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How To Build A WordPress Website From Scratch

Updated January 25, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

This WordPress tutorial covers exactly how to build a WordPress website from scratch for beginners.

Because here’s the problem: you are looking to start a WordPress website for your blog, business, portfolio, store, or forum – but the idea of messing with computer code, databases, or software sounds a bit daunting.

Porkbun Review: Pros, Cons & Alternatives

Updated February 21, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

Porkbun is an ICANN-accredited domain registrar based out of Portland, Oregon. Porkbun sells domain names along with complementary products like SSL certificate and hosting products. Their primary pitch is making the domain registration process easy, enjoyable, and affordable.

Porkbun

Porkbun is a great independent registrar with a seamless, wonderful purchase experience. They do lack complementary products though.

Operating System: All

Application Category: Domain Registration

Weebly Review: Pros & Cons of Using Weebly For Your Website

Updated February 16, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

When it comes to getting a website up, there’s never been an easier time. Weebly is one of the fastest growing and longest standing brands in the website building space. They were mentioned in the first edition of the 4-Hour Workweek. Ever since then, they’ve grown and continued to revise their software. I recently gave Weebly, Wix & Squarespace a try for a small project.

Weebly

Weebly is one of the best known all in one website builders. It offers drag and drop design, good functionality and bundled hosting and customer support. If you're going the all-inclusive website builder route, Weebly is a great fit for most. Great functionality, great user experience.

Price Currency: USD

Operating System: All

Application Category: Website Builder

WordPress Hosting vs. Web Hosting Explained

Updated February 14, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

Choosing the best web hosting plan for your specific project has always been a bit confusing. Plan features never line up. Terminology never matches. And pricing varies according to current discounts and plan length.

But that was before the latest trend in web hosting – WordPress-specific hosting plans.

Nearly every hosting company offers a “WordPress Hosting Plan” in some form.

View my Purchasing Guide for WordPress Hosting

Sometimes those plans are nothing more than a headline change.

Sometimes they are very well-priced for the extra services. And sometimes they are plainly upsells with dressed up “features.”

It’s maddening – because here’s the thing. WordPress software runs fine on typical web hosting.

You do not need “WordPress Hosting” to run WordPress software.

All you need is a Linux-based hosting account that supports PHP and mySQL – aka plain vanilla shared web hosting.

Both are run of the mill features on even shared server plans since the early 2000s. So what is the difference between WordPress Hosting plans and Web Hosting plans?

Well – sometimes a WordPress-specific plan is absolutely worth paying for. WordPress does have some needs & requirements that are not “generic” so some companies can offer seriously better service, support & performance for WordPress installs.

Here’s how they differ along with features worth paying for, and what to look for when shopping for the right host for your specific project and next steps.

11+ Wix Website Examples for Inspiration

Updated February 11, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

So you’re considering using Wix as your website builder, and you’re looking for Wix website examples for inspiration and confirmation that you’re making the right choice.

Blogger Review: Pros & Cons of Using Blogger (aka Blogspot)

Updated February 10, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

Blogger is the grand old man of Internet publishing. In fact, they arguably started the whole “everyone should have a voice online” ideal. Evan Williams started the company way back in the 1990s.

Blogger

Blogger is one of the original blog platforms of the Web and is now owned by Google. While not a good fit for many web projects, Blogger is a solid, simple platform for web publishing despite its age.

Price Currency: USD

Operating System: All

Application Category: Website Builder

12+ Great Squarespace Website Examples for Inspiration

Updated February 10, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

So you’re considering using Squarespace as your website builder, and you’re looking for Squarespace website examples for inspiration and confirmation that you’re making the right choice.

Squarespace is one of the most well-known brands in the website builder industry.

GoDaddy Website Builder Review w/ Pros, Cons & Alternatives

Updated February 9, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

GoDaddy is the big brand in the website services industry. From their Super Bowl ads to TV ads to online advertising, they are by far the most well-known choice for domains, hosting, website builders, and productivity products for small businesses.

