Short answer: yes — Escrow.com is a licensed, regulated escrow provider and is safe for website and domain deals when you use it correctly. Nearly every loss people blame on "escrow" actually comes from going off platform or falling for a fake escrow site — not from real escrow failing.
A neutral third party holds the buyer's money until the asset is confirmed transferred, then releases it to the seller. Neither side can run: the buyer can't grab the site without paying, and the seller can't grab the money without delivering. That's the entire protection.
It's a licensed money transmitter, holds funds in trust accounts, and is the escrow provider built into major marketplaces (including domain registrars). Its role in a website sale is exactly the same as in a domain sale: hold, verify, release.
Escrow guarantees the swap, not the quality. It won't undo inflated traffic claims or fake revenue — that's what due diligence is for. Verify the asset before you approve release, because release is final.
Escrow.com charges a small percentage that scales down on larger deals. Convention is to split it or have the buyer pay, but it's negotiable and should be written into the terms up front. It's cheap insurance against a total loss.
The scam is a "buyer" or "seller" who insists on an unfamiliar escrow site and sends you a link. That site is theirs. Only ever start the transaction yourself by typing escrow.com directly — never a link someone sends you — and never move to wire, gift cards, or crypto "to save fees."