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1&1 IONOS MyWebsite Review: Pros, Cons, and Alternatives

September 1, 2019 By ShivarWeb Staff

1&1 MyWebsite is an all-inclusive website builder from German web hosting company IONOS. Their website builder is geared toward helping small businesses get up and running online with pre-made templates that include images and text based on your niche. Their platform requires zero code or design skills, meaning even those with no website experience can create a good-looking site in minutes.

See 1&1 MyWebsite’s Current Plans & Pricing

Recently, I gave 1&1 MyWebsite a try for a full 1&1 MyWebsite review (I have previously reviewed their hosting services). But before I get into the pros and cons of this website builder review, let’s dive into an overview about tools to build a website.

Homestead Website Builder Review: Pros, Cons, and Alternatives

August 29, 2019 By ShivarWeb Staff

Homestead is an all-inclusive website builder that’s tailored to helping businesses build their websites quickly, so they can have an online presence. Their platform includes “ready-to-use” templates that DIYers can customize to meet their needs, or simply “plug in” their content and hit publish.

See Homestead’s Current Plans & Pricing

Recently, I gave Homestead a try for a full Homestead Website Builder review. But before I get into the pros and cons of my review, let’s dive into an overview about tools to build a website.

Dynadot Review: Pros and Cons of Dynadot as Domain Registrar

August 27, 2019 By ShivarWeb Staff

Dynadot is an ICANN-accredited domain registrar and web host headquartered in California. They were founded in 2002 by a software engineer and state their primary focus is engineering and designing excellence.

Dynadot’s main pitch is to help customers “register domains names and create websites simply and affordably”.

They are one of the myriad smaller domain registrars that have a dedicated but smaller following than the big brands like GoDaddy.

Do they hold up to their mission? Here’s our Dynadot review with pros and cons.

NameCheap Shared Hosting Review w/ Pros & Cons

August 25, 2019 By Nate Shivar

NameCheap is an independent (ie, not owned by a big holding corporation) ICANN-accredited domain name registrar founded in 2000. In addition to domain registration, they offer a complementary spectrum of hosting services.

Check out NameCheap’s plans & current pricing here.

NameCheap also provides email, a website builder, SSLs, and various services with 24-hour support and a 30-day money back guarantee.

I reviewed NameCheap as a domain registrar here, but have received questions for years about their hosting services. Readers ask because NameCheap Hosting is really cheap – like, suspiciously cheap.

Although I like to keep my hosting and domain registration separate, I had a small project to launch, so I decided to put it on NameCheap and see how the service turned out.

Here’s my NameCheap Shared Hosting review – structured with pros & cons based on my experience as a customer.

Strikingly Website Builder Review: Pros, Cons, and Alternatives

August 8, 2019 By Nate Shivar

Strikingly is an all-inclusive website builder that’s tailored to helping entrepreneurs get up and running online quickly and easily. They’re platform requires zero code or design skills, meaning even those with no website experience can create a good-looking site in minutes.

See Strikingly’s Current Plans & Pricing

Recently, I gave Strikingly a try for a full Strikingly Website Builder review. But before I get into the pros and cons of my review, let’s dive into an overview about tools to build a website.

There are so many considerations to take into account when choosing a website builder — and really, there are a thousand ways to get what you want in the end in terms of functionality, convenience, pricing, etc. The thing to remember is: whether you’re building a simple personal website or running a business, the way you build your site has a lot of consequences.

In the long-term, it affects your versatility, functionality, and, of course, your brand. In the short-term, it can certainly add/take away a lot of headaches. That said, just like choosing a physical house or office, there is no such thing as an absolute “best” or “top” choice. There’s only the right choice relative to your goals, experience, and circumstances.

Hover Domains Review: Pros & Cons of Hover Domains as Domain Registrar

August 8, 2019 By ShivarWeb Staff

Hover Domains is a domain registrar founded in 2009 as an offshoot of Tucows Inc. (the second largest ICANN accredited domain registrar online). Hover’s M.O. is that they stick to what they know, and that’s domains.

But let’s be honest, you probably only know them from their podcast ads on shows like Hello Internet and 99% Invisible. While Grey and Roman might plug them – you want to know how they actually stack up.

Well – this domain registrar deals solely with buying, managing, and transferring domains on their platform. They do offer email services but they do not offer other complementary products such as hosting, website builders, etc.