View Current Plans

GoDaddy Website Builder Review Takeaways

Key Strengths – Getting started process and integration with GoDaddy’s other products.

Key Complaints – Limited marketing & design features.

Best For – A quick, straightforward website bundled with GoDaddy’s other services.

Current Coupons & Promo Codes – Get started with GoDaddy’s Website Builder for free here.

I have written about GoDaddy’s hosting product and compared their domains product, but I’ve never looked specifically at GoDaddy’s website builder product (aka “Websites + Marketing”) before this post.

My experience with GoDaddy’s website builder began back when I first started my web design business years and years ago. I didn’t actually use GoDaddy’s website builder for my projects until I came across it when a client of mine was using it and needed a few tasks done.

Since then, new competition has popped up from Wix, Squarespace, Weebly, Gator Website Builder, WordPress.com and other website builders. And GoDaddy has upgraded the website creation product I originally used. They’ve streamlined it to make it supposedly the “easiest way to get online.”

So for a personal project of mine, I decided to try it out again and see who the product would really be a good fit for – and not just compared to other hosted website builders.

I also wanted to compare GoDaddy’s website builder to other website solutions like hosting your own website or using a hosted eCommerce platform.

GoDaddy Website Builder

GoDaddy's Website Builder (GoCentral) offers businesses a way to seamlessly get their own website started. Very convenient with simple onboarding and integration. Features are limited with some upsells.

Price: 10

Price Currency: USD

Operating System: All

Application Category: Website Builder

Tailor Brands Review: Pros, Cons & Alternatives

Updated February 9, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

Tailor Brands is a suite of branding & design tools powered by machine learning for non-technical users founded in 2014.

Tailor Brands

Tailor Brands is a suite of branding & design tools powered by AI for non-technical users. They are an excellent fit for anyone looking for a consistent brand, but do be aware of pricing & lock-in.

Price: 3.99

Price Currency: USD

Operating System: All

Application Category: Logo Design

What is WordPress Hosting?

Updated February 9, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

WordPress Hosting is a hosting product that is pre-configured to host a WordPress powered website efficiently. There is no industry-standard definition for “WordPress Hosting” so the exact product will vary by host. WordPress Hosting is usually used for the 3 “S’s” – to simplify, to secure, and to speed up a WordPress install compared to a WordPress install on a typical Linux server.

99designs Review: Using 99designs For Blog Logo Design

Updated February 9, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

There are tons of free options for graphic design on the web. I love using everything from Fiverr to Canva to Stencil to NameCheap to Tailor Brands. But when it comes to website or blog logo design – or really anything related to graphic design that makes your blog stand out – you’ll need expertise (or an algorithm).

99designs

99designs provides blog logo design, and crowdsourced graphic design for websites, banners, and more. 99designs has some drawbacks - but is a good choice for affordable blog logo designs, or for website graphic design that will really make it pop without breaking your budget.

Product In-Stock: https://schema.org/InStock

Editor's Rating:
4

How To Try WordPress For Free Before Purchasing Hosting for Your Website

Updated February 9, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

I recently had a reader question sent via email –

Is there a way to try out WordPress for free before signing up to a hosting site? Maybe a ‘try before you buy’ arrangement, or something which you can download and try out on a laptop? Am just worried about signing up and then finding WordPress isn’t for me.

Web Hosting vs. Domain Registration Explained

Updated February 8, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

Web Hosting and Domain Registration are two elements of running a website. But it’s important to understand the difference and use cases.

How to Start a Digital Marketing Agency with No Experience

Updated February 8, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

So you’ve got some marketing skills, and you’re wondering how to start a digital marketing agency.

But there’s just one problem…

How do you start a digital marketing agency with no experience?

There have never been more opportunities to strike off on your own in the digital marketing space than there today. But how do you actually do it? Where do you start, and how do you scale?

