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What Is A Web Design Color Palette and How Do I Make One?

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So you’ve decided to build your own website. You’ve probably already been thinking about color palettes, even if you’re not quite sure what they really are or why they’re such a big deal.

But when it comes to designing your site, choosing the proper color palette is one of the most important web design decisions you’ll make.

Color increases brand recognition by 80%, which means picking your web design color palette is essential to making your website not just enjoyable and engaging to your audience, but memorable, too.

Before we dive into how to select the right color palette for your site, let’s cover some color basics.

[Continue Reading]

Contact Us Page Best Practices, Ideas & Examples

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How much thought did you put into your Contact Us page on your website?

If you’re like most businesses, you probably focused on the method (i.e. how people can contact you) but didn’t give much thought to the page itself (i.e. the copywriting and design).

In reality, the Contact page should be one of your most prioritized pages on your site because it’s one of the most visited pages. It’s also typically the beginning of your interactions with potential customers.

With that in mind, let’s talk about how to make a killer Contact Us page that will stand out to your visitors.

[Continue Reading]

Shopify Plus: An Enterprise Ecommerce Platform Review

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Shopify Plus is Shopify’s enterprise ecommerce platform for large and growing online stores and brands. It’s a hosted platform customized, staffed and priced for big brands. This Shopify Plus review is based on my experience doing SEO consulting with marketing directors using the platform.

Most of my incredible audience are DIYers or small business owners just starting out or working to grow their websites. But I also have a lot of readers in charge of marketing or platform development at large organizations who are looking to apply innovative marketing to their rapidly growing brands.

Both groups of readers have asked the same question: what do you do when your ecommerce store is big? How do you keep the same agile marketing infrastructure when you’re at the enterprise-level?

I’ve been able to consult with several enterprise level ecommerce brands using platforms ranging from Magento, proprietary platforms, a .NET based ecommerce solution, and Shopify Plus.

Check out Shopify Plus’ current features page here.

This review will look at my experience with Shopify Plus specifically and hosted (SaaS in the jargon) platforms more broadly for the advantages and disadvantages of enterprise ecommerce solutions.[Continue Reading]

GoDaddy vs. iPage Web Hosting Comparison

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“GoDaddy vs. iPage” is a very common question for anyone researching hosting.

GoDaddy and iPage are two of the best known budget hosts in the world. And they are owned respectively by the two of largest web services companies in the world (GoDaddy Group and Endurance International).

They are both “go-to” brands for business owners looking for simple, affordable hosting. And yet – they are different companies with different brands. When you are choosing a website host – you still have to end up choosing.

I have current clients who use (and like) GoDaddy hosting. Although this site runs on InMotion Hosting (which I’ll mention later) – I also used iPage for a couple small projects. I wrote a full iPage review here.

In this comparison between GoDaddy and iPage, I’ll try to break down the differences that I’ve found in seven different areas ranging from pricing structure to customer service and market focus so that you can decide which is the best fit for your project.

Also – you can skip to the short version in the conclusion here (or take my Buzzfeed-style hosting on a budget quiz here).

Let’s dive into GoDaddy vs. iPage…[Continue Reading]

GoDaddy vs. HostGator Web Hosting Comparison

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“GoDaddy vs. HostGator” is a very common question for anyone researching hosting.

GoDaddy and HostGator are two of the largest hosting brands in the world. And they are owned respectively by the two of largest web services companies in the world (GoDaddy Group and Endurance International).

They are both “go-to” brands for business owners looking for accessible, affordable hosting. And yet – they are different companies with different brands. When you are choosing a website host – you still have to end up choosing.

I have current clients who use (and like) GoDaddy hosting. Although this site runs on InMotion Hosting (which I’ll mention later) – I also have several projects that have run on HostGator for years. I’ve been happy with them.

In this comparison between GoDaddy and HostGator, I’ll try to break down the differences that I’ve found in seven different areas ranging from pricing structure to customer service and market focus so that you can decide which is the best fit for your project.

Also – you can skip to the short version in the conclusion here (or take my Buzzfeed-style shared hosting quiz here).

Let’s dive into GoDaddy vs. HostGator…[Continue Reading]

Bluehost vs. iPage Web Hosting Comparison

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“Bluehost vs. iPage?” – it’s a question that’s a bit like asking “Coke or Sprite?” It’s somewhat slicing details, but it’s a choice nonetheless for something that you’ll likely be using for years.

