Tag Archives: web

Best Website Builders of 2024, Wix, Shopify, and More

May 29, 2023 Nir Shein

Website builders are software tools that allow anyone to create a website without any coding or design skills. They are popular among small businesses, freelancers, bloggers, and anyone who wants to have an online presence. Website builders offer various features, such as templates, drag-and-drop editors, e-commerce functionality, SEO tools, and more.

However, not all website builders are created equal. Some are more suitable for certain types of websites than others. Some are more affordable, user-friendly, or feature-rich than others. Some are more reliable, secure, or scalable than others.

In this blog post, we will review some of the best website builders in 2024 based on our research and testing.

Table of Contents

WIX

Best for No-Code Customizations

Wix is one of the most popular and versatile website builders on the market. It offers a drag-and-drop interface that lets you create stunning websites without any coding skills. You can choose from over 800 templates or start from scratch with a blank canvas. Wix also has a powerful app market that allows you to add extra functionality to your site, such as e-commerce, booking, blogging, and more.

Key Features

– Drag-and-drop editor with over 800 templates
– App market with hundreds of add-ons
– Wix ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) that creates a website for you based on your answers to a few questions
– Wix Corvid (formerly Wix Code) that lets you customize your site with advanced coding tools
– Wix SEO Wiz that helps you optimize your site for search engines
– Wix Ascend that provides marketing and customer management tools

Pros:

Easy to use drag-and-drop editor
Over 800 templates in various categories
Artificial design intelligence feature
E-commerce functionality
App market with various integrations
Free plan available
Affordable and flexible. You can start with a free plan and upgrade to a premium plan that suits your needs and budget
Versatile and scalable. You can create any type of website with Wix, from personal blogs to e-commerce stores. You can also grow your site with more features and apps as your business expands

–

Cons:

Free plan has ads and subdomain
Templates are not interchangeable
Loading speed can be slow
Limited storage and bandwidth on all plans. You might need to upgrade to a higher plan if you have a lot of content or traffic on your site
Wix does not allow you to change your template once your site is live. You have to start over if you want to switch to a different design
Wix does not have native backup and restore options. You have to use third-party apps or manually save your site if you want to restore it to a previous version

Plans and Pricing

Wix offers four premium plans for websites and three premium plans for e-commerce stores. All plans include a free domain name for one year, SSL security, unlimited pages and access to premium apps.

Website Plans

Combo: $16/month. Ideal for personal use or small businesses. Includes 3 GB of storage, 2 GB of bandwidth, 30 minutes of video hours and no Wix ads.
Unlimited: $22/month. Ideal for entrepreneurs and freelancers. Includes 10 GB of storage, unlimited bandwidth, one hour of video hours and $300 ad vouchers.
Pro: $27/month. Ideal for complete online branding. Includes 20 GB of storage, unlimited bandwidth, two hours of video hours, professional logo, social media logo files and analytics app.
VIP: $45/month. Ideal for priority support. Includes 35 GB of storage, unlimited bandwidth, five hours of video hours, professional logo, social media logo files, analytics app and VIP support.

E-commerce Plans

Business Basic: $27/month. Ideal for accepting online payments. Includes all features of Unlimited plan plus 20 GB of storage, five hours of video hours and e-commerce features.
Business Unlimited: $32/month. Ideal for growing your online store. Includes all features of Pro plan plus 35 GB of storage, 10 hours of video hours and e-commerce features.
Business VIP: $59/month. Ideal for scaling your online store. Includes all features of VIP plan plus 50 GB of storage, unlimited video hours and e-commerce features.

Overall Conclusion

Wix is a great choice for anyone who wants to create a website quickly and easily without any coding skills. It offers a wide range of templates, features and apps to suit any type of website and business. It also has affordable and flexible plans that can be upgraded as your site grows.

However, Wix also has some drawbacks that you should be aware of before choosing it as your website builder. It has limited storage and bandwidth on all plans, which might affect your site’s performance and speed. It does not allow you to change your template once your site is live, which might limit your design options in the future. It does not have native backup and restore options, which might put your site at risk of data loss.

Therefore, we recommend Wix for anyone who wants a simple and easy way to create a website with no coding skills. However, if you need more control over your site’s design, performance and security, you might want to look for other alternatives.

TRY WIX

Web.com

If you are looking for a simple and affordable way to create a website for your business or personal project, you might want to consider Web.com website builder. Web.com is a web technology company that offers various services, such as web design, hosting, marketing, and domain names. In this post, we will focus on their website builder tool, which allows you to build your own website using drag-and-drop functionality and ready-made templates. We will cover the key features, pros and cons, plans and pricing, and overall conclusion of Web.com website builder.

Key Features

Drag-and-drop builder: You can easily create and customize your website by dragging and dropping elements, such as text, images, buttons, forms, etc. You can also edit the layout, colors, fonts, and other aspects of your site.
Free domain name: When you sign up for Web.com website builder, you get a free domain name for one year. You can choose from various extensions, such as .com, .net, .org, etc.
Optimized for mobile: Your website will automatically adjust to different screen sizes and devices, such as smartphones and tablets. You can also preview how your site looks on mobile before publishing it.
Options for any business: Web.com offers over 150 professionally designed templates for various industries and niches. You can also use ready-made content blocks to add relevant information to your site.
Free 1-hour website design support: If you need help with creating or designing your website, you can get one free hour of web design support from Web.com experts. They can assist you with setting up your site, adding features, or optimizing it for SEO.

Pros:

Easy to use: Web.com website builder is designed for beginners who want to create a website without coding or technical skills. You can simply drag and drop elements and use the intuitive interface to customize your site
Affordable: Web.com website builder is one of the most affordable options in the market. You can start with a free plan that includes a subdomain and 25 MB of storage space. The paid plans start from $1.95 per month and include a free domain name and more features
Reliable: Web.com is a reputable web technology company that has been in business since 1999. They have served over 3 million customers worldwide and manage over 9 million domain names. You can trust them to provide reliable hosting and customer service for your website

–

Cons:

Limited features: Web.com website builder does not offer some advanced features that other website builders do, such as eCommerce functionality, blogging tools, social media integration, etc. If you need these features, you might want to look for another option
Limited customization: Web.com website builder does not allow you to access or edit the HTML or CSS code of your site. You are also limited by the templates and content blocks that they provide. If you want more creative control over your site, you might find Web.com website builder too restrictive

Plans and Pricing

Web.com website builder offers four plans to choose from:

Website: This plan which runs for $4.95/mo, includes a 25 MB of storage space, 5 GB of bandwidth per month, and access to the drag-and-drop builder and templates. This plan is suitable for testing out the tool or creating a simple personal site.
Website+marketing: This plan costs $7.95 per month for the first year and $21.99 per month thereafter. It includes a free domain name for one year, 300 MB of storage space, unlimited bandwidth, email accounts, SSL certificate, Social & Email marketing tools, and one free hour of web design support. Additionally, you get some selling services and access to an AI writing tool.
Online Store: This plan costs $13.95 per month for the first year and $24.99 per month thereafter. It includes everything in the previous plan plus 500 MB of storage space and priority customer support, secure checkout and social media selling options.
Online Marketplace: This plan costs $19.95 per month for the first year and $39.99 per month thereafter. It includes everything in the previous plan plus 1 GB of storage space and also bulk editing and automation tools, alongside a direct selling access to some of the biggest e-commerce websites such as amazon, Etsy, eBay and more.

You can also get a custom quote for a more tailored solution if you need more features or services.

Overall Conclusion

Web.com website builder is a simple and affordable tool that allows you to create a professional-looking website without coding or technical skills. It offers a drag-and-drop builder, free domain name, mobile optimization, and various templates and content blocks for different industries and niches. It also provides reliable hosting and customer service from a reputable web technology company.

However, Web.com website builder also has some drawbacks that might make it unsuitable for some users. It does not offer some advanced features that other website builders do, such as getting access or edit the HTML or CSS code of your site or customize it beyond the templates and content blocks that they provide.

Therefore, we recommend Web.com website builder for users who want a simple and affordable way to create a basic website for their e-commerce/business or personal project. If you need more features or customization options, you might want to look for another option.

TRY WEB.COM

Shopify

If you want to create a stunning e-commerce website in minutes, you might want to consider Shopify, one of the best website builders for online businesses.

Key Features

A fully customizable website builder with thousands of themes, apps and integrations
A free 3-day trial with no credit card required
A no-code website builder with drag-and-drop functionality
A custom domain name registration service
A reliable website hosting service with added security
An online store builder with unlimited products and access to POS
A CMS with insight into your customers and their behavior
A global network of Shopify Experts who can help you with design, marketing and development

Pros:

Easy to use and set up
Flexible and scalable for any business size or type
Offers a lot of features and functionality for ecommerce
Has a large and active community of users and developers

–

Cons:

Can be expensive depending on the plan and add-ons you choose
Has some limitations on customization and control over your website
Charges transaction fees for using third-party payment gateways

Plans and Pricing

Shopify offers four main plans for its service:

Basic Shopify: $29/month. Includes the option to manage a store with 1000 inventory locations, sell on social media, chat with customers, send invoices and accept payments., and two staff accounts, discount codes, abandoned cart recovery and more.
Shopify: $105/month. Includes everything in Basic Shopify plus five staff accounts, gift cards, professional reports, lower transaction fees and more.
Advanced Shopify: $399/month. Includes everything in Shopify plus 15 staff accounts, advanced report builder, third-party calculated shipping rates, lower transaction fees and more.
You can also choose Shopify Plus, a custom plan for large enterprises that offers more features, support and scalability.

Start for free, then enjoy $1/month for 3 months.

Overall Conclusion

Shopify is a great choice for anyone who wants to create a professional and successful ecommerce website without much hassle or coding. It offers a lot of features, functionality and support for online businesses of all sizes and types. However, it can also be costly and limiting depending on your needs and preferences. Therefore, we recommend that you try out the free trial before committing to a plan and compare it with other website builders to find the best fit for you.

TRY SHOPIFY

Squarespace

Best for Creatives

Squarespace is another popular website builder that is known for its elegant and professional designs. It offers over 100 templates that are optimized for mobile devices and various industries. Squarespace also has a rich set of features that enable you to create blogs, portfolios, online stores, and more.

Key Features

– Responsive templates with modern and minimalist aesthetics
– Built-in e-commerce platform with inventory management, payment processing, and shipping options
– Blogging platform with multiple authors, categories, tags, and comments
– Portfolio platform with customizable layouts, galleries, and video backgrounds
– Marketing tools such as email campaigns, SEO, analytics, and social media integration

More :

Designs: Squarespace has dozens of modern and minimalistic templates that can be easily modified and tailored to your wishes. You can also switch templates anytime without losing your content. All templates are responsive and mobile-friendly, ensuring a great user experience on any device.
Rich Image Manager: Squarespace allows you to add and organize images via drag and drop builder. You can also edit images with tools like cropping, resizing, filters, and more. Squarespace also optimizes your images for fast loading and SEO.
Blogging: Squarespace lets you design and manage your blog with features like categories, tags, comments, RSS feeds, social sharing, scheduled posts, and more. You can also import your blog from other platforms like WordPress, Tumblr, or Blogger.
Commerce: Squarespace enables you to sell your products through an online store with features like inventory management, product variants, coupons, taxes, shipping, abandoned cart recovery, and more. You can also use Point of Sale (POS) to accept payments in person with Squarespace’s mobile app and card reader. Additionally, you can manage subscriptions, donations, bookings, memberships, and other business needs with Squarespace’s extensions.
Analytics: Squarespace provides you with detailed analytics where you can track traffic, popular content, sales, conversions, audience behavior, and more. You can also integrate with Google Analytics for more insights.
Connected Services: Squarespace allows you to extend your website’s functionality by connecting with third-party services like Mailchimp, Stripe, PayPal, Google Workspace, Instagram, Facebook Pixel, Zapier, and more.
SEO: Squarespace gives you everything you need to have an SEO-ready website without requiring any plugins or coding. You can customize your site title, meta description, URL slug, alt text, sitemap, robots.txt file, and more. Squarespace also supports SSL encryption for security and ranking benefits.
Ad-free: Squarespace does not show any ads on your website unless you want to make money by placing your own ads through services like Google Adsense or Mediavine.
Support: Squarespace offers fast and friendly support via email and live chat 24/7. You can also access their extensive knowledge base, video tutorials, webinars, community forum, and help guides for self-help.

