Best Cheap Web Hosting

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Do you want to skip the read and get right to my top picks? The best cheap web hosting service for most people is Hostinger or DreamHost.

There’s no need to pay a fortune for web hosting if you’re launching a new website. A cheap web hosting solutions will work just fine.

But how cheap is too cheap? There are a lot of attractive options out there. Separating the good deals from the scams is important.

Fortunately, you won’t actually have to search through all of them. There are really only one or two dozen reputable web hosts to consider.

That list gets even smaller if you’re looking for a cheap web hosting plan that actually delivers good service.

If you want to get your site online for as little as possible, these are my top picks:

#1 – Hostinger Review — The Best Web Hosting Plan Under $1.50

Hostinger has the absolute cheapest price for hosting at $1.39 per month for the Single Shared Hosting plan. So what’s the catch?

You have to sign up for a 48-month contract, which sounds a little heavy. But, bear with me.

Four years of Single Shared is going to cost less than a single year of hosting through other providers.

Seriously, other low-budget hosting plans are still twice to four times as expensive. Plus, the introductory rates you get with competitors might skyrocket when you have to renew. Once the honeymoon period is over, you might be looking at $10 or more each month.

With Hostinger on the other hand, your rate for shared hosting goes from $1.39 cents to $2.99/month upon renewal. That’s still a great price.

In other words, the Hostinger full rate is still less than introductory rates from other good cheap hosting options.

Okay, great. But I know you’re thinking the low rate must mean that there are annoying domain limits and few free tools to build your business.

Untrue. Hostinger is loaded to the brim with features and function.

Hostinger’s Single Shared Hosting plan supports one site, and includes:

100 GB bandwidth
30 GB storage
1 email account
Free SSL certificate
99.9% uptime guarantee
24/7/365 customer support
Optimized for WordPress with one-click installation
User-friendly control panel
Cloudflare protected nameservers

There’s no free domain name included, which isn’t a big deal if you already have one. Bluehost and DreamHost come with a free domain name for the first year, but higher per-month rates.

If you need a free domain name, more storage, or unlimited bandwidth, Hostinger lets you upgrade your plan while keeping costs low:

Say you need to move to Premium Shared Hosting to support another site. That will cost $2.59/month to start and $5.99/month when you renew. That’s not going to break the bank, and you can host up to 100 websites.

Hostinger does a lot to ensure that the service is easy to use. Set up takes minutes and absolutely zero technical skill.

If you ever have issues, Hostinger’s customer service is always available and has a phenomenal reputation. The company gets you in the door with budget-friendly prices, and keeps you around with quality support.

Choose Hostinger for the lowest per-month plan on the market. Try it today risk-free, as Hostinger will refund your purchase if you aren’t happy within the first 30 days.

#2 – DreamHost Review — The Lowest Spend on Day One

Not everyone wants to sign a long contract for hosting, but you usually have to in order to get the lowest price. Typically, you have to pay the whole amount upfront, which can get expensive even when you are looking at cheap plans.

DreamHost offers similar discounts if you want to sign a contract, but if you don’t, DreamHost’s month-to-month pricing is the lowest out there.

DreamHost Shared Starter is $4.95/month for one site. No contract necessary.

There’s really no way to get a lower price without a commitment. This can be really important for cash-strapped startups betting on growth. Instead of a big upfront spend, they can budget a predictable monthly hosting cost into the equation.

Freedom isn’t free, they say, and it’s especially true with hosting. Many young companies have found themselves locked into a long contract with no way out. Now they’re spending money on a service they don’t like at a time when every dollar counts.

With DreamHost, you can still get cheap hosting, but you don’t have any of the long-term risk that comes with a multi-year contract.

When you look at the month-to-month pricing for other plans on this list, there is no competition. A2 Hosting is $10.99/month, Hostgator is $10.95/month, and Hostinger is $9.99 with a $4.99 set up fee.

Bluehost and iPage don’t even offer plans without at least a year-long commitment.

All of these other plans are great, don’t get me wrong, but if you are looking for a no-contract option, DreamHost is the clear leader. Especially because you get such a solid range of features and free tools to build your site:

Unlimited traffic
50 GB storage
Free SSL certificate
Free WordPress website builder
Free automated WordPress migrations
Automated WordPress updates
24/7 live chat and ticket support

Like Bluehost, DreamHost is officially recommended by WordPress. The integration is deep and all of the updates are handled automatically. This is good for security purposes and saves you the trouble of doing it yourself.

So you can get all the benefits of tight WordPress integration without the commitment and large down payment required by Bluehost.

Now you might think that no contract would mean no money-back guarantee. The truth is DreamHost has a zero-risk 97-day money-back guarantee. That’s the longest time to try a web host that I know of.

If you need more than one site, and you want to pay month-to-month, iPage can’t help you. DreamHost offers a Shared Unlimited plan for $8.95/month that works for an unlimited number of sites:

If you just have one site, Shared Starter is all you need.

Stop worrying about when the honeymoon period of your introductory pricing is going to end.

Get DreamHost and pay a low, predictable rate each month. No more contracts, no more inflexible commitments. Just reliable hosting at a consistent price.

Try DreamHost today and use it risk-free for more than 3 months!

#3 – Bluehost Review — The Best for New Sites (Especially WordPress)

There’s probably no easier way to get your new website off the ground than with Bluehost. And it won’t cost you much at all, as the company offers incredibly feature-rich shared hosting starting at $2.95/month.

For most people with a new site—especially if it is their first site—Bluehost is what they want.

If you are building a WordPress site, I really recommend checking out your options at Bluehost. The company is one of only three hosting providers that is officially recommended by WordPress. The integration is amazing and installation is automatic.

We’ll talk more about why it’s so good for WordPress in a second, but I want to talk about why it’s good for just about anyone with a new site.

First off, Bluehost has some of the cheapest hosting rates around. And even the most basic plans are loaded with features and value.

You get a free domain name for the first year. Not only do you get to skip that expense, but the convenience of registering your domain through Bluehost cuts down on the time it takes to go live.

If this is your first site ever, you will be grateful at how simple the process is. If you’ve built sites before, you will really appreciate everything that’s done for you.

For example, you get a free SSL certificate for your site,and enabling it takes one click on the dashboard. This is critical for keeping all of the information on your site secure and lets visitors know that the site is safe to visit.

You can get free SSL certificates from other places, but they will not be this easy to install, trust me. And you will have to renew them every couple months.

With Bluehost, it’s completely hands-off and you are always protected.

You also get a free content delivery network (CDN) through Bluehost’s partnership with Cloudflare. This is going to improve site speed and performance with near-zero work on your part.

Okay, so on top of the free domain name, SSL certificate, and CDN, Bluehost gives you:

50 GB storage
Unmetered bandwidth
24/7 customer support via phone and live chat
$100 Google Ads credits
Automatic WordPress installations and updates
Custom WordPress themes
30-day full refund if you aren’t satisfied

All of these features are included with the Bluehost Basic shared hosting, which starts at $2.95/month. If you have to upgrade, prices stay affordable at the higher tiers:

One thing to be aware of is that Bluehost renewal rates are about two to three times higher than the introductory rate. This is why I recommend signing up for a long plan to max out the discount period.

Even at full price, though, Bluehost is really competitively priced compared to the field. This is especially true when you consider the long list of features you get and the ease of getting set up.

It’s as hands-free of a hosting experience as you could ask for and when you want to develop your site, all the tools are right there.

WordPress is automatically installed on Bluehost, for example. This means full integration and automatic WordPress updates.

With Bluehost shared hosting, you can use another content management system (CMS) besides WordPress if you want.

But if you know that you are only going to use WordPress, I highly recommend going with one of Bluehost’s WordPress Shared Hosting plans.

These start at $2.95/month, which is the same price as regular shared hosting. The difference is that the servers that have been optimized exclusively for WordPress. There’s no other type of software on them, so servers can be better configured and more easily protected.

If you have a new site in mind, make Bluehost your one-stop-shop for getting online. Get everything set up in a single place instead of having to go through a domain registrar. Best of all, you’ll get a great deal in the process.

So if you have a new site: Get Bluehost Basic shared hosting.

And if that new site is a WordPress site: Get Bluehost Basic WordPress hosting.

There’s a reason that more than 2 million sites are hosted through Bluehost. Find out why today.

#4 – A2 Hosting Review — The Best Web Hosting Under $3 for Online Stores

If you grow your ecommerce site past a certain point, the cheapest web hosting options won’t work. But, if you are just getting your online store up and running, there is no better budget-friendly option than A2 Hosting.

In fact, you can get everything you need to launch for $2.99/month with the A2 Startup plan. You’ll have to sign a contract to get the lowest rate, but you’ll be ready to go within minutes.

Along with PayPal integration, the cheapest A2 hosting plan comes with one-click installs for five of the top ecommerce platforms, including WooCommerce, OpenCart, and Magneto. There’s hardly any backend IT work to start selling.

A2 Hosting offers some of the best site speed and security for the price, which are really important for online stores.

Shoppers won’t stay if your content is slow to load. A2 takes care of all the technical legwork that goes into maintaining high performance servers. It’s compatible with Cloudflare’s free content delivery network, which can boost your speed as well.

Most shoppers won’t even come if Google says your site’s not safe. That’s going to happen if you don’t have an SSL certificate. A2 includes one for free, and it’s always enabled.

This is a huge perk, because you can get free SSL certificates elsewhere, but it’s on you to configure and renew them, which can be frustrating.