Check out Hover’s products & pricing here.

It’s important to remember that a domain is not a website. It’s not an email, an app, or any other service. It’s simply your online address. It helps people locate where you are. If you want to set up a website, you’ll still need to get hosting or a website builder / eCommerce provider that provides hosting (which Hover does not provide).

I’ll dive deeper into this in the pros and cons, but it’s an important distinction to make up front because it helps us understand what Hover’s goal is. They’re not about being an all-in-one solution — quite the opposite, actually. Their focus is only on simplicity. They’re all about getting you your domain and letting you use it wherever you need it through app integrations.

How does Hover stack up against other domain registrars? Here’s our review of Hover Domains as a domain registrar with pros and cons.

iwantmyname Review: Pros & Cons of iwantmyname as Domain Registrar

August 8, 2019 By ShivarWeb Staff

iwantmyname is a New Zealand-based domain registrar company focused solely on domain registration and management. The company, which was founded by employees from several ICANN accredited domain registrars, has been around since 2008 and prides itself on its simplicity, transparency, and ethics.

iwantmyname believes in making the domain buying, managing, and transferring process transparent and simple. They’re big on company values (like transparency) and give off the “good guy” vibe when it comes to domain registrars.

Check out iwantmyname’s plans & pricing.

So, how does this domain registrar stack up against the rest? Here’s my experience so far and my full iwantmyname review with pros & cons…

Shopify Review: Pros & Cons of Using Shopify For eCommerce

August 8, 2019 By Nate Shivar

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.

You can check out Shopify’s current Plans & Pricing here.

I’ve been using & consulting with clients on Shopify since 2009. This Shopify review was originally published in 2013 and is re-published frequently with updates to reflect new features / pricing / opinion. From 2016 through 2019, Shopify has improved on several fronts, especially with a much-improved checkout process. Just in the last year, they added same domain checkout – previously a big disadvantage.

But first, a bit of intro.

There’s a lot of options for running an online store, and your choice of best eCommerce platform can have just as big of an effect on your business as choosing a building or location for a physical store. It’s not the end all of the business – but it certainly can make or break your business – and can either expand your opportunity or severely kneecap your business.

What Is Shopify?

Shopify is part of a group of turn-key eCommerce (aka “hosted eCommerce”) solutions that provide everything you need from end to end (minus the product and business know-how) to set up and start selling your product(s) to the world as opposed to you putting all the pieces together yourself (see Shopify’s plans here).

It’s sort of like hiring a general contractor to build your house, over being the contractor and hiring sub-contractors yourself. You’re still in control, but you let the general contractor use their expertise to make the project happen. My go-to analogy is with real estate.

Ecommerce Real Estate Tradeoffs

There are pros and cons to the approach – which is what we’ll get into. But basically know that Shopify competes mainly with BigCommerce and Volusion – all three of which provide turn-key eCommerce solutions, which in turn compete with non-turnkey solutions (like setting up your own store with WordPress).

And these hosted solutions sort of compete and integrate with eCommerce “marketplaces” like Amazon, eBay, and Etsy. I wrote more about how Shopify can work with Etsy here and how Shopify competes with website builders like Wix here.

Aside – Shopify also has a “Buy button” functionality that allows you to use Shopify as Point of Sale (POS) / Inventory option – and let customers click to buy your products anywhere online (Pinterest, Facebook, WordPress blog, Tumblr, etc). I’ll be looking less at that – and more at Shopify’s full online store package. You can get the Buy button only as part of the Lite Plan, but it competes with PayPal rather than full online store options.

How Does Shopify Work?

Shopify is fairly straightforward – which is sort of their whole selling point. The broad process is as follows –

Pick a Shopify plan that fits your budget and feature needs.
“Point” your domain that you bought from a registrar like GoDaddy or NameCheap to your Shopify store. You can also buy one via Shopify.
Choose a design/template for your store. You can edit a free one via their drag/drop tool or buy a premium one or hire a designer.
Add your products, page content, payment options, etc.
Go get customers! Here’s an eCommerce marketing strategy to get you started.

Is Shopify Worth It?

