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Is Network Solutions worth signing up for?
Web Solutions website builder is relatively basic, but if all you need is a simple website, it will work just fine. That said, I’m impressed with the support experience and overall pricing structure.
Network Solutions offers a basic drag-and-drop website builder that lets you get your store live in minutes. It comes with 150+ professionally designed templates, a free domain name, and a cheap entry price. However, the scope of the website editor is very limited, and the regular pricing can be very expensive. Overall, we think competing website builders can do a lot more for you, even if you just need a basic store website.
Quite frankly, you’ll get more for your money with other services – more features, more tools, more templates…just more.
Overview
Founded in 1979, Network Solutions is known as the world’s first domain name registrar. With more than four decades of experience, the company has adapted to the evolving Internet environment and is now a comprehensive e-commerce platform. Network Solutions provides web hosting, domain services and user-friendly website builders to suit a range of online needs.
While the Web Solutions website builder works for basic websites, its pricing structure may deter users looking for more advanced design and marketing tools. Competitors such as GoDaddy, WordPress.com, and iPage offer a wider range of features at competitive prices. Still, Web Solutions remains a solid choice for individuals looking for trustworthy domain name registration and web hosting services.
How Network Solutions Work
The first issue we encountered with web solutions was the lack of transparency in the pricing structure. The website only shows introductory pricing for the first month. To find regular pricing, you’ll have to carefully study Network Solutions’ terms of service.
However, once we got into the drag-and-drop editor, we found the interface easy to use. Network Solutions uses a content editing panel similar to those provided by other website builders. Adding and moving content is very intuitive, and after designing the site, we can publish it with just one click.
free domain name
All Web Solutions website builder plans include a free domain name for one year. This is a good deal, although it’s worth noting that most other builders offer this service as well.
Professional design services
If you don’t want to spend the time building your own website, you can pay the developers at Network Solutions to do it for you. The company will create a website based on your specifications, and you will then have access to the standard Web Solutions website builder to make changes and maintain your website over time.
How to create a website using web solutions
The first step in creating a website with Network Solutions is to choose a template. The platform offers over 150 professionally designed templates with categories for the most common business types. In fact, templates are one of our favorite web solution builders. The only downside is that if you want to change the template later, you’ll need to redesign it from scratch.
After selecting a template, you’ll be taken to the drag-and-drop site editor. It’s very intuitive to use, with a panel of content elements that you can drag onto your site. Content elements include basic elements such as text boxes, images, videos, forms, and buttons, as well as more advanced elements such as HTML snippets and image sliders. You can also modify the template’s font and background color, although there aren’t many customization options available.
Notably, Network Solutions’ builder also offers pre-designed blocks. These are full-width panels that contain multiple content elements. Blocks provide a simple way to design your website without arranging individual content elements, so they are a good choice for first-time designers.
Network Solutions does not have a mobile editing interface, but all sites are mobile responsive. As you build your website, you can easily preview how it will look on your desktop, tablet, or mobile device.
Overall, we thought the process of building a simple site with Network Solutions was very smooth. This website builder doesn’t offer a ton of customization options, but it’s easy to use and the availability of pre-made blocks is a huge plus for beginners. However, if you want to build a more complex website, the editor may not offer the flexibility you need.
Add multimedia to your web solutions website
Web solutions allow you to add photos and videos directly to your website. You can also embed audio files, PDFs, and other types of files using the HTML snippet content element. Adding files is easy, although you can only upload one image at a time when creating a gallery. Helpfully, the builder also includes access to Unsplash’s over 2 million free stock images. Generally speaking, the multimedia functions are average but sufficient.
Marketing Features of Network Solutions Website
Network Solutions does not offer extensive marketing functionality. For example, there are no email marketing tools. You can create a blog, but there are no options to schedule posts or cross-post to social media. Network Solutions does provide social media icons so you can link to your social media accounts, but there is no deep integration with Facebook or Instagram.
SEO Features and Add-ons for Web Solutions Websites
The scope of your website’s SEO capabilities depends on the Web Solutions plan you choose. The basic website builder plan allows you to add meta titles and descriptions to each page, but doesn’t offer many other features. However, if you upgrade to the Website and Online Marketing plan, Web Solutions will automatically list your website in search engines and local directories (e.g. Yellow Pages, Yelp, etc.).
Network Solutions does not offer its own built-in traffic analytics, but you can easily integrate Google Analytics.
e-commerce
Network Solutions provides all-in-one e-commerce solutions that integrate store design, secure order processing, inventory management, marketing tools, and training and support. It’s ideal for emerging businesses with small to medium-sized inventory and looking to expand online. The service offers a fully customizable storefront, social media integration, SEO marketing tools, and mobile-friendly design templates.
delivery process
Network Solutions provides a secure payment processing system that easily integrates with a variety of credit card processing companies, including merchant accounts and payment gateways as well as PayPal. The service is fully compliant with the Visa Certified Cardholder Information Security Program and meets all PCI data standards. For added protection, customer transaction data is never stored on the website.
Scalability
Network Solutions offers scalable hosting and storage options that provide stability no matter which plan you choose. The problem is that Network Solutions doesn’t offer many advanced tools for inventory management or shipping. Therefore, this platform may be suitable for a small business with only a few products, but it may not be powerful enough to keep up with the growth of your online business.
Network Solutions Customer Support
Network Solutions provides customer support via phone, email, and live chat. Phone support is available 7 days a week from 7 a.m. to 12 a.m. ET, and live chat is available from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The company also has an online knowledge base, although we had to browse multiple links to find it. Once you find it, however, the tutorial is very easy to follow and includes plenty of screenshots.
Pricing and special offers
The price of Web Solutions Website Builder is the main reason why we don’t recommend this platform. It’s prohibitively expensive, especially considering the lack of advanced tools. To make matters worse, network solutions are not transparent at all about fees after the first month. We had to dig into the company’s terms of service to find the regular subscription rates for the website builder.
Network Solutions offers 3 plans: Website Builder, Website & Online Marketing, and Website, Marketing & Store. All plans include access to the builder and a free domain name for one year. The Online Marketing plan adds the SEO features we described above, while the Website, Marketing, and Store plan lets you sell up to 500 products.
Network Solutions doesn’t offer a free trial, but you can get a refund if you cancel within the first 30 days.
bottom line
Network Solutions offers a good website builder for creating basic websites, with well-designed templates and an easy-to-use website editor. Notably, the inclusion of pre-designed content blocks enables rapid customization, enabling users to build a unique website in minutes.
However, the pricing of network solutions has raised concerns. It costs significantly more than other builders but does not offer many additional features. Especially for e-commerce purposes, running an online store using web solutions has become very expensive and lacks the necessary tools for business growth.
Overall, we do recommend considering alternatives like GoDaddy, WordPress.com, or iPage, which offer more cost-effective options and a wider range of features.
FAQ
Is Network Solutions a good website builder?
The Network Solutions website builder itself isn’t bad—I don’t have much to say about it. It’s a simple tool that you’ll find in many other services, and it’s exactly what you’re looking for.
Still, the feature set is pretty basic compared to more established brands in the industry, and I was disappointed by the lack of pricing transparency and support responsiveness.
Can I use Network Solutions website builder for free?
No. There is no free trial or free plan. If you contact support, you can get a refund within 30 days. That’s all I have to say.
If Network Solutions’ relatively low starting price is a bit out of your budget, or you’d rather go cheap and go to one of its competitors.
Is the web solution easy to use?
Website builders are good, but the problem is all the infrastructure and poor UI design, you have to double check before using it.