Most of the other security benefits are similarly hands off. The virus scanner, firewall, and brute force defense are on autopilot—you’ll receive notification if there’s something you need to do, but A2 handles a lot on its own.

And if you have an issue you can’t solve, A2 will help. Go read reviews. The company has some of the happiest web hosting customers on the planet. If you need to move your old site to A2’s servers, they have a team that will do it for free.

Some of the other excellent benefits of A2 Startup include:

100 GB storage
Unlimited bandwidth
Unlimited email addresses
24/7/365 customer support via phone, live chat, email, and ticketing
99.9% uptime commitment
Optimized WordPress hosting
DNS management tools
Website staging

Website staging is really useful for online stores. You can test new features and buttons on a page in a development area before pushing it live. This way you can see if anything breaks before it impacts your customers.

The A2 Startup plan is aptly named—it won’t be enough once your site matures. But by the time you’ve hit that milestone, your site will be bringing in more than enough money to justify the cost of upgrading.

A2 is one of the pricier options on my list of cheap web hosting providers. I like it for online stores because of the speed, security, and generous limits on storage. 100 GB is twice as much as you get with Bluehost.

And if you aren’t happy with your service, A2 Hosting will refund your account within 30 days of purchase. It’s a true hassle-free money-back guarantee.

Your online reputation matters, so it’s a huge peace of mind to know that customer service is always there. A2 Hosting representatives are extremely knowledgeable. They will help you resolve issues quickly, before your online store takes a hit.

#5 – HostGator Review — The Best Way to Host Your Existing Site for Cheaper

When your current host jacks up the rates or takes a customer service nose-dive, you need to switch. Whatever the cause, there is no reason to pay for substandard hosting.

Hostgator will help you migrate your old site for free. This includes the cPanel, email accounts, files, databases, scripts, etc. They also include one free domain registration transfer, which saves a few bucks, too.

All you have to do is fill out a transfer form within 30 days of signing up. Hostgator will do the rest.

You get the free migration with any of Hostgator’s shared hosting plans, including Hatchling, which starts at $2.75/month with a contract.

With Hostgator, you can lock in a really low rate and get great uptime for less than you paid before. After the zero-stress migration, you get high quality customer support available any time of day by phone and live chat.

It’s cheaper web hosting, better service, and very few limits on what you can do. Some of the highlights include:

Unlimited storage
Unlimited bandwidth
Free SSL certificate
Free email
Free domain (or registration transfer)
One-click WordPress install
Free website builder
Free Google Ads and Bing Ads credits

The good news is that Hostgator provides tons of tools to help you optimize the content on your site and keep things running at top speed. The interface is very easy to use, which gives you complete control over your site and databases.

It’s comparable to Bluehost in a lot of ways, which I like better if you have a brand new site. But if you already have a website, Bluehost won’t move it over for free. Hostgator will. If you have more than one site to migrate, Hostgator will give you a quote for the cost, but the first one is free.

This makes your transition to cheaper hosting a lot easier. Plus, Hostgator offers a 45-day money-back guarantee. If you don’t like what you see, you have more than a month to jump ship without paying a cent.

Quit spending too much on hosting and find out why so many people love Hostgator.

#6 – iPage Go Review — The Best If You Have Multiple Sites

iPage Go lets you create unlimited websites for under $2/month. Every other plan on my list requires you to purchase an upgraded plan to support more than one site.

I really like iPage Go because there is one plan. Without tiered pricing, you don’t have to worry about upgrading your plan until you need something more substantial than shared hosting.

In other words, you can build as many websites as you want without having to stress about paying more to do more.

With iPage Go it’s unlimited sites, domains, and storage. Like similar “unlimited” offerings, your service has no hard and fast limits, but there are restrictions on how much your site can demand from the shared server.

So, when iPage says they offer scalable bandwidth, it means they aren’t metering the traffic to your site. You could still hit restrictions, but there is no set cap for the number site visitors.

Most people looking for cheap hosting for their websites won’t have to worry too much about these limits. iPage is able to support 99.5% of customers without any issues at all. In fact, the company will work with you to make sure you’ve optimized your site if you start to approach restricted usage limits.

In addition to providing the cheapest multi-site hosting option, iPage gives customers access to a ton of free tools to build and nurture their site.

You get a free domain name for the first year, along with a free SSL certificate. On top of that, you get free email with autoresponders. You can use the email provided, or manage your website accounts with Microsoft Outlook and other third-party apps.

iPage hosting includes a free website builder, which can help you customize the look and feel of all your sites. WordPress is a one click installation as are other popular content management systems like Joomla and Drupal.

For less than $2 per month, all of this is yours. Other benefits include:

24/7 customer service
Unlimited databases
One-click installs for OpenCart, Magneto, and PrestaShop
PayPal integration
Integration with popular email marketing software services
Site traffic reporting
30-day money-back guarantee

There is no month-to-month pricing for iPage Go. You can sign up for one, two, or three years. The longer the contract you sign, the lower the introductory pricing and renewal rate you get:

I’m not aware of another hosting provider who gives you a discount on your renewal rate for signing a long contract, so that is a unique perk.

As I mentioned, you’ll never have to upgrade to a different shared hosting plan. You get everything they offer with iPage Go. There are hardly any limits on your resources, and if your site gets too popular to be supported by shared hosting, iPage has some more powerful hosting solutions at competitive prices.

Until then, host all of your websites for one low price with iPage.

#7 – GreenGeeks Review — The Best Price for Managed WooCommerce Hosting

If you’re starting with a WordPress site (as many people do) and you’re looking to transform it into a potent online store, you ought to deploy WooCommerce. Sure, the plugin is free, but you’ll still need hosting and to manage your newly WooCommerce-enhanced site.

But, if you go with GreenGeeks, you can take care of all that in one fell swoop.

Much like A2 Hosting, you can get an affordable hosting plan that allows for an easy, one-click install of WooCommerce on your site. But, unlike A2, you get managed features like daily backups and automatic updates even at the lowest pricing tier.

Speaking of pricing, GreenGeeks offers three levels of managed WooCommerce Hosting:

Lite: starting at $2.49/month
Pro: starting at $4.95/month
Premium: starting at $8.95/month

The only drawback of that pricing structure is that the starting price is for a three-year commitment.

That could be a bit too much of a commitment for someone just trying GreenGeeks on for size or worried about massive, rapid scaling over that time. But GreenGeeks’ prices don’t jump up wildly for shorter terms, unlike some other providers.

For example, with the Lite package, a two-year commitment only raises the monthly cost $1.50 to $3.95/month. For a one-year term, it’s $4.95/month. Of course, month-to-month is the most expensive, but that rate of $10.95/month is right on par with A2’s base plan rate.

I mentioned above that even the Lite plan has daily backups and automatic plugin updates, but it also includes a free Wildcard SSL, unmetered data, a free domain name for the first year, and 50 GB of space for one website.

And, if you’re worried about scalability over the long haul, GreenGeeks’ Premium plan can put those fears to bed. With it, you get everything mentioned above, plus LSCache, LiteMage shop accelerator, a free dedicated IP, capacity for unlimited websites, and more.

All of this comes backed by some of the best customer support in the category. You can browse the GreenGeeks knowledge base or reach out to a rep via live chat, phone call, or email. Their phone center is available Monday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to midnight Eastern and GreenGeeks has a great track record of responding to any email request within 20 minutes.

Get a great deal on WooCommerce hosting by starting with GreenGeeks today.

What I Looked at to Find the Best Cheap Web Hosting

You’re looking for the cheapest plan out there, but you still need a dependable host.

There’s no shortage of budget-friendly web hosting options available. Each one promises great uptime, site performance, and customer support.

It seems like anyone can get their site up for less than the cost of a cup of coffee.

What’s the catch?

If you understand your options and pick the right one, there is no catch.

I’m going to guide you through saving every dollar possible without getting scammed or locked into a plan that you’ll regret later.

Use these four criteria to cut through the advertising gimmicks, rule out plans that are “too good to be true,” and hone in on the best deal for lowest price.

Price

When looking for web hosting in general, price is pretty important. But in looking at cheap web hosting, I’ve made pricing the most important criteria by far.

In other words, I asked myself: How can I get dependable hosting at the absolute lowest price?

Since you have to pay for hosting each month, even a few dollars’ difference between plans will add up over time.

I focused on web hosts with a rock solid reputation because their cheap hosting options don’t cut corners. These plans are no-frills hosting, for sure, but I made sure they cover all the essentials.

With some of the less reputable hosts out there, you can get a rock-bottom price and a rock-bottom experience.

The providers I chose have super-affordable plans that won’t cause trouble now, trap you into upgrading, or wind up costing a fortune down the road.

Contract Terms

Lots of web hosts might seem cheap at first glance, but you need to review the contract terms to truly get a sense of the actual cost.

To lock in the lowest possible rate, you’ll likely have to commit to a two, three, or even a four-year plan.

Importantly, these contracts are typically paid up-front and in-full.

That means that web hosting advertised at $3 per month could actually cost you upwards of $100 today.

Along with the length of the contract, you need to check the renewal rates. It’s common practice in the web hosting industry for hosting plans to skyrocket upon renewal.

Promotional pricing might cost $3 per month, but then automatically renew at something like $10 per month.

That would more than triple your rate upon renewal. Suddenly it’s not so cheap anymore.

Domain Limits

How many sites do you want?

If you add a site or two, you could accidentally get forced to upgrade and pay a lot more.

iPage, for example, lets people create as many websites as they want with their cheapest hosting plan.

