Their Success With Duda
Checkdomain redirected, revitalized and expanded its business by working with Duda to introduce its first-ever website builder.
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New website builder with custom upsell flows
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16
week launch, from decision to delivery
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23%
customer base growth
The Challenge
In late 2017, Checkdomain was at a major crossroads. Facing a stagnating market, and an uncertain future, the Germany-based domain registrar had to come up with a sustainable, scalable solution –– fast; something that would breathe new life into its business while solidifying its standing as an online service provider.
The Decision
Looking to the future, Johannes Herold, CEO and founder, came to a powerful realization. The answer was not to fight to stay afloat in a dwindling market but rather to expand by going where there was a demand.
Herold realized that Checkdomain’s next move could be found with their customer journey, specifically the next step that a typical customer might take after registering a domain: building a website. If Checkdomain customers had the option to build websites through Checkdomain, it would allow the company to capitalize on its current offerings while opening itself to new business opportunities. The decision was made.
“We wanted to strengthen our business with additional offerings such as website building,” said Herold. “With new services, we would also be providing greater incentives for our current customers to use their domain, thus lowering the cancellation rate.”
The next step would be to search for a platform on which Checkdomain could quickly build and offer a painless, reliable website builder that even the least tech-savvy of customers could use.
Why Duda
Many platforms such as Weebly, Wix, and Squarespace boasted an impressive roster of features and web design tools, but when it came to the ability to quickly implement a custom website builder that was also scalable, Herold saw there was a clear frontrunner.
With Duda, Herold knew that Checkdomain could reach its goals with speed and efficiency, given its well-established, reputation within the web design industry. Duda’s proven track record of diverse and lasting partnerships with domain registrars, large hosting companies, and agencies that specialize in website design for small businesses at scale won Herold’s heart. And Duda’s deep understanding of the technical requirements for creating a scalable website-building solution won his business.
“We were impressed by Duda’s knowledge and pride in their product, and understanding of our goals,” said Herold. “We needed to get our website builder up and running fast. Duda gave us full confidence that they would be the right platform for the job.”
In addition to hosting a collection of innovative web design tools, Checkdomain was pleased to know that the entire Duda platform was fully compliant with EU GDPR standards. With Duda, Checkdomain would also have the flexibility to custom configure upsell flows for its customers, for higher revenue.
Fast Integration
Using Duda’s rest API, Checkdomain was able to seamlessly connect its back end with Duda’s white label editor to configure three do-it-yourself customer onboarding flows. From those flows, Checkdomain customers would be able to register, select a plan, pay and proceed to build sites for their businesses.
From start to finish, the entire implementation process took just 16 weeks. And Duda remained on hand throughout the integration to offer support and ensure everything ran as smoothly as possible.
“Duda’s API is very well-documented and could be easily connected to our back end,” said Herold. “The account management team would regularly check in with us to see if we needed help, and the product team always provided quick, competent answers to our questions.”
A Brand New Outlook
With their new website builder, Checkdomain has become a one-stop shop, where customers can register their domains, build sites, and purchase additional services.
Before working with Duda, Checkdomain had one customer pipeline. With their new website builder, the company has created three more:
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Existing customers who have registered domains with Checkdomain can now use Checkdomain to build websites.
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New customers with domains not registered with Checkdomain can now use Checkdomain as a viable, affordable option for website building.
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New customers in need of both sites and domains can purchase both through Checkdomain.
Checkdomain has also created additional revenue streams through SSL encryption and SEO upsell packages.
Checkdomain’s website builder has been well-received by customers thanks to its user-friendliness, site speed, quality templates, and the ability to edit sites from mobile devices. Since introducing the website builder, Checkdomain’s customer base has increased by 23%. The company is also enjoying a burgeoning presence in new vertical markets.
“With the new service, we now have a different clientele,” said Timo Heinrich, Checkdomain’s Marketing Specialist. “Now bakers or hairdressers can also become customers with us, which was not the case before, as we were previously a pure hoster.”
A Bright Future
By introducing a website builder, Checkdomain has transformed the future of its business. And by working with Duda, the company was able to do it remarkably fast. Plans are already in place to further expand services and offerings on a rolling basis. This will include introducing a do-it-for-me website building service and offering a custom domain name generator; a tool that will make it easier for customers to find free domains.