Pros:

Ease of use: Squarespace has a user-friendly interface that allows you to create and edit your website with simple drag and drop actions. You don’t need any coding skills or technical knowledge to use Squarespace. You can also preview your changes in real-time before publishing them
Quality: Squarespace delivers high-quality websites that look professional and elegant. The templates are designed by experts and follow the latest web standards and trends. The websites are also fast-loading and secure thanks to Squarespace’s hosting and SSL certificates
Flexibility: Squarespace gives you the freedom to customize your website according to your needs and preferences. You can change fonts
Beautiful and high-quality designs
Ideal for creative professionals and businesses

–

Cons:

Price: Squarespace is not the cheapest option when it comes to website builders. The plans start from $12 per month for personal websites and go up to $40 per month for advanced commerce websites. There are no free plans or trials available, although you can use a 14-day free trial to test the platform before committing
Control: Squarespace does not give you full control over your website’s code or hosting. You cannot access or modify the source code of your website or use custom plugins or themes. You also cannot migrate your website to another hosting provider or platform easily
Learning curve: Squarespace may have a simple interface,
but it also has a lot of options and features that can be overwhelming for beginners. It may take some time to learn how to use Squarespace effectively and make the most out of its capabilities
Learning curve: Squarespace may have a simple interface,
but it also has a lot of options and features that can be overwhelming for beginners. It may take some time to learn how to use Squarespace effectively and make the most out of its capabilities
Compatibility: Squarespace may not be compatible with some third-party services or tools that you may want to use on your website. For example, you cannot use Google Adsense or Mediavine on Squarespace unless you have a Business plan or higher. You also cannot use WordPress plugins or themes on Squarespace

Plans and Pricing

Squarespace has four plans: Personal ($16 per month), Business ($23 per month), Basic Commerce ($27 per month), and Advanced Commerce ($49 per month). All plans include a free domain name for one year, SSL security, unlimited bandwidth and storage space, SEO tools, analytics, and customer support. The Business plan adds e-commerce functionality, marketing tools, and premium integrations. The Commerce plans add more e-commerce features such as abandoned cart recovery, customer accounts, subscriptions, advanced shipping options, and lower transaction fees.

TRY SQUARESPACE

Webflow

Webflow is a website builder that combines the power of code with the simplicity of visual design. It allows you to create responsive websites using a drag-and-drop interface that generates clean HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code. You can also use Webflow’s CMS (Content Management System) to create dynamic content such as blogs, portfolios, e-commerce products, and more.

Key Features

Visual editor that lets you design websites without writing code
CMS that lets you create and manage dynamic content
E-commerce platform that lets you sell products online with custom checkout flows
Hosting service that provides fast loading speed, SSL security, etc.

More

Drag-and-drop interface: You can design your workflows using a simple and intuitive interface that lets you drag and drop actions, conditions, loops, and variables.
Pre-built templates: You can choose from hundreds of ready-made templates for common use cases, such as sending email notifications, creating invoices, updating CRM records, and more.
Workflow editor: You can edit and customize your workflows using a powerful editor that gives you access to advanced features, such as branching logic, error handling, data mapping, and debugging tools.
Workflow triggers: You can trigger your workflows based on various events, such as time, date, webhooks, form submissions, email attachments, and more.
Workflow variables: You can use variables to store and manipulate data in your workflows, such as text, numbers, dates, lists, files, and more.
Workflow actions: You can perform various actions in your workflows, such as sending emails, posting messages, uploading files, creating tasks, calling APIs, and more.
Workflow integrations: You can integrate your workflows with over 1000 apps and services using built-in connectors or custom API requests.
Workflow analytics: You can monitor and analyze the performance of your workflows using dashboards and reports that show you metrics such as run time, success rate, errors, and more.

Pros:

Beautiful and high-quality designs
Beautiful and high-quality designs
24/7 customer support via email and live chat
Easy to use and does not require coding skills
Flexible and customizable and can handle complex scenarios
Scalable and reliable and can handle high volumes of data and transactions
Affordable and offers a free plan and a pay-as-you-go plan

–

Cons:

No free plan or trial available
Editor can be confusing and restrictive at times
Expensive compared to some competitors
Does not have a native mobile app or a desktop app
Does not support offline mode or local storage
Workflow does not have a built-in testing or debugging environment

Plans and Pricing

Workflow offers five plans for different needs and budgets:

Free plan: You get 1 domain and can create up to 50 workflows submissions and run up to 50 CMS items per month for free. You also get access to basic features and integrations, plus 1GB of bandwidth.
Basic plan: You can custom your domain and can create 500 form submissions for $14 per month. You also get access to advanced features and integrations, plus 50GB of bandwidth.
CMS plan: You get a custom domain and can create 2000 form submissions for $23 per month. You also get access to advanced features and integrations, plus 200GB of bandwidth, and 3 content editors. You also get access to premium features and integrations.
Business plan: You get a custom domain and can create 10,000+ form submissions for $39 per month. You also get access to advanced features and integrations, plus 400GB of bandwidth, and 10 content editors. You also get access to premium features and integrations.

There’s also an enterprise plan to choose as an option.

Overall Conclusion

Workflow is a powerful and user-friendly platform that can help you automate and optimize your business processes. It can help you save time, reduce errors, improve efficiency, and enhance collaboration. If you are looking for a solution that can handle your workflow needs without coding or complexity, you should give Workflow a try.

TRY WEBFLOW

Godaddy

If you’re looking for a simple and easy way to create a website, you might have come across GoDaddy. This company allows you to build a website without any coding or design skills. But is it a good option for your needs?

Key Features

A drag-and-drop interface that lets you customize your site with different elements, such as text, images, videos, buttons, forms and more.
A library of templates that are designed for different industries and purposes, such as business, portfolio, blog, online store and more.
A mobile-friendly design that automatically adapts to different screen sizes and devices.
A built-in SEO tool that helps you optimize your site for search engines and rank higher on Google.
A free domain name for the first year when you sign up for a paid plan.
A free SSL certificate that encrypts your site and protects your visitors’ data.
A 24/7 customer support team that can help you with any issues or questions.

Pros:

Easy to use and suitable for beginners who have no coding or design skills
Affordable and offers a free plan with limited features and a 14-day free trial for the paid plans
Has a variety of templates that can suit different needs and preferences
Offers a fast and reliable hosting service that ensures your site is always online and secure

–

Cons:

Has limited customization options and does not allow you to access the HTML or CSS code of your site
Has limited integrations with third-party apps and services, such as email marketing, analytics, social media and more
Has limited e-commerce features and does not support advanced functions, such as inventory management, shipping options, tax calculations and more
Has limited blogging features and does not support comments, categories, tags or RSS feeds

Plans and Pricing

GoDaddy Website Builder offers four plans to choose from: Basic, Standard, Premium and Ecommerce. The prices range from $9.99 to $16.99 per month when billed annually. Here is a summary of what each plan includes:

Basic: This plan is suitable for personal or hobby websites. It includes 1 GB of storage, 150 GB of bandwidth, a free domain name for the first year, a free SSL certificate, basic SEO tools and 24/7 support.
Standard: This plan is suitable for small businesses or professional websites. It includes everything in the Basic plan plus 10 GB of storage, 500 GB of bandwidth, advanced SEO tools and email marketing tools.
Premium: This plan is suitable for growing businesses or websites that need more features. It includes everything in the Standard plan plus unlimited storage, unlimited bandwidth, social media integration tools and online appointment scheduling tools.
Ecommerce: This plan is suitable for online stores or websites that sell products or services. It includes everything in the Premium plan plus e-commerce features, such as product catalog, shopping cart, payment options, order management and more.

Overall Conclusion

GoDaddy Website Builder is a good option for anyone who wants to create a website quickly and easily without any coding or design skills. It offers a simple and intuitive interface, a variety of templates, a mobile-friendly design, a free domain name and SSL certificate, a reliable hosting service and a 24/7 support team. However, it also has some limitations that might affect your website’s performance and functionality. It does not allow you to customize your site’s code or integrate it with many third-party apps or services. It also does not offer advanced e-commerce or blogging features that might be essential for some websites. Therefore, we recommend GoDaddy Website Builder for simple or basic websites that do not require much customization or integration. If you need more flexibility or functionality for your website, you might want to look for other alternatives.

TRY GODADDY

Weebly

Weebly lets you create professional websites with no coding knowledge. It’s one of the simplest and most affordable site builders on the market, offering a free option as well as premium plans starting at $10 per month with annual billing.

Key Features

Drag-and-drop editor that allows you to customize your site with ease
Unlimited storage and bandwidth for most of its plans
SEO, email and social media marketing tools to help you grow your online presence
Mobile-responsive sites that look great on any device
E-commerce features that let you sell products or services online

Pros:

Free forever plan that lets you create a basic website with a Weebly subdomain
Competitively-priced premium plans that offer more features and remove ads
Easy to use and no programming skills required
Free SSL security that protects your site and visitors

–

Cons:

Site has Square ads unless paying for the Professional plan and above
Limited customization options compared to other site builders
Phone support only available on Professional plan and above

Plans and Pricing

Weebly offers four plans: Free, Personal, Professional and Performance.

The Free plan lets you create a website with a Weebly subdomain, 500 MB of storage and basic features.

The Personal plan costs $10 per month with annual billing or $13 per month with monthly billing and lets you connect your own domain, remove Square ads and get unlimited storage.

The Professional plan costs $12 per month with annual billing or $16 per month with monthly billing and adds phone support, site search, video backgrounds and password protection.

The Performance plan costs $26 per month with annual billing or $29 per month with monthly billing and adds e-commerce features such as inventory management, shipping labels, coupons and abandoned cart emails.

Overall Conclusion

Weebly is a great option for anyone who wants to create a professional website or online store quickly and without a steep learning curve. It offers a free option as well as affordable premium plans that suit different needs and budgets. It has a user-friendly drag-and-drop editor that lets you customize your site with ease. It also has SEO, email and social media marketing tools to help you grow your online presence. However, it has some limitations in terms of customization options and phone support compared to other site builders. If you’re looking for more flexibility and control over your site design, you might want to consider other options such as Wix or Squarespace.

TRY WEEBLY

WordPress

WordPress is a popular website builder and content management system (CMS) that offers a lot of flexibility and customization options.

WordPress has thousands of themes and plugins that allow users to create unique and functional websites. Users can also access and modify the code of WordPress to achieve more advanced customization. WordPress is an open source platform, which means it is constantly updated and improved by a large community of developers and users.

Key Features

Full site editing: Users can now edit their entire website using blocks, including headers, footers, sidebars, and templates.
Collaboration: Users can now co-author content with other users in real time, using features like comments, revisions, and workflows.
Multilingual: Users can now create and manage multilingual websites using core WordPress features, without relying on third-party plugins or services.

Pros:

Free: WordPress itself is free to use, although users need to pay for web hosting and domain name
Flexible: WordPress can be used to create any type of website, from blogs to e-commerce stores to portfolios
Customizable: WordPress offers a high level of control over the design and functionality of websites, with thousands of themes and plugins to choose from
Scalable: WordPress can handle high traffic and large amounts of content, with options to optimize performance and security

–

Cons:

Complex: WordPress has a steep learning curve for beginners, and requires coding knowledge for more advanced customization
Costly: WordPress can be expensive to maintain, as users need to pay for web hosting, premium themes and plugins, backups, updates, and support
Risky: WordPress can be vulnerable to plugin conflicts, hacking, spamming, and other issues that can break or compromise websites

Plans and Pricing

WordPress itself is free to use, but users need to pay for web hosting and domain name. WordPress.com itself is offering additional features and premium plugins and services for additional fees, with prices range between Free and up to $45 per month for the commerce website. Alternatively, there are many web hosting providers that offer WordPress hosting plans at different prices and features. Some of the popular ones are:

Bluehost: Starts from $2.95 per month for shared hosting with free domain name, SSL certificate, automatic WordPress installation and updates, and 24/7 support.
SiteGround: Starts from $4.99 per month for managed WordPress hosting with free SSL certificate, CDN, email accounts, daily backups, staging tool, and 24/7 support.
WP Engine: Starts from $25 per month for managed WordPress hosting with free SSL certificate, CDN, staging tool, automated backups and updates, 24/7 support, and access to premium themes.

Overall Conclusion

WordPress is a powerful and versatile website builder and CMS that can suit the needs of different users and projects. It offers a lot of customization options and features that can help users create unique and functional websites. However, it also has some drawbacks that users need to consider before choosing it as their platform. Users need to have some technical skills and budget to use WordPress effectively and securely. WordPress is not ideal for everyone, but it is definitely one of the best options available in 2024.

TRY WORDPRESS

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What is a Website builder?

A website builder is a tool that allows you to create a website without coding or hiring a developer. You can choose from a variety of templates, customize them with your own content and images, and publish your site online. Some of the key features that you should look for in a website builder are:

Ease of use: The website builder should be user-friendly and intuitive, so that you can create your site without any hassle or frustration.
Design flexibility: The website builder should offer a wide range of templates and themes that suit your niche and style. You should also be able to customize them with your own colors, fonts, logos, and other elements.
Functionality: The website builder should provide you with the tools and features that you need to make your site functional and engaging. For example, you might want to add a blog, an online store, a contact form, a newsletter sign-up, social media integration, etc.
SEO: The website builder should help you optimize your site for search engines, so that you can rank higher and attract more visitors. This includes features such as mobile responsiveness, fast loading speed, SSL encryption, meta tags, etc.
Support: The website builder should offer you reliable and helpful customer support, in case you encounter any issues or have any questions. You should also have access to tutorials, guides, forums, and other resources to help you learn and grow.