With Hostinger, on the other hand, you’ll have to upgrade to host more than one site. That said, Hostinger’s next plan up is still less than $3 per month and you can build up to 100 websites.

Another important limit to consider is bandwidth. This is the maximum amount of data your site can transfer to users during a set amount of time.

Now there’s no such thing as unlimited bandwidth, but you are definitely going to see that advertised with a lot of the cheapest web hosting plans out there.

Why can they say this?

Because these are shared hosting plans where your site is on a server with a bunch of other sites. On a typical day, these sites are not going to use all of the server’s resources, so they say it’s unlimited.

The truth is that you will definitely still have limits on how much of the server’s central processing unit (CPU) your site can use.

Getting too many visitors to your site may exceed your CPU limits, and the provider may ask you to upgrade.

Shared hosting plans with unlimited bandwidth are perfect for cheap web hosting, just don’t equate it with unlimited visitors.

Free Tools to Build and Grow Your Site

You’d be surprised, but even some of the least expensive web hosting plans are packed with free tools and capabilities. Getting these freebies as part of a bundle can help you save in other areas.

Some of the features to look out for include:

Ad credits: free Google or Bing advertising credits to target your audience
Domain name: your site’s online address at www.your-domain-name.com
Email account: an address @your-domain-name.com
SSL Certificates: protects online privacy and lets visitors know your site is secure
Visual website builder: an application that lets even total newbies design beautiful pages

Everything that’s included with your hosting plan is something you don’t have to spend more money on.

It’s not hard to register your domain name, but if your hosting plan includes it, that’s going to save you $10-15 in the first year.

Getting a free professional email is another $30 in your pocket. The freebies add up.

Even Hostinger, which can be purchased for less than $1/month, comes with an email account, SSL certificate, and a website builder that requires zero coding knowledge to use.

Conclusion

You don’t have to spend very much to get your site online, but if you aren’t careful, web hosting can wind up costing a lot more than you think.

Choosing a reputable provider is the first step, but you don’t have to worry about that if you stick to my list of best cheap web hosts. These are all really well-known companies with a long history of dependable service.

Hostinger — Best web hosting plan under $1.50
DreamHost — Lowest spend on day one
Bluehost — Best for new sites (especially WordPress)
A2 Hosting —Best web hosting under $3 for online stores
HostGator — Best way to host your existing site for cheaper
iPage Go — Best if you have multiple sites
GreenGeeks — Best price for managed WooCommerce hosting

To get the lowest per-month price, go with Hostinger. At less than a buck fifty per month, there is nothing else even close.

Of course, if you don’t want to lock into a long contract to get low rates with Hostinger, I recommend DreamHost. You can get high-quality hosting for less than $5/month without any commitment.

If you have a new site in mind and you want to get it off the ground quickly, Bluehost is the choice for you. It’s a little pricier than Hostinger, but still under $3/month. Plus Bluehost includes a free domain name for the first year (you’re going to need that for a new site), which saves another $10-15 right there.

If you have multiple sites to host, iPage should be your first and last stop. Unlimited websites for less than $2/month. Say no more.

Shortlist A2 Hosting for online stores. It’s well set up to handle the extra security and performance demands of ecommerce. If you’re running a web store on WooCommerce, think about GreenGeeks for a little extra savings for comparable performance.

And if you are tired of your current hosting situation, let Hostgator help. They will migrate your site to their servers for free. Then you can start saving money and enjoying quality customer service again.

Best Shared Hosting Companies

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Do you want to skip the read and get right to my top pick? The best shared hosting provider for most people is Hostinger.

If you are starting a new website from scratch, shared hosting will be the best option 99% of the time.

There are other types of hosting for bigger sites with tons of traffic. But if you are just getting off the ground, shared hosting is going to be the best price with the least amount of maintenance on your end.

I’ve reviewed my top six recommendations for shared hosting. These are dependable options from well-known providers. You’re not going to get scammed or wind up with a super slow site.

After the reviews, I’ve included a short buyers guide to help you select the best option for your specific needs.

#1 – Hostinger Review — The Lowest Price for Shared Hosting

Hostinger strikes the balance between price and performance–it’s the lowest amount you can spend and still get good hosting.

For $1.39 per month, Hostinger will set you up with one site good for up to 10,000 visitors each month. You also get 30 GB of storage, which is a hefty amount for the price.

If you’re starting out on a tight budget, this is more than enough to get your site online.

Of course you have to put the full amount down for a four-year hosting plan to get the best deal. Let’s do the math: 48 months at $1.39 per month is $66.72.

That means you are paying less than $70 for four years of hosting.

There’s simply no way to drive the price lower. You might be able to scratch out a better deal, but it’s probably not going to be with such a reputable host.

Hostinger includes 24/7/365 live chat customer service with every plan. They don’t hang you out to dry. In fact the company offers a 99.99% uptime guarantee.

There’s also a surprising amount of services and features bundled into the most affordable hosting package:

1 free email account
Weekly backups
Free SSL certificate
100+ one-click install apps
WordPress starter kit

A free email account is one less thing to buy, courtesy weekly backups are a comforting, zero-effort insurance plan.

I’m still talking about Hostinger’s entry-level plan. Literally everything I’ve mentioned up to this point is included for $1.39 per month.

If you need to create additional websites, Hostinger jumps to a whopping $2.59 per month for up to 100 sites.

Need more than 100k visitors a month? You can stick with Hostinger, but be ready to pay a tad more, at $3.99 per month, for Business Shared Hosting.

Yes, the price is going to jump upon renewal like any other host. The thing is, Hostinger’s renewal rate stays lower if you sign up for longer. With the 4-year Single Shared Deal, for example, your renewal rate is $2.99. If you only sign up for a year, the rate is $5.99.

So, you either get a really great or an incredible deal.

I recommend Hostinger for folks who know they need hosting and want the cheapest price out there.

You get better than expected performance from a web host that’s charging you less than the price of an oil change to host your site for four years.

Current high school freshmen will have their diploma in hand before you have to pay for hosting again.

Get in touch with Hostinger and see how little you need to spend.

#2 – Bluehost Review — The Best Way to Launch Your WordPress Site Today

Looking for a one-stop-shop to get your WordPress up and running in no time flat?

Go with Bluehost for a turnkey solution absolutely anyone can use.

Normally you have to get hosting, a domain, and download WordPress. It’s not rocket science, but for a first-timer there are a lot of places to get tripped up.

With Bluehost, you can get everything in a single place for one low price.

The entire step-by-step process, from signing up to publishing your first page, is as easy as possible. There’s guidance at every turn, and should you encounter difficulties of any kind, you can reach out to customer service.

Don’t take my word for it. Bluehost has been officially recommended by WordPress since 2005. When you make contact with a service agent, you’re getting assistance from someone that resolves WordPress issues all the time.

Building a website incredibly straight-forward. There’s no code to write or hours spent Googling answers. This is true if you have never designed a website before in your life.

Choose a template to start your site and then you are off and running.

Find something that aligns with your brand or goals, and customize from there. Bluehost actually gives you custom WordPress themes that you can make your own. Use fonts, colors, and a layout that speaks to your purpose.

In addition to WordPress tools, Bluehost includes a number of features that make your site faster and more secure, with little to no work on your part:

Automatic WordPress updates
Google Business verification
Free CDN
Free SSL certificate
Domain manager

Most people aren’t thinking about getting an SSL certificate when they launch a site. But it’s the only way to make sure that visitors know your site is safe. With Bluehost, you can enable a free SSL certificate across your whole site simply by turning it on.

Same with the CDN, which you can enable with one-click to get a faster site. Both of these features are important, but not things you want to have to mess around with. Bluehost makes it effortless to get the benefits with zero work on your end.

If you need more than just WordPress on your sites, go with standard shared hosting through Bluehost.

It’s a great deal, but if you know you are going to use only WordPress, I recommend going with one of Bluehost’s WordPress hosting plans. They are basically the same as shared hosting price-wise, but there’s better speed and security.

The difference with shared WordPress hosting is that the servers are optimized for just that. No other type of sites run on those servers, so the performance is better and it’s easier to secure.

Bluehost shared WordPress hosting is available in 3 different plans:

The Basic plan is going to work fine if you are just getting your site off the ground. 50 GB storage is more than enough for most small sites. Upgrading to Plus gives you unlimited storage, and Choice Plus comes with free automated backups.

You’ll notice that Bluehost doesn’t offer monthly pricing. You can sign up for one, two, or three-year plans. The longer your plan, the deeper the discount.

That means you are getting three years of hosting at $2.95 per month. There are enough services and resources bundled with your hosting plan to avoid having to pay for much more.

Compared to hosts that only offer discounts during your first year, Bluehost is a great way to save more money over time.

Everything you need to get started is right there. Hosting plus free domain plus WordPress. Step-by-step instructions and 24/7 guidance. If you aren’t happy with the experience, Bluehost offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Jumpstart your WordPress today with Bluehost.

#3 – A2 Hosting Review — The Best Way to Escape a Nightmare Host

I have migrated sites from one host to another, and there’s nothing fun about it. Not going to name names, but I have experienced customer service airballs and been price-gouged to the point where I needed a new host that day.

If you find yourself needing to transfer your site away from a nightmare situation, A2 Hosting is your safe haven from further issues.

First things first, A2 will transfer your site for free. This is a big deal because there are a lot of little things that have to be done right in order for the process to go smooth.

A2 has a dedicated team of site migration experts that will help you make sure everything gets moved over safely. A lot of companies will give you some tools to make the process go faster, but it still amounts to a DIY migration. A2 actually does it for you.

