--- title: "Webs.com: What Happened and What to Do Next" description: Webs.com is retired. Learn what happened to Webs and Freewebs, what former users should do next, and how to rebuild and track SEO on a new website. --- [![rankingcoach](https://go.rankingcoach.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/KB/images/rC-logo-color-medium.svg "rankingcoach")](https://www.rankingcoach.com/en-us) - [Features](https://www.rankingcoach.com/en-us/features?utm_source=rc_blog) - [Pricing](https://www.rankingcoach.com/en-us/pricing?utm_source=rc_blog) - [Partners](https://www.rankingcoach.com/en-us/partners?utm_source=rc_blog) - [Blog](https://blog.rankingcoach.com/en) Back Close - [Home](https://www.rankingcoach.com/en-us?utm_source=rc_blog) - [Features](https://www.rankingcoach.com/en-us/features?utm_source=rc_blog) - [Pricing](https://www.rankingcoach.com/en-us/pricing?utm_source=rc_blog) - [Partners](https://www.rankingcoach.com/en-us/partners?utm_source=rc_blog) - [Blog](https://blog.rankingcoach.com/en) # Webs.com: What Happened and What to Do Next ![Webs-feature](https://go.rankingcoach.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Webs-feature.png?width=1200&height=630&name=Webs-feature.png) Webs.com, originally launched as Freewebs, was an early website builder that helped individuals and small businesses create websites without coding. The service is no longer available: VistaPrint now states that Webs has been retired and directs visitors toward its Vista x Wix offering. If you previously used Webs.com or Freewebs, the priority today is not optimizing an old Webs site. It is making sure your business has a current website, rebuilding the pages and search signals that still matter, and tracking how the replacement site performs. This guide explains what happened to Webs.com, what former users should do now, how to approach SEO after moving to another platform, and how rankingCoach can help you build and monitor your visibility on your new website. ## Table of Contents 1. [What Was Webs.com?](https://go.rankingcoach.com/en/cms/seo-digital-marketing-webs#what-was-webs-com) 2. [What Happened to Webs.com?](https://go.rankingcoach.com/en/cms/seo-digital-marketing-webs#what-happened-to-webs-com) 3. [What Should Former Webs.com Users Do Now?](https://go.rankingcoach.com/en/cms/seo-digital-marketing-webs#what-should-former-webs-com-users-do-now) 4. [SEO After Moving From Webs.com](https://go.rankingcoach.com/en/cms/seo-digital-marketing-webs#seo-after-moving-from-webs-com) 5. [How to Track Your SEO After Leaving Webs.com](https://go.rankingcoach.com/en/cms/seo-digital-marketing-webs#how-to-track-your-seo-after-leaving-webs-com) 6. [How rankingCoach Helps After Moving From Webs.com](https://go.rankingcoach.com/en/cms/seo-digital-marketing-webs#how-rankingcoach-helps-after-moving-from-webs-com) 7. [Webs.com: Frequently Asked Questions](https://go.rankingcoach.com/en/cms/seo-digital-marketing-webs#webs-com-frequently-asked-questions) 8. [Optimize Your New Website with rankingCoach](https://go.rankingcoach.com/en/cms/seo-digital-marketing-webs#optimize-your-new-website-with-rankingcoach) ## 1. What Was Webs.com? Webs.com was a website builder and hosting service founded in 2001 under the name Freewebs. The platform later became known as Webs and offered free and paid website-building options aimed at people and small businesses that wanted to create a site without managing their own hosting infrastructure. VistaPrint acquired Webs in 2011. For many long-time users, the older Freewebs name remained familiar, which is why searches for terms such as freewebs and freewebs com still appear today. Webs belonged to an earlier generation of website builders. It provided templates and drag-and-drop website creation, and it also offered SEO-related functionality during its active years. However, those historical tools are no longer relevant for managing a live website because the Webs platform has been retired. ## 2. What Happened to Webs.com? Webs.com is no longer an active website-building platform. VistaPrint describes Webs as retired and currently uses its shutdown page to direct visitors toward Vista x Wix, a website-building offering created through its partnership with Wix. The final Webs shutdown took place on August 31, 2023. Former Webs users therefore cannot create or continue optimizing an active website on the original platform. This is important for anyone searching for www.webs.com, Webs online, or a Webs.com free website today: information explaining how to change settings inside the old Webs builder is now historical. If your business still needs a website, the practical next step is to use a current website builder or CMS and rebuild your online presence there. VistaPrint promotes Vista x Wix as an option for former users, but it is not the only possible route. The right replacement depends on your website, business needs, technical requirements, budget, and the level of control you want. ## 3. What Should Former Webs.com Users Do Now? If your old website was built with Webs or Freewebs, approach the move as a website rebuild and SEO recovery project rather than a normal platform update. ### Choose a current website