Shopify Review: Pros & Cons of Using Shopify For eCommerce

Updated February 8, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

There are a lot of options for running an online store – Shopify is an all-in-one eCommerce solution that I’ve used to run several online stores & consult with clients since 2009. Here’s my Shopify review – with 6+ pros and 6+ cons of using Shopify for your online store.

Shopify

Shopify is a hosted ecommerce platform that allows anyone to setup an online store with hosting and support included. If you are looking for an all-in-one solution for your online store, Shopify is a great way to go.

Price: 29

Price Currency: USD

Operating System: All

Application Category: Ecommerce Hosting

Wix Review: 11+ Pros & Cons of Using Wix For Websites

Updated February 8, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

There are seemingly thousands of different ways to build a website now. Wix is one of the best-known brands in the website builder world.

Wix

Wix is one of the best known all inclusive website builders. It has drag and drop design, and straightforward user experience. Wix lacks some features favored by design and marketing professionals, but, for DIY website builders, they have solid pricing and functionality.

Price Currency: USD

Operating System: All

Application Category: Website Builder

11+ Weebly Website Examples for Inspiration

Updated February 5, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

So you’re considering using Weebly as your website builder, and you’re looking for Weebly website examples for inspiration and confirmation that you’re making the right choice.

Web Hosting Hub Review: The Good, Bad & My Experience

Updated February 4, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

Web Hosting Hub is a web host founded in 2010 by InMotion Hosting – it’s older, more well-known parent company.

Web Hosting Hub

Web Hosting Hub is a shared hosting provider focused on small websites and startups on a budget. Solid starter hosting service. Great pricing with good performance and few caps. No upgraded servers for fast-growing websites though.

Price: 8.95

Price Currency: USD

Operating System: All

Application Category: Web Hosting

A2 Hosting Pros & Cons for Hosting

Updated February 3, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

A2 Hosting is an independent web hosting company founded in 2003. They are based in Ann Arbor Michigan but serve hosting markets globally. A2 Hosting positions themselves as a high performance, speed-focused hosting company with excellent support.

A2 Hosting

A2 Hosting is a full-service hosting company based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA and founded in 2003. A2 Hosting has solid speed, customer support and hosting features. They fall down a bit on price point and product onboarding.

Price: 7.99

Price Currency: USD

Operating System: All

Application Category: Web Hosting

WP Engine Review: 9+ Pros & Cons of WP Engine WordPress Hosting

Updated February 3, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

WP Engine is a Managed WordPress Hosting provider based in Austin, TX. They were one of the (if not the) first companies to provide managed hosting services specifically for WordPress.

WP Engine

WP Engine is one of the leaders in Managed Hosting for WordPress. Great fit for some customers who need performance & critical support above all else. Complexity and price make it less of a fit for others.

Price: 30

Price Currency: USD

Operating System: All

Application Category: Managed WordPress Hosting

Useful Online Portfolio Examples for Students, Teachers, and Professionals

Updated February 2, 2021 By ShivarWeb Staff

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

When it comes to having an online portfolio of work — whether for designs, papers, case studies, or your work history — a well-designed portfolio goes a long way in leaving a lasting impression.

Find the Right Website Builder for Your Portfolio

But what does a good portfolio look like?

I’ve gathered 9+ useful online portfolio examples for students, teachers, and professionals to serve as inspiration for your portfolio website. But before we go too far, let’s talk best practices:

8+ Google Sites Examples for Inspiration

Updated February 2, 2021 By ShivarWeb Staff

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

So you’re considering Google Sites as your website builder, and you’re looking for Google Sites website examples for inspiration and confirmation that you’re making the right choice.

iPage Hosting Review: Pros & Cons of Using iPage

Updated February 2, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

iPage Hosting is an established hosting company targeting the entry-level and budget-conscious end of the market. They’re one of Endurance International’s (a large hosting brand holding company) brands, along with Bluehost and HostGator.

iPage Hosting

iPage is a budget web hosting company in Burlington, MA owned by Endurance International. iPage Hosting has great pricing but only mediocre performance. Their custom backend has lots of upsells and clutter.