And once you are set up, you’ll find that A2’s customer support is definitely a step up from whatever you had before. Even the cheapest plan you can get comes with 24/7 support by phone, email, and live chat.

The customer service team has an excellent reputation for resolving technical questions quickly. No more uncertainty and confusion when something goes wrong.

Your site speed will also likely improve, as A2 is constantly upgrading to the newest technologies. LiteSpeed web servers (available with Turbo plans) deliver 6-11 times faster performance than others.

A2 Hosting has been around for a long time and the platform already works with the popular tools everyone uses. There are one-click installs for WordPress, WooCommerce, Joomla, Drupal, and more.

It’s also got bundled benefits your old host never dreamed of providing for free, like:

100 GB storage
Unlimited email
Unlimited subdomains and parked domains
Site staging
Free SSL certificate
Malware and virus scanning

Unlimited email for free with an entry-level plan is very uncommon. Usually you have to pay extra. Site staging, too, is very rare to get with shared hosting. This allows you to test out new features on your site in a development area before pushing them live.

And 100 GB storage space? That’s two or three times as much as you are going to get for such a low price.

I like A2 for shared hosting because of the great service, generous resources, and useful bundled features.

You’ll notice that the renewal rates are good, not great. Here’s the thing. A2 has 5-star reviews from people who stick with it for years, and they all mention the high quality of the customer service. Some have even reported switching hosts upon renewal, only to run back to A2 because they didn’t know how good they had it.

This is a really good option for people who’s sites are starting to hit resource limits with their current provider. Maybe you’re running out of storage space or maybe your site is just too slow with your other host.

Solve this by moving over to A2 hosting. You’ll get a great price and A2 will move your site over for free.

A2 is the final host you’ll ever need. No more migrations. No more run-arounds from customer service. Just top speed and assistance the moment you need it.

Let A2 rescue you from subpar hosting today.

#4 – DreamHost Review — The Best Way to Avoid an Annual Pricing Plan

If you want a website without the commitment of a long contract, DreamHost is going to give you the best price.

The company does offer very competitive rates if you are willing to sign up long-term, but unlike most competitors, DreamHost will give you a great deal month-to-month.

It works for people who just need dependable hosting, not a long-term relationship with yet another provider.

Shared hosting starts at $4.95 per month. That’s all you have to put down to get started.

There are no hard and fast limits on bandwidth or storage, so you don’t have to worry about overage fees.

Obviously your site can’t take more than its fair share of resources from the shared server, so if you are planning on running a lot of high-caliber website elements or an online store, you might want to spring for a Shared Unlimited plan. That’s only $8.95 per month to start, still no long-term commitment necessary.

You might think that performance or customer service would suffer if you’re not kicking a ton of money in on day one. With DreamHost, though, you get a 100% uptime guarantee. The company will actually refund you if your site goes down.

It’s a win/win scenario. DreamHost rarely if ever has to pay people because the sites never go down.

Another nice perk of DreamHost is that customer service is never outsourced. You can reach out any time of day by email. You can also get in touch with live chat during business hours (5:30AM–9:30PM PT), which more than covers the entire continental U.S.

DreamHost is also an officially recommended WP provider. I’d go with DreamHost for WordPress sites if you don’t want to put a lot of money down today. Bluehost is phenomenal, but you have to sign up for a year or more.

There’s also a lot of bundled services that will save you time and money, including:

One-click installs for Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) and Google Analytics
Automated WP migrations
Automated WP backups
200 WP templates
SSL Certificate
Free domain privacy and protection

I want to call out the free domain privacy and protection, which is free forever with DreamHost. This keeps your personal or business information out of the public record (which I recommend doing), and can cost $10-15 per year with other providers.

DreamHost will include a domain for free, but only if you sign up for a year or more. Alternatively, you can purchase a domain directly through DreamHost at a very reasonable price.

Either way it’s a good deal, but I want to focus on DreamHost’s monthly pricing plans for shared hosting. These are just much better than if you try to go month-to-month with other hosts.

The Shared Starter plan is less than $5 to get started today. No long-term commitment or large upfront cost. After three months, the price jumps up a few bucks to the new current rate, which happens to be $7.99.

This is still not a lot for hosting, considering the unlimited resources and highly available customer service.

One could forgive DreamHost for being less flexible on their refund policy, given that you don’t have to sign anything, but the reverse is in fact true.

DreamHost offers a 97-day refund, which is months longer than most. Cancel whenever you like. There’s no fight to get your money back.

No contract? No problem with DreamHost.

#5 – GreenGeeks Review Review — The Best for Socially-Conscious Companies

GreenGeeks is a solid all-around hosting company with a lot of actually useful bundled benefits. I mean it. You get fast sites and customer service that’s a cut above what you get most other places.

But if you want an eco-friendly hosting solution, this is definitely your number one pick.

Every web host has giant server farms sucking up energy to deliver their service. There’s no way around it–the internet causes pollution. GreenGeeks matches every bit of energy it takes for hosting with three times the amount in renewable energy.

This is what GreenGeeks means by a “300% green hosting platform.” By choosing them as your host, you’re more than offsetting your carbon footprint. You’ll actually be reducing it, putting more power back into the system than you took out.

As noble as all of this is, I wouldn’t be recommending GreenGeeks if the company didn’t deliver the hosting goods.

It does. Big time. Any plan you choose comes with some of the best performance in the shared web hosting space.

The price is extremely competitive and you get a long list of useful services that improve your website speed, save you money, and allow you to spend less time thinking about hosting. For less than $2.50 per month, you get:

Nightly backups
50 email accounts
Unlimited bandwidth
50GB of storage
SSL Certificate
Domain for the first year
CDN
Website builder

With a lot of other hosts, you have to pay extra for a site builder and email. GreenGeeks includes both for free. There’s less stuff to set up, and moving forward, less maintenance on your end with courtesy nightly backups.

You also get a free domain name for the first year, which saves another $10-15 bucks right there.

Customer service is always available. You can reach out by phone, email tickets, or chat. The company has an excellent service reputation. GreenGeeks is also one of the few hosts with dedicated specialists that will help you transfer your old site for free.

I give Bluehost the edge for starting a WordPress site, though GreenGeeks makes the process very easy as well. If you’re not planning on WordPress, GreenGeeks is a good choice for Drupal and Joomla, two other popular content management systems. GreenGeeks gives you one-click installs and automatic updates for those apps and more.

GreenGeeks offers three shared hosting plans.

The Lite plan includes everything that I have mentioned so far. If you are just starting out, this is going to be all you need and more for a single site.

The Pro and Premium plans let you build an unlimited number of sites and offer more resources to help your site handle more traffic as it grows.

Regardless of the plan you choose, virtually everything you need to start running your site is bundled in. You can manage everything from a single dashboard.

The renewal rates are priced about average for the shared hosting space. Nothing great to call out there.

But don’t forget. Every year you host with GreenGeeks is another year where you are putting in more energy than you are taking out.

Turn over a new leaf with GreenGeeks today.

#6 – WP Engine Review — The Best for High-Traffic WordPress Sites

The person behind the scenes of an amazing WordPress website knows just how much attention and maintenance went into it.

That person doesn’t have to be you.

With WP Engine, you create great content, and your hosting provider takes over the technical side. This is really important if you have a high-traffic WordPress site, especially if you need to support interactive features and lots of media.

You can rest assured that everything will work and your site will be fast. That’s because WP Engine offers managed WordPress hosting plans. You still save money by sharing the server space with other WP Engine tenants, but you get much better performance and customer service because it’s a managed plan.

If you have a basic WordPress site or blog, Bluehost is going to be just fine. But once you reach a certain size, WordPress maintenance starts to become a lot more involved. With WP Engine, you don’t have to worry about the backend legwork–your sites are always blazing fast.

Think about the impression this makes on visitors. You have the latest plugins, video features, and intuitive shopping carts. Everything works in perfect harmony as potential customers make their way around your site.

This creates a positive, professional online identity for your business. And you don’t have to hire a developer to babysit your site or worry about the configuration and tedious maintenance yourself.

Even though WP Engine manages a lot of the technical stuff, there is no loss of control. In fact, you will have more tools to build out your site than any other platform. Some of the highlights of WP Engine hosting include:

30+ premium WordPress themes
Staging site
Daily backups
Threat detection and blocking
CDN
Automated WP migrations

The premium themes alone are worth more than $2,000 if you were to purchase them individually.

But the real value comes from being able to create a site that stands out from the rest. With millions of WordPress sites already using the same free themes, WP Engine gives you more freedom to create something different with the more powerful premium themes.

Stand out from the crowd. Test new ideas with complete freedom as WP Engine provides an easy staging area for you to try new plugins and themes before going live.

Whether you are building sites for yourself or your customers, the staging area streamlines safe development.

And when you run into issues, you get the best WordPress customer service in the business. WP Engine customers rave about how fast and comprehensive the support is. They are more than happy to pay extra for the peace of mind.

The cost of signing up with WP Engine is higher than most other shared hosting plans, but that’s because you get a lot more. Everything from themes to support is truly premium.

And, if you sign up using my promo code, you’ll save an extra 20% off your first payment.

If you are focused on getting the most value from every dollar you spend, WP Engine is worth it. Your site just works, and you don’t have to invest additional time and resources into it.

Bear in mind that WP Engine does not increase upon renewal. You can get two months for free if you sign an annual plan, but the price never changes.

So while WP Engine is significantly more than the introductory rates from other web hosts, over time it’s a lot closer.

