This article is about web hosting providers and site builders that are popular among small business owners who want to build a thriving online business.
As a business owner, you may choose to hire someone to build your site, but in my opinion, it's best to learn how to build a blog, website or shop that you own and control.
If you build a site yourself, you will learn how it's put together and you can lay it out the way you want it, without going through a third party.
Which Platform Will You Choose?
No matter what platform you choose to give your business a home, you'll need a domain and hosting. Whether you choose WordPress, Shopify, or WooCommerce, all self hosted solutions, or hosted, limited use solutions like a video channel, Wix, Etsy, Blogger or Squarespace, it doesn't matter.
As business owners we all need a location on the web that we can send people to so that they can learn more about our business.
The address we give people that we want to do business with is our domain, which serves as our address, much like your physical home address.
We also need a place to store the files you'll use to sell your products and services, which is your web host.
This tutorial will focus primarily on self hosted solutions because we feel that having your own place (a place you own and control) online is better than having a place that controls what you do and how you run your business.
The Difference Between WordPress and Shopify
If you're interested in building a self hosted platform for your business you can choose WordPress or Shopify.
And because these are two totally unrelated platforms, there are a few things you should consider. This section will help you make a distinction between the two solution and show you how to proceed for each one.
WordPress. If you choose to have a self hosted WordPress site, you will need a place for your site files to reside. And that's where web hosting comes in.
And while WordPress is free, your hosting company will charge a fee to rent you space on their servers for your website files. Even though you're renting space from a hosting provider, the hosting company doesn't dictate how you run your business or what you can and cannot sell on your website (as long as it's legal, of course).
WooCommerce for WordPress. WordPress also offers an eCommerce solution called WooCommerce that can be installed (it's a free plugin) and set up once you have installed a theme or web builder for your site. So this is also an option if you want to open an online store.
Shopify. Shopify is a beginner friendly, all inclusive self hosted solution for business owners who want to open a store using an eCommerce solution at an affordable price.
When you set up Shopify, you'll receive a domain and hosting for a monthly fee, which is what you'll see reflected in their plan pricing below.
Shopify offers a variety of themes and apps (similar to plugins on WordPress) that you can purchase separately to control the look and feel of your shop.
Everything you'll need to run your Shopify store will be offered on their site. So with Shopify, there's no need to shop for a separate domain and hosting plan.
This means the domain and hosting, and website builders we talk about in this article won't apply to Shopify. If this is the platform you've selected, skip this section and go directly to the Shopify section here.
Why You Need Hosting
You'll need a place for your articles, images, documents, videos, audio files and more reside online. Many hosting companies will rent space for blogs, websites and eCommerce shops.
Additionally, many of companies will provide you with a free security certificate and domain for the first year.
Shopify takes care of its own hosting and it's included in the monthly plan you'll sign up for when you set up your site.
The Best Website Hosting Services and Website Builders for Small Business Owners
Information You'll Need When Choosing a Hosting Provider
To give you and idea of what's available we've listed some of the most highly rated web hosting companies. Keep in mind that most of them offer shared, managed and dedicated server options.
And many of the prices listed below only capture one pricing tier (shared, managed or dedicated) for services that are billed ahead of time.
That means that to get the best pricing, in most cases you will have to pay for a 12, 24 or 36 month plan. Be sure to use the links to visit the companies you're interested in to get the full details (pricing plans change on a regular basis) on their plans and what they include.
Our goal is to show our readers that having a self hosted web presence doesn't have to break the bank. And keep in mind that if you use WordPress to build a site, it's free.
Managed Versus Shared, Versus Dedicated Hosting Plans
To boil it down, managed WordPress plans offer services and performance tweaks specific to WordPress versus Shared Web Hosting plans that are generalist plans that host anything from WordPress to Drupal.
But Shared Web Hosting and Managed WordPress hosting are more similar than they are different.
You see, both plans are managed and come with 24/7/365 support on phones, tickets, and LiveChat, and both plans are on shared servers.