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Disclosure: Please note that we may receive affiliate compensation for some of the links below, at no expense to you, should you decide to purchase a paid plan. This blog does not provide financial advice, it is purely for entertainment and fun.

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Best Web Hosting Services of 2024 (Reviewed & Tested)

May 23, 2023 Nir Shein

Web hosting is one of the most important aspects of creating and running a successful website. Whether you want to start a blog, an online store, a portfolio, or any other type of website, you need a reliable and fast web host that can handle your traffic, security, and performance needs.

But with so many web hosting services available, how do you choose the best one for your website? In this blog post, we will review 10 of the best web hosting services in 2024, based on their key features, pros and cons, plans and pricing and overall conclusion. We hope this will help you make an informed decision and find the perfect web host for your website.

Table of contents

1. Hostinger

Hostinger is our top choice for the best web host of 2024. With affordable monthly plans and an impressive array of features, Hostinger is suitable for beginners and experts alike.

Hostinger has thousands of positive reviews on TrustPilot and Google, making it one of the most highly rated web hosts in the industry. It offers a variety of hosting plans for different needs and budgets, from shared hosting to cloud hosting.

Key Features

Hostinger uses its custom hPanel platform, which is similar to cPanel but more user-friendly and intuitive. It allows you to manage your domains, emails, files, WordPress and other features with ease.
Hostinger has data centers in seven countries: USA, United Kingdom, France, India, Singapore, Brazil, Lithuania and the Netherlands. This means you can choose the server location that is closest to your target audience for faster loading speed and better performance.
Hostinger provides unlimited SSL certificates for free to encrypt your website traffic and protect it from hackers. It also uses Cloudflare protected nameservers to prevent DDoS attacks and other threats. Moreover, it offers automatic backups and a 99.9% uptime guarantee for your peace of mind.
Hostinger supports WordPress hosting with optimized performance and advanced cache solutions. You can install WordPress with one click and enjoy features like Object Cache for WordPress, which can reduce your website response time up to three times.
Hostinger offers 24/7 live chat support, video walkthroughs, guides and a knowledgebase to help you with any issues or questions. The support team is friendly, helpful and knowledgeable.

Free domain name for the first year
Free SSL certificate for all plans
Free email accounts for all plans
Free website builder with AI
Unlimited bandwidth for all plans
SSD storage for all plans
LiteSpeed cache plugin
24/7 customer support via chat or ticket

Pros:

Low starter prices that are suitable for beginners and intermediate users. You can get a shared hosting plan for as low as $1.99 per month with a free domain name included
A lot of features that make it easy to create and manage your website. You can use its website builder, WordPress installer, email accounts, SSL certificates and more without any extra cost
Fast loading speed with an average of 1.4 seconds, and reliable uptime of 99.97%, thanks to its LiteSpeed Web Server technology and multiple server locations. It also has a custom control panel that is simple and intuitive to use
Excellent customer support that is available 24/7 via live chat. You can also access video tutorials, guides and a knowledge base for self-help

–

Cons:

Only offers weekly backups with the cheapest shared hosting plans, which may not be enough for some users who need more frequent backups
VPS plans have a 100Mbps connection speed, which is less than some of the top hosting providers that offer 1Gbps or more
Does not have telephone support, which may be inconvenient for some users who prefer to speak to a human agent
Does not have dedicated hosting plans, which means it may not be suitable for large enterprises or websites that require high performance and resources

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Plans and Pricing

Hostinger offers 6 different types of web hosting services: Shared Web Hosting, WordPress Hosting, Cloud Hosting, VPS Hosting, Email Hosting, and Website Builder. Each type of hosting has its own features, benefits, and drawbacks, depending on your website needs and budget. We’ll take a look at the 3 more popular ones:

Shared hosting:

Hostinger has 3 shared web hosting plans: Single, Premium, and Business. The Single plan costs $1.99 per month and allows you to host 1 website with 50 GB of SSD storage, 100 GB of bandwidth, 2 MySQL databases, 1 email account, a free SSL certificate, and a 99.9% uptime guarantee. The Premium plan costs $2.99 per month and allows you to host 100 websites with 100 GB of SSD storage, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited MySQL databases, 100 email accounts, a free domain name, a free SSL certificate, daily backups, and a 99.9% uptime guarantee. The Business plan costs $3.99 per month and allows you to host 100 websites with 200 GB of SSD storage, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited MySQL databases, 100 email accounts, a free domain name, a free SSL certificate, daily backups, a 99.9% uptime guarantee, and 4x more processing power and memory.

All shared web hosting plans come with a powerful control panel, a website builder, a one-click installer for over 100 applications, a cache manager, SSH access, cronjobs, WordPress optimization, Cloud Linux security, Curl and Curl SSL support, hotlink protection, GIT support, and more.

WordPress hosting:

WordPress hosting is a specialized type of hosting that is optimized for WordPress websites. WordPress is the most popular content management system (CMS) in the world, powering over 40% of all websites on the internet. WordPress hosting offers faster performance, better security, easier management, and more features for WordPress websites.

Hostinger has 4 WordPress hosting plans: Single WordPress Starter ($2.15 per month), Business WordPress ($7.45 per month), WordPress Pro ($14.95 per month), and Managed WordPress ($37 per month).

Cloud hosting: This is a web hosting service that uses cloud technology to provide more scalability, reliability and speed. You can choose from three plans: Cloud Startup ($9.99/month), Cloud Professional ($18.99/month) or Cloud Global ($69.99/month). The main differences between them are the CPU cores, memory, storage space and bandwidth you get.

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2. Nexcess

Nexcess is a fully managed hosting service that offers optimized solutions for WordPress, WooCommerce, Magento, and other popular platforms. Here’s a brief look at its key features, pros and cons, plans and pricing, and overall conclusion.

Key features:

Autoscaling: Nexcess automatically adjusts the PHP resources of your site based on traffic spikes, ensuring optimal performance and avoiding downtime.
Cloud acceleration: Nexcess uses a proprietary caching technology that speeds up your site and reduces server load.
Customizable tech stack: Nexcess allows you to choose from different versions of PHP, MySQL, Apache, Nginx, and more to suit your site’s needs.
PCI-compliant infrastructure: Nexcess ensures that your site’s payment and transaction data is secure and meets the industry standards.
Dev sites and staging: Nexcess provides free development and staging environments for every plan, allowing you to test site changes without affecting your live site.
Open source foundation: Nexcess has been supporting the open source community for over 23 years, contributing to the development and improvement of various platforms.

Pros:

Expert support: Nexcess has a team of experienced and knowledgeable support staff who are available 24/7/365 to assist you with any issues or questions
Elite performance: Nexcess delivers fast and reliable hosting performance with its cloud infrastructure, caching technology, and autoscaling feature
Elite performance: Nexcess delivers fast and reliable hosting performance with its cloud infrastructure, caching technology, and autoscaling feature
Ultra-flexible infrastructure: Nexcess offers a variety of plans and options to fit your budget and needs. You can also easily upgrade or downgrade your plan as your site grows or changes
Free migrations: Nexcess offers free migrations from other hosting providers, making it easy to switch to their service

–

Cons:

Costly: Nexcess web hosting service is not the cheapest option on the market, especially compared to shared hosting providers. However, you get what you pay for in terms of quality and features
Limited control: Nexcess web hosting service is fully managed, which means that you have less control over your hosting environment than if you were using a dedicated server or a VPS. However, this also means that you don’t have to worry about managing or maintaining your server

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Plans and pricing:

WordPress hosting: Starting from $15.83 per month for 1 site, 15 GB storage, 2 TB bandwidth, and 10 concurrent users.
WooCommerce hosting: Starting from $15.83 per month for 1 store, 30 GB storage, 3 TB bandwidth, and 20 concurrent users.
Magento hosting: Starting from $31 per month for 1 store, 50 GB storage, 1 TB bandwidth, and 20 concurrent users.

You can also save an extra 10% if you pay annually instead of monthly.

Overall conclusion:

Nexcess web hosting service is a great option for anyone looking for a fully managed hosting solution that offers optimized performance, security, scalability, and support for various platforms. Nexcess web hosting service is especially suitable for ecommerce sites that need high availability, speed, and reliability. However, Nexcess web hosting service is not the cheapest option on the market, so you should consider your budget and needs before choosing their service.

If you are interested in trying out Nexcess web hosting service, you can visit their website and chat with their experts or sign up for a free trial.

TRY NEXCESS

3. Cloudways

Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting platform that simplifies web hosting for small businesses, agencies and developers. In this post, we will review Cloudways web hosting service in 2024, and see what it offers in terms of features, pricing, performance and support.

Key features:

Choice of five cloud providers: DigitalOcean, Linode, AWS, Google Cloud and Vultr
Unlimited WordPress websites on any plan
Free SSL certificates and Cloudflare CDN integration for faster loading times and security
Automated backups and staging environment for testing changes before going live
In-house cache plugin (Breeze) and advanced caching mechanisms for optimal performance
Team collaboration tools for managing projects and access rights
24/7 live chat support and knowledge base.

Pros:

High uptime guarantee of 99.999%
High uptime guarantee of 99.999%
Fast server speeds and low latency
Flexible and scalable plans that can be upgraded or downgraded as needed
Simple and user-friendly interface that allows easy management of websites and servers
Three-day free trial without credit card and pro-rated refund policy
High user ratings across various platforms such as G2, Trustpilot and HostAdvice

–

Cons:

No email hosting or domain name registration included in the plans. These have to be purchased separately or from other providers
Low storage space for the basic tier plans compared to other cloud hosting services
Charges for additional customer support outside of live chat, such as phone or ticket support

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Plans and pricing:

Cloudways offers different plans and pricing depending on the cloud provider you choose. The plans start from $10 per month or $120 per year for DigitalOcean servers with 25 GB of storage and 1 TB of bandwidth. The most expensive plan is $1,035 per month or $12,420 per year for AWS servers with 3840 GB of storage and 12 TB of bandwidth. You can also pay as you go based on your usage.

Overall conclusion:

Cloudways is a great option for anyone looking for a simple and reliable managed cloud hosting service that offers high performance, security and flexibility. It has many features that make web hosting easy and convenient, such as unlimited WordPress websites, free SSL certificates, automated backups and staging environment. It also has a high uptime guarantee, fast server speeds and low latency. However, it also has some drawbacks, such as no email hosting or domain name registration included in the plans, low storage space for the basic tier plans and charges for additional customer support outside of live chat. Therefore, Cloudways may not be suitable for everyone’s needs and budget. You can try Cloudways for free for three days without credit card to see if it works for you or not.

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4. WP Engine

WP Engine is one of the most popular and trusted WordPress hosting providers in the market. It offers a range of plans and features that cater to different needs and budgets of WordPress users.

Key features:

Managed WordPress hosting: WP Engine takes care of all the technical aspects of running a WordPress site, such as updates, backups, security, performance optimization and more. You can focus on creating and managing your content without worrying about the backend.
WordPress themes and plugins: WP Engine offers access to over 40 premium WordPress themes and hundreds of plugins from StudioPress and other partners. You can easily customize your site with these themes and plugins without coding.
WordPress site builder: WP Engine also provides a WordPress site builder tool called Genesis Pro that lets you create beautiful and responsive websites using drag-and-drop elements and templates. You can also edit your site live with the front-end editor.
Headless WordPress: WP Engine supports headless WordPress, which means you can use WordPress as a backend for your site and deliver your content through any frontend technology, such as React, Angular or Vue. This gives you more flexibility and speed for your site.
E-commerce solutions: WP Engine integrates with WooCommerce, the most popular e-commerce plugin for WordPress. It also offers a Stripe Connect integration that lets you securely connect and start taking payments in under a minute.
Developer tools: WP Engine provides a suite of developer tools that help you create, test and deploy your WordPress sites. These include local development environments, staging sites, Git integration, SSH access, WP-CLI and more.