It depends! That is a maddening answer, I know. But it’s true. Shopify is a tool. It might not be for you. If you are selling a single digital product on your blog, then Shopify is probably not worth it. A PayPal button or a WooCommerce plugin on your WordPress site would work. But if you need to run a multi-product eCommerce store with inventory, marketing tools, customer records, etc – then Shopify is absolutely worth it…if the pros / cons balance out for your based on your goals, resources, expertise, etc.

Make sense? Cool. Let’s dive into the actual Shopify review.

A2 Hosting Review: Pros & Cons of Using A2 Hosting

August 5, 2019 By Nate Shivar

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.

See A2 Hosting’s Current Plans & Pricing.

A2 Hosting offers a full spectrum of hosting solutions ranging from shared Linux hosting (what most businesses need) all the way to cloud, WordPress, VPS, and dedicated server solutions for large, growing websites.

Like InMotion Hosting and SiteGround Hosting, A2 Hosting is one of the faster growing independent hosting companies (i.e., not owned by a larger corporate holding company like Endurance or GoDaddy). They have a large dedicated fanbase in addition to some high-profile bloggers as customers.

I recently had a couple small websites that needed their own hosting accounts. Since I’ve had readers ask about A2 Hosting, I decided to give them a try.

Here’s my A2 Hosting review structured with pros and cons based on my experience as a customer.

9+ Best Professional Personal Website Examples for Inspiration

August 4, 2019 By ShivarWeb Staff

So you’re creating a personal website, and you’re looking for professional personal website design examples for inspiration and guidance. You’re also wondering which website platform is best to use for your website.

But before we dive into examples of what professional personal websites look like in the wild on a variety of website builders and hosting platforms, there is one thing to keep in mind when you’re evaluating a website: it’s not just about how the websites look. The functionality matters too.

Think of it like buying a car. You have a make / model in mind, and you’re probably looking to see them drive by on the road to see how they actually look. However, you also care about how they operate. Does it accelerate well? Does it have the hauling capabilities you need? How is the gas mileage?

Looking at a professional personal website examples should be done in the same way. We collected the following website examples not just to show you how they look on different platforms, but how they can function, so you can be sure you create a website that fits both the look and functionality you need!

7+ Best Web Design Portfolio Examples for Inspiration

July 31, 2019 By ShivarWeb Staff

You want to create a portfolio website to showcase your web design work, and you’re looking for web design portfolio examples for inspiration and guidance.

Chances are, you’re also wondering what platform is best for your portfolio.

But before we dive into examples of what portfolio websites look like in the wild on a variety of website builders and hosting platforms, there is one thing to keep in mind when you’re evaluating your portfolio: it’s not just about how it looks. The functionality matters too.

And given we’re dealing with web design portfolios, chances are, you want your portfolio to be an example of what you can do. With this in mind, we’ve pulled a variety of examples from a variety of platforms, but you’ll notice a trend towards portfolios built on self-hosted platforms that give designers more freedom and flexibility to showcase their style.

7+ Best Web Development Portfolio Examples for Inspiration

July 30, 2019 By ShivarWeb Staff

You want to create a portfolio website to showcase your web development work, and you’re looking for web development portfolio examples for inspiration and guidance.

Chances are, you’re also wondering what platform is best for your portfolio.

But before we dive into examples of what portfolio websites look like in the wild on a variety of website builders and hosting platforms, there is one thing to keep in mind when you’re evaluating your portfolio: it’s not just about how it looks. The functionality matters too.

And given we’re dealing with web development portfolios, chances are, you want your portfolio to be an example of what you can do. With this in mind, we’ve pulled a variety of examples from a variety of platforms, but you’ll notice a trend towards portfolios built on self-hosted platforms (like self-hosted WordPress or WordPress alternatives) that give developers more freedom and flexibility to showcase their style (beyond a Github profile).

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

July 29, 2019 By Nate Shivar

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.

After Evan Williams sold Blogger to Google, he went on to found both Twitter and Medium – both pillars of Internet publishing in their own right. Additionally, it was Matt Mullenweg’s dissatisfaction with Blogger that led him to create the first version of WordPress back in the early 2000s.

All that to say – Blogger is an Internet standby. In fact, it’s such a standby that it gets unfairly disregarded for many web projects simply due to its age.

I recently gave Blogger a try for a small project, along with several other website builders. I tried to approach Blogger not as the platform that had my first blog back in 2004, but as a serious platform that might be a good fit for someone’s web project today, post-2017.