Shared Hosting is a cost-effective solution where multiple websites share server resources. It's an excellent choice for startups, small businesses, or personal websites with moderate traffic.
Shared hosting is user-friendly, with most plans including tools like cPanel for easy management. However, the shared nature of the server can lead to slower performance and potential security risks if other websites on the server experience spikes in traffic or vulnerabilities.
Additionally, you have limited control over server configurations, which might not suit businesses with specific technical requirements.
To summarize,
- Shared Web Hosting plans share resources with other sites on the same server.
- Managed WordPress plans offer additional WordPress-specific services and tweaks to performance in a shared environment.
- In contrast to shared hosting, dedicated hosting is a service where your website has a physical server and its resources all to itself.
In other words, a dedicated hosting plan offers you complete control over the server’s performance, security and resources.
Below are the advantages and disadvantages of dedicated hosting.
Dedicated Hosting offers exclusive use of a server, ensuring high performance, better security, and complete control over server configurations.
This makes it ideal for large businesses, high-traffic websites, or applications requiring significant resources.
However, the biggest drawback of dedicated hosting is cost. It is significantly more expensive than shared hosting, and its complexity often requires technical expertise for server management and maintenance, adding to overhead costs.
Choosing the right hosting plan depends on your budget, website size, and traffic expectations. For businesses requiring scalability and customization, dedicated hosting is the better choice, while shared hosting works well for smaller beginner websites prioritizing affordability and simplicity.
You Might Be A Little Confused
You might be confused about renting site services for your business. With a hosting provider, you are renting server space from a hosting company. And while that hosting provider gives you space, what you do with it and what you sell on it is up to you. That's why we recommend self hosted sites because they allow you to own and control the way you run your business.
There are also hosted companies that provide limited use platforms and marketplaces that you can use to list and sell your products. These companies can set terms like, limit what you sell, how you interact with customers and they may charge you for providing services like traffic, payment processing and more.
Web Hosting Services for Small Businesses on a WordPress Platform
Here are top hosting companies are for WordPress blogs, websites and online (eCommerce) stores. Choose the one that works best for your budget and business needs.
1. Bluehost
Bluehost is a popular web hosting provider that's known for reliable hosting services. Fast, reliable and packed with features, their beginner friendly WordPress hosting options are designed to fit your needs.
Bluehost has been recommended by WordPress since 2005 for a very good reason – there simply isn’t a hosting provider out there that knows how to optimize WordPress websites and online stores better.
Bluehost also offers shared, managed and dedicated hosting solutions and an AI generated website option that makes building a niche specific, WordPress site a lot easier, in a shorter amount of time with no tech skills required. The pricing below is for shared hosting. Click the buttons below each plan to see what Bluehost has to offer.
Basic
$
1.99
Choice Plus
$
3.99
Online Store
$
7.45
2. SiteGround
SiteGround is well-regarded beginner friendly, affordable domain and hosting solution, known for its excellent customer support and performance.
All advertised prices apply to prepaid purchases Đľf a 12-month hosting plan as of the date of this post. Special prices are applicable for the first invoice. For all subsequent renewals regular prices apply. Click the buttons below to see all that his provider offers.
All their hosting plans include Let’s Encrypt Standard and Wildcard SSL certificates at no extra cost. For your convenience, the Standard SSL security certificate comes preinstalled on your site.
Create unlimited email accounts with the webmail interface included. Stop spam with the free SpamExperts service.
StartUp
$
2.99
GrowBig
$
4.99
GoGeek
$
7.99
3. HostGator
HostGator is a widely used domain and hosting service with a user-friendly interface. Got WordPress on your mind? Grab this fast, more secure, solution that's awesomely easy.
Their ready-to-go solution makes setting up WordPress quicker and easier than doing it all on your own.
Plus, their simplified control panel is hassle-free — so you can set up auto-backups, access 1-click restores, and do loads of other account management-y things without missing a beat.
Hostgator is a beginner friendly domain and web hosting solution that offers shared, managed, and dedicated hosting for business owners who want to get start with no coding skill required. The pricing below is for their shared hosting plans.
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