Pros:

High performance: WP Engine uses a global network of servers powered by Google Cloud Platform to deliver fast and reliable WordPress hosting. It also uses advanced caching technologies, such as EverCache and CDN, to improve your site speed
High security: WP Engine protects your site from hackers, malware, DDoS attacks and other threats with its proprietary firewall, malware scanning, SSL certificates and daily backups. It also offers free site restoration in case of any issues
High support: WP Engine provides 24/7 customer support via phone, chat and email. It also has a dedicated team of WordPress experts who can help you with any technical or WordPress-related questions
High scalability: WP Engine can handle any amount of traffic or load on your site with its auto-scaling feature. You can also easily upgrade or downgrade your plan as your needs change

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Cons:

High price: WP Engine is one of the most expensive WordPress hosting providers in the market. Its plans start from $20 per month for one site and 10 GB of storage. You may also incur additional charges for exceeding your plan limits or using certain features
Limited flexibility: WP Engine has some restrictions on what you can do with your WordPress site. For example, you cannot install some plugins that may affect your site performance or security. You also cannot access some server settings or files that may be available on other hosts
Limited compatibility: WP Engine may not be compatible with some WordPress themes or plugins that are not optimized for its environment. You may encounter some issues or conflicts when using these themes or plugins on your site

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Plans and pricing:

WP Engine web hosting service offers four main plans for different types of WordPress users:

Startup: This plan costs $20 per month (with code PCMAG20) and includes one site, 10 GB of storage, 50 GB of bandwidth and 25,000 visits per month. It is suitable for small businesses or personal sites that need basic WordPress hosting features.
Professional: This plan costs $49 per month (with code PCMAG20) and includes three sites, 15 GB of storage, 125 GB of bandwidth and 75,000 visits per month. It is suitable for growing businesses or professional sites that need more resources

SPECIAL OFFER: Get 3 months free on all annual plans

TRY WPENGINE

5. Bluehost

Bluehost is one of the most popular and trusted web hosting providers in the world. It offers a variety of hosting plans for different types of websites, from personal blogs to e-commerce stores. Bluehost is also an official WordPress recommended host, which means it is optimized for WordPress websites.

Key features:

Free domain name for the first year
Free SSL certificate and CDN
One-click WordPress installation and migration
24/7 phone and chat support
Recommended by WordPress.org
Google Ads credit of up to $150 for new U.S. customers
Unlimited websites on most plans
E-commerce capabilities on Online Store plan

Pros:

Fast and reliable performance
User-friendly and intuitive interface
Excellent customer service
Affordable starter plan at $2.95 per month for the first year (paid annually)
User-friendly interface and dashboard
WordPress optimized hosting with automatic updates and backups
Access to thousands of WordPress themes and plugins
Scalable hosting options from shared to dedicated servers

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Cons:

Some features are only available with higher-tier plans
High renewal rates after the first year
Lots of upselling during sign-up and checkout
Limited storage space on basic plans
Daily backups not included on all plans
No month-to-month payment option
Inconsistent customer service quality

Plans and pricing:

Bluehost offers four main types of hosting packages: Shared, VPS, Dedicated, and Online Store. Each type has different tiers of features and prices. For this post we’ll only take a brief look at the Shared Hosting Option:

Shared hosting is the cheapest and most basic option, suitable for beginners and small websites. You share server resources with other websites, which means you may experience slower performance or downtime during traffic spikes. Bluehost offers four shared hosting plans:

– Basic: $2.95 per month for the first year, then $10.99 per month. Includes one website, 50 GB of SSD storage, unmetered bandwidth, free domain name, free SSL certificate, free CDN, five email accounts, and 100 MB of email storage per account.
– Plus: $5.45 per month for the first year, then $16.99 per month. Includes everything in Basic, plus unlimited websites, unlimited SSD storage, unlimited email accounts and storage, spam protection, one Microsoft 365 mailbox free for 30 days, and access to Blue Sky basic support.
– Choice Plus: $5.45 per month for the first year, then $18.99 per month. Includes everything in Plus, plus domain privacy and protection, site backup by CodeGuard Basic, and access to Blue Sky plus support.
– Pro: $13.95 per month for the first year, then $28.99 per month. Includes everything in Choice Plus, plus dedicated IP address, high performance server resources, optimized CPU resources, site backup by CodeGuard Pro, and access to Blue Sky pro support.

Overall conclusion:

Bluehost is a great choice for beginners and WordPress users who want a reliable, fast and affordable web hosting service with excellent customer support.

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6. HostGator

HostGator is another well-known and reputable web hosting provider that offers a wide range of hosting solutions for different needs and budgets. HostGator is known for its high uptime, speed and scalability. It also provides a free website builder, free domain name and free SSL certificate with its hosting plans.

Key features:

Free domain name for the first year
Free SSL certificate for all plans
Free website migration service
Unlimited bandwidth and storage for most plans
One-click WordPress installation
99.9% uptime guarantee
45-day money-back guarantee
24/7 customer support via phone, chat and email
Access to cPanel control panel and Softaculous script installer
Free website builder with hundreds of templates and drag-and-drop functionality

Pros:

High uptime and speed
Scalable and flexible plans
Easy to use and manage
Generous money-back guarantee
Affordable and flexible pricing options
User-friendly and feature-rich interface
Excellent customer service and support
Generous freebies and discounts

–

Cons:

Renewal rates are higher than the initial rates
Some features are only available with higher-tier plans
Some plans have limitations on the number of domains, databases and email accounts
Some users have reported occasional downtime and slow loading times

Plans and pricing:

HostGator offers four main types of web hosting plans: Shared hosting, VPS hosting, Dedicated hosting and WordPress hosting. Each type has different sub-plans with varying features and prices. Here is a brief overview of each type of plan:

Shared Hosting: This is the most basic and cheapest type of web hosting plan. It is suitable for beginners and small websites that do not require much resources or customization. HostGator offers three shared hosting plans: Hatchling, Baby and Business. The Hatchling plan costs $2.75 per month and allows you to host one domain name. The Baby plan costs $3.95 per month and allows you to host unlimited domains. The Business plan costs $5.95 per month and includes some extra features such as a free dedicated IP address, a free SEO tool and a free upgrade to positive SSL.

VPS Hosting: This is a more advanced and expensive type of web hosting plan. It is suitable for medium to large websites that require more resources, security and control. HostGator offers three VPS hosting plans: Snappy 2000, Snappy 4000 and Snappy 8000. The Snappy 2000 plan costs $19.95 per month and provides 2 GB RAM, 2 CPU cores, 120 GB disk space and 1.5 TB bandwidth. The Snappy 4000 plan costs $29.95 per month and provides 4 GB RAM, 2 CPU cores, 165 GB disk space and 2 TB bandwidth. The Snappy 8000 plan costs $39.95 per month and provides 8 GB RAM, 4 CPU cores, 240 GB disk space and 3 TB bandwidth.

Dedicated Hosting: This is the most powerful and expensive type of web hosting plan. It is suitable for large websites that require maximum resources, security and control. HostGator offers four dedicated hosting plans: Value Server, Power Server, Enterprise Server and Pro Server. The Value Server plan costs $89.98 per month and provides 4 GB RAM, 4 CPU cores, 1 TB disk space and unmetered bandwidth. The Power Server plan costs $119.89 per month and provides 8 GB RAM, 8 CPU cores, 2 TB disk space or 512 GB SSD storage (your choice) and unmetered bandwidth. The Enterprise Server plan costs $139.99 per month and provides 16 GB RAM, 8 CPU cores, 1 TB SSD storage or 4 TB HDD storage (your choice) and unmetered bandwidth. The Pro Server plan costs $249 per month (only available on Linux) and provides 32 GB RAM, 16 CPU cores, 1 TB SSD storage or 4 TB HDD storage (your choice) and unmetered bandwidth.

WordPress Hosting: This is a specialized type of web hosting plan that is optimized for WordPress websites. It is suitable for WordPress users who want faster performance, better security and easier management. HostGator offers three WordPress hosting plans: Starter Plan, Standard Plan and Business Plan. The Starter Plan costs $5.95 per month and allows you

Overall conclusion:

HostGator is a reliable and affordable web hosting service that offers high performance, scalability and ease of use for any type of website.

TRY HOSTGATOR

7. SiteGround

SiteGround is a premium web hosting provider that offers fast, secure and feature-rich hosting solutions for various platforms, including WordPress, WooCommerce, Drupal, Joomla and Magento. SiteGround is also one of the few web hosts that are officially recommended by WordPress.org. SiteGround provides a free SSL certificate, free CDN, free email accounts and free daily backups with its hosting plans.

Key features:

Premium Google Cloud infrastructure: SiteGround uses Google Cloud data centers for top performance, security and scalability. Google Cloud also matches 100% of the energy consumed by SiteGround with renewable energy sources.
SSD storage: All SiteGround plans use solid state drives (SSDs) for faster loading and better reliability than traditional hard disk drives (HDDs).
Free CDN: SiteGround provides a free content delivery network (CDN) service that distributes your website content across multiple servers around the world for faster delivery to your visitors.
Static and dynamic caching: SiteGround uses advanced caching technologies to speed up your website by storing frequently accessed data in memory or on disk. Static caching applies to files that do not change often, such as images and CSS files, while dynamic caching applies to files that change frequently, such as PHP scripts and database queries.
Free SSL: SiteGround offers free SSL certificates for all domains hosted on its servers. SSL certificates encrypt the data exchanged between your website and your visitors, ensuring security and privacy.
Free email: SiteGround allows you to create unlimited email accounts for your domains, with webmail access and spam protection.
Managed hosting: SiteGround takes care of the technical aspects of hosting your website, such as updates, backups, security and performance optimization. You can focus on creating and managing your content without worrying about the server-side issues.

Pros:

Fast and secure hosting: SiteGround delivers high-speed and high-security hosting for your website, using Google Cloud infrastructure, SSD storage, CDN, caching and SSL
Excellent customer support: SiteGround has a reputation for providing friendly, helpful and knowledgeable customer support 24/7 via live chat, phone and tickets. SiteGround also has a comprehensive knowledge base, tutorials and webinars to help you with any hosting-related questions or issues
Renewable energy match: SiteGround is committed to reducing its environmental impact by matching 100% of its energy consumption with renewable energy sources through Google Cloud
WordPress optimized: SiteGround is one of the recommended hosts by WordPress.org, offering specialized WordPress hosting plans that include features such as automatic updates, one-click installation, staging, migration and more

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Cons:

Higher price than competitors: SiteGround is not the cheapest web host on the market, especially after the initial discount period. You may find other web hosts that offer similar or more features for a lower price
Limited storage and site visitor allowances: SiteGround imposes limits on the amount of disk space and monthly visitors you can have on your website, depending on your plan. If you exceed these limits, you may need to upgrade to a higher plan or pay extra fees
No physical scaling options: SiteGround does not offer dedicated servers or VPS hosting plans for customers who need more control or resources than shared or cloud hosting can provide

Plans and pricing:

SiteGround offers three main types of hosting plans: web hosting (shared), WordPress hosting (managed) and WooCommerce hosting (e-commerce). Each type has three levels of plans: StartUp, GrowBig and GoGeek. The prices below are based on a 12-month contract and include a 67% discount for the first year.

StartUp: $4.99/month (regular price $14.99/month). Suitable for one website with up to 10 GB of storage and 10,000 monthly visitors. Includes free SSL, CDN, email, daily backup, unmetered traffic and managed service. The GrowBig plan costs $9.99 per month and lets you host unlimited websites with 20 GB of storage and unlimited bandwidth. The GoGeek plan costs $14.99 per month and includes more resources, advanced features and priority support.

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8. Dreamhost

DreamHost is a well known web hosting provider, offering a range of services for individuals and businesses of all sizes:

Key features:

DreamHost offers various types of web hosting, such as shared, WordPress, VPS, dedicated and cloud hosting.
DreamHost has a custom control panel that is easy to use and manage your web hosting account.
DreamHost provides a 100% uptime guarantee, fast SSD storage, free SSL certificates, unlimited bandwidth and email accounts.
DreamHost supports many web technologies, such as HTTP/2, Ubuntu, IPv6, Nginx, Node.js and more.
DreamHost also offers domain registration, website builder, professional services and email hosting.

Pros:

Long history of hosting experience and a large customer base
Affordable and flexible plans that suit different needs and budgets
Excellent customer support that is available 24/7 via chat, email and phone
Generous 97-day money-back guarantee for shared and WordPress hosting plans

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Cons:

Does not use cPanel or Plesk, which may be unfamiliar to some users
Does not offer Windows-based servers or reseller hosting plans
Charges extra for some features, such as premium WordPress themes, site migrations and backups

Plans and pricing:

DreamHost has four main web hosting plans: Shared Starter, Shared Unlimited, DreamPress and Dedicated Server:
Shared Starter costs $2.59 per month with a yearly plan and includes one website, 50GB of storage and a free domain name.
Shared Unlimited costs $2.95 per month with a yearly plan and includes unlimited websites, storage, email accounts and domain names.
DreamPress costs $16.95 per month with a yearly plan and includes one WordPress website, 30GB of storage, Jetpack Free plugin and daily backups.
Dedicated Server costs $169 per month with a yearly plan and includes one server with 4 cores, 4GB of RAM, 1TB of storage and root access.

Overall conclusion:

DreamHost is a reliable and reputable web hosting provider that offers a variety of services for different needs. It has a user-friendly control panel, a 100% uptime guarantee, a 97-day money-back guarantee and excellent customer support. However, it also has some drawbacks, such as no cPanel or Plesk, no Windows servers or reseller plans and extra charges for some features. Overall, DreamHost is a great choice for anyone looking for a web hosting service in 2024.