Check out Blogger here.

But first, a bit of an overview on website builders in general. Whether you go drag and drop builder, an installed Content Management System (CMS), or hand-coded HTML files, there are a lot of considerations that go into building a website and/or blog.

In the end, you really want someone to type in a website address and see your information, presented well with the right functionality in their browser. Whether you are building a simple personal blog or running a business, the way you build your site determines a lot both long-term and short-term.

In the long-term, the tools you use to set up your website affects your versatility, functionality, and, of course, your brand. In the short-term, it can add/take away a lot of headaches. In fact, one of the most common headaches is moving a successful blog off Blogger. That said, like choosing a physical house or office, there is no such thing as an absolute “best” or “top” choice. There’s only the right choice relative to your goals, experience, and circumstances.

What Is Blogger?

Blogger is Google’s blog-focused platform that focuses on accessibility, ease of use, and free for the price. Blogger made blogging a thing you do on the Internet back in the day, and still appeals to people looking to publish their words on the open Web rather than “closed garden” social media sites.

On the wide spectrum of website building solutions, Blogger lives on the end that is all-inclusive and provides everything you need to get started and grow your website. It’s in contrast to solutions where you buy, install, and manage all the “pieces” of your website separately.

It’s like trading off some control for more convenience.

Using Blogger is like leasing and customizing an apartment in a nice development instead of buying and owning your own house. You’re still in control of decor, cleaning, and everything living-wise – but you leave the construction, plumbing, security, and infrastructure to the property owner. That point is key because there’s usually a direct tradeoff between convenience and control.

All the functionality and design that are included with Blogger work seamlessly together as a platform. That’s what allows them to have drag and drop design, layout, and content.

One note about Blogger is that it focuses 100% on blogging – ie, reverse-chronological publishing of posts. It has very little in terms of content management (as I’ll mention in the cons section). Google has a product called Google Sites that focuses on static websites.

As far as competition, Blogger competes directly with all-inclusive website builders like Weebly and WordPress.com in addition to pure-play blog/social networks platforms like Medium and Tumblr.

Website builders as a group compete with options like WordPress.org (which provides the free software to build a website that you own & control – see my WordPress setup guide here) all the way to options like typing actual HTML code into a text file. Make sense? Awesome, let’s dive into the Blogger review.

8+ Google Sites Examples for Inspiration

July 24, 2019 By ShivarWeb Staff

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.

Google Sites is Google’s free website builder software that it offers as part of the G Suite of Drive, Email, Hangouts, etc. It’s a template-based website builder, which means you have a set of templates that you can customize to a certain extent.

It makes nice designs incredibly accessible for DIY-ers while leaving the heavy-lifting (AKA hosting, functionality, coding) to someone else.

I wrote a full review of Google Sites here. It’s free, even for everyday users. If you are logged into your Google Account, you can start a Google Site here.

But before we dive into examples of what Google Sites look like in the wild, there is one thing to keep in mind when you’re evaluating a website platform: it’s not just about how the websites look. The functionality matters too.

Think of it like buying a car. You have a make / model in mind, and you’re probably looking to see them drive by on the road to see how they actually look. However, you also care about how they operate. Does it accelerate well? Does it have the hauling capabilities you need? How is the gas mileage?

Looking at a website platform should be done in the same way. We collected the following Google Sites examples not just to show you how they look, but how they can function so you can be sure you have a website that fits both the style you want and the functionality you need.

Namesilo Review: Pros, Cons, and Alternatives

July 22, 2019 By Nate Shivar

Namesilo is an ICANN-accredited domain registrar who boasts cheap, easy, and secure domain registration and management. They have been around since 2009.

See Namesilo’s Current Plans & Pricing.

Does Namesilo hold up to their mission of being a cheap and easy-to-use domain registrar? We recently tried them out. Here’s our full Namesilo review with pros, cons, and alternatives.

Site123 Review: Pros & Cons of using Site123 Website Builder

July 19, 2019 By Nate Shivar

Site123 is a fast-growing, independently-owned, website builder based in Israel focused exclusively on DIYers. They claim to be “the most intuitive and easy to use website builder on the market”.

Check out Site123’s Current Plans & Pricing

Recently, I gave Site 123 a try for a small project after receiving a few reader questions. But before I get into the pros and cons of my Site 23 review, let’s consider a bit of background on building a website in general.