WP Engine offers additional managed hosting plans beyond the ones I’ve pictured here. You can get managed hosting plus, which helps with keeping plugins updated, as well as plans for ecommerce hosting.

One thing to be aware of is that WP Engine only does WordPress hosting. If you are trying to host multiple types of sites on the same host, this is not for you. Bluehost can help with whatever type of site you want, and offers managed WordPress plans if you need more than basic shared hosting.

But if you want a top-of-the-line WordPress experience, WP Engine is your best option. You’ll be able to take your sites to the next level with minimal work on your end.Grow your site and your business, not your maintenance schedule.

Get in touch with WP Engine today.

What I Looked at to Find the Best Shared Hosting Company

If you are looking at shared hosting, it’s because you’re looking for a good price with low maintenance.

Consider it entry-level hosting, a fine option for new and small sites that aren’t expecting a ton of visitors.

Other types of hosting–like VPS, cloud, and dedicated hosting–let you handle hundreds of thousands of visitors each month. The trade off is more upkeep and responsibility on your end. Plus these are going to cost five, ten, twenty times as much each month.

Still you want a fast site that’s always up and secure. You’re sharing space on a server, but you don’t want to compromise on the fundamentals.

Done.

All of my picks are dependable web hosts with a long track record of excellence with regards to site performance and security. This is as good as shared hosting gets.

That said, the way that each web host parcels out their services is different.

Let’s get into the fine print and nitty-gritty to make sure that you are finding the best deal on what you really need.

Today’s Price vs Renewal Rate

Shared hosting is definitely the best way to get a low price on hosting, but you want to get something that works within your budget today, tomorrow, and next year.

Typically, to get the cheapest price on most hosting plans, you have to sign on to a multi-year contract. If you have to pay everything up front, it may wind up being several hundred dollars, even if it’s only a few bucks a month.

Is that going to work? You don’t want to get to the end of the registration process only to discover that the “cheap” plan is way more than you want to put down today.

DreamHost is a great option for people that want a low monthly rate, as some hosts won’t let you sign up for less than a year.

The other major price factor to watch out for is the renewal rate. All web hosts offer introductory deals to get you to sign up, but that honeymoon pricing only lasts for so long.

Be smart about this. Signing up for a four-year Hostinger deal locks in the lowest rate for that entire period. Yes, it’s a chunk of change upfront, but over time it’s definitely the cheapest option out there.

Resource Limits Don’t Box You In

As I mentioned, I only picked shared web hosts who offered best-in-class performance for their clients’ websites.

That said, each provider allocates server resources differently–if you start to max out these limits, performance is going to suffer even if you’re with a solid host.

You don’t want to get stuck choosing your content or site design based on resource limits.

Start with how much storage you need. A wedding photographer with thousands of high-res pictures and video is going to blow through storage quicker than a blogger who includes an image with each post.

A2 Hosting offers exceptionally generous storage with their entry-level plan: 100 GB for less than $3 per month. All of A2’s other plans come with unlimited storage.

You’ll see unlimited storage for a lot of upgraded shared hosting plans, and just know that it only counts toward what you use for your site. In other words, you can’t store seasons of your favorite show.

The other major resource to think about is bandwidth, which is basically the amount of data that can pass between your site and visitors. The amount you have is going to impact how fast your site is and how much lag there is between visitors arriving and page elements loading.

Everyone likes fast sites and they rank higher, but how much bandwidth do you need?

Some providers, like WP Engine, make it easy to figure out what to expect, because they list bandwidth along with an approximate number of monthly visitors on the pricing page:

New website owners especially will find this helpful. 25,000 visits a month is an easy number to wrap your head around. Some web hosts only give the bandwidth, which leaves you trying to pencil out how many visitors you can support.

When you see web hosts advertising “unlimited bandwidth,” what they mean is that there are no hard limits on what you can use. Bear in mind that it’s a shared server with finite resources, so if your site (or other people’s on that server) are using more than their fair share, it’s going to impact site performance.

For people with a basic site or blog, site resources aren’t a huge concern. You probably won’t have thousands of visitors each day, and each one will be consuming relatively little bandwidth.

But if you start adding interactive features, WordPress plugins, and other resource-intensive features on your site, I’d pay very close attention to what you get, and how much it’s going to cost if you need more.

Bundled Services You Actually Need

A lot of providers throw in more than just hosting when you sign up. These package deals that include a lot of other services that may save you time and money.

Or you wind up paying for a bunch of stuff that you don’t need.

Here’s a short list of bundled services that are actual plusses for most users:

Domain name: To get a site online, you have to have a domain name, which is your web address (mine’s neilpatel.com).
Site Backups: This is what it sounds like and means you don’t have to download a third-party app or manage site backups yourself.
SSL certificates: A secure sockets layer (SSL) certificate encrypts traffic when people fill out forms or enter payment info. This is important because Chrome, Safari, and other browsers will tell visitors your site is unsafe if you don’t have an SSL certificate.
Website builder: With a good website builder, you won’t have to write a line of code to get your site looking the way you want it. Simply drag, drop, and edit page elements visually.
CDN: A content delivery network (CDN) stores your sites on a network of servers across the country or world. This makes your sites load faster for visitors.
Domain privacy: When you register your domain name, your company’s information becomes public unless you have domain privacy enabled. Some hosts charge for this, others include it for free. I recommend getting it to avoid spam.
Email: You want an email address associated with your domain (info@exampledomain.com), so it’s convenient if hosts include this for free.

If this is your first site, all of this is going to be helpful.

A free domain name saves $10-15 and the time it takes you to signup with a domain registrar and point to your new host. Bluehost includes a domain name free for the first year, and you can get set up in a few steps without having to hunt down a domain registrar.

And even experienced folks will appreciate stuff like automated site backups. WP Engine takes care of that completely, which saves you from having to pay for and set up a system on your own.

Something like a website builder may be important if you want to customize the look of your site. Hostinger has an affordable site builder, but it’s an extra cost. GreenGeeks, which is a little more expensive per month, includes a site builder for free.

If you are going to run a WordPress site on Bluehost, you don’t need a separate website builder. You get templates and custom themes as part of the hosting package, so you are all set to build a sharp WordPress site immediately.

Alternatively, it may be the case that you already have a business email and use Cloudflare for free CDN. In that case, some of these services are just going to be distractions.

Support You Can Count On

Customer service is very important when it comes to hosting. What happens when your site goes down? What happens when you can’t figure out what’s wrong?

Every minute your site is down or broken sends potential visitors to your competitor’s sites.

Customer service is a big factor in my decision to recommend this specific lineup of shared hosting providers. You can get in touch with any of them at any time day or night. I consider 24/7 support essential.

Some offer a greater range of support channels than others. A2 and GreenGeeks include phone, live chat, and email ticket support with every single plan they offer. Others only include phone service with premium tier plans.

But the number of support channels doesn’t tell the whole story. WP Engine only offers live chat with their lowest tier plan, but the company has incredible customer service reviews. People are very happy with the live chat support, because they are always talking with someone with expertise in WordPress.

Reading reviews only gets you so far, though. To get real evidence, take advantage of the free trial period. Every host I chose offers some risk-free period to try them out.

During that time, submit a bunch of customer service requests: calls, tickets, chats. Try out every avenue. It should be easy to get answers in a timely fashion. If it’s not, I’d consider that a red flag.

For people who already have a website, try to find a web host that will help you transfer your old site. That can get messy real quick. A2 and GreenGeeks will migrate your site for free, so I’d recommend looking at those two if you have a site already.

Conclusion

If you’re starting a new site from scratch or currently running a small website, shared hosting will be the best option for you. As your site grows, you can upgrade your hosting if need be, but it’s going to be more than good enough for now.

Let’s review my recommendations for the best shared hosting:

Hostinger — Lowest possible price for shared hosting
Bluehost — Best way to launch your WordPress site today
A2 Hosting — Best way to escape a nightmare host
DreamHost — Best way to avoid an annual pricing plan
GreenGeeks — Best for socially-conscious companies
WP Engine — Best for high-traffic WordPress sites

Hostinger is my top pick because it has the lowest price and comes with everything a new site needs to flourish.

For getting a new WordPress site off the ground, go with Bluehost. There’s no easier way to get started.

The other options are good, too, and may work even better than Hostinger or Bluehost, depending on what you are trying to do.

Say you need to leave your old host now. A2 is my top pick for you because they offer a free site transfer. This guarantees that the transition will be smooth and you won’t have to migrate everything over yourself.

Those of you looking to spend the smallest amount on day one will like DreamHost. Without signing a contract, you can get top-tier shared hosting at an affordable price.

Choose GreenGeeks if you want your hosting plan to improve the environment. Rest assured that every dollar you spend on hosting goes toward renewable energy.

If you are planning on a high-traffic WordPress site, for example, it might behoove you to go with WP Engine. While it’s overkill for small sites, it’s going to work much better for complex sites with a lot of visitors.

What’s your go-to provider for shared hosting?

Best SSL Certificate Provider

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You want people to trust your site, and that requires a valid secure sockets layer (SSL) certificate.

SSL certificates are issued by a certificate authority (CA) and they build trust in two important ways:

The CA authenticates the identity of the organization that wants the certificate. This way, people know that they are in fact sending their information to PayPal, for example, and not someone who has set up a fake PayPal site.
The SSL certificate encrypts the data travelling between your website and visitors. This way, potential attackers can’t steal the information people share on your site, such as their username, password, or credit card number.

Today, all of the popular browsers like Google Chrome will warn users anytime they attempt to visit a site without an SSL certificate. It’ll say something like “This site is not secure,” or “Any information you share may be vulnerable to attackers.”

