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Whether you’re a solo act or already have a team of employees in place, every business needs a website to attract new customers.
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.
Affordability is a major factor to consider, along with a strong domain name, design, and email or eCommerce capabilities. You might want unlimited data storage, or prefer stellar customer or technical support. 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.
Most Affordable Hosting for Small Business
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. Most hosts will include a free domain, free email accounts, a boat load of storage, and basic eCommerce functionalities in their shared hosting plans for less than $5 a month. All three of our favorite companies for cheap hosting throw in a bunch of features and free advertising credits that will boost your business:
1.
1and1.com
- $1/month for 6 or 12 months
- No hidden costs - pay just $6 or $12 at checkout
- Easy setup and 24/7 support
- FREE domain and FREE domain transfer
- Up to 500 GB storage, 500 databases, 500 email accounts
- Get started on 1&1 now.
1&1: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Cheap Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 100-500 GB SSD | FREE (1 year) | www.1and1.com/shared |
2.
Bluehost.com
- Known for performance at a low price
- Endorsed by WordPress.org team
- FREE Weebly site builder and templates
- FREE Cloudflare CDN
- Get 63% off today (was $7.99/month)
- Get started on Bluehost now.
Bluehost: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Cheap Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | www.bluehost.com/shared |
3.
HostGator.com
- $0.01 for 1 month, then plans from $4.47/mo to $10.95/mo if you don't cancel
- Unmetered disk space & bandwidth
- Unlimited email addresses & free SSL certificate
- One-click WordPress install & free blog tools
- New domain costs $12.95, or use existing domain free
- Get started on HostGator now.
HostGator: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Cheap Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45 days | Unlimited | New or Transfer | www.hostgator.com/shared |
More recommended cheap web hosts »
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 platform matches your domain and gives you access to your email, contacts, and calendar from any device. Many hosting plans will 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:
4.
Bluehost.com
- FREE domain and unlimited emails
- 1-click WordPress install and FREE site-builder
- $150 in advertising credits with Google, Bing, and Yahoo!
- Google app integration available
- POP3 and IMAP secure email, with 3 WebMail solutions
- Get started on Bluehost now.
Bluehost: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Email Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | www.bluehost.com/email |
5.
InMotionHosting.com
- FREE domain for new and existing transfers
- 1-click app installer and over 300 apps available
- Business-Class hardware and eCommerce-ready options
- Unlimited SPAM Safe™ email with IMAP
- SSD storage, plus FREE data backups and SSL security
- Get started on InMotion now.
InMotion: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Email Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 days | Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | www.inmotionhosting.com/email |
6.
iPage.com
- FREE site transfers and 1-year domain name registration
- Unlimited domains, disk space, and email addresses
- Email forwarding, autoresponders, and WebMail
- Market your site with $300 in ad credits and SEO tools
- FREE online store and site-building tools
- Get started on iPage now.
iPage: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Email Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | www.ipage.com/email |
More recommended email hosts »
Website Builders for Small Business
If you have the 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 favorites:
7.
Wix.com
- No coding skills needed with drag-and-drop website builder
- 100s of templates with industry-specific designs
- Add features via the App Market
- Build an eCommerce store easily
- Build small sites on a budget
- Get started on Wix now.
Wix: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Website Builder Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 days | 500 MB - 20 GB | Transfer | www.wix.com/site-builder |
8.
iPage.com
- Choice of Weebly or WebsiteBuilder by iPage
- #1 Pick for WYSIWYG site building with FREE domain
- 100s of professionally designed, customizable themes
- Start your personal blog or business site in minutes
- Get +75% off your first month
- Get started on iPage now.
iPage: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Website Builder Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 100 GB - Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | www.ipage.com/site-builder |
9.
HostGator.com
- Drag-and-drop design with the Gator™ website builder
- Hundreds of mobile-friendly, industry-specific templates
- FREE hosting, domain name, and SSL certificate
- Easily add a blog, ecommerce, and social media marketing
- Analytics portal helps you gauge your site’s performance
- Get started on HostGator now.
HostGator: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Website Builder Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45 days | Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | www.hostgator.com/site-builder |
More recommended site builders »
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:
10.
iPage.com
- FREE domain registration and transfer
- Unlimited disk space, domains, and MySQL databases
- $100 towards Google AdWords and $100 in SEM credits
- Unlimited bandwidth and email addresses
- FREE online store and website builder
- Get started on iPage now.
iPage: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Domain Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | www.ipage.com/domain |
11.
Bluehost.com
- FREE domain name registration and site-building tools
- Get up to unlimited domains, emails, and bandwidth
- Over $150 in offers with Google, Bing, and Yahoo!
- 1-click WordPress install and WordPress’s endorsement
- 24/7 customer support and online tutorials
- Get started on Bluehost now.
Bluehost: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Domain Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | www.bluehost.com/domain |
12.
GoDaddy.com
- Recognized as the #1 Domain Name Registrar
- FREE domain included with annual plans
- Manage your domains via cPanel or Plesk control panels
- FREE email hosting at your domain
- 99.9% website uptime guaranteed
- Get started on GoDaddy now.
GoDaddy: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Domain Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 100 GB - Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | www.godaddy.com/domain |
More recommended domain hosts »
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 three hosts we recommend:
13.
SiteGround.com
- 1-click installs for eCommerce tools like WooCommerce
- FREE eCommerce plugin for WordPress
- Daily backups, a CDN, and FREE Weebly site builder
- Test changes to your online store within the staging area
- 24/7 support delivered by eCommerce gurus
- Get started on SiteGround now.
SiteGround: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | eCommerce Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 10 GB - 30 GB | New or Transfer | www.siteground.com/ecommerce |
14.
Wix.com
- Build online stores quickly and easily
- Choose from 100s of industry-specific themes
- Drag-and-drop builder lets you customize without coding
- Add features via the App Market
- Quickly get your store noticed by popular search engines
- Get started on Wix now.
Wix: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | eCommerce Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 days | 500 MB - 20 GB | Transfer | www.wix.com/ecommerce |
15.
iPage.com
- $200-worth of ad credits with Google, Bing, and Yahoo!
- FREE domain, email, and online store with cPanel
- Blog and photo gallery setup wizards
- FREE cloud storage account and unlimited bandwidth
- PayPal, shopping carts, and Yellowpages.com listing
- Get started on iPage now.
iPage: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | eCommerce Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | www.ipage.com/ecommerce |
More recommended eCommerce hosts »
Not All Hosting Companies Are Created Equal
Whatever options you choose for your small business, a good web hosting provider will play a big part in your success. Whether through support, uptime, or a killer design template you found on their site builder, your web host will help you put your best online foot forward.
As your company grows, you’ll want to expand your hosting plan. Cloud or VPS hosting gives you more power, reliability, and flexibility as your business starts to take over the market. When you’re ready to scale, check out our recommended business cloud hosting options.
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