Helping small businesses win online since 2001
Over 25 years of experience in building Europe's leading digital solutions platform for small businesses.
1999-2010
Pioneering Online Presence
A decade of entrepreneurial beginnings, marked by innovation and the vision to democratize web presence.
- 1999: Hostnet (NL) and Webglobe (CEE) were founded
- 2002: one.com was founded in Denmark (Deep Dive Windows)
- 2005: Zoner was founded in Finland
- 2006: dogado was founded in Germany
- 2014: The .one top-level domain was launched
What happened in the world?
2004: Facebook is launched; the age of social media begins
2007: First iPhone released, reshaping digital access
2010: WordPress surpasses 50 million websites globally
As social platforms emerge and the first smartphones change user behavior, group.one’s brands empower a new generation to claim their space online—reliably, affordably, and at scale.
Deep Dive: one.com emerged
Founded in 2002, one.com began as a small web hosting start-up in Denmark. Legend has it the company started in a basement—though whether that's fact or fiction remains uncertain. Originally named b-one.net, the company was created by two high school friends who shared a bold vision: to leave school and build a software company that could genuinely change lives. From the outset, one.com was driven by a fundamental shift in how people viewed hosting and online presence. Its mission was simple yet transformative—being online should be easy, affordable, and seamless for everyone. With a strong focus on end users, the company grew in tandem with its customers, never losing sight of its founding values. Today, one of the original founders—the CEO and majority shareholder—continues to shape the company’s direction as an active member of the board
Early days: b-one (today one.com) focused on web space with max 500 MB storage.
2011-2015
Global growth story
We built regional depth and diversified our footprint across Europe.
- one.com expanded reach across key European markets
- Accell KKR invested into one.com to support global growth
- Integration of managed services for small and nedium sized businesses began
one.com in 2012: Focus on Webhosting Infrastructure and Developers
What happened in the world?
2012: Instagram reaches 100M users; mobile-first usage surges
2014: Global internet penetration crosses 40%
2015: SaaS becomes a $50B+ industry, with accelerated cloud adoption
During this wave of digital transformation, we invested in local expertise and scalable infrastructure—enabling business owners to serve their customers online, faster and more securely than ever.
2016-2022
International Expansion & Core Product Creation
From hosting to early digital solutions: We expanded our product portfolio and laid the groundwork for SaaS.
- 2016-2017: Expanded competitive presence in the German hosting market through the acquisitions of busymouse (cloud services for IT partners) and Alfahosting
- 2017: Launched one.com Managed WordPress and an advanced website builder
- 2019-2022: Acquired Hostnet (NL), Profihost, Checkdomain (DE), Zoner (FI), easyname (AT), and Metanet (CH). With easyname, Hostnet, Metanet, and Zoner, the group entered new markets under strong local brands
- 2020: With the acquisition of GratisDNS, the group became the largest .dk registrar
2019: One.com offered its own website builder to help every SMB create a website.
What happened in the world?
2016: Microsoft acquires LinkedIn for $26B, strengthening digital B2B ecosystems
2018: GDPR comes into effect, reshaping data compliance
As SaaS adoption surged worldwide, we expanded beyond infrastructure, empowering SMBs not just to establish an online presence, but to grow and thrive through professional-grade tools and services.
2021 - 2022
Transformation into today's group.one
A landmark merger and strategic shift: We became group.one, expanded into new regions and strengthened our product portfolio with new core products.
- Merged dogado and one.com to form today’s group.one
- Rank Math & WordPress plugins joined portfolio with over 1.1M users
- Acquired one of Austria's largest media companies, HEROLD, to expand into digital marketing
- Expanded the managed website offering through the acquisition of the website management division of Websitebutler
- Launched dogado.pro, a new platform for professionally managed servers
- Released the ESG Report 2022, and KAMP joined the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact
- Achieved successful ISO certification for the Dogado web hosting platform, making group.one one of the first providers on the German market
What happened in the world?
2021–2022: Hybrid work becomes the new norm- 2022: WordPress powers over 40% of all websites
2022: Global SaaS revenue reaches $145B
With a new identity and a broader footprint, we committed to building a category-defining company focused on sustainability, user value, and SMB enablement.
2023 - Today
SaaS Focus on Digital Success of SMBs
We’re building the leading all-in-one SaaS platform for small businesses in Europe.
- 2023: Daniel Hagemeier was appointed CEO of group.one
- 2023 and 2024: First group-wide Sustainability Report was published
- 2024: Acquired Webglobe, marking the entry into Central and Eastern Europe
- 2024: Acquired Webglobe, marking the entry into Central and Eastern Europe
- 2025: GTmetrix (SaaS performance monitoring solution) joined group.one, reinforcing the focus on performance
2025: one.com today offers digital solutions like Booking & Scheduling, based on our SaaS company Shore, to businesses to turn visitors into bookings.
What happened in the world?
2023: AI tools like ChatGPT reach mass adoption- 2024: SMBs increasingly shift toward vertical SaaS solutions
2025 (est.): 70%+ of SMB digital budgets go to cloud-based tools and services
Today, group.one enables the digital success of millions of small businesses across Europe. From compliance and booking to web performance and AI-powered tools—we help our customers grow with confidence.