Bluehost and iPage are both –

  • Owned by Endurance International Group (EIG) – a large technology corporation
  • Established, well-known brands in the hosting industry
  • Provide a similar menu of products that revolve around shared Linux hosting
  • Provide pricing & hosting products that focus on small to midsize companies

And yet – they are different companies with different brands. When you are choosing a website host – you still have to end up choosing.

I have current clients who use (and like) Bluehost. Although this site runs on InMotion Hosting (which I’ll mention later) – I also have several small projects on iPage. I wrote a full review of iPage here.

In this comparison between Bluehost and iPage, I’ll try to break down the differences that I’ve found in seven different areas ranging from pricing structure to customer service and market focus so that you can decide which is the best fit for your project.

Also – you can skip to the short version in the conclusion here (or take my Buzzfeed-style shared hosting quiz here).

Let’s dive into Bluehost vs. iPage…[Continue Reading]

WordPress Hosting vs. Web Hosting Explained

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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 – WordPress-specific hosting plans.

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

Sometimes those plans are nothing more than a headline change. Sometimes they very well-priced for the extra services. And sometimes they are plain 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.

Both are run of the mill features since the early 2000s.

So what’s with all the WordPress Hosting plans vs. Web Hosting plans?

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.[Continue Reading]

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

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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: this entire Bluehost / GoDaddy review (originally published July 16, 2013) has been updated several times (now for August 2017) 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.

After comparing NameCheap vs. GoDaddy when it comes to choosing a domain provider, I got lots of email questions about using GoDaddy for web hosting – specifically for hosting WordPress. I’ll be doing a series comparing GoDaddy hosting with other hosting providers that I have personally used.

I’ve also had some questions about whether I recommend Bluehost overall – especially because I recommend 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 projects mainly because of how they structure their pricing & features. You want to check out HostGator with a 60% off discount here as well. I’ve written a focused  Bluehost review here – and have clients who really like them. 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 (or skip to the conclusion).[Continue Reading]

Web Hosting vs. Domain Registration Explained

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

Web Hosting is an account on a computer (aka server) that can store and serve website files via the Internet.

Domain Registration is leasing a human-readable word (e.g., amazon.com) that directs people to specific website files via a browser.

As an analogy, a domain is an “address” on the Internet. Hosting is the “land” or space where your website files live.

That’s the short version. But there’s more to web hosting vs. domain registration than their definition.[Continue Reading]

How To Set Up HTTPS / SSL for WordPress

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In October 2015, I took ShivarWeb.com 100% sitewide HTTPS/SSL. The site runs on WordPress, and while there were a couple quality WordPress SSL tutorials out there, there wasn’t a complete start to finish guide.

So this is how to set up HTTPS / SSL for WordPress based on my experience as a marketer & non-server admin.

ShivarWeb SSL

Disclosure – I receive referral fees from any companies mentioned in the post. All opinion & data is based on my experience as a paying customer.

What is HTTPS / SSL?

Let’s start with a couple definitions.[Continue Reading]

How To Use Amazon for SEO & Content Marketing

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Amazon is the world’s largest online store. They sell more than the next 12 largest online stores…combined.

If you run an online store, it’s senseless to view Amazon as a competitor (even though they are).

Instead, it is more productive to use Amazon as a platform to make your store as profitable as it can be.

Listing your products on Amazon is the most straightforward method. You can even use Amazon’s PPC platform to make these listing successful.

But Amazon takes a cut from every listing that erodes your margins. For many storeowners, it makes sense to invest more in your own store.

But if you are going to invest in your own store, you can (and should) use Amazon.

Amazon is the largest source of ecommerce data on the Internet.

And a lot of that data is public-facing. Here’s a few ideas on using Amazon as a data gold mine for your SEO & content marketing efforts.[Continue Reading]

Shopify Review: Pros & Cons of Using Shopify For eCommerce

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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 on 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.

EDIT 07/12/2017: This Shopify review was originally published 7/13/2013 and re-published frequently with updates throughout to reflect new features/pricing/opinion. In 2016 through 2017, Shopify has improved on several fronts, especially with a much improved checkout process. Just last week, they added same domain checkout – previously a big disadvantage. Enjoy!