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9. GreenGeeks

GreenGeeks is one of the leading eco-friendly web hosting providers in the world, offering fast, secure and scalable hosting solutions for websites of all sizes.

Key features:

Green Energy: GreenGeeks is committed to reducing its environmental impact by using renewable energy sources and planting trees for every hosting account. According to its website, GreenGeeks puts back 3 times the power it consumes into the grid in the form of green energy, making it a carbon-reducing web host.
Speed and Performance: GreenGeeks uses the latest technologies to ensure optimal speed and performance for its customers’ websites. Some of these technologies include LiteSpeed, LSCache, MariaDB, HTTP/2, PHP8 and free CDN. GreenGeeks also uses SSD storage arrays with RAID-10 configuration for fast and reliable data access.
Security and Reliability: GreenGeeks provides a secure and stable hosting platform with custom security rules, zero-day vulnerability fixes, account isolation, pro-active monitoring and daily backups. GreenGeeks also offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee and a 30-day money back guarantee for its customers’ peace of mind.
Scalability and Flexibility: GreenGeeks offers a variety of hosting options to suit different needs and budgets. Customers can choose from shared, reseller, VPS and WordPress hosting plans, and easily upgrade or downgrade their resources as needed. GreenGeeks also supports over 150+ apps with its 1-click installer tool.
Support and Service: GreenGeeks has a team of expert and friendly support staff available 24/7/365 to assist customers by chat, ticket or phone. GreenGeeks also provides a comprehensive knowledge base, video tutorials, blog posts and webinars to help customers with their hosting issues.

Pros:

Eco-friendly web hosting with green energy and tree planting initiatives
Fast, secure and scalable hosting platform with the latest technologies
Variety of hosting options with affordable pricing and generous features
Excellent customer support and service with multiple channels
Free domain name for the first year, free SSL certificate, free nightly backup and free CDN

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Cons:

Data centers are limited to North America and Europe
Renewal prices are higher than the initial prices
Some customers have reported issues with billing and refunds

Plans and pricing:

GreenGeeks offers four main types of hosting plans: shared, reseller, VPS and WordPress hosting. Here are the details of each plan as of 2024:

Shared Hosting:

Lite: $2.95/month (discounted from $11.95/month), suitable for small websites or blogs that are just getting started. Includes one website, standard performance, 50GB web space, unmetered transfer, 50 email accounts and unlimited databases.
Pro: $4.95/month (discounted from $16.95/month), suitable for growing websites that need more speed and resources. Includes unlimited websites, 2x performance, unlimited web space, unmetered transfer, unlimited email accounts and unlimited databases.
Premium: $8.95/month (discounted from $26.95/month), suitable for busy websites that need premium features and services. Includes unlimited websites, 4x performance, unlimited web space, unmetered transfer, unlimited email accounts, unlimited databases, dedicated IP address and premium SSL certificate.

Reseller Hosting:

RH-25: $29.95/month (discounted from $39.95/month), suitable for resellers who want to start their own web hosting business. Includes 25 cPanel accounts, 60GB SSD web space, 600GB transfer and free SSL certificates.
RH-50: $39.95/month (discounted from $59.95/month), suitable for resellers who want to grow their web hosting business. Includes 50 cPanel accounts, 80GB SSD web space, 800GB transfer and free SSL certificates.
RH-80: $59.95/month (discounted from $99.95/month), suitable for resellers who want to scale their.

TRY GREENGEEKS

10. HostPapa

Need a reliable and affordable web hosting service for your online business, website or e-commerce store? You might want to consider HostPapa. HostPapa is a Canada-based web hosting provider that offers a wide range of hosting options, including shared web hosting at your choice:

Key features:

Free domain registration for the first year
Free SSL certificate for enhanced security
Free website builder with AI assistance
Free business email accounts
Unlimited bandwidth and SSD storage on higher plans
24/7 customer support via phone, web and chat
99.9% uptime guarantee and fast speeds
30-day money-back guarantee

Pros:

Offers attractive introductory rates that start from $2.95 per month for the shared web hosting Starter plan, which includes 1 website, 10 email addresses and 100GB SSD storage
Provides a free 30-minute individual training session for new customers to help them set up their website and get started
Extensive knowledge base with tutorials and articles to help customers with common issues and questions
Supports over 400+ apps that can be installed with one click, such as WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Magento and more
Has a website staging feature that allows customers to create a copy of their website and test changes before making them live

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Cons:

Does not offer a month-to-month payment option. Customers have to commit to a one-year, two-year or three-year term to get the discounted rates
Does not offer dedicated hosting service, which may be a drawback for customers who need more resources and control over their server
Renewal rates are higher than the introductory rates. For example, the shared web hosting Starter plan renews at $11.99 per month for the one-year term

Plans and pricing:

HostPapa offers three main plans for shared web hosting: Starter, Plus and Pro. The table below summarizes the features and prices of each plan.

Plan	Features	Price
Starter	1 website, 10 email addresses, 100GB SSD storage	$2.95 per month*
Plus	10 websites, 100 email addresses, unlimited SSD storage	$5.95 per month*
Pro	Unlimited websites, unlimited email addresses, unlimited SSD storage	$5.95 per month*

*The prices are based on a three-year discounted term. The renewal rates are higher.

HostPapa also offers VPS hosting plans that start from $19.99 per month and reseller hosting plans that start from $29.99 per month.

Overall conclusion:

HostPapa is a solid option to consider if you need a multi-year web hosting plan for your online business, website or e-commerce store. It offers a wide range of features, such as free domain registration, free SSL certificate, free website builder, free business email accounts, unlimited bandwidth and SSD storage on higher plans, 24/7 customer support, 99.9% uptime guarantee and fast speeds. However, it also has some drawbacks, such as no month-to-month payment option, no dedicated hosting service and higher renewal rates. Therefore, we recommend you to compare HostPapa with other web hosting providers before making your final decision.

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What is the Best Free Web Hosting?

If you are looking for a way to create a website without spending any money, you might be interested in finding out which are the best free web hosting services in 2024. Free web hosting allows you to host your website on a server without paying any fees, but it usually comes with some limitations and drawbacks. In this blog post, we will compare some of the most popular free web hosting providers and help you decide which one suits your needs best.

Best Free Web Hosting Service Hostinger

Hostinger is our top choice for the best free web hosting service in 2024, because it offers a generous amount of disk space, bandwidth, and features for free. You can host one website with 50 GB of storage, 10,000 monthly visits, two subdomains, one FTP account, and two MySQL databases. You also get access to a user-friendly control panel, a one-click installer for WordPress and other applications, Cloudflare protected nameservers, a free SSL certificate, and a 99.9% uptime guarantee. Hostinger also has excellent customer support and a knowledge base with tutorials and guides. The only downside is that you don’t get a free domain name with Hostinger, but you can use your own or buy one from them at a low price.

Runner-up Byethost

Byethost is another good option for free web hosting, especially if you need more bandwidth than Hostinger. You can host one website with 1 GB of storage, 50 GB of bandwidth, five subdomains, five FTP accounts, and five MySQL databases. You also get access to a custom control panel, a one-click installer for WordPress and other applications, and a ticket-based support system. Byethost does not provide a free SSL certificate or a free domain name, but you can use your own or buy one from them.

Other alternatives: Wix, 000webhost, and Cloudways.
If none of the above options meet your requirements, you can also consider some of these alternatives:

Wix: Wix is a popular website builder that also offers free web hosting with its plans. You can create a stunning website using its drag-and-drop interface and hundreds of templates. However, the free plan has some limitations, such as a Wix-branded domain name and ads on your site, 500 MB of storage, 500 MB of bandwidth, and no access to e-commerce features or premium apps.
000webhost: 000webhost is a subsidiary of Hostinger that offers free web hosting with no ads. You can host two websites with 300 MB of storage, 3 GB of bandwidth, two subdomains, one FTP account, and two MySQL databases. You also get access to a simple control panel, a one-click installer for WordPress and other applications, and a forum-based support system. However, 000webhost does not provide a free SSL certificate or a free domain name.
Cloudways: Cloudways is a cloud hosting platform that lets you choose from five different cloud providers: DigitalOcean, Linode, Vultr, AWS, and Google Cloud. You can get managed hosting with free SSL certificates, site migrations, backups, caching, security, and more. However, Cloudways does not offer any free plans; instead, it has pay-as-you-go plans that start from $10 per month for 1 GB RAM, 25 GB storage, and 1 TB bandwidth.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are some decent options for free web hosting in 2024, but they all have some trade-offs and limitations. If you want to get the most out of your website hosting experience, we recommend investing in a paid plan from one of the best web hosting providers. This way, you can enjoy more features, performance,

What to Look for in a Web Host

Before we dive into the details of each web host, let’s first go over some of the key factors that you should consider when choosing a web host.

Uptime: This is the percentage of time that your website is online and accessible to visitors. A high uptime means that your website is reliable and rarely experiences downtime. You should look for a web host that offers at least 99.9% uptime guarantee.
Speed: This is how fast your website loads on different devices and browsers. A fast website improves user experience, SEO rankings, and conversions. You should look for a web host that uses SSD storage, CDN, caching, and other technologies to optimize speed.
Security: This is how well your website is protected from hackers, malware, spam, and other threats. A secure web host should offer SSL certificates, firewalls, backups, malware scanning, and other features to keep your website safe.
Support: This is how well your web host responds to your questions, issues, and requests. A good web host should offer 24/7 customer support via phone, chat, email, or ticket system. You should also look for a web host that has a knowledge base, tutorials, forums, and other resources to help you troubleshoot problems.
Features: This is what extra services and tools your web host offers to enhance your website functionality and performance. Some of the common features include domain name registration, email hosting, website builder, WordPress installation, e-commerce tools, SEO tools, analytics tools, and more.
Pricing: This is how much you pay for your web hosting plan per month or per year. You should look for a web host that offers affordable pricing without compromising on quality and features. You should also check the renewal rates, cancellation policy, and money-back guarantee of your web host.

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Design, Marketing

The Ultimate Guide to Choose the Right Image for Your Landing Pages

November 21, 2016 Technologer

Web design is an extension of page design, and when it comes to page design, there are plenty of rules and principles for putting together a winning website. Landing pages can be tricky; they have many elements to them that require careful consideration;

The main headline
Subtitle
The call to action button
Social Proof
Dedicated content
The form and fields people need to fill in
and of course the main hero image

While each element is equally important and cannot work without the other, the image and the colors we use on our landing page have the largest impact on our customer’s initial impressions of us, their experience and as a result, our conversion rates.

Since our brains process images much faster than text, the first thing our potential customer sees on the landing page is the image and it is all that’s standing between your customer bouncing from the page or choosing to read more or convert.

How to choose an image strategy for your landing page

The main hero image is meant to help potential customers see the value in our offer within the first couple of seconds, understand what’s in it for them and why they should take the next step in our customer journey vs. the competitor’s.

On average we see between 4000-10,000 messages a day, we’re constantly bombarded with ads, text messages, calls and content everywhere, the possibilities and options online are endless and tiring.

This is one of the main reasons potential customers easily and almost automatically navigate from one site to another without giving as much as thought for the page they just visited. As consumers we move quickly from one competitor to another until something clicks in our brain and catches our attention. That something is the value, the “What’s In It For Me?”

To stand out from your competitors and gain your customer’s attention (therefore increase conversion rates), the hero image on every landing page, email campaign and especially your website should project immediate value to your customer.

This isn’t an image of your product, service or features, it’s an image that highlights the emotional value customers gain from being your customers (e.g increase self confidence, get appreciated by your boss or find true love). As I mentioned at Mozcon, insurance companies don’t sell insurance policy, they sell peace of mind; a happy carefree family.

While most landing pages show an image of the product, platform or service they’re providing, we’ve ran countless tests proving time and time again that value wins almost every time.

For example, this company provides an all-in-one solution for creating birthday and party invitations. While the original landing page featured images of the different templates available and featured a product focused headline: “Custom online invitations in minutes”

The variation we created visualized the party scene for our potential customers. Utilizing different colors to enhance certain feelings, an image of the park, a picnic basket and a dog this variation focused on helping people envision the perfect party, which starts with a great invitation. The results: 65% uplift in purchased subscriptions!

Today, I’m going to show you exactly how to do that yourself.

There Are 3 Ways to Define Your Image Strategy

Before setting down to design your landing page and randomly choose your image, take some time to follow the 3 step process we use to define the customer’s value and the images we want to test:

Step 1: Talk to your customers

The great thing about talking to customers is that they have all the answers. They know why they purchased an item or service and have a clear reason for doing so. However, most customers will give you a list of tactical reasons for their purchase. This happens due to our brain’s tendency to rationalize our purchases, we may purchase on emotion but our brain quickly finds a way to rationalize that decision. For example – buying an expensive suit, or that lamp you don’t really need is then explained by attaining a good deal for it or your sudden need for more light around the house.