There are so many considerations to take into account when choosing a website builder — and really, there are a thousand ways to get what you want in the end in terms of functionality, convenience, pricing, etc. The thing to remember is: whether you’re building a simple personal website or running a business, the way you build your site has a lot of consequences.

In the long-term, it affects your versatility, functionality, and, of course, your brand. In the short-term, it can certainly add/take away a lot of headaches. That said, just like choosing a physical house or office, there is no such thing as an absolute “best” or “top” choice. There’s only the right choice relative to your goals, experience, and circumstances.

What Is Site123?

On the wide spectrum of website building solutions, Site123 lives on the end that is all-inclusive and provides everything you need to get started and grow your website. It contrasts with solutions where you buy, install, and manage all the “pieces” of your website separately. I wrote a post on Website Builders, Explained for more background.

Using Site123 is sort of like leasing and customizing an apartment in a really classy development instead of buying and owning your own house. You’re still in control of decor, cleaning, and everything living-wise – but you leave the construction, plumbing, security, and infrastructure to the property owner. That point is key because there’s usually a direct tradeoff between convenience and control with all software, but especially with website builders.

Everything may fit together just right with a website builder like Site123, but that may or may not be what you’re looking for.

As far as competition, Site123 competes with all-inclusive hosted website builders like Weebly, Wix, Squarespace, Gator, and WordPress.com.

Compared to their direct competition, they focus on speed and ease by providing done-for-you templates and designs so you can focus solely on content.

Instead of operating like a traditional drag-and-drop website builder, Site123 has you pick your niche and then customize a curated template based on that niche, which appeals to beginners who have no design or development experience (think DIY-ers who need to create a website ASAP without having any website experience).

How Much a Website Costs Per Year Explained

July 19, 2019 By Nate Shivar

So, how much does a website cost per year?

Wait for it…. it depends. :)

But yes – “it depends” is not helpful at all. [Read more…] about How Much a Website Costs Per Year Explained

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

July 18, 2019 By Nate Shivar

GoDaddy has the brand, pricing, and mind-share in the website industry. Bluehost is one of the oldest and most reputable shared hosting companies on the Internet. Here’s my comparison of Bluehost vs. GoDaddy for best choice in web hosting – with a specific focus on WordPress hosting.

A few quick notes before diving in.

First, this entire Bluehost / GoDaddy review (originally published July 16, 2013) has been updated several times (now for July 2019) to account for both GoDaddy’s and Bluehost’s rebrand, new tiers and various other changes. Also, a disclosure: although everything here is based on my experience as a paying customer or consultant to a paying customer, I do receive referral fees from any companies mentioned in this post.

View Bluehost’s Current Hosting Promo.

View GoDaddy’s Current Hosting Promo.

Second, GoDaddy provides a ton of services beyond hosting. They were originally founded as a domain registrar, but now provide a huge range of business services including accounting, email and more. I’ve also written how their domain services compare to NameCheap and how their hosting compares to InMotion and SiteGround. But it’s important to “weight” your desire for convenience across a range of business products in addition to your desire for the best web hosting choice.

I’ve also had some questions about whether I recommend Bluehost overall – especially because I recommend their sister brand HostGator elsewhere on the site. So, point of clarification: HostGator and BlueHost are different brands of the same holding company. They are kind of like Coke and Sprite.

I use HostGator for many of my small projects mainly because of how they structure their pricing & features. You’ll want to check out HostGator with a 60% off discount here as well. I’ve written a focused Bluehost review here. I have clients who love them – and use their email and domain services as well. I’ve found that every brand has tradeoffs – there is no overall “best” – there is only the best for you based on your goals & preferences. For example, this site specifically uses InMotion VPS Hosting – which has a big emphasis on customer service & performance.

But for now, we’ll compare Bluehost vs. GoDaddy specifically on price, usability, support, hosting features, and extra features based on my experience and their own guides.

So let’s dive in and compare GoDaddy vs. Bluehost for best web hosting company for anyone just starting out or running their own website.

Subdomains Explained

July 15, 2019 By Nate Shivar

A subdomain is a domain that is attached to a root (or main domain) that can direct browser requests to specific files on a specific server.

