Webstarts

Webstarts provides an easy-to-use site builder and hosting service in one solution for small businesses. They turned to OpenSRS to power their domain name registration and management in 2009, in large part, because the customer service philosophies of the two companies matched up so well.

The Florida-based company was founded by Adam Barger to solve a problem that he recognized was something that many small businesses experienced – it’s far too complicated to get an online presence.

Steve Waldrop, COO, Webstarts, says they started building their service with the recognition that it could be much simpler.

"Back in 2006 we really set out to create something that would be available to someone who didn't necessarily have the skills to build a website, and to provide them with a way to get exactly what they want without the long wait times and high costs of hiring a web designer," Waldrop says.

The Best Tools, Plus Great Support

Webstarts’ focus is to provide an easy to use website building tools that allow their customers to create a truly unique website that conveys the value of their products and services.

WebStarts combines their innovative technology with good old-fashioned customer service. "We have the only true WYSIWYG site designer out there," Waldrop says. "But it's more than our technology, it’s also about the level of customer support. We have a phone number on every page of our website and you're going to get someone who's knowledgeable about who to build your website, from the domain name, to the site builder. You'll get someone to take the time to walk you through the process."

Keeping things simple doesn’t mean the sites aren’t unique and impressive. Waldrop says they recognize the importance of having many different unique designs. "If a customer comes and finds a site design that they can envision their own site on, then that's half the battle right there," he says. Webstarts goes beyond the basics, offering an e-commerce plugin and shopping cart.

Domain Name Included

Webstarts uses a freemium model – users can create a site with a WebStarts subdomain for free. Users are only required to upgrade to one of their affordable packages to gain access to premium features.

WebStarts offers dozens of premium features and is the only website builder who includes a customer domain name. The decision to bundle the domain just made sense according to Waldrop.

"We asked ourselves, 'What is it that people want?'" says Waldrop. "The most important thing people are willing to pay for is a domain name - a unique presence for their business - we really feel that a domain name is one of the key things that people are after."

OpenSRS Reseller Since 2009

Webstarts offered domain registration from day one, originally with another provider. Waldrop says that they started thinking about making the switch to OpenSRS in 2009 after OpenSRS reached out to them.

He says Webstarts found a lot of similarities between the way OpenSRS and Webstarts look at their respective businesses. Webstarts philosophy of making it easy for their customers matched that of OpenSRS. Waldrop notes that making things easy is something that stretches from Webstarts' site builder, through to the way they handle customer support.

"There's a lot of things that you guys do that we have found that we do as a company," he says. "After meeting with you guys and looking at the product you offer...it just worked."

"You were there to answer questions," Waldrop adds. "It was just far and away a better fit for our business. The level of support we get from you guys is great. I can call anytime and get an answer."