Things Are Getting Tricky...

Okay folks we are back at it with our weekly business blog! This week we touch on site builders and hosting's. It is important to understand what the needs are for your business and which sites will accommodate those needs.

There are TONS of site building and hosting websites out there! You can use HTML and CSS to code and create your own website, you can pick a template, you can drag and drop, etc. BUT each one is a little different and might or might not have the things you are looking for. I advise you to research your own, but to get you started I am going to walk you through the ones I researched.

Site Builders:

Wix:

• Easy setup and drag and drop features.

• No hidden or added on costs.

• Prices depend on your willingness to pay, but Wix is a higher priced website sitting at roughly $28.00 a month.

Weebly:

• Easy setup, but limited ability to create.

• Best for small businesses.

• Prices vary, but it is cheaper at around $8 - $12 a month.

WordPress:

• More confusing setup and limited space.

• Cheaper at $10 a month (without a domain).

Squarespace:

• Great visuals, easy setup, and ready templates.

• Best for recurring costs, like services and subscriptions.

• Prices vary but it is one of the most expensive starting off at $18 a month with a 3% transaction fee.

Shopify:

• Has the best customer service and support. This makes it easy to use for beginners.

• Has limited templates.

• Prices vary but it is more expensive. Roughly $29 a month.

Dreamweaver - coding website using HTML.

• I don't have much research on this, but if you are good at coding I advise you to check it out!

Site builders allow you to actually build the website, while hosts let you display your website using their services. Some site builders and hosts are connected (like Wix and Weebly). Others only let you host or only let you build. Be careful when looking for a host because sometimes they have hidden ads, extra costs, or limited abilities.

Hosting's:

Wix:

• Have to use their website if you used their site builder, cannot transfer.

• Does not allow you to connect Google analytics, but does offer some of their own marketing.

• You get a free domain and 50% off if you pay for a yearly plan at $18 a month. If not, it is $28 a month and you have to pay for a domain.

• Gives you $300 worth of AdWords credits, ONLY if you sign a yearly plan.

Weebly:

• Have to use their hosting if you use their site builder, cannot transfer.

• Does allow you to connect to Google analytics.

• Gives you free domain and you pay $16 a month. You can get cheaper plans if you sign yearly contracts.

• Gives you $100 of AdWords credits when you spend $25 (You get $75).

Bluehost:

• Allows you to transfer from other site builders. They just host, you cannot create using their website.

• They allow Google analytics.

• A monthly plan is $8.99 and a three-year-plan is $2.95 a month.

• If you spend $25, they give you an added $100 for AdWords credits.

HostGato & GreenGeeks:

• I combined these two because they are very similar. They allow you to transfer sites.

• HostGator allows Google analytics, but GreenGeeks does not.

• Both give you a certain amount of AdWords credits. HostGator is $150 and GreenGeeks varies.

• A monthly plan for either of them is $10.95 per month.

• A three-year-plan for HostGator is $2.75 and $2.49 for GreenGeeks.

YES! There are TONS! I have given you a list of things I have researched, but there are so much options and each one will be different according to your needs. So put the work in and start finding what you need. Mess around with each a bit and then make a final decision. It's time to start building our websites!

#domains #hosting #sitebuilders #research #business