Would-be visitors are going to head to a different site where they feel comfortable entering their credit number. I know I would.

There are a lot of different CAs to choose from and they sell a range of SSL certificates designed to help companies establish their online identity and protect their customer’s privacy.

For some people, going with a free SSL certificate is going to be fine. All that’s required is a quick demonstration that you control a particular domain. These are known as DV (domain validated) SSL certificates.

But they are not enough to protect a major website or online store.

For companies that need to establish a greater level of trust, OV (organization validated) or EV (extended validation) SSL certificates involve real-world background checks on the organization making the request.

The rigorous authentication process isn’t free, but it conveys a much higher level of trust. Paid SSL certificate providers also make the process of obtaining and renewing certificates much easier through an intuitive online platform.

Choosing the right provider can seem tricky at first, given that they are all selling the same essential service. There are important differences, though, and you want to figure them out before you decide.

In this post, I’ve reviewed the top SSL certificate providers. These are big names with a long history of protecting websites. The reviews are followed by a short guide that will help you make sense of your options and ask the right questions moving forward.

#1 – SSL.com Review — The Best for Budget-Friendly SSL Certificates

SSL.com is perfectly suited for small and growing businesses that need to secure their sites, but can’t afford to spend thousands of dollars a year.

They are a mid-range product which works for companies that have outgrown their ability to use free SSL certificates, but don’t have especially complex security needs that justify the premium pricing of DigiCert or GlobalSign.

The best part about the budget prices is that the level of encryption is the same as you get with much more expensive SSL certificates.

You might think that the downside would be lower-quality customer service, but nothing could be further from the truth.

SSL.com offers 24/7 chat, email, and phone support. In review after review, happy customers have thanked their SSL.com customer service agent for walking them through installing their first SSL certificate or helping them handle a complex issue.

I think SSL.com has struck a good balance between price and customer service. It’s not dirt cheap, by any means, but it’s certainly less expensive than some of the enterprise-focused SSL certificate providers.

Along with affordable pricing, SSL.com offers a range of certificates flexible enough to accommodate the needs of many different businesses:

Basic SSL: starting at $36.75/year (domain validation)
Premium SSL: starting at $74.25/year (comes with three subdomains)
High Assurance SSL: starting at $48.40/year (organization validation)
Enterprise EV SSL: starting at $239.50/year
Wildcard SSL Certificate: starting at $224.25/year
Multi-domain UCC/SAN: starting at $141.60/year
Enterprise EV UCC/SAN SSL: $319.20/year

Like other SSL certificate providers, you have to sign a longer contract to get the lowest price. With SSL.com, however, the single-year pricing still comes in lower than competitors.

As you can see above, SSL.com has really low rates for wildcard and Subject Alternative Name (SAN) certificates. This can save a ton of money and streamline certificate management.

Wildcard certificates cover an unlimited number of subdomains. Instead of buying, installing, and renewing a separate certificate for neilpatel.com, info.neilpatel.com, and so on, I just need one Wildcard.

SAN Certificates protect multiple domains. The exact number depends on the SSL certificate provider. More domains covered with fewer certificates will make your life much easier.

Just for comparison, GlobalSign’s EV SSL certificate starts at $599 and it costs extra to add domains and subdomains from there.

With SSL.com, on the other hand, the Enterprise EV UCC/SAN SSL lets you secure up to 500 additional domains for a lot less money. And with GlobalSign, you are limited to 100 additional subdomains per SAN certificate.

Compared to Digicert, the difference is more pronounced as a multi-domain EV is nearly $3,000 per year.

If you think that SSL.com is coming in at the right price for you, give it a shot. The 30-day unconditional refund is not a marketing gimmick. If you are not happy, they will credit your account immediately. Get started now.

#2 – GlobalSign Review — The Best Managed SSL for Enterprise

GlobalSign is the SSL certificate provider of choice for large organizations with complex needs. They have some of the highest rates in the industry, but also some of the happiest customers because of the quality of their service.

If you just need a couple SSL certificates, I would go with something less expensive. On the other hand, if you need a lot of certificates, and managing so many of them is starting to cause problems, then GlobalSign is a wise choice.

Its best-in-breed certificate monitoring and inventory tool, combined with heavy discounts for volume licensing, reduces the total cost of ownership for complete SSL security.

Decrease the frequency of the costly problems associated with certificate expiry, regardless of how many you have to manage. You can even set policy preferences and receive reminders when certificates aren’t compliant, regardless of who issued the certificate.

No more having to track down certificates manually. Everything is available with a quick scan.

Think about it. If your staff saves an extra couple hours each month due to GlobalSign’s intuitive platform and concierge support, then the service has already paid for itself.

I highly recommend GlobalSign for businesses that can’t play the normal waiting game to get new certificates. After GlobalSign authenticates your business, they can issue certificates virtually on-demand because they have pre-vetted all domains.

The initial authentication process is fairly quick (between three and four business days for EV). Some people have reported being able to get certificates quicker due to emergency situations simply by calling up GlobalSign.

GlobalSign offers the full range of traditional SSL certificates:

DV SSL certificate: starting at $249/year
OV SSL certificate: starting at $349/year
EV SSL certificate: starting at $599/year
DV Wildcard SSL certificate: starting at $849/year
OV Wildcard SSL certificate: starting at $949/year

GlobalSign offers SAN SSL certificates for multiple domains at $199/year on top of the base certificate price. So, an OV SAN SSL from GlobalSign would run you $549/year. A single SAN certificate will cover up to 100 additional domains.

You can choose to add subdomains for an additional cost, as well, though a wildcard SSL certificate will be more cost effective if you need coverage for a lot.

The warranty for the GlobalSign EV tops out at $1.5 million. If your digital certificates don’t provide the protection promised, GlobalSign will foot the bill for damages.

This is half a million less than a comparable certificate from DigiCert. Ideally, you’ll never have to worry about the difference, but it’s something to be aware of.

Another nice aspect for enterprise customers is that GlobalSign supports document signing, code signing, digital signatures, and secure email. Being able to centralize all of these SSL security concerns in a single platform can make managing them much easier.

GlobalSign also offers intranet SSL for securing internal servers and applications. This means companies no longer have to run their own CA or use self-signed certificates.

For companies that provide cloud-based services, GlobalSign’s CloudSSL can help them meet the complex security requirements of these next-generation environments.

Not every company will realize the benefit from GlobalSign’s premium suite of managed SSL certificates and services. For simple websites, it’s overkill.

But for enterprises, especially companies with complex SSL security needs, going with GlobalSign is worth every penny.

Request a GlobalSign managed SSL demo today, and see the difference it makes.

#3 – DigiCert Review — The Best for Premium SSL Certificates

Digicert Group owns a handful of the most trusted CAs (GeoTrust, RapidSSL, Thawte, and Verisign) and has become one of the largest SSL certificate providers in the world.

It’s one of the more expensive options, for sure, but Digicert includes security features with its premium SSL certificates that can make a huge difference for the right businesses.

This includes automatic malware detection across all your sites, PCI (payment card industry) compliance scans, and blocklist checks, which ensure that your site isn’t under suspicion on any government or country-specific blocklist.

Importantly, most of these features only come with Digicert’s higher-tier plans. The provider breaks down its offerings into three tiers: Basic, Secure Site, and Secure Site Pro.

You can buy different types of certificates for each tier, but I don’t recommend going with Basic. It costs a lot more than comparable protection from other SSL certificate providers and you miss out on the extra security features that make Digicert’s premium pricing a good buy.

If you need the basic domain validation that comes with Digicert Basic, I’d go with SSL.com. On the other hand, if you are running an ecommerce website where users are entering financial information, Digicert offers a high level of protection that is very appealing.

At the Secure Site tier (which comes with organization validation), pricing breaks down as follows:

Secure Site SSL: starting at $399/year
Secure Site EV SSL: starting at $995/year
Secure Site Multi-domain SSL: starting at $1,296/year
Secure Site Multi-domain EV SSL: starting at $2,785/year
Secure Site Wildcard SSL: starting at $1,999/year

All Secure Site certificates are backed by a $1.75 million Netsure Protection Warranty for your businesses, and a $2 million aggregate Relying Party Warranty for your customers.

This is one of the most comprehensive warranties out there, and this isn’t even the premium DigiCert plan.

You also get priority support, which means that Digicert agents will respond to your concerns faster than they would if you went with the Basic tier. Another good reason to avoid that.

Of course people still run into issues, but Digicert customers with priority support constantly praise the company for their responsiveness and expert advice.

The company really does walk their customers through the installation process for free. They expect you to have questions and they are ready to help.

All of this and more comes with the SecureSitePro tier:

Secure Site Pro SSL: starting at $995/year
Secure Site Pro EV SSL: starting at $1,499/year

These plans are backed by a slightly better warranty, which covers your business up to $2 million. There’s also certificate transparency log monitoring that alerts businesses whenever an unauthorized certificate is assigned to one of their domains.

In addition to priority support Secure Site Pro also includes priority validation, which cuts down the time it takes to issue new certificates.

Not every company needs the extra security, but those that do will appreciate the totality of what Digicert offers with its Site Secure Pro certificates:

All Digicert certificates are managed via CertCentral, which is remarkably easy to use. CertCentral is designed to work at scale, so it doesn’t matter how many certificates you have—it’s going to be easy to manage.

Digicert backs all of their SSL certificates with a 30-day, money-back guarantee. No questions asked, no hassles.

