Interland

About Interland

Interland emerged as a significant player in the web services industry, focusing on providing web hosting and online services tailored for small and medium-sized businesses. The company's origins trace back to the merger of MicronPC's web services division, HostPro, with Interland, Inc. in 2001, at which point the combined entity retained the Interland name and shifted its focus exclusively to internet hosting.

Throughout the early 2000s, Interland pursued an aggressive growth strategy, acquiring numerous hosting companies to expand its market share, including Trellix, CommuniTech, and HostCentric. This period of rapid expansion was financed through venture capital, with the company raising $25 million by early 2000 before its IPO on July 25, 2000. The business provided a comprehensive suite of services, including shared and dedicated hosting, e-commerce solutions, application hosting, and website development tools. For a monthly fee and setup charge, clients could get a multi-page website, design consultation, email marketing, analytics, and e-commerce capabilities.

A pivotal moment in the company's history occurred in August 2005 when the board installed new management, appointing Jeff Stibel as President and CEO to steer the company's turnaround. This strategic shift led to the acquisition of Web Internet, LLC for approximately $4.8 million in December 2005. This acquisition was not just for the hosting business but critically for the highly valuable 'Web.com' domain name, which was seen as a tremendous branding opportunity. Following this, Interland rebranded itself, officially changing its corporate name to Web.com, Inc. in March 2006. The entity continued to operate, merging with Website Pros in 2007 and was eventually acquired by an affiliate of Siris Capital Group, with its assets now part of Newfold Digital.