Whether you’ve owned a small business for a few years or are in the planning stages of your small startup, you might think that having a social media page or two is enough of an online presence.
While sending out email blasts to your customers or keeping your Facebook page up to date is definitely beneficial to your business, having your own website looks professional and is an effective way to connect with your customer base.
Website creation is often a job in itself that requires careful planning and a budget, but finding a top-notch web hosting company can be challenging. Here are some of the best web hosting companies to consider if you are a small business owner.
GoDaddy
Even if you’ve never used GoDaddy, you are probably familiar with this popular web hosting company that has over 20 million users. If you don’t know what you want or need for your small business, GoDaddy has plenty of options, from a large selection of domain names to a WordPress optimized sharing host service and email hosting plans.
GoDaddy also has a convenient website building feature for small business owners who might need a hand at creating a site. While GoDaddy is a one-stop-shop for business owners of every kind and size, it’s not the most budget-friendly, and basic plans (which are best suited for smaller businesses) don’t include SSL. While there are a lot of great features, it might offer more than you need but lacks a few other essential features.
BlueHost
BlueHost is an ideal choice for small business owners who are looking for affordability and unlimited features such as the number of websites, emails, and unmetered bandwidth. Like GoDaddy, there are several different plans you can choose from, like a shared site (which is great for beginners) or a commerce plan which is best suited for online stores.
The bonus is that BlueHost is less expensive to upgrade as your business grows or your needs change. All plans come with free SSL certificates, custom themes, and 24/7 customer support.
Site Creator
Site Creator may not be as well-known as other web hosting companies geared towards small businesses, but it is one of the more affordable options, with flexible plans and free top-of-the-line features. Whether you’re looking for a basic plan with a free lifetime domain, unlimited storage, and SSL or an upgrade with marketing tools, Site Creator has something for everyone and starts as low as $2 a month. For more in-depth details, check out this Site Creator Review and reviews of other similar hosting companies
Shopify
While several web hosting companies work well for an online shop, many don’t offer enough features to help small eCommerce businesses. Some users think that Shopify isn’t the most budget-friendly option, but features like POS integration, easy setup, unlimited bandwidth, and fast servers are worth the cost.
HostGator
If you’re looking for a web hosting company that offers cloud hosting, HostGator is a solid option for smaller businesses. While many web hosting companies are still offering the traditional private or shared servers for users, cloud hosting is becoming more popular.
While cloud hosting might not be important to small business owners, it does offer a little more reliability and versatility. Have a big sale going on? Experiencing an increased number of visitors to your site? Cloud hosting can keep up with that sudden spike more easily without affecting your speed, security, or accessibility. HostGator offers many of the basics of other web hosting companies, but the main difference is cloud hosting.
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