platform Select a maintained website builder or CMS that supports the functionality your business needs. Consider how easily you can manage pages, metadata, URLs, redirects, images, analytics, structured data, and future content before committing to a platform. ### Recover and rebuild your most important content Prioritize the pages that were most important to your business, such as your homepage, service or product pages, contact information, location pages, and useful articles. If you have old copies, exports, screenshots, or archived versions of your Webs site, use them as a reference rather than rebuilding everything from memory. ### Keep your domain under your control If you used a custom domain with Webs, confirm that you still control its registration and DNS settings. Your domain is separate from the content management system itself, and retaining the same domain can make a rebuild easier for returning visitors and existing links. ### Preserve useful URLs where possible If you know the URLs of important pages from your former site, consider recreating the same or closely related paths on the new website when that makes sense. Where you control the relevant domain and old URLs, use appropriate redirects when URLs change so visitors and search engines reach the most relevant replacement page. ### Reconnect your measurement tools Set up Google Search Console and analytics for the new website. Submit the new XML sitemap, check whether important pages are being indexed, and monitor search performance as the replacement site becomes established. ## 4. SEO After Moving From Webs.com ![webs-seo](https://go.rankingcoach.com/hs-fs/hubfs/webs-seo.png?width=1536&height=1024&name=webs-seo.png) Once your replacement website is live, focus on building a solid SEO foundation instead of trying to recreate every setting from the old Webs platform. ### Research the searches that matter to your business Identify the products, services, questions, and locations your potential customers search for. Map important search topics to the most relevant pages instead of trying to make every page target the same terms. ### Write clear SEO titles and meta descriptions Give each important page a descriptive SEO title and meta description that accurately represent its content. Use relevant search terms naturally and focus on helping potential visitors understand what they will find on the page. ### Use a logical page and heading structure Organize your website so visitors can easily understand where to find important information. Use one clear main topic for each page and meaningful subheadings to divide longer content into useful sections. ### Create useful, current content Do not simply copy outdated text from the former Webs site. Review business details, services, prices, locations, contact information, and other time-sensitive information before republishing. Expand thin pages when visitors need more information to make a decision. ### Optimize URLs and internal links Use readable, descriptive URLs and connect related pages with useful internal links. Internal links help visitors discover relevant content and help search engines understand the relationships between pages on your new site. ### Optimize images and accessibility Resize and compress unnecessarily large images, and add descriptive alt text to meaningful images. Alt text should explain the image for users who cannot see it rather than act as a place to force keywords. ### Check mobile usability and performance Test important pages on mobile devices and review Core Web Vitals and PageSpeed Insights. Themes, images, scripts, embeds, and third-party tools can all affect the experience even when your new platform handles hosting and technical maintenance for you. ### Use structured data where appropriate Depending on your website type, structured data can help search engines understand information such as your organization, local business, products, articles, or other supported content. Check what your new CMS already generates before adding additional markup. ### Connect Google Search Console Use Google Search Console to check indexing, search queries, impressions, clicks, average positions, and technical issues. Submit the XML sitemap generated by your new platform and monitor whether important pages are being discovered correctly. Not sure what to optimize first on your replacement website? **[Build your SEO strategy with rankingCoach →](https://www.rankingcoach.com/en-us/seo)** ## 5. How to Track Your SEO After Leaving Webs.com A rebuilt website needs time to establish or recover search visibility. Use several data sources together to understand whether the new site is being found and whether that visibility is producing useful business results. ### Google Search Console Monitor search queries, impressions, clicks, average positions, indexed pages, and indexing issues. Compare longer-term trends rather than reacting to individual daily movements. ### Google Analytics Use analytics to understand what visitors do after reaching your new site. Track organic traffic alongside enquiries, purchases, registrations, calls, or other actions that matter to your business. ### Keyword rankings Track the