What I Looked at to Find the Best SSL Certificate Provider

You want people to know, without a doubt, that your site is safe and trustworthy.

The exact range of SSL certificates and capabilities you need will depend on the type and number of websites your company operates.

Price is an important factor—especially when you look at long-term costs—but it can’t be the only thing you focus on. In a very real sense, you get what you pay for.

Some companies will be completely covered by the bargain SSL certificates. Others will be extremely grateful they went with a premium product that really delivers the security they need.

To find out which SSL certificate provider is going to work best for your specific situation, pay attention to the following X criteria as you evaluate your options.

Types of SSL Certificates

You want to get the right type of SSL certificates for your site. Understanding the basic differences between them will help you avoid buying more than you need, or not getting enough.

There are three types of SSL certificates you’ll encounter. They vary according to validation level:

Domain Validated (DV): DV certificates show that the certificate authority has validated that you are the owner of a particular domain. These are typically free, but since you don’t have to demonstrate anything beyond control over a domain, they have the lowest level of trust.
Organization Validated (OV): OV certificates show that the certificate authority has validated that your organization is real, has a known physical location, and controls the domain. These are not free and may take several days to acquire, as they require a real-world identity check. As such, OV certificates have a higher level of trust than DVs.
Extended Validation (EV): EV certificates have the most extensive validation process. In addition to checking everything required for an OV, an EV also requires the examination of corporate documents.

Generally speaking, different types of SSL certificates from the same provider will have the same level of encryption. It’s the authentication process that adds the extra level of trust.

The encryption that comes with DV certificates is key. But when encryption is tied to the rigorous identity check of and OV or EV certificates, it becomes much harder for bad actors to carry out phishing or man-in-the-middle attacks.

In some industries, like finance and healthcare, you may have to get an EV SSL certificate. This is just a bullet to bite. This is also true if you have a high-profile website that could be a juicy target for attackers.

Some choose to get OV or EV certificates for branding purposes. This was more important when browsers like Chrome showed a green padlock next to the site’s URL.

Google started phasing that out and now everyone gets the same gray padlock, regardless of the type of validation. Even PayPal doesn’t have a green lock in Chrome any more:

There is, of course, more information about the organization in the certificate details if you get an OV or EV, but who is checking that?

If you can avoid paying for OV or EV, I recommend doing that. Just check to make sure that it’s going to work for your industry and with any payment gateway software you use.

In terms of picking between different vendors, be sure you are making an apples-to-apples comparison.

For example, Secure Site SSL from Digicert is an OV certification, though it doesn’t say so by name, whereas a Single Domain OV certificate from Sectigo makes it more obvious.

Speaking of single domain certificates, there are two important subtypes of SSL certificates:

Wildcard SSL certificates cover an unlimited number of subdomains.
Subject Alternative Name (SAN) SSL certificates cover a certain number of additional domains. These may also be called “multi-domain” or UCC (unified communications certificate).

The exact limitations will vary from provider to provider. With GlobalSign, for example, you purchase the type of SSL certificate you want (DV, OV, or EV) and then pay an extra $199/year for every additional domain, and $99/year for each subdomain.

Alternatively, GlobalSign offers a Wildcard SSL that will secure an unlimited number of subdomains for $849/year.

If you need to secure multiple domains or lots of subdomains on a tight budget, I recommend SSL.com. They have Wildcards starting as low as $225 and SAN certificates that can secure up to 500 domains for $142/year.

One final note: it’s possible to use multiple certificate providers. Many company’s use free SSL certificates from Let’s Encrypt for everything they can, and use paid SSL certificates to cover everything else.

Speed to Issuance

How fast can you get the SSL certificates you need?

While DV SSL certificates can be issued more or less instantly, the OV and EV SSL certificates can take several days and possibly longer.

If you need one of these higher validation certificates badly, then definitely go with an SSL certificate provider who promises in the 1-3 day range, like DigiCert. Of course, you’ll want to check the reviews to see if they walk the walk when it comes to shipping certificates quickly.

SSL.com has some of the fastest turn-around-times, judging from reviews, so they can be a good choice if you need an SSL certificate yesterday.

For companies that develop software, Digicert and GlobalSign solve the problem of issuing certificates at the speed of DevOps.

They set up an enterprise account which lets you pre-validate domains. With Digicert and Globalsign, this is simple to manage, so you pre-validate as many domains as you think you might need, and certificates can then be issued on-demand.

Warranty Policy

One of the major benefits to going with a paid SSL certificate over a free one is that you are covered by a warranty. It’s like an insurance policy. If an incorrectly issued SSL certificate causes problems, you won’t be on the hook for making it right.

These warranties vary depending on which type of certificate you choose. DV SSL certificates are backed by warranties of around $10,000, whereas EV SSL certificates may cover more than $1 million.

DigiCert has one of the most comprehensive warranties. For their EV SSL certificate, your business is covered by a $2 million warranty and your customers are backed by a separate $2 million warranty.

Hopefully you will never need this, but if you do, it’s important to know which companies are backing you with a suitable warranty.

Customer Service

Whether you are purchasing a single SSL certificate or thousands a week, the quality of customer service matters a lot.

There can be a lot of steps to installing and renewing SSL certificates. It’s a little different for every host and type of server. Sometimes the “easy installation” process is going to be more difficult based on your specific hardware.

Being able to pick up the phone and talk to an expert who can walk you through the process is worth a lot. SSL.com has a great reputation, with hundreds of reviewers describing reassuring customer service throughout their first installation of an SSL certificate. The agents stay on the line, from start to finish, ensuring that everything is done right.

Let’s Encrypt is a great option for free SSL certificates, but are you saving money if it takes your paid employees several hours a month to finagle with an unfamiliar system?

This is why companies like GlobalSign and Digicert can charge a lot more for SSL certificates than others. You are paying for the on-demand, concierge customer service so that you don’t have to hire experts yourself.

Conclusion

If you can’t use the best free SSL certificates to protect your sites, it’s important to find the right paid option.

Much is going to depend on finding an SSL certificate provider who offers the range of certificates you need at a price that makes sense. My recommendations are a good place to get started:

SSL.com – Best for budget-friendly SSL certificates
GlobalSign – Best managed SSL for enterprise
DigiCert – Best for premium SSL certificates

For companies looking for affordable SSL certificates, make SSL.com your first and only stop. On top of their excellent prices, they have a great reputation for helping their customers. If you need a Wildcard or SAN certificate, going with SSL.com could save you thousands of dollars each year.

If you only need OV or EV certificates, and you want a serious warranty to back them up, Digicert is a great choice. There’s definitely a higher price tag, but the platform comes with many additional tools to maintain top-level SSL security across all of your sites.

GlobalSign is my recommendation for enterprise customers who want a provider that helps them manage their complex SSL needs. There is no more user-friendly certificate management system out there, and you can depend on their customer service agents to be there when you need them.

There are many, many more options out there for SSL certificates. These are my top three. They have stood the test of time, helped thousands of companies keep their sites secure, and continuously evolve their technology to stay on top.

To recap:

Use This Secret Weapon to Slay Your Funding Foes and Find the Best Sources of Alternative Loans for Businesses

Are you struggling to get funding for your business? Never fear, alternative loans for businesses are here. They tend to get a bad rap. This is mostly due to the fact that predatory lending runs rampant in today’s world, and it’s hard to know who to trust and who is scamming you. However, not all sources of alternative business financing are created equal.

10 Alternative Loans for Businesses to Help Your Business Soar

Nothing is guaranteed and things change every day. Still, at the moment, these 10 alternative lenders for small business tend to work well for many. They also offer a wide range of alternative business financing options to fit a variety of needs.

Learn business loan secrets and get money for your business.

Fundation

When it comes to alternative loans for businesses, Fundation provides both term business loans and lines of credit. It is most known for its working capital financing options. These are funds meant to help cover the day-to-day costs of running a business rather than larger projects.

StreetShares

StreetShares has its roots in lending to veterans. They still hold true to that mission, but now offer term loans, lines of credit, and contract financing to all types of business owners. The maximum loan amount is $250,000, and preapproval only takes a few minutes. They use a soft pull on your credit so it doesn’t affect your score.

BlueVine

There are two options for small business financing with BlueVine. They include lines of credit and invoice factoring. Minimum loan amount is $5,000 and maximum loan amount is $100,000. Annual revenue must be $120,000 or more and the borrower must be in business at least 6 months. Personal credit score has to be 600 or above.

Fundbox

With Fundbox, you get an online lender that offers a super-fast automated process. Originally, they only had invoice financing. Yet, now they offer a line of credit service as well. Repayments are automatic on a weekly basis. So,be sure you have enough funds in whatever account you let them draft from to cover your payment each week.

Kiva

Kiva is an online lender that is a little different. For example, the interest rate is 0%. That means even though you have to pay it back, it is absolutely free money. They don’t even check your credit. There is one catch though. You have to get at least 5 family members or friends to throw some money in the pot as well. In addition, you have to pitch in a $25 loan to another business on the platform.

Learn business loan secrets and get money for your business.

Fora Financial

Fora Financial was founded in 2008 by college roommates. It now funds more than $1.3 million in working capital around the United States. There is no minimum credit score, and there is an early repayment discount if you qualify.

OnDeck

Obtaining financing from OnDeck is quick and easy. First, you apply online. If you receive approval, your loan funds will go directly to your bank account.

Lendio

The secret to Lendio’s success is excellent customer service and a short, easy application process. The loan-connections service it offers slashes the time it takes to find the right alternative loans for businesses. This is due to its heavily vetted network of lenders.

