Toby Sembower is founder and Chairman of the Board at Digital Brands, a company that builds, owns, and operates websites that have served more than 100 million users. His web hosting experience dates to 2003, when he built the first of many popular consumer resource websites. Since that time, Toby has tested and reviewed dozens of web hosts, worked with hosts to improve their pricing and services, and contributed his expertise at the industry's top conferences. Toby holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida's College of Journalism and a minor from UF's College of Business.
Lillian brings more than 30 years of editing and journalism experience to our team. She has written and edited for major news organizations, including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the New York Times, and she previously served as an adjunct instructor at the University of Florida. Today, she edits HostingAdvice content for clarity, accuracy, and reader engagement.
Christina's passion for technology sprouted from her coursework at the University of Florida's web design master's degree program. She has years of experience writing content for mobile apps and for the health technology industry, including companies like U.S. Preventive Medicine. Now, she combines her writing experience with her technical knowledge to craft content that gives value to novice techies and field experts.
Whether you’re a solo act or already have a team of employees in place, the best web hosting for small business helps attract new customers and expands your brand’s reach.
Just as businesses and their hosting needs are unique, so are the solutions that web hosting companies provide. Whether you run a million-dollar eCommerce store or want a simple website for your local restaurant, we can help you find the best hosting company. The goals and size of your website will help guide whether you need an inexpensive shared hosting plan, or perhaps, a higher powered VPS hosting plan.
Affordability is a major factor to consider, along with a strong domain name, design, and email or eCommerce capabilities. Although it sounds daunting and complicated, setting up a website for your small business doesn’t have to be painful. Read on to discover our recommended hosts.
We all get tempted by the notion of free web hosting, but trust us — the flexibility, support, and added features with even bare-bones shared hosting plans are well worth the tiny investment.
A shared hosting provider will probably include a free domain, website builder, free email accounts, a boatload of storage, and basic eCommerce functionalities in their plans for less than $5 a month. These types of plans are a viable hosting option if you’re building a small business website or a personal blog.
Our team of web hosting experts tested this cheap hosting service and compared dozens of features against other hosts to determine this rating, such as:
Cost/value
Ease of setup
Website performance
Disk space
User-friendliness
Control panel functionality
Our scoring formula uses these and additional data points for each web hosting service to determine its rating in each category. We regularly retest and update our host ratings to keep them up-to-date.
Laura Bernheim (HostingAdvice.com):
As the shared hosting market becomes increasingly saturated, unlimited storage, bandwidth, and email accounts have become surprisingly average. Hostinger, however, extends the routine, expected metrics to greater lengths — the number of websites, databases, FTP users, subdomains, and parked domains are all unrestricted for most customers. Go to full review »
Our team of web hosting experts tested this cheap hosting service and compared dozens of features against other hosts to determine this rating, such as:
Cost/value
Ease of setup
Website performance
Disk space
User-friendliness
Control panel functionality
Our scoring formula uses these and additional data points for each web hosting service to determine its rating in each category. We regularly retest and update our host ratings to keep them up-to-date.
Laura Bernheim (HostingAdvice.com):
It’s tough to argue with a shared hosting service that comes with all-SSD storage and unlimited bandwidth, databases, and email accounts. ScalaHosting provides all the above and several other premium features for a very affordable price. Go to full review »
Our team of web hosting experts tested this cheap hosting service and compared dozens of features against other hosts to determine this rating, such as:
Cost/value
Ease of setup
Website performance
Disk space
User-friendliness
Control panel functionality
Our scoring formula uses these and additional data points for each web hosting service to determine its rating in each category. We regularly retest and update our host ratings to keep them up-to-date.
Alexandra Anderson (HostingAdvice.com):
If budget is the main factor on your mind when searching for your next web host, search no more. 1&1 IONOS has an impressive range of robust web hosting and website building packages for what may be the best price we’ve ever seen in the world of hosting. Go to full review »
Money Back Guarantee
Disk Space
Domain Name
Setup Time
30 days
10 GB – Unlimited
FREE (1 year)
4 minutes
Email Hosting for Small Business
A solid email hosting plan will make it easier for your small business to connect with consumers and collaborate internally. A speedy and professional email hosting service matches your domain and gives you access to your email, contacts, and calendar from any device.