So a great way to discover your value and avoid technical answers is asking them how they would feel about removing certain items from your stock or certain features from your platform. This will give you a clearer understanding of the real value people find in your service. You can also ask what may have stopped them from converting and more importantly, ask them about THEM: What are their dreams, aspirations and even what scares them – get to know them so you can offer relevant, more compelling images, colors and content.

Talk to your team

Your customer success team, your sales team and anyone who talks to your customers on a daily or weekly basis can provide key insights. They know what people complain about, what their main issues are and what people find exciting. Talk to your team, interview them and learn how they view the customer, what values they believe you offer and compare these to your customer interviews.

Analyze direct and indirect competitor sites

NO I’m not suggesting you copy from your competitors in anyway. What I am saying is that you should analyse the testimonials and especially the reviews found on your competitor’s site. This comes straight from Joanna Wiebe’s research process: See what reviews customers are leaving, what bothers them and what they care about to discover what you need to highlight on your landing page and what value you should focus on.

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Once you’ve compiled all this data together you’ll be able to define the image strategy you want to test. The next step, is finding these images that highlight the value and have all of the qualities you’re looking for. Below are 6 rules you should follow once you’ve defined you’re strategy and ready to choose an image for your landing page:

6 Rules for Choosing a Landing Page Image

#1 Use Real, Relatable and Authentic Images

A successful image is one that your customers can to relate to. Either by seeing themselves in the image or someone they would want to be like, someone that reflects their challenges and values, or someone they can and want to connect to.

Use authentic images of people and avoid ones that are clearly stock photos, bought for the sake of the page. Best case scenario – use real images of your customers or your team, if you can’t use those choose your images wisely. A quick google images search can show you how many companies are already using that image. Ask yourself, is this image authentic? Will my customers relate to it? Or does it look like this (in case this isn’t clear –> this is a bad image!):

Mailchimp’s new homepage redesign (launched just a few weeks) ago baffles me. The image is clearly a stock photo image (if not… then bad execution) that feels cold and has no relation to their headline “Being yourself makes all the difference”. Does this image represent their target audience? The colorful background with different shapes, colors and palm leaves distracts the customer and has no value that I can personally detect. As a Mailchimp customer, personally I don’t feel comfortable with this women staring me in the eye and telling me to be myself. This image feels fake and I have a hard time relating to it in anyway.

Gusto on the other hand, has an image of a women sitting in front of her desk smiling. Now, granted I don’t really know if this a real photo of an HR person or a stock photo but it feels real and the connection between the image and headline is clear. I can immediately resonate with it, it’s authentic and relatable to HR personnel who do it all. Gusto makes the main image work with the strategy of the page, makes it about the customer and as opposed to the lady staring at us from Mailchimp’s new design, this women doesn’t feel alienating – she feels welcoming, someone you might want to meet. This is the difference between using authentic images that relate to your target audience vs. images that just look nice and have a “cool” composition.

#2 Reduce Visual Noise

“With great power, comes great responsibility” – As we’ve seen, our image captures most of the attentive mind of our landing page visitor, it’s almost always the first thing we see and it’s what determines if we should hang around a take a few more seconds to read and understand the offer. This means, that other than choosing a good strategic image, we also need to think about reducing the noise it creates so it doesn’t have a negative affect. We need to make sure it’s easy for customers to quickly see what’s in it for them and asses our services. How do you do that? By following these 3 simple rules:

Ensure high contrast between the image and the page content so it doesn’t “drown” out the text, making it hard for people to read, like this for example:

Ensure the photo is distraction “clean” as possible and helps customers focus only on the most important elements of it unlike the landing page below for example. There’s so much going on within this image that it’s hard to focus on anything. Not to mention the fact that this is yet another common image used by thousands of startups to show another “unique” office space. This image has nothing to do with the service. How exactly does an image of random people in an office make you feel that this a “new model for talent development”? Clean images, mean using only the objects that help get the message across, remove any details that can cause confusion or stress on the eyes.

Consider the colors you use – colors have an emotional effect on us and can assist us in saying things without actually spelling them to people. For example, you don’t have to say you’re trustworthy, you could (in Western cultures) use blue for that. Also, remember to reduce the amount of colors you use so it’s easier on the eyes and easy to take in.

#3 Use Images as Direction Cues

Our main image is there to create a certain atmosphere and feeling, but it’s also there to navigate the customer in the right direction and point them towards the next step (whether it’s subscribing, downloading something or simply reading more). You can use your main image as a directional cue to show people what to do next like the visual below.

You’ll notice that all elements (computer, paper, earphones and pens) are placed around the call to action button making that the main focal point of the page. Granted, I’m not sure this is the best image to use to sell a UX class, since it’s only showing specific elements you’re going to use during the course, but doesn’t explain why you should actually take it. However the placement of elements is done well.

Perhaps a better example is by ‘Here One’. As you can see they’re using their main character (seems authentic and wearing product) to point with his entire body towards the call to action button.

#4 Avoid carousels and auto play videos

While tempting, carousels confuse visitors and make it hard on them to focus on the action they need to take so don’t use them. This is actually a well known fact and many case studies have shown that rotating images reduce conversion rates. And so do automatic background videos! instead of reading your content and taking the next step, the visitor is now engaged in a moving video that’s distracting and has nothing to do with your goal. Have multiple images in mind? Test them, don’t use them all at once.

#5 Consider Mobile

Just because an image performs well on desktop, does not mean it will work or look well on mobile. First, you’ve got the fact that technically the image may look bad on mobile:

It may look stretched
Take too long to load
Completely dominate the page
Move all your content below the fold
or simply won’t make sense to a visitor on mobile.

Let’s look at the same example by ‘Here One’: it looks and works great on desktop. However, on mobile it’s a different story. The image of the guy and the colors they’re using make it hard to read the text. It’s not immediately clear what this product is and could be perceived as a hearing aid rather than advanced, cool earphones. The strategy of this image, doesn’t work well on mobile.

#6 A/B test your Strategies

Once you have an hypothesis for your image strategy, take the time to test it vs. the one you already have. In fact, test different strategies, for example an image of your product or someone using the product vs. an customer centric image. This is not only a great way to validate your hypothesis but also a good way to show numbers, figures and facts to your team who might have a hard time getting behind this new initiative. A/B testing image strategies instead of just simple elements such as the color of the call to action button will give you greater insights that can then be presented to your team for convincing them to get on board.

Image Checklist

Use the following checklist and process to define the images for every landing page, email campaign or website you launch:

Define the goal of your page (e.g – subscribe, download)
Evaluate current image strategy (Does it highlight the customer or yourself?)
Use heatmaps to determine current image (e.g – is it a focal point, are people clicking on it)
Conduct customer surveys
Conduct interviews with team
Analyse competitor websites for reviews and testimonials
Combine all data to define a customer centric image strategy
Choose image (using the 6 rules)
Launch A/B test of current variation vs. new variation

Over to You

Remember that the image doesn’t work alone, it’s part of a whole composition working with the copy, your fonts, colors and call to action button. All elements together should be geared towards helping the customer immediately seeing what’s in it for them and helping them take the next step.

This post originally published on Talia Wolf’s blog

Talia helps businesses plan and execute conversion optimization programs. She runs thousands of A/B tests using emotional targeting and persuasive design to grow their business.

Talia is a frequent keynote speaker at marketing conferences and was recently listed as one of the most influential experts in conversion optimization. Follow her on twitter at @taliagw and learn more about her conversion optimization training programs.

Social Media

The Future of Social Media [Infographic]

May 3, 2016 Technologer

Since the dawn of social media, it’s been evolving and growing at a rapid pace. As we move through 2016, that trend will continue, but where is all of this going? More importantly, if you’re trying to market a business or a blog, how can you stay ahead of the curve?

Today we’ll look at the future of social media, followed by an infographic that helps you make the most of your efforts on today’s platforms.

Predicting the Future of Social Media

Over at on blast blog, I’m always looking to the future, whether it’s in the world of blogging, social media, or anything in between. I’m a big fan of staying ahead of the curve. So, let’s look at social media’s upcoming trends.

The first trend we’ll see coming down the pipeline is more integration in the workplace. For years, companies tried to keep their employees off of Facebook during work hours, but now those same social tools will become crucial to the business.

Things like Facebook For Work are allowing employees to utilize the connected nature of social media to increase their efficiency. While most businesses are also using blogs, we’re going to see a lot more people stop working in offices, and instead work from home.

Entrepreneurs are beginning to see the potential of their blog post ideas in the realm of business, and that’s leading to more bloggers promoting their content on social media. In addition, new types of content like video and virtual reality will become important to implement into your online strategies.

Becoming a Social Media Master (Infographic)

Knowing the future is only half the battle. Now you should use the infographic below to understand the how’s and why’s behind social media platforms. Let us know how it helps you in the comments below!

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This is a guest post by Matt Banner. You can read more from him on his blog, OnBlastBlog.com

General

JustHost Review: A Personal Experience with JustHost

June 26, 2015 Technologer

Over the past few years I have built over five hundred websites manually or CMS on WordPress, Joomla or Drupal.

I tried so many web hosting companies and know for nearly all pros and cons. From all companies I’ve tried, JustHost is one of the best web hosting companies with many pros and one cons which in my case was pros, but from many reviews and customer testimonials their features is cons, probably from those customer testimonials, big percent are not technicians.

JustHost is most affordable web hosting on the market. I will recommend and easily give JustHost 5 from 5 stars for their features, price, ease of use and support. For support and customer testimonials you can read later in this ultimate review of JustHost.

JustHost Prices

From my experience with JustHost you get a lot more from the price compared to other web hosting companies. I should use JustHost earlier that was my fault. Earlier I’ve hosted my website with another hosting company, it was the best web hosting company at least on the reviews that I’ve read and use more money fixing problems caused by the hosting company that I used.

That is not case with JustHost, but I’m here to share my experience with you in this review so you don’t need to check and lose time and money trying which one is better. For best price you can visit our coupon codes review of JustHost coupon codes and get 30% OFF discount or 50% OFF discount.

JustHost have features that can satisfy all users with their great cPanel from shared hosting to dedicate with plugins and ease of use for every users, professionals or beginners. One thing that is true for all business if you sing up for more time you have more discount or bonus in the price.

JustHost right now have promotion for 12 months sign up for only $1.99 per month with Starter shared hosting plan, so you have for $23.88 one year web hosting from one of the best web hosting companies JustHost. Sign up for one month or pay the real price $7.99 with Starter plan.

The only downside of Starter plans is that he is limited to one website. JustHost gives you one domain name for free with sign up no matter which plan you sign up.

JustHost have three main plans:

Shared hosting
VPS and
Dedicated

If you are reading this review you probably need shared hosting but I’m not excluding you are professional and you need VPS or even dedicated plan. I will recommend when you sign up with JustHost check the Site Backup Pro for only $1.99 per month you are completely safe for any data loss with daily backups.

Customer Support

If you mess something or being hacked and everyone who work is making errors you can contact JustHost support and they will restore your site and you are good to go.

On the same page you will have more choices I will recommend Domain Privacy Protection for only $0.99 per month, but it’s up to you, this will protect from checking you private info and give JustHost as owner and not your name, surname, address etc. Back on support from my own experience I would give JustHost support a 5 from 5 stars, but from many customer testimonials we can see that they are complaining about Justhost support. I’m not sure if they are just not professionals which no need to be or I have been just lucky. Every time when I contact JustHost support they were fast in response and fast in fixing the problem.

You don’t need to worry for nothing if you aren’t satisfied JustHost money back guarantee is here, they will refund you within 45 days, but read term of use if you buy more features like another domain beside free they give you. You will not be refunded of course for that.

Video

Imgur’s Web Tool Makes It Easier To Convert Any Video to GIF

January 29, 2015 Nir Shein

GIFs are the internet. Wherever you go across the net, you see a lot of crazy photos posted all over web. Whether these are cats, dogs or any other pet you have, let alone extreme and funny activities or just a crying newborn baby take– It’s all there. And people like GIFS, really, they do, but what is the most convenient way to make one? There are many tools to create animated GIFs online, that can easily be found on the Internet by doing a simple search on Google.

Imgur, the popular photo sharing service, today released another tool to the pond, but not JUST another one, if you will, but more like the easiest of ’em all. Yeah, the online tool (sorry, mobile users but service is currently only available on the desktop site) which goes under the name Video to GIF will help you turn a video into a GIF image by simply copying the wanted URL address from a wide range of popular video websites directly into the given input window. From there on, when you’re surfing in the following link (imgur.com/vidgif) just click and drag to set your start time and drag to adjust the total runtime, rightly after. You can add any text at your choice if you want and then choose the “Create GIF” option to officially start the process.

The tool is not perfect, but yet allows us to create some truly beautiful high-quality GIF images. Sometimes it will save the file into a .gif and in some other occasions will push it into Imgur’s GIFV format in the form of a .gifv extension.

Let us know what you think about the new service.