You are currently looking at files on shivarweb.com – but more specifically, you are looking at files on the www.shivarweb.com subdomain, since I also use subdomains like app.shivarweb.com and other for experiments.

As an analogy, if a domain is like a physical address, but on the Internet, then a subdomain is like a Suite or Apartment number. Like a Suite number, they only make sense as part of the larger address, but they allow visitors to access a more more specific (and usually different) location.

Porkbun Review: Pros, Cons, and Alternatives

July 3, 2019 By Nate Shivar

Porkbun is an ICANN-accredited domain registrar based out of Portland, Oregon. Their primary pitch is making the domain registration process easy, enjoyable, and affordable.

See Porkbun’s Current Plans & Pricing.

They are one of the myriad smaller domain registrars that have a dedicated but smaller following than the big brands like GoDaddy.

Does Porkbun hold up to their mission of being an “amazingly awesome” domain registrar? We recently tried them out. Here’s our full PorkBun review with pros, cons, and alternatives.

[Read more…] about Porkbun Review: Pros, Cons, and Alternatives

HostGator Hosting Review: Pros, Cons & Alternatives

July 2, 2019 By Nate Shivar

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 was the first shared hosting company that I ever used – I signed up back when they were still privately owned. They’ve changed a lot over the years in both product focus and lineup.

See HostGator’s current plans & pricing.

And yet – I’m still a customer after all these years (I have several micro-sites on a single shared hosting account). They are an incredible fit for a certain type of customer. But it pays to know their pros, cons, advantages. and complaints so that you can find the best host for your specific situation.

So let’s dive into my HostGator review. They aren’t the best fit for everyone, but here’s what I’ve liked/disliked as a customer.

Domain.com Review: Pros, Cons, and Alternatives

June 29, 2019 By Nate Shivar

Domain.com is an ICANN-accredited domain registrar founded in 2000 that also provides web hosting, email, website builders, SSL certificates, and other web solutions. They’re part of Endurance International Group, who owns some of the biggest names in web hosting like Bluehost, HostGator, and Constant Contact.

See Domain.com’s Current Plans & Pricing.

While their focus is on domains, Domain.com has started positioning themselves as more than just domains — but that the process starts with a great domain name.

I’ve gotten some questions about Domain.com as a domain registrar, so I decided to give them a try. Here’s our Domain.com review with pros and cons.

[Read more…] about Domain.com Review: Pros, Cons, and Alternatives

Cloudways Hosting Review: Pros, Cons, and Alternatives

June 29, 2019 By Nate Shivar

So you’re looking into using Cloudways as your hosting provider, and you’re wondering how they stack up against the competition.

But hold on one second.

I tested out Cloudways for a client project because they have gotten really good press for creating a truly unique product in a pretty staid industry.

As with any unique product, they’ll need a bit of background on the web hosting spectrum.

Let’s talk about the difference between cloud hosting and traditional shared hosting.

Usually your website files live on a part of a server that you rent from a hosting company (hence “shared” hosting). A cloud is an entire network of data centers that host website files in a distributed & decentralized fashion. Your files are deployed “everywhere” in a way of speaking. You just rent the resources on the network needed to host & deliver your files.

Imagine real-world housing for a second. Traditional hosting is like buying a house, townhouse or condominium. You buy it and you can do whatever you want. It’s cheap and predictable. But if your entire extended family shows up one day – you might have some issues hosting everyone. Cloud hosting is like having access to any house anywhere in the world whenever and wherever – you just have to pay per night for whatever house you use. It’s more expensive day to day, but when your entire extended family shows up one day – it’s a pretty simple, quick fix. You just get the 12 bedroom house for the night and no one is the wiser.

The actual cloud is built by the biggest tech companies in the world. There are not that many. Amazon is the biggest. They are closely followed by Google, Microsoft, Oracle, and IBM along with a few smaller ones like Digital Ocean.

With cloud hosting, you have more access to guaranteed resources than on shared hosting.

On shared hosting, you have a set amount of resources on a specific server that also has a set amount of resources. For example, you might have 1GB of Memory dedicated to you on a server that has 10GB of memory in total.

But suppose there are 10 customers on that shared server, each with 1GB of memory. 9 of those customers start using a full 1GB of their allocation – sometimes a little bit over. Well, now, you can’t actually use your 1GB of memory without bringing the server done. In that case, you might get throttled or one customer’s site might get taken down. Now, a good shared hosting will have network engineers who have built out ways of balancing, but it’s the core tradeoff with the setup.