Price: 7.99

Price Currency: USD

Operating System: All

Application Category: Web Hosting

HostGator Review: 11+ Pros & Cons

Updated February 2, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

HostGator is one of the most well-known brands in the hosting world. They are one of the two flagship brands of Endurance International, the world’s largest web services corporation.

HostGator

HostGator is one of Endurance International's flagship brands specializing in entry-level hosting services. Great all-around value for the entry-level end of hosting. HostGator support, features, and price are all good. They could improve on on a few things - though much of the cons are the same no matter who the hosting company is.

Price: 2.75

Price Currency: USD

Operating System: All

Application Category: Web Hosting

FatCow Hosting Review: Pros & Cons of Using FatCow

Updated February 2, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

FatCow is a web hosting brand owned by Endurance International. They offer a full spectrum of web hosting services from shared hosting to VPS servers to domains with unique branding.

FatCow

FatCow is an established web hosting company founded in 1998. They are focused on beginner and DIY hosting services. They are strong on pricing & simplicity but lack the performance & support of competitors.

Price: 8.95

Price Currency: USD

Operating System: All

Application Category: Web Hosting

Bluehost Review: 9+ Pros & Cons of Using Bluehost Hosting

Updated February 1, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

Bluehost is one of the most established and well-known hosting brands on the internet. It’s a brand owned by the Endurance corporation. I have written about Bluehost in my comparison between Bluehost vs. GoDaddy, but I have never written a Bluehost review looking at the pros and cons of the brand.

Bluehost

Bluehost is one of the most well-known brands in the hosting industry. They are not the highest-performing or the cheapest, but they are a solid all-around hosting solution for websites large and small.

Price: 7.99

Price Currency: USD

Operating System: All

Application Category: Web Hosting

11+ GoDaddy Website Examples for Inspiration

Updated January 31, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

So you’re considering using GoDaddy as your website builder, and you’re looking for GoDaddy website builder examples for inspiration and confirmation that you’re making the right choice of site builder.

See GoDaddy’s Current Plans & Pricing

GoDaddy is the big brand in the website services industry. From their Super Bowl ads to TV ads to online advertising, they are by far the most well-known choice for GoDaddy domains, GoDaddy hosting, GoDaddy website builder, online stores, and productivity products for small businesses.

NameCheap Hosting Review w/ Pros & Cons

Updated January 29, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

NameCheap is an independent (ie, not owned by a big holding corporation) ICANN-accredited web services company founded in 2000. They were founded as a domain registrar, but have expanded to offer a complementary spectrum of hosting services in addition to other services.

NameCheap Shared Hosting

NameCheap is an independent domain registrar and Internet service company that also offers discount hosting services. NameCheap Hosting is incredibly cheap, though they do have heavy plan limitations. If you have a small website and looking for a good, discount host - they could be a great fit.

Price: 2.57

Price Currency: USD

Operating System: All

Application Category: Web Hosting

HostPapa Review: Pros & Cons of Using HostPapa

Updated January 29, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

HostPapa is an independent (ie, not owned by a big holding corporation) web hosting provider from Toronto, Canada. They offer a spectrum of hosting services from shared hosting to VPS servers with a focus on small business owners (rather than bloggers or online-only operators).

HostPapa

HostPapa is an independent web hosting company founded in 2006 that provides a spectrum of hosting services for small businesses. Good value and customer support. A bit expensive, but a great small business host.

Price: 7.95

Price Currency: USD

Operating System: All

Application Category: Web Hosting

How to Create a Productized Web Design Business

Updated January 26, 2021 By ShivarWeb Staff

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

This article is all about productized web design services.

If you are unfamiliar with the concept, or don’t know much about it, you came to the right place.