Design, Marketing

15 Landing Page Design Examples And What They Can Teach Us

November 5, 2014 Technologer

Most marketers spend the majority of their time and budget on driving users to their sites and landing pages, but very little thought is given to the experience the user has once they reach there. In fact, companies typically spend $92 to bring customers to their site, but only $1 to convert them (Eisenberg Holdings). This lack of attention and investment in landing page optimization is a huge missed opportunity for organizations.

Learning From Others

A great place to get started in optimizing your own pages is to look at common landing page examples and mistakes that many companies are making on a daily basis. In this article I’ll explore 15 landing pages’ major mistakes and offer different tests you can run to increase conversion:

6 Elements Addressed in Each Landing Page Design

1. Call To Action (CTA) – This is the most important part of the landing page as it is the end goal for what you want the action you want the user to perform. The CTA should be the first natural object a visitor sees. An effective landing page services on clear objective (e.g. sign up, leave their contact information, download a whitepaper, request a demo, or buy now). The call to action should represent the only action you can take on the landing page, which means removing any menus or links on the page. The CTA should also stand out from all other elements by using high contrast, bright colors, and strategic placement. Lastly, make it absolutely clear what the user will get when they click on it. For more information on CTA’s, check out this detailed article on Call to Action Buttons.

2. Messaging – An effective landing page talks about benefits, not features:
Putting the customer in the spotlight, not your product or service. Good messaging conveys the change a customer will experience in their daily lives with your product, not how amazing your product is. This message should also be conveyed in a matter of seconds. Providing convincing information to allow a visitor to make a decision. Understanding the experience a visitor needs to go through is key to higher conversions.

3. Registration Forms – If the goal of your page is to capture leads or contact information, your landing page will have a registration form. Creating an effective, and high converting registration form involves several factors and there are several ways to increase their conversion:

a. Minimize your request – ask for the minimum possible
b. Be precise- Explain the reason for singing up and be specific.
c. Call to action – make sure to have a clear call to action that indicates the next steps that need to be taken.
d. Guide the user – Help users understand where they are, and where they’re going. Use indicators, explanation fields and don’t surprise the user.
e. Consider social signups – Following the minimizing requests necessity, introduce social connect for easier signup.

There are many other elements to take into consideration, and we’ll discuss them when we dig deeper in to our landing page examples.

4. Page Structure– The look, feel, and overall structure of a landing page will have a large impact on how it performs, and ultimately conversion. Minimalist design tends to perform better, so be sure to maintain a clean landing page with clear navigation and little distraction. The most important content should be placed at the top of the page, or “above the fold.” This way a user does not have to scroll in order to get all of the necessary information to convert.

5. Images – I know, I’m probably like a broken record by now BUT: Our brains process images 60,000 times faster than text. The Image is IMPORTANT.
A picture is worth a thousand words, and having an image that captures your visitors’ attention, or stirs emotion can make or break landing page performance. Some things to keep in mind:

a. Use imagery to add meaning: either to the brand, or to the content
b. Get more meaning from fewer graphics
c. Use images deliberately to support your message and communication goals
d. Remember the landing page’s goal and the users’ goals, and apply graphics in subtle proportions

6. Colors – Believe it or not, color has a powerful influence on our emotions and decision-making abilities. Colors are a great way to communicate emotions in a matter of seconds. Checkout this extensive article on color psychology.

So, lets take a look at these landing page critiques and learn as much as possible from them. I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments on the landing pages. If you’d like to have your landing page critiqued next, send a quick email to [email protected].

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GolfLinked

I know I’m not the targeted audience, BUT:

What’s in it for me? So this is the BEST app for connecting golfers. Great, but how is it going to change my life? Circling back to messaging –> it should be about the customer not the app. What’s in it for the user?

Let’s talk about the image –the image is one of the most dominating elements on your landing page and can be used not only to convey a message but to direct users attention to other important elements. The image shows a golf player with his back to us (which makes it impersonal) but further more, the image is distracting. In fact the first thing a visitor notices on the page is the iPhone and not the call to action, which is what we want them to notice.

The Call to action is placed on his butt. Enough said. No one wants to click on anyone’s butt.

Stop emphasizing your logo and even worst making it clickable, companies do this all the time. It’s attention grabbing, if you’re not Apple or another huge brand there’s no need to highlight your logo. Move it out of the spotlight.

The use of colors – Green is a great color for creating a fresh, clean and new feeling. Green also serves as a great natural color that is easy on the eyes.

What to test:

Have your image facing/pointing at the call to action button – it will focus the visitor’s attention in the right direction. Finding an image that works for golf isn’t easy at all, we ran a similar test last year.

HookFeed

The headline is really vague. My customers are my business? What do you do? Why should I use this product? It doesn’t give me enough of an insight to how this will make my life much easier. I’m not sure how segmented are the visitors arriving on this page, but it lacks a more in-depth explanation.

Great use of social proof quotes, especially from Stripe’s co-founder. People love to feel others like them are using the same products and services as they are.

Nice call to action, contrasted from the rest of the page, stands out and it is the first natural elements my eyes focus on.

Extremely Confusing Funnel – The call to action button opens a confusing list of options. You’ve just gotten people to tryout your free trial but instead you’re confusing people and asking them for too much.

2 Elements You Can Test:

Before showing them a list of prices, start by collecting their email details that way you can follow up on them if they leave.
Once they’ve entered their email address, send them to the product and have your list of offers in a layer above it. This way, customers will feel they’re just a step away from reaching the product and will complete the funnel.

Present

The image of the girl conveys a great feeling of excitement and adventure. For an app that wants to get you excited about capturing your life in video, it does a great job. One comment: Flip her! Get her to look the other direction.

The messaging is great – “A social Video Diary, capturing your life’s journey.” I know what this is, I know how it will improve my life and I can get this in less than 5 seconds.

What do you want a visitor to do? Find out more, download the app or subscribe? All 3 buttons on the page have the same weight and it’s not clear what the target is.

What To Test:

Flipping the girls image to look at the CTA
Try using the “Win an iPhone 6″ competition as an exit pop, so that when people come to leave they have a last minute proposition.
If you want to subscribe Android users to a mailing list, you can do that with a simple link under the “Download App” button asking: “Android user?” a click on that can open a subscribe window.

StampReady

What is your call to action? Are you trying to get people to watch the video? Or register?

Everything’s grey. You need to use your design and colors to point the visitor in the natural direction of the call to action.

Nice work on the signup form, it’s short and to the point. I would however change the color of “Register account” to something different than grey, more actionable and I would think about changing the messaging on the call to action to something more exciting.

The messaging doesn’t tell me anything. What are you offering? Why is StampReady better for me? How is it going to simplify my life? I’m also not sure about having the name of your company in the headline. The headline is meant to give you the big picture in under 3 seconds, unless you’re a well known brand, that won’t work.

What to Test:

The image/video in the background says nothing about the service. As you’re already showing a video as your main call to action, I would have a static image in the background that would give more of a feeling of what StampReady is for its customers.
Add a clear call to action
Change the messaging
Add color to page

PeekCalendar

What’s the CTA? “Watch the video” or “Get it”? choose.

What do you want me to look at? This is similar to the previous comment. There’s so much going on with colors, images, text, screenshots, buttons I have no idea what the flow is, what I’m suppose to do or what your app does.

I’d definitely test one main image, or if you’re set on having 2 then less colors, more focus. Also, note how you can barley read the “watch the video” text, it almost blends in with the background…

Where’s the emotion? Where’s the “This is the answer to all your scheduling turmoil’s?” (and there are soooo many!!) A pair of hands holding an iPhone with a calendar that looks just any other isn’t the answer.

Love the title, calendars are extremely hard to manage (like email) and I like the reference to it being humanized for actual people to use.

Things to test:

Find the right image

Test using a screenshot from the app that shows the actual difference and value you bring
If you can’t, then test using an image that conveys emotion (no screenshots or iPhones), just an image that says “this is how you will look like/feel once you use our app.”

Munchery

The use of images could be optimized. A great way to direct users attention to the call to action button is using the images themselves as indicators. For example, instead of having the corn facing outwards, have it facing the call to action button. Basically all elements on the landing page should point to the call to action.

I’d definitely look into focusing the user on one message only that explains the service quicker.

Actionable call to action messaging: “View Menu” – I know exactly where I’m heading with it and it gives a safe feeling.

Great use of colors to provoke emotion, arouse the taste buds and basically make people hungry.

What to Test:

The Messaging doesn’t explain the product. In fact, you have to read the fine print to really understand what Munchery do ‘Wholesome Meals In a Snap’ could be a site with recipes… There’stoo much text and it’s hard to take in. Try reducing the text “Order expertly…” and see if you can use it as your headline.

Frank & Oak

The messaging is completely vague. Why should I discover Frank & Oak? Similar to the case of StampReady, putting your brand’s name in the headline is like answering a question with a question. You’re basically asking people to read more and investigate, people don’t have time for that.

Too many ‘Call to Action’ buttons. Both their colors are in complete contrast to each other and the background and I don’t understand what you prefer I’d do: Signup with facebook or my email? It’s extremely important to have one call to action, if you want to give people another way of signing up offer it under the large call to action button in a way of a link.

What to test:

The image is a controversy, on one hand it’s doing great use in pointing towards the call to action. On the other hand, he has his head pointing down and he looks sad. Depending on culture, an image of a person staring at the user is too intrusive, but no eye contact whatsoever creates the sense of detachment, depression and seclusion. I’d test a different image, still pointing at the CTA but something more cheerful.

Mixioapp

To understand Mixioapp I had to do some scrolling, downloading and watching.

The messaging isn’t clear enough to understand how this works or when. The amount of text under the main headline is basically telling visitors “Don’t read this!”

The call to action button almost doesn’t exist. Located on the far top right corner in the same white color that all other elements on the page are in, it’s hard to see how people even notice it.

To play fair, I checked the page on my mobile device and was surprised to find that although it is a downloadable app, there was absolutely no call to action to be found. Basically, you have to scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to be told how to use this app. Not to mention to be told what this app is…

The use of color on the landing page is important. Mixioapp’s messaging is all about taking pictures while on an adventure or just on a daily basis when magical things happen. Green represents fresh, new and growth, which is just what their targeted audience needs.

One Hour Translation

It’s easy to get what you do, but the first thing that appears on this landing page is clutter. The amount of colors and things going on this page is overwhelming.

The amount of call to action buttons is distracting and hard to comprehend. There’s no room to breath. Do you want people to fill in the form? Or do you want people to click on ”Get an instant quote”? The page can benefit from some cleaning up and redefining the goals of the landing page.

The amount of text is also an issue, all the text is on the right of the page and as a result you get is headline attached to a subtitle the additional text, the form and the security icons. Keep in mind that people may need al this info in bullets + the text needs more spacing.

I cannot say this enough: Marketing isn’t about the product or service, it’s about the change you make in a consumers life. Being the world’s fastest translation agency is fantastic but it’s about you, not the customer. I’d definitely mention it, but would try and test over headlines with a more targeted message to the customers.

I love using icons to ensure trust and security; the use of badges and certificates is a great way toenhance brand security. In One-hour translations’ case I would suggest repositioning them in a place that would give them more emphasis.

What to test:

A good way to emphasis an element is to give it some white space. Whitespace will help differentiate between the important and the less.
Cleaning the page completely. Removing text, all the elements and amount of colors.

Dynado

It took me too long to understand what Dynado is offering. “Better All-In-One communications” could be so many products… why are there random words highlighted below the headline? It makes it extremely hard to read the text and understand what they do.

There are literally hundreds of products out there today doing team management and communications. I have no idea why Dyando is better than others.

Using random stock photos of people around a computer does not help their case. Most companies use a task management and communication tool for teams that are remote… they don’t sit around looking at a computer together so I’m not sure what they were going for here.

What to test:

The call to action button has two issues that I’d fix:

The first is the text – the title of the page says Dynado and the headline of page uses the word ‘Better’ as part of the sentence, so most people have no idea that “Better” is the name of the product and it’s very confusing.
The other thing I’d test is the color of the button, I don’t usually do these kinds of tests (before testing strategies) but the white text on the neon green button make my eyes squint.

daPulse

I decided to critique daPulse as a second point of view on team collaboration platforms (full disclosure, I used to work with these guys):

The messaging is great, as mentioned before the world is crowded with different platforms and products and it is extremely important to stand out and say how your product benefits the customer. This is true to all industries, your competitors are doing the same as you more or less and it’s up to you to show your customers the emotional benefits in purchasing your product or software. It’s not about being the best product, it’s about making a change in your customers life.

Appealing to managers on a personal level and telling them they’re going to become amazing managers is what categorizes daPulse as different (Great job!).

The signup area is a little over crowded, I would definitely test moving the “free 30 days trial” sentence below the form and giving it less emphasis. Visually, I’d also enlarge the top part of the page to give it more emphasis and in turn enlarge the signup area.