On cloud hosting, you pay per use of resources on a distributed network of servers that has basically infinite resources. Your data doesn’t live on a single server. Instead, it’s copied on a whole network all around the world. If a single server gets overloaded, another server starts returning the the data.

This is the reason why NetFlix runs on Amazon’s cloud and why Twitter runs on Google’s Cloud. Those are extreme but illustrative examples. They see huge spikes at random times during the day that only a cloud can handle.

This makes cloud hosting a great option for websites that have spiky traffic (like viral news sites or a site that goes through regular launches) and doesn’t want to commit to a set amount of resources that may or may not be guaranteed.

But cloud hosting is traditionally expensive and very technical to set up, which can make it not make sense for a lot of DIYers and small businesses. The time & money to get it configured *just* right is out of reach for most businesses.

And that’s where Cloudways comes in.

[Read more…] about Cloudways Hosting Review: Pros, Cons, and Alternatives

How To Use 11+ Free Tools To Find Prequalified Content Ideas for SEO

June 28, 2019 By Nate Shivar

Creating content for your website requires a ton of time, money & resources to do well. But when it doesn’t generate visitors or sales – it’s a huge waste.

There are a lot of reasons why a piece of content might not perform well, but you can dramatically increase your odds of success by prequalifying your content idea.

In the offline world, companies use focus groups or sampling to prequalify the market. They use resumes and cover letters to prequalify candidates before committing to an interview (or much less a hire). And the incredible beauty of the Internet is that you can prequalify your content ideas as well with the right tools and a bit of research.

Here’s how to use a range of tactics from keyword research to mining platforms to exploring past successes to find, inform & guide your content marketing ideas.

*Note – if you are interested in finding trending topics for social-optimized posts, also check out my Trending Topics guide here.

99designs Review: Using 99designs For Blog Logo Design

June 24, 2019 By Nate Shivar

There are tons of free options for graphic design on the web. I love using everything from Hipster Logo Generator to Canva to Stencil to Pixlr. 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.

And professional graphic design expertise isn’t cheap. So how can you make your website or blog really stand out – give it that extra ‘pop’ that it needs – without turning hiring a professional graphic designer directly?

One option is crowd-sourced design. It’s a way to help make good graphic design accessible to all budgets, while giving freelance graphic designers a vibrant marketplace.

I’ve used 99designs for a couple of my website projects. I’ve had clients use their design contests feature as well.

See 99designs’ current plans, options & pricing.

Based on those experiences, here’s my 99designs review with how it works, along with pros and cons…

Shopify vs. Volusion Ecommerce Platform Comparison

June 18, 2019 By Nate Shivar

Shopify and Volusion are two of the most well-known “hosted” eCommerce platforms on the Internet.

See Shopify’s Current Plans & Pricing

See Volusion’s Current Plans & Pricing

Ecommerce options exist on a spectrum of convenience and control. Both Shopify and Volusion are right in the middle of the spectrum because they bundle all the technical parts of an online store – hosting, speed, security, inventory, shopping cart and payment processing – and bundle it into a single monthly price. This contrasts with solutions like WordPress + Woocommerce where you buy, operate, and maintain each piece of the store but also have true 100% control over your website.

But like a self-hosted eCommerce website, Shopify and Volusion also bundle as part of your website on your domain where you have full control of products, pricing, and customer experience. So unlike running a store on Etsy, eBay or Amazon – you control the build, design, and content of your store.

Even though this part of the spectrum has plenty of tradeoffs – services like Shopify and Volusion are an excellent option for many store owners. So the question becomes – Shopify vs. Volusion?

I’ve reviewed Shopify here and Volusion here. I’ve used both as a customer and as a consultant to customers of both.

They are both excellent companies with an excellent product. And like all my other eCommerce and hosting reviews, there is no such thing as an absolute “best” – there’s only the best option for you based on your situation, goals, and resources.

Here’s how Shopify compares to Volusion across 6 different variables that most customers look at – and what you should consider with Shopify vs. Volusion.

Skip to the conclusion here.