11+ Great Shopify Website Examples for Inspiration

Updated January 22, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

So you’re considering using Shopify as your online store builder, and you’re looking for Shopify website examples for inspiration and confirmation that you’re making the right choice.

Google Domains Review: Pros & Cons of Google As Domain Registrar

Updated January 22, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

Google Domains is a domain name registrar owned and operated by Google. Google rolled out the product in 2014, and is out of “beta” as of 2021.

Google Domains

Google Domains is Google's domain registrar product. It promises simplicity and transparency for US based customers. A bit pricier than rivals. But a solid product for owning a few domains. Simple and clean but lacks complementary products.

Operating System: All

Application Category: Domain Registration

Squarespace Review: 5 Pros & 4 Cons of Using Squarespace

Updated January 21, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

Squarespace is one of the best known brands in the website building space. They do a ton of advertising with everything from podcasts to the Super Bowl and have a beautiful product with a long trusted history. I recently had a project that was a fit for a bundled site builder software. I gave Squarespace a try, along with several other brands. Here are my 5 pros, 5 cons, and full Squarespace review.

Squarespace

Squarespace is one of the world's most well-known website builders. They have truly beautiful designs and lots of functionality. If the all-inclusive website builder is the right solution for you, Squarespace is a good route to go. It has some drawbacks, but plenty of built-in beautiful design.

Price: 12

Price Currency: USD

Operating System: All

Application Category: Website Builder

Namecheap vs. GoDaddy? Where To Get Your Website Domain Names

Updated January 20, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

Namecheap vs. GoDaddy? Where’s the best domain registrar to buy your domain name? And once you buy your domain…who has the best hosting, email, and services?

Bluehost vs. GoDaddy: Who To Choose For Web Hosting?

Updated January 20, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

Bluehost and GoDaddy are two of the largest hosting brands on the Internet. They have both been around for quite a while (late 1990s), and are well-known on the Internet.

GoDaddy WordPress Hosting Review: Pros & Cons of Using GoDaddy

Updated January 14, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

GoDaddy is one of the world’s largest “web services” companies. Although they were founded as a domain registrar, they provide a whole range of services from web hosting to website builders to accounting to email to digital storage to online security and much more.

GoDaddy WordPress Hosting

GoDaddy WordPress Hosting is GoDaddy's hosting product focused exclusively on WordPress websites. GoDaddy WordPress Hosting is an affordable, brand-name option for anyone with a single site who doesn't need advanced hosting features.

Price: 8.99

Price Currency: USD

Operating System: All

Application Category: WordPress Hosting

InMotion Hosting Review: 6 Pros & 3 Cons of InMotion Hosting

Updated January 12, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

InMotion Hosting is one of the largest independent web hosting companies in the world. They’ve been around since 2001, and have developed a brand around being a transparent, reliable web hosting service for businesses and organizations.

InMotion Hosting

InMotion Hosting is one of the fastest growing and most respected independent and hosting providers on the Internet. Great product with solid customer service. Plans are not ideal for hosting lots of small sites, but they are a choice hosting provider overall.

Price: 7.99

Price Currency: USD

Operating System: All

Application Category: Web Hosting

Jimdo Review: Pros & Cons of Using Jimdo Website Builder

Updated January 11, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

Jimdo is known as an easy-to-use, all-inclusive website builder that is designed for people with no coding knowledge.

View Jimdo’s Current Plans & Pricing

They offer three options for website owners: a DIY website builder that puts you in control of choosing a Jimdo template and customizing it, an AI logo creator that will create logo & brand from scratch, or a fully function online store.

Jimdo

Jimdo is an accessible and simple website builder for DIYers, but takes a hit on value, technical limitations, and overall user experience.

Price Currency: USD

Operating System: All

Application Category: Website Builder

SiteGround Hosting Review: Pros & Cons of Using SiteGround

Updated January 8, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

SiteGround Hosting is an independent web hosting company founded in 2004.