Notice how the image in the background amplifies the “connecting remote teams” theme; although not a clear image and I’m not quite sure what the gold in the corner stands for, the idea of worldwide collaboration is clear and precise.

What to test:

I’d consider using the testimonials and trust elements in a more prominent position on the page (right now it’s at the bottom).
I don’t know how targeted and segmented are the visitors arriving on this page but I’d consider further clarifying what it is that you do by adding a subtitle.

The John Maxwell Team

The first thing that comes to mind when looking at this page is: A coach of what? Very vague headlineand I’m not sure why it is in quotes. I’d move the part about “leadership” to the headline.

Starting a video automatically is extremely annoying. Don’t do it.

The registration form is short and to the point, I would however merge the first and last name fields. I’d also work on the text above the fields, as it is very hard to read clearly.

The messaging of the entire page is about life’s transformation and then the call to action button says, “click here to get started”, I’d consider trying “Change your life today!” or something along those lines.

What to test:

The call to action should also be a contrasting color to the rest of the page. I’d also consider adding some type of background color.

Cricket IP Security Cameras

The use of the color Green on the call to action button is very good as it is the general direction in which a visitor will look at.

The list of benefits is great but I can’t read it. White space is crucial here, and I’d also increase the headline to make it more noticeable.

Great use of security elements and icons blow the call to action.

What to test:

I know they’re selling security cameras but that image is just terrible. No emotion, no interest and no purpose other than showing the visitor what the camera looks like. When talking about security you want to make visitors feel secure and peaceful before even purchasing the product. Show them how safe they’ll be once they acquire this camera.

Last but not least

A company that will be launching their dating app in 1.5 months sent this landing page to me and asked me to review it. Their goal for now is to sign up people, so that once they launch they can send them the news and get them engaged. As there’s not a lot to go on, this will be short but I do have some important comments.

This is a screen capture from a standard screen, which means you have a bug and it needs to be fixed, as I can’t read that sentence at the bottom

The hierarchy of elements on your landing page doesn’t make sense. It seems that your logo and company name are more important than the sign up form. I’d enlarge the signup field and button and give it much more weight. In addition the black stipe stands out more than other elements on the page and is hovering all the attention. I’d consider changing the color, moving it lower in the page.

What does “invite me” mean? This again to do with the messaging, you need to put yourself out there and not by compering yourself to your competitors. Explain what happens when you signup, what is the value and why it’s worth your visitors while.

What to test:

Your messaging gives the visitor absolutely no value; you’re basically just saying you’re an alternative to Tinder. Nothing about your product, why it’s different or how it will make a change in the world of online dating. There are literally thousands of online dating platforms; you have to give people a reason to signup, because right now there isn’t one.

This concludes this month’s landing page examples and critiques. I hope you get a few ideas from these landing pages critiques and I’d love to hear about them. If you have any questions about my comments let me know in the comments below, I’d love to hear them.

This post originally published on Talia Wolf’s blog

Talia helps businesses plan and execute conversion optimization programs. She runs thousands of A/B tests using emotional targeting and persuasive design to grow their business.

General, Mobile

8 Instagram Web Services That Can Help You Manage and Organize Your Photos

August 2, 2012 Nir Shein 2 Comments

Instagram, the most popular photo-sharing service these days, has officially hit 80 million users who have uploaded more than 4 billion photos, since its launch in October 2010. Acquired by Facebook for a staggering $1 billion, the San Francisco-based startup behind the popular mobile photo application, was initially built for iPhone, and got extended to Android users in April of 2012.

Regardless of their popularity, If there’s one thing missing from Instagram, is a simple and intuitive web-based user interface. And while the company appears to be committed to find a decent solution for the average user, more and more third-party companies are jumping on the Instagram bandwagon.

To remedy this problem, we have gathered a list of eight Instagram web services to help you manage, sort, organize, and share your digital images, as the photo space heat up. Check it out after the break.

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tablets

Google’s Android Honeycomb OS and Android Market Website Officially Announced

February 3, 2011 Nir Shein

Looking back on early January 2011, we catch a glimpse of an awesome experience of the Android 3.0 video teasers. Looking forward to what’s ahead of this year let us capture a vision of the great Honeycomb OS which will inevitably make Android the dominant Smartphone and Tablet platform of the future. The rapid ascent of Android has prompted Google to go ahead and announce the official release of its latest creation, made by Palm’s former UI designer, Matias Duarte, and best known as the Android Honeycomb – Google’s answer to many of tablet -based OS out there. And while there wasn’t much news about it, it is still worth watching – especially for those that widgets, finger gestures, or 3D rendering matters spark their interest. The one thing however, that caught most people’s eyes was Google’s Android Market which has finally turned official, as a web client, and gone live couple of hours ago with a very neat and simple Market catalog to browse (more than 50,000 apps inside) with both free and paid Android applications preloaded on board. Move forward after the break to catch up with Google’s full event.

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Applications, Operating Systems

Google Chrome OS Officially Launched

December 9, 2010 Nir Shein

Almost a year and couple of days after introducing it, Google has launched a new, stand-alone version of an operating system, which became known as Crome OS. Offering it as a “one-stop shop” for all manner of cloud-based laptop usage, one-year-old Chrome will let users run their day-to-day portable apps like any of the other ones available on rival platforms, such as Linux or Windows 7, this time with a mission to make the web work faster, safer, and easier than ever. Surprisingly, it takes only four simple steps to set it up and have it running: Picking up your Internet connectivity, choosing a profile image, getting online right away, and cruzing the web the moment you get it to load. As a matter of fact, it wouldn’t take more than 60 seconds, on average, to make it ready to work. Setting the OS to use multiple accounts is as easy as it gets, but there’s also a guest mode option that runs in Incognito mode (“Friends Let Friends Log-In Feature”). Of course you can use it offline as well if you want, but the most convenient way to use it, is probably when connected online.

On the same note, Google has just rolled out its very own Chrome Web Store which “like a phone app store,” features a gallery of different apps and extensions from different sources and vendors in various categories such as photos, music, games, news, blogging , fun, shopping, sports and web development. To test this new concept under operational circumstances, Google announced a test program for Chrome OS in which it will be offering 60000 Chrome Notebooks to those who registered. To find out more about the pilot program, just visit http://google.com/chromenotebook click in the boxes and fill in the missing answers.

Applications, Communication, Internet, Mobile, News

Google Buzz Gets More Updates And Improvements, Reaching Over 9 Million Posts and Comments

February 12, 2010 Nir Shein 2 Comments

Only two days after turning the Buzz official within Gmail accounts, Google seems to roll out more tweaks and improvements, based on feedbacks and user requests, sent directly or to its help desk account. First and foremost, Google has closed security breach where people could actually see lists of friends and followers which automatically appeared on new Google Pages that people initially created to post their Buzz feeds. Those lists created based on interaction with people you email and chat with the most, could literally expose to the world details no one wanted to unveil. There for, from now on the first time you create a post or comment in Buzz, you will be asked to initiate a limited public profile with minimal info released outside. In addition, you can easily choose whether to turn on publicly the lists of people you follow or that follow you back and which of these species can appear publicly on your profile or not. Furthermore, Google adds the ability to block followers or unfollow them with a simple click of a button. Stay tuned.

Update1: Google says that since launched, tens of millions of people have checked Buzz out, creating over 9 million posts and comments, overwhelmingly added to the growing 200+ posts per minute, initiated from mobile phones around the world.

Update2: So you’re already involved with the Buzz, posting your stuff and following others, but you’re not exactly familiar with all those tricks and tweaks the service offers and wonder where you could have learned them all in a matter of minutes. For that reason specifically, we’ve added a Google Buzz cheat sheet where you can find all the keys and shortcuts that would make it easier for you to use the Buzz. Check it out after the break.

Update3: Google has wisely decided to remove the Buzz auto-follow model in which you automatically follow the people you email and chat with most, whenever initiate a new Google profile page. Instead of this auto-suggest model you will be taken into a welcome page, where you will be reviewing the people in your lists that you’re interested outing to the public and others, you prefer keeping them hidden (third image after the break). In addition, your Buzz will not connect with your Google Reader and Picasa shared items automatically, so your “Unlisted” albums or “Protected” reading sources won’t be revealed, unless you decide to. And last but not least, Google has confirmed it will soon add a Buzz tab to the Gmail account that would create a clear distinction between your day-to-day mailing content and your Googlr Buzz feeds (fourth image). Stay tuned.

[Google]

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Applications, Communication, Internet, Mobile, News

Google Buzz Announced, Turns Your Web Mail Socialized And Your Mobile Device Localized

February 10, 2010 Nir Shein

Google officially released the Buzz. What is it, you’re asking? It’s Mountain View’s new platform that integrates into your Gmail account and turns it into a social community center (sort of), where you can share things like updates, photos, videos and a lot more with people you email and chat with the most. Additionally, the Buzz allows you to start interacting with those people and make in-mail conversations about anything you’d like in a simple and attractive way. The purpose, according to Bradley Horowitz, Google’s vice president for product management, is to simplify things and help people …”to find signal in the noise”. The target, in our humble opinion, is to launch a successful email product that would make people stick around all day long, and by that, create their own personal streaming platform that would eventually attract potential web users to follow their buzz and turn their voice even louder. Is it a war declaration against popular services like Twitter and Facebook? Time would tell. Google’s buzz integrates with existing social networks and people can easily add their Flickr, Picasa, Twitter, Yahoo or Facebook accounts, and even Google Reader feeds, into the Buzz while creating a new social networking interface/aggregator that would gather both mailing usage and media streaming in one accessible place. So, direct war? not sure, but challenging Facebook’s social media domination? definitely yes.

Basically, no special setup is needed and Gmail users should expect seeing the Buzz in their mail accounts immediately, or later on this week, as Google rolls out its new platform across the web, at these very moments . Once receiving it you will automatically start seeing lists of people, who you have emailed on Gmail, added to your Buzz. At that point you can start sharing with them whatever you want, including pictures, messages, videos, articles, news feeds and more, either publicly or in private. It’s a dual direction platform, so in that case you will see their updates as well, but also a few “Recommended Buzz” from friends of your friends, adjusted to your personal feedback.

As for mobile phones, Google also announced mobile integration for Buzz with dedicated apps and maps and an updated homepage you can log into at google.com/buzz. Buzz for mobile makes your sharing a lot easier than expected, it ” brings location to the forefront and makes it easy to have conversations about places”. To start, just type buzz.google.com in your mobile browser address line and begin posting buzz from your phone. You can tag your location or use the suggested tag if correct and later on, search all the public buzz created by your friends or nearby strangers around you in any given location you’ve personally tagged. This way you get yourself a personal location and recommendation platform, based on people’s most basic and common opinions, carried by their smartphones. As mentioned, you can use Google Maps and create public buzz directly from the layer, and attach photos into it from your mobile phone. You can create Textual Buzz shortcuts which appear as a small conversation bubble that everyone can see and read, or go even cooler by creating Voice Buzz shortcuts which let you post buzz without typing a word – Neat! Hit the break to watch the videos.

Update1: Looks like Google Maps 4.0 with Buzz support now available in the Android Market for those who own Android-based smartphones like G1, Droid or Nexus One. Feel free to download it right away and share the Buzz with your friends!

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Applications, General, Internet

36 Things You Should Know Before Starting a Twitter Account

May 19, 2009 Nir Shein 4 Comments

[digg-me]

Twitter Guide for Newcomers

Enjoy reading !

You can find me at http://twitter.com/niron.

You can also read the PDF version in here.

Internet

Searchme Features a New Visual Search Engine

March 19, 2008 Nir Shein

is a new web service, allowing you to search the internet visually. The company has developed a nice and intuitive search engine that will change the internet navigation and our searching behavior. Like any other search engines, you start by typing the word or inquiry you look for and searchme will offer related categories. Choose any category and the engine will pop up pictures of web pages that answer your search. Just flip between the visual pages and click through. If you need more info, read the short brief at the bottom of the visual results and pick your likable page. Unfortunately, Searchme is a closed beta, but i do hope it will go live ASAP and change the way we search the web. I was lucky to get an invitation and test Searchme, it is new, refreshing and very fast to use. Still, there are many things to improve, like adding more web pages to the engine’s data, increase the size of search results and make them more accurate. Check out the video:

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/TsGR5HP2ffw" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Applications, Phones

iPhone Gets Copy-Paste Function With iCopy

March 12, 2008 Nir Shein

I have no idea why Apple denies this copy-paste function from iPhone users, but as always, there’s someone to bring a solution. With iCopy, you can copy text from within a web page and paste almost any text on the page. In addition, you can copy URL addresses and email them to your friends via your handsets. Although it looks a bit complicated, it can serve you greatly. To add this app. you have to install iCopy as a bookmark, browse the web as usual and choose the text you want, then just click your bookmarks icon and choose Copy/Paste. To view the full installation instructions click here. Check the following videos for more details:

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/fiVbx0HJZT4" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

[iCopy via gizmodo]

Another video after the break.

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