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 provides everything you need from end to end (minus the product and business know-how) to setup and start selling your product(s) to the world in contrast 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.

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 competes 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.

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.

So How Does Shopify Work?

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

  1. Pick a Shopify plan that fits your budget and feature needs.
  2. “Point” your domain that you bought from a registrar like GoDaddy or NameCheap to your Shopify store. You also buy one via Shopify.
  3. 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.
  4. Add your products, page content, payment options, etc
  5. Go get customers! Here’s an ecommerce marketing strategy to get you started.

Make sense? Cool. Let’s dive into the actual Shopify review.[Continue Reading]

InMotion Hosting Review: 6 Pros & 4 Cons of InMotion Hosting

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This InMotion Hosting Review was revised and updated on July 3, 2017.

InMotion Hosting is one of the largest independent web hosting companies in the world. They’ve been around since 2001, and have tried to develop a brand around being the “nerd’s choice” that businesses also love.

InMotion Hosting has positioned themselves as the one of the few large, stable hosting companies that is not owned by Endurance International – a holding corporation for many well-known hosting brands (including a few that I use for sites like HostGator, Bluehost and iPage).

Get InMotion’s 57% off discount on plans here…

There are a lot of InMotion Hosting reviews online – usually with user-generated reviews based on anecdotes, complaints and personal experience. That’s fine but I take a different approach with pros and cons to highlight whether a particular company is a good “fit” given resources, priorities and experience.

Since 2013, I’ve done several side-projects on InMotion in addition to consulting for clients who run projects on a range of competitor hosting companies. In August 2015, I actually moved ShivarWeb.com to an InMotion VPS server, though several projects remain with other hosting companies such as HostGator and InMotion’s sister brand Web Hosting Hub – both of which have more “unlimited” plans and a support focus on beginner / small sites.

Here’s what I’ve found to be the pros and cons & full InMotion Hosting review based on my experience there and at other providers as a customer & consultant.[Continue Reading]

InMotion Hosting vs. HostGator: InMotion Hosting Compared Part 2

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I did a full review of InMotion Hosting, which you can read here. However, I wanted to specifically look at InMotion Hosting vs. HostGator. I use an InMotion VPS server to host this website, which used to be hosted on a HostGator server. I also use HostGator as my primary side-project and personal website hosting company.  In other words, I use both and want to compare them head to head to highlight the best fit for new customers.

HostGator has been one of the fastest growing web hosts since 2002. They’ve built their reputation on good pricing, fast servers, and great service. They were acquired by Endurance International (a holding company for several other popular hosting brands including Bluehost & Just Host) in 2012. I’ve been a HostGator customer for quite a while. I run most of my development and personal projects on a HostGator shared hosting plan.

And InMotion is a rapidly growing, but still independent hosting company out of Los Angeles that has recently generated a good bit of press and won several awards for their hosting services. ShivarWeb.com currently lives on an InMotion VPS server.

Like I’ve said in all my hosting reviews and hosting quizzes – there is no such thing as a “best overall host” – there’s only the right host for you given your priorities, resources and expertise. I’m a long time customer of both companies – and I even I use each depending on the demands of each project. I’ve decided to compare InMotion with HostGator across 6+ considerations that hopefully will help you find the right fit for you.

Skip to conclusion here.

That said – let’s dive in and look at InMotion Hosting vs. HostGator Web Hosting.[Continue Reading]

InMotion Hosting vs. GoDaddy Web Hosting: InMotion Compared Part 1

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I did a full review of InMotion Hosting based on the broad advantages & disadvantages of the company. However, I wanted to specifically look at InMotion Hosting vs. GoDaddy Web Hosting, simply because GoDaddy is the consumer brand among most people who are looking to start their own website.

GoDaddy is a global brand that does a lot of advertising (that’s an understatement). I’ve maintained an account there, and a couple of my clients use it, so I’ve had a a good bit of experience with them since 2009.

And InMotion is a rapidly growing hosting company out of Los Angeles that has recently generated a good bit of press and won several awards for their hosting services.

For quite a while now, I have been receiving reader questions about InMotion. I have client websites on GoDaddy, but currently use an InMotion VPS server for shivarweb.com. So I thought I’d compare them head to head. Let’s dive in and look at InMotion Hosting vs. GoDaddy Web Hosting.[Continue Reading]

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