You web hosting plan will likely include free email in some form, but you should pay attention to features like spam filters, auto-responders, and the number of addresses or inboxes you can have.
Here are our top three recommended hosting providers:
Our in-house team of web hosting experts tested this email hosting service and compared dozens of features against other hosts to determine this rating, such as:
Number of email accounts
Free custom domain
IMAP, POP3, and SMTP support
Security features
Free collaboration tools
Our scoring formula uses these and additional data points for each web hosting service to determine its rating in each category from 1 to 5. We regularly retest and update our unbiased host ratings to keep them up to date.
Laura Bernheim (HostingAdvice.com):
Showing major value, Hostinger email plans come complete with all the collaboration and productivity tools you’d expect from higher-priced hosts. We especially love the easy integrations with platforms like Twitter, Google Drive, and others. Go to full review »
Our in-house team of web hosting experts tested this email hosting service and compared dozens of features against other hosts to determine this rating, such as:
Number of email accounts
Free custom domain
IMAP, POP3, and SMTP support
Security features
Free collaboration tools
Our scoring formula uses these and additional data points for each web hosting service to determine its rating in each category from 1 to 5. We regularly retest and update our unbiased host ratings to keep them up to date.
Alexandra Anderson (HostingAdvice.com):
If the budget factor is on your mind when searching for a web host, rest easy. 1&1 IONOS has a wide range of packages, including reduced rates for the first few months (or year) and starter plans for all of their web hosting and website building services. Go to full review »
Our in-house team of web hosting experts tested this email hosting service and compared dozens of features against other hosts to determine this rating, such as:
Number of email accounts
Free custom domain
IMAP, POP3, and SMTP support
Security features
Free collaboration tools
Our scoring formula uses these and additional data points for each web hosting service to determine its rating in each category from 1 to 5. We regularly retest and update our unbiased host ratings to keep them up to date.
Laura Bernheim (HostingAdvice.com):
ScalaHosting’s email packages cater to businesses of all sizes. With plans ranging from 50 to unlimited email accounts, enterprises and mom-and-pop stores can use its email features for businesses. Go to full review »
Money Back Guarantee
Disk Space
Domain Name
Setup Time
30 days
50 GB – Unlimited GB
FREE (1 year)
6 minutes
Website Builders for Small Business
If you have web hosting but need help getting a site online, don’t worry. Many web hosting companies provide helpful tools that give you the ability to produce a stunning site, all on your own. Don’t worry about hiring an expensive developer to get your small business online.
Drag-and-drop website builders allow you to upload images, videos, and text, and will show you exactly how your site will look when you’re ready to click “publish.”
Read on for our favorite small business hosting with website builders:
Our in-house team of web hosting experts tested this website builder and compared dozens of features against other site builders to determine this rating, such as:
Free premium themes
SEO and marketing tools
Free emails, SSL, and domains
Price/value
User-friendliness
Our scoring formula uses these and additional data points for each web hosting service to determine its rating in each category from 1 to 5. We regularly retest and update our unbiased host ratings to keep them up to date.
Alexandra Anderson (HostingAdvice.com):
Website building is where Wix shines. The thousands of templates, the intuitive editor, the industry-leading designs that cater to a variety of specific fields and use cases — all these facets represent a platform that excels at facilitating easy web design for the non-tech-savvy user. Go to full review »
Our in-house team of web hosting experts tested this website builder and compared dozens of features against other site builders to determine this rating, such as:
Free premium themes
SEO and marketing tools
Free emails, SSL, and domains
Price/value
User-friendliness
Our scoring formula uses these and additional data points for each web hosting service to determine its rating in each category from 1 to 5. We regularly retest and update our unbiased host ratings to keep them up to date.
Alexandra Anderson (HostingAdvice.com):
If you’re in need of a one-stop shop for designing and launching a website, you should be pleased to hear that 1&1 IONOS offers its own custom website building tools for both desktop and mobile devices. In addition to a free domain and email address, along with unlimited storage space, the 1&1 IONOS MyWebsite platform includes all the essentials for starting a site from scratch. Go to full review »
Our in-house team of web hosting experts tested this website builder and compared dozens of features against other site builders to determine this rating, such as:
Free premium themes
SEO and marketing tools
Free emails, SSL, and domains
Price/value
User-friendliness
Our scoring formula uses these and additional data points for each web hosting service to determine its rating in each category from 1 to 5. We regularly retest and update our unbiased host ratings to keep them up to date.