They are based in Bulgaria but serve hosting markets globally. SiteGround positions themselves as a company offering high-quality, “well-crafted” hosting solutions.

SiteGround Hosting

SiteGround is a independent hosting company with developer-focused features. Great product especially for globally focused websites. Cutting-edge features with good performance. A bit pricey and more focused on developers than general audience.

Price: 11.95

Price Currency: USD

Operating System: All

Application Category: Web Hosting

11+ Best Marketing Tools for Small Local Business Owners

Updated January 1, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

There are thousands of incredible marketing tools on the Internet. Which marketing tools make sense for small local business owners?

Google Sites Review: Pros & Cons of Using Google’s Website Builder

Updated January 1, 2021 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

Google Sites is Google’s free website builder software that it offers as part of the G Suite of Drive, Email, Hangouts, etc.

Sites has never been highly publicized like its other products. I’ve always thought of Sites as a Google product like Drawing, Blogger, and Correlate that sort of come as part of other, well-known product lines but are otherwise forgotten about…yet still awesome in their own way.

Google Sites

Google Sites is Google's website builder product that is integrated with their productivity suite. Very limited - but good for what it is. If you could add a custom domain, it would be much more useful.

Price Currency: USD

Operating System: All

Application Category: Website Builder

5+ Ways To Check Your Local SEO Rankings & Visibility

Updated December 25, 2020 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

Even though keyword rank does not directly matter the way it used to, local SEO rankings can still be valuable for small local businesses.

How To Advertise On OutBrain: My Experience & 4 Ideas for Advertising With OutBrain

Updated December 22, 2020 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

Have you ever made it to the end of an article online and seen “From Around Web” or “Recommended Content?” Usually the headlines are incredibly shocking, and the images eye-catching. Often they’re just plain weird.

16+ Pros & Cons of Hosting Your Own Blog or Website

Updated December 18, 2020 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

“Should I host my own blog?” is a question asked aspiring bloggers, organizations, businesses, and website owners alike.

11+ Must Have Tools To Start an SEO Agency

Updated December 11, 2020 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

Starting an SEO Agency is one of the best types of marketing agencies to start from scratch.

Unlike paid media, an SEO agency requires very little capital for learning / training and can deliver very high value for clients and high-profit margins for you.

22+ Assisted Living & Nursing Home Marketing Ideas To Help Families Find You

Updated December 4, 2020 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

Most nursing home & assisted living managers would agree that there’s nothing like finding a good client. But it’s hard to find a good client if you don’t have new applications coming in.

10+ Online Local Advertising Channels for Small Businesses in 2020

Updated December 1, 2020 By Nate Shivar

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Online advertising has been critical for local businesses for years. But 2020 has made online advertising the only option for some local businesses.

22+ Nail & Hair Salon Marketing Ideas To Find More Customers

Updated November 27, 2020 By Nate Shivar

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Most nail & hair salon owners would agree that there’s nothing like a full appointment book. But it’s hard to fill appointments without a regular flow of new clients coming in.

22+ Contractor Marketing Ideas To Get More Clients

Updated November 20, 2020 By Nate Shivar

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Most contractors would agree that there’s nothing like finding a good client. A new client not only means immediate revenue, but also future revenue and possible word of mouth referrals. But it’s hard to find a good client if you don’t have calls & emails coming in.

How To Advertise on Quora Ads Effectively

Updated November 16, 2020 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

Quora Ads are one of the myriad options for advertising online. Like eBay, Reddit, and LinkedIn, Quora is one of those Web 2.0 properties that feels like it should be dated but remains surprisingly relevant.

In fact, while Quora itself has been around since 2009, Quora’s self-serve Ad Platform only rolled out in 2016. They have aggressively built one of the most targeted social ad platforms on the Internet. In just the last year, they’ve rolled out 5+ new beta ad programs and dramatically increased their number of advertisers. Their costs & competition is still low compared to Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram though.