searches that are strategically important to your business. Dedicated rank tracking can help you see whether important pages are gaining or losing visibility over time after the rebuild. ### Competitor performance Your own traffic does not show the full search landscape. Monitor competitors to identify keyword opportunities, content gaps, backlinks, and changes in the businesses competing for the same searches. ### Local visibility If you serve local customers, review your Google Business Profile and relevant business listings. Make sure your business name, address, phone number, opening hours, website URL, and other important information are accurate after the website change. ### Online reputation Continue monitoring customer reviews and responding appropriately. A website migration should not interrupt the wider trust signals customers use when deciding whether to choose your business. Want a clearer view of your search visibility after the move? **[Track your SEO progress with rankingCoach →](https://www.rankingcoach.com/en-us/seo)** ## 6. How rankingCoach Helps After Moving From Webs.com ![rankingCoach dashboard](https://go.rankingcoach.com/hs-fs/hubfs/rankingCoach%20dashboard.png?width=1731&height=909&name=rankingCoach%20dashboard.png) Webs.com has been retired, so rankingCoach is not a way to optimize the old Webs platform. Instead, rankingCoach works alongside the current website or CMS you use after the move, helping you understand what to optimize, prioritize the work, and monitor your visibility. All major Content Management Systems (CMSs) are supported by rankingCoach, making your optimization plan the perfect fit for your system. Create or sign in to your rankingCoach account and follow the onboarding process for your current website. Build and optimize your SEO with AI: rankingCoach analyzes your website and creates personalized optimization tasks. AI-powered keyword and content tools help you identify opportunities and improve important pages. Find issues and track progress: Scan your new website for SEO opportunities, monitor keyword rankings, and use competitor and backlink insights to understand where you can improve. Strengthen your Google and AI visibility: Monitor your search presence and understand how your business appears across traditional search and AI-powered discovery. Grow beyond website SEO: Connect your SEO work with business listings, local visibility, reputation management, social media, Google Ads, and brand monitoring from the same platform. This means your SEO strategy does not need to remain tied to a retired website builder. Once you have moved to a current platform, rankingCoach can help you turn the new website into a structured, ongoing visibility strategy. **[See how rankingCoach brings your online visibility together →](https://www.rankingcoach.com/en-us/)** ## 7. Webs.com: Frequently Asked Questions **Is Webs.com free?** Webs.com previously offered free and paid website-building options, but the service has been retired and is no longer available as an active free website builder. VistaPrint now directs visitors from the Webs shutdown page toward its Vista x Wix offering. **What happened to Webs.com?** Webs.com, originally known as Freewebs, was acquired by VistaPrint in 2011 and was later retired. The final Webs shutdown took place on August 31, 2023. VistaPrint now directs visitors from the Webs shutdown page toward its Vista x Wix website-building offering. **Can I still create a website with Webs.com?** No. Webs.com has been retired, so you can no longer create or maintain a new website on the original Webs platform. If you need a website today, choose a current website builder or CMS and rebuild your site there. **Can I use rankingCoach after moving from Webs.com?** Yes. After moving to a current website builder or CMS, you can use rankingCoach alongside your new website. rankingCoach can analyze the site, identify SEO opportunities, create prioritized optimization tasks, and help you monitor keyword rankings, competitors, and wider online visibility. **Does rankingCoach work with different CMSs and website builders?** Yes. All major Content Management Systems (CMSs) are supported by rankingCoach, making your optimization plan the perfect fit for your system. This means former Webs.com users can choose a current website platform and use rankingCoach to guide and track their optimization work on the new site. ## 8. Optimize Your New Website with rankingCoach Moving on from Webs.com means rebuilding more than the website itself. You also need to make sure important pages can be discovered, understand which searches matter, monitor your visibility, and keep improving the new site over time. rankingCoach analyzes your current website, identifies SEO opportunities, and turns them into prioritized tasks and guidance. You can optimize content with AI, monitor keyword rankings and competitors, track your progress, and connect SEO with your wider online visibility. Instead of tying your SEO strategy to one website builder, rankingCoach helps you create a structured approach that can work alongside the current CMS or website platform you choose. 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