Laura Bernheim (HostingAdvice.com):
Whether you’re taking your first foray into website hosting or are a developer looking to save some time, a strong website builder can dramatically streamline the creation process and enable users to launch a website in five minutes or less. Fortunately for customers, Hostinger has invested heavily in crafting an impressive visual editor sure to appeal to users of all levels of experience. Go to full review »
Our in-house team of web hosting experts tested this website builder and compared dozens of features against other site builders to determine this rating, such as:
Free premium themes
SEO and marketing tools
Free emails, SSL, and domains
Price/value
User-friendliness
Our scoring formula uses these and additional data points for each web hosting service to determine its rating in each category from 1 to 5. We regularly retest and update our unbiased host ratings to keep them up to date.
Laura Bernheim (HostingAdvice.com):
Already boasting a powerful platform for running WordPress and WooCommerce, Nexcess makes creating and growing your online store even easier with StoreBuilder system. Billed as an “intelligent website assistant,” StoreBuilder asks entrepreneurs about their company’s products, services, industry, experience, and content to help formulate a custom storefront. Go to full review »
Money Back Guarantee
Disk Space
Domain Name
Setup Time
30 days
15 GB – 800 GB
New or Transfer
7 minutes
Cloud Hosting Plans for Small Business
You may be just starting out now, but you probably don’t want to stay this size for long. What happens to your hosting infrastructure when you start to grow?
Cloud hosting is an incredible tool for companies that have big goals — or a hectic busy season. The cloud environment supporting your website easily and economically scales to match the flow of traffic.
Our in-house team of web hosting experts tested this cloud hosting service and compared dozens of features against other hosts to determine this rating, such as:
Redundancy and reliability
Load balancers
Customization and control
cPanel, root access, and SSH
Flexible pricing
Our scoring formula uses these and additional data points for each web hosting service to determine its rating in each category from 1 to 5. We regularly retest and update our unbiased host ratings to keep them up to date.
Alexandra Anderson (HostingAdvice.com):
If you can’t beat the cloud provider behemoths, offer their infrastructure as a service. Cloudways gives customers their choice of cloud platform: AWS, Google, Linode, Digital Ocean, or Vultr. Go to full review »
Our in-house team of web hosting experts tested this cloud hosting service and compared dozens of features against other hosts to determine this rating, such as:
Redundancy and reliability
Load balancers
Customization and control
cPanel, root access, and SSH
Flexible pricing
Our scoring formula uses these and additional data points for each web hosting service to determine its rating in each category from 1 to 5. We regularly retest and update our unbiased host ratings to keep them up to date.
Laura Bernheim (HostingAdvice.com):
Hostinger offers something for everyone. From two cloud hosting plans that leverage the company’s global datacenter presence to a premium service powered by Google Cloud Platform, you’re sure to find what you need. Go to full review »
Our in-house team of web hosting experts tested this cloud hosting service and compared dozens of features against other hosts to determine this rating, such as:
Redundancy and reliability
Load balancers
Customization and control
cPanel, root access, and SSH
Flexible pricing
Our scoring formula uses these and additional data points for each web hosting service to determine its rating in each category from 1 to 5. We regularly retest and update our unbiased host ratings to keep them up to date.
Laura Bernheim (HostingAdvice.com):
Starting with more than 60 operating system images to choose from, Kamatera is a strong option for developers who know exactly what environment works best for their project. Customize your cloud server as needed and deploy in less than a minute. Go to full review »
Setup Time
Disk Space
CPU
RAM
5 minutes
20 GB SSD – 4 TB SSD
1 – 32 cores
1 GB – 128 GB
Domain Hosting Services for Small Business
Whether you need to buy a new domain name for your business or transfer an existing domain, the services and support offered by your hosting company can make a big difference.
Many providers give you a free domain when you sign up but be sure to read the fine print — some of those deals are for the life of your account, while others expire after the first year.
These three hosts will give you a stress-free domain hosting experience:
Our in-house team of web hosting experts tested this domain hosting service and compared dozens of features against other hosts to determine this rating, such as:
Cost/value
Subdomain support
Domain privacy protection
Free control panel
Easy site/domain transfer
Our scoring formula uses these and additional data points for each web hosting service to determine its rating in each category from 1 to 5. We regularly retest and update our unbiased host ratings to keep them up to date.