Aside – I built a Buzzfeed style quiz for eCommerce platforms that grades the factors with your goals. You can check out the quiz here. [Read more…] about Shopify vs. Volusion Ecommerce Platform Comparison

Volusion Review: Pros & Cons of Using Volusion for Ecommerce

June 18, 2019 By Nate Shivar

Volusion is one of the most popular hosted ecommerce platforms. They focus on providing a full toolkit for ecommerce owners who want a hosted solutions. They have historically been a go-to solution for mid-size ecommerce companies who valued their operations & inventory features.

Get Volusion’s free trial here.

But, as of July 2018, Volusion launched V2 of their platform. With Volusion V2, they are trying to become the go-to solution for entry-level and intermediate ecommerce sellers with a heavy focus on simplified pricing and simplified onboarding.

I originally used Volusion back with their V1 platform for this review, but recently tried out their V2 platform for a research project. I’ve re-written this post to reflect V2 only – even though there are plenty of stores out there using Volusion V1.

There are a lot of Volusion reviews online – usually with user-generated reviews based on anecdotes and personal experience. That’s fine but I take a different approach. Like any option, it’s going to have some pros and some cons and will really come down to if it’s a good fit for your specific business. In this Volusion review, I’ll focus on 6 pros and 6 cons that will probably most affect your choice.

Hostwinds Hosting Review: Pros, Cons, and Alternatives

June 14, 2019 By Nate Shivar

Hostwinds is an independent, US-based web hosting company who’s been around since 2010. They boast inexpensive pricing and excellent customer service, and like most hosting companies, also provide email, website builders, and domain services in addition to basic web hosting.

You can check out Hostwinds plans and current pricing here.

I’ve had several readers email to ask my opinion about Hostwinds, so I decided to give them a shot for a small project.

Here’s my Hostwinds review — structured with pros & cons based on my experience as a customer.

[Read more…] about Hostwinds Hosting Review: Pros, Cons, and Alternatives

BigCommerce vs. WooCommerce & WordPress: Differences & Using Them Together

June 11, 2019 By Nate Shivar

BigCommerce and WooCommerce + WordPress are two of the most well-known online store platforms. But if you’re considering BigCommerce vs. WooCommerce + WordPress, how do you decide which one is the best fit for you and your project?

Explore More of BigCommerce Features

Explore More of WooCommerce Features

I’ve been able to consult with clients who use both BigCommerce and WooCommerce as well as running my own stores with both BigCommerce and WooCommerce. They are both excellent platforms with a full suite of options to run a successful online store.

However, they are both very different, and different businesses will certainly do better with one or the other.

I’ve written extensively on both, including a BigCommerce review, a WooCommerce setup guide, and a roundup of WooCommerce themes. But in this comparison, I’ll look at the core definitions of WooCommerce and BigCommerce, some of the differences in the areas of largest consideration for eCommerce owners, and how to use them together.

Additionally, this comparison will be very similar to my Shopify vs. WooCommerce + WordPress review. As hosted eCommerce platforms, Shopify and BigCommerce are direct competitors with each other and they both indirectly compete with WooCommerce. We’ll talk a bit more about that in the Definitions section – but it is something to keep in mind.

In most situations, it’s better to choose the type of platform you want before choosing the exact software. But since BigCommerce & WooCommerce are leading solutions – it’s just as helpful to look at them head to head (in addition to ways that you can use them together).

Make sense? Awesome.

If you want to jump right to a condensed recommendation, I’ll outline which one is likely a better fit for different types of eCommerce store owners in Next Steps.

Let’s dive into this comparison of BigCommerce vs. WooCommerce & WordPress.

Skip to the Conclusion & Next Steps

HostMonster Hosting Review: Pros, Cons & Comparisons

June 9, 2019 By Nate Shivar

HostMonster is a web hosting brand owned by Endurance International. They offer shared Linux hosting (what nearly all starter website owners need) in three plans in addition to VPS and Managed servers. Like most hosting companies, HostMonster also provides email, a website builder, and various complementary services to web hosting.

Their datacenter is located in Provo, Utah within (what appears to be) the same facilities as their sister brand Bluehost. In fact, a large part of their brand is a replica of Bluehost and JustHost.

Check out HostMonster’s plan and current pricing here.

One of my oldest clients uses HostMonster, but until now I’ve never written anything about them. Here’s my HostMonster Hosting review – structured with pros & cons based on my experience both as a customer and consultant to a customer.