewalls
- Tier 1 Gigabit and OCx connectivity
- Fully redundant – power and network
- Data backups and storage
- Earthquake-proofed equipment
- Temperature and humidity control
- Fire threat monitoring and protection.
So, if you’re looking for a no-fuss web hosting company that simplifies your web hosting options, provides transparency into what’s supporting your website, and gets straight to the point, then Domain.com might be a good fit for you.
A Quick Note About Domain Registration
You can’t talk about Domain.com without mentioning the titular service: domain registration. Prices are low and registration and setup are simple. Even if you choose not to use Domain.com for web hosting, it’s still a worthwhile choice for securing a new domain.
There is also a domain privacy upgrade available in case you’re worried about protecting your identity online. In addition, domain services come with URL forwarding, a WHOIS lookup service, and transfer lock.
Other Features to Consider
As we mentioned earlier, Domain.com offers more than just web hosting and domain registration services. Here are some of the free and premium services you might want to look into.
G Suite by Google Cloud
For an affordable price, you can get a custom business email as well as the tools you need to collaborate with your employees.
SimpleScripts
The SimpleScripts suite of apps is actually already included in Domain.com’s hosting plans. These include the content management system apps like WordPress as well as other tools for building wikis, enabling e-commerce, and more. So, if you don’t buy hosting from Domain.com, but still want access to these tools for an affordable price, you can get that here.
Professional Web Design
If you’re not a programmer or designer and you want the convenience of procuring all your web-related services from one company, you might want to use Domain.com’s professional design services. The design team will create a custom-designed website for you and throw in a number of marketing tools to help keep your site running smoothly and optimized long after they’re done.
Who Should Use Domain.com Hosting?
At first glance, Domain.com appears to be no different than any other traditional web hosting company. With shared and VPS hosting plans to choose from, it covers most of what small to medium-sized businesses would need when building a website. And in terms of infrastructure reliability and security, Domain.com definitely has it.
However, there isn’t much here in the way of uptime guarantees, data backups, SSL certificates, and other traditional features and assurances that customers have come to rely on from hosting companies. Pricing may be on the cheaper side, but even that might not be enough to lure in individual bloggers or small businesses.
Support from Domain.com mostly relies on self-service user guides, a knowledgebase, and a contact form. There also isn’t an abundance of information available on the website either, which means you’ll want to make sure you understand the details of your service agreement.
Our suggestion? Start working with Domain.com to secure your new custom domain and try out their hosting. If your site grows and starts to garner a high amount of traffic, you can always make a switch to their VPS plan. If you hit the cover off the ball, and hundreds of thousands are stampeding into your site, you can always switch to an enterprise-grade hosting solution.
Find Out More About Domain.com
Is Domain.com right for you? It can be hard to decide with some much technical information coming at you. For a different perspective, check out our sister site, WhoIsHostingThis.com. In addition to an expert review and the answers to frequently asked questions, you’ll find reviews from dozens of actual Domain.com users. They’ll give you the straight scoop on hosting with Domain.com.