Laura Bernheim (HostingAdvice.com):
Don’t be turned off by Hostinger’s remarkably low prices. The company’s insanely low pricing model extends to domain name services, as well as its premium support and impressive list of features. Go to full review »
Our in-house team of web hosting experts tested this domain hosting service and compared dozens of features against other hosts to determine this rating, such as:
Cost/value
Subdomain support
Domain privacy protection
Free control panel
Easy site/domain transfer
Our scoring formula uses these and additional data points for each web hosting service to determine its rating in each category from 1 to 5. We regularly retest and update our unbiased host ratings to keep them up to date.
Alexandra Anderson (HostingAdvice.com):
While many popular hosts reserve free domain registrations for its higher-tie plans, 1&1 IONOS gives every customer the perk — along with free domain privacy, email inbox, and SSL certificate. Trust your site with a company that hosts more than 12 million domains on its platform. Go to full review »
Our in-house team of web hosting experts tested this domain hosting service and compared dozens of features against other hosts to determine this rating, such as:
Cost/value
Subdomain support
Domain privacy protection
Free control panel
Easy site/domain transfer
Our scoring formula uses these and additional data points for each web hosting service to determine its rating in each category from 1 to 5. We regularly retest and update our unbiased host ratings to keep them up to date.
Alexandra Anderson (HostingAdvice.com):
There are plenty of excellent cPanel shared hosting providers out there, so what sets A2 Hosting apart from the rest. Not only does the company offer a ton of features, but it has custom-built its packages for enhanced performance, speed, and security — putting your priorities above pricing. Go to full review »
Money Back Guarantee
Disk Space
Domain Name
Setup Time
30 days
100 GB SSD – Unlimited SSD
New or Transfer
4 minutes
eCommerce Hosting for Small Business
If you plan on selling your wares online, you will need an SSL certificate. The security feature safeguards customers’ personal and financial information.
Many hosts make these easily available — but not all. Your eCommerce options include payment channel integrations, shopping carts, and inventory controls.
Some hosts will also help you with marketing or SEO, and some even give you advertising credits. Here are the two hosts we recommend:
Our in-house team of web hosting experts tested this eCommerce hosting service and compared dozens of features against other hosts to determine this rating, such as:
eCommerce software options
Online store builder
Unlimited products
Free monitoring tools
Scalability and performance
Our scoring formula uses these and additional data points for each web hosting service to determine its rating in each category from 1 to 5. We regularly retest and update our unbiased host ratings to keep them up to date.
Alexandra Anderson (HostingAdvice.com):
For those who understand the importance of page load speed and sales, look no further than A2 Hosting. The company boasts premium storage, optimized security, and one of the most diverse portfolios of one-click software installations we’ve seen. Go to full review »
Our in-house team of web hosting experts tested this eCommerce hosting service and compared dozens of features against other hosts to determine this rating, such as:
eCommerce software options
Online store builder
Unlimited products
Free monitoring tools
Scalability and performance
Our scoring formula uses these and additional data points for each web hosting service to determine its rating in each category from 1 to 5. We regularly retest and update our unbiased host ratings to keep them up to date.
Alexandra Anderson (HostingAdvice.com):
The online store builder from 1&1 IONOS gives entrepreneurs a full suite of selling and marketing tools at their disposal — and all for a ridiculously low price. The company’s lightning-fast architecture and tools for SEO and marketing metrics will make your customers’ buying experience quick and enjoyable. Go to full review »
Money Back Guarantee
Disk Space
Domain Name
Setup Time
30 days
Unlimited SSD
FREE (1 year)
4 minutes
Not All Hosting Companies Are Created Equal
As you can see from our list of various business web hosts, there are many components that go into creating a successful website. Pick the provider and features that best meet your current expertise — as well as future aspirations.
Whatever options you choose for your small business, a good web hosting service will play a big part in your success. Whether through customer service, uptime, or a killer site design template you found on their website builder, your web host will help you put your best online foot forward.
As your company grows, you’ll want to expand your web hosting plan. Cloud, VPS hosting, and dedicated server hosting give you more power, reliability, and flexibility as your business starts to take over the market. When you’re ready to scale, check out our hosting review on business cloud hosting options to try a new web hosting company.
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