Credibly

Credibly is a specialized lender offering unsecured business loans online. The application process and funding can be complete in as little as two days, sometimes less. They offer daily and weekly repayment options.

Upstart

Upstart uses a completely innovative platform for loans. They choose to use a combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to gather alternative data for use in making credit decisions.

This may include such things as mobile phone bills, rent, deposits, withdrawals, and even other information less directly tied to finances. The software they use learns and improves on its own. You can use their online quote tool to play with different amounts and terms to see the various interest rate possibilities.

Learn business loan secrets and get money for your business.

Warning: Alternative Loans for Businesses Aren’t for Everyone

Despite the fact that these alternative lending companies tend to offer alternative loans for businesses with less stringent requirements, they won’t work for everyone. Alternative financing methods are just not always a good fit. Here is another other option. Keep reading to the end for a sure-fire way to ensure you can always qualify for the business funding you need when you need it.

The Credit Line Hybrid

What if there were alternative financing options that allowed you to have an even better interest rate than a secured loan, and yet get the money faster and easier than any type of traditional funding. What if you could get business funding without having to supply bank statements or check stubs? This is exactly what the Credit Line Hybrid offers.

This is alternative funding for small business that allows you to fund your business without putting up collateral. You only pay back what you use. You do need good personal credit however. That is, your personal credit score should be at least 680. In addition, you can’t have any liens, judgments, bankruptcies or late payments. Furthermore, in the past 6 months, you should have less than 6 credit inquiries. Also, you should have less than a 45% balance on all business and personal credit cards. In addition, you need at least 2 credit cards with at least 2 years credit history.

If you don’t meet all those requirements, you can still qualify. You can take on a credit partner that meets each of these requirements. Many business owners work with a friend or relative to fund their business. If a relative or a friend meets all of these requirements, they can partner with you to allow you to tap into their credit to access funding.

Use This Secret Weapon and Always Get the Business Funding You Need

To be eligible for the highest limits and best rates when it comes to business credit, your business has to be fundable. There are over 100 factors that impact the fundability of a business. It is a complicated web to weave through. Things from decades ago, long before you ever imagined owning a business, can affect fundability.

The key to having a strong, fundable business that can qualify for any funding is to work with a business credit expert. What can a business credit expert do for you?

Help you assess the current fundability of your business
Guide you to the most effective and efficient ways to improve fundability if necessary
Help you find the best funding options for your business right now
Guide you in what specific, actionable steps you need to take to qualify for more funding with better rates
Leverage lender relationships to cut through a lot of the red tape and bureaucracy that can keep borrowers from getting the information they need, when they need it

It’s common for a borrower to call a lender or vendor credit department directly and not be able to find out if they report to the business credit reporting agencies, or exactly what they are looking for when it comes to credit approval.

A business credit expert already knows a lot of this information, and what they don’t know, they know how to get. They also know their way around alternative sources of financing for business, so they can offer guidance in this area as well.

This is your number one top-secret weapon to getting your business to a point where you know you can get funding when you need it. Try a free consultation with a Credit Suite business credit expert to get started now.

The post Use This Secret Weapon to Slay Your Funding Foes and Find the Best Sources of Alternative Loans for Businesses appeared first on Credit Suite.

Use This Secret Weapon to Slay Your Funding Foes and Find the Best Sources of Alternative Loans for Businesses

Are you struggling to get funding for your business? Never fear, alternative loans for businesses are here. They tend to get a bad rap. This is mostly due to the fact that predatory lending runs rampant in today’s world, and it’s hard to know who to trust and who is scamming you. However, not all … Continue reading Use This Secret Weapon to Slay Your Funding Foes and Find the Best Sources of Alternative Loans for Businesses

Best WordPress Booking Plugins

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Does your business book appointments online? Are you looking for the best WordPress booking plugins to help you streamline your workflow and increase customer satisfaction?

An effective booking plugin can be an essential part of your business puzzle. Once you find the right one, you eliminate the possibility of losing customers to faulty or less than ideal plugins that don’t do the job well.

In this guide, I share some of the best WordPress booking plugins to help you manage all your appointments with ease. Once you’ve read through my top choices, you’ll be able to make the best decision for your unique business needs.

Let’s get started.

#1 – StartBooking Review — The Best for Service Appointment Scheduling

StartBooking offers a powerful WordPress booking plugin you can easily download and install to manage all your service appointment needs.

They offer a clean customer-facing interface that allows them to choose from a pre-defined list of services with available times and dates. Once they’re ready to book their appointment, StartBooking effectively captures all their information, so they’re ready to go. This makes StartBooking an exceptional option for WordPress users in the service industry that want to offer their customers a clean and professional online booking experience they can rely on.

If you want to capture online payments as your customers book their appointments, StartBooking integrates with Stripe for easy payment processing.

Some of their best booking features:

Offers a fully customizable booking plugin so that you configure it to book appointments exactly how you want
Easily integrates with Google Calendar
Manage how customers view their booking options and services from your WordPress dashboard
Book and manage an unlimited number of appointments
Get access to crucial booking analytics, so you always know how you’re doing month to month
Assign different staff members to different appointment offerings
Define booking times that prevent you from overlapping appointments
The ability to handle class and group booking

Pricing tiers include:

Individual — $12 per month for unlimited sites and appointments
Business — $28 per month for unlimited sites and appointments

Both tiers offer custom fields, blocking dates, and customizable emails. The Business plan is better for a team with multiple calendars and comes with advanced reported and priority support. Try StartBooking free here for 14 days.

#2 – Bookly Pro Review — The Best for Use with Staff Members

A plugin like Bookly Pro is a top choice if you work with staff members and need plenty of assignable backend booking features. The plugin was downloaded over 34,000 times by businesses that want a strong handle on their booking workflow.

With Bookly Pro, you can enable your staff to stay on top of upcoming appointments with automated notifications and let them know when they’ve scored a purchase. Bookly lets you connect each of your employees and their Google Calendars to any number of services available for booking.

This enables you to manage your team and multiple bookings without the potential confusion that can come with it. It’s the feature that makes Bookly an immensely effective booking plugin if you’re managing a growing team.

Though Bookly offers a free plugin version, if you want access to support and advanced booking features, you’re better off making their one-time payment for full access to everything they offer.

Some of its best features:

Gorgeous booking forms and front-facing design
Fully responsive booking features that work on any screen size
Integrate with Google Calendars and WooCommerce
Accept payments through a variety of payment gateways, including Stripe and PayPal
Built-in analytics with plenty of booking stats
Offers the ability to connect to a number of third-party systems using Zapier

Bookly Pro costs $89, a one-time payment that includes future updates and six months of support. You can also pay an additional $31.50 to extend support for up to 12 months. Buy Bookly Pro now.

#3 – Booking & Appointment Plugin For WooCommerce Review — The Best for Use with WooCommerce

The Booking & Appointment Plugin For WooCommerce truly does it all when it comes to booking just about anything online once you integrate and use it with WooCommerce (a robust WordPress ecommerce store plugin).

With it, you can handle hotel bookings, fitness appointments, party rentals, apartment rentals, and a ton more once you get it configured with your WooCommerce shop.

The Booking & Appointment Plugin For WooCommerce lets you set up single-day or multiple-day bookings for equipment rentals or hotel reservations with just a few clicks. If you already have a WooCommerce shop set up through WordPress, adding the booking and appointment plugin can completely transform your shopping experience with a booking and appointment interface that’s easy to use in both backend and frontend views.

Some of the Booking & Appointment Plugin’s best features:

Syncs with Google Calendar for both admin users and customers
Easily set up and automate SMS reminders
Enable time slots that configure to customer’s local time zones
Capable of multilingual displays in more than 60 languages
See all your penned in appointments in either calendar or list views
You can setup booking for multiple products on multiple dates

For a license, you’ll pay an annual subscription fee. The tiers are:

Starter — $119 for one store
Business — $199 for five stores
Enterprise — $249 for unlimited stores

All three licenses come with all of the core features, including flexible labels, exclusion dates, custom booking calendar, multi-language capabilities, and timezone conversions. Get started with The Booking & Appointment Plugin For WooCommerce here.

#4 – Bookingo Review — The Best for Scheduling Training & Classes

Recent times have taken a lot of aspects of business remote. Whether you teach classes or lead training, you’re likely doing a combination of in-person and videoconferencing sessions.

That’s the situation that Bookingo is perfect for—maintaining and growing your teaching or training business.

This WordPress booking plugin from QuanticaLabs is tailor-made for anyone who offers courses on a recurring basis. It gives you everything you need to post classes and session easily, with customizable fields that allow you to adjust the plugin to your industry needs.

By default, you’re able to start and end dates, duration of each course and individual class, participant limits, recurring dates, location (or link to a virtual course), instructor contact details, and any additional information.

And, you get unlimited booking forms, courses, and course groups.

That makes it fantastic for companies whose whole purview is training or education. Segment course sets by instructor or topic and book as many as you’d like.

Better still, if your training service is growing wildly, you can even support payment in any global currency. So, your course on how to get ahead or add a skill can accommodate students from all around the world.

There are boatloads of other features already included in Bookingo and the devs at QuanticaLabs are constantly updating the plugin to add more and address user needs.

You can get Bookingo for $40 from EnvatoMarket, which comes with six months of support. You can easily extend that support by another year for an additional $13.13.

#5 – BirchPress Review — The Best for Easily Capturing Payments

BirchPress is a reliable WordPress booking plugin that works great if you want to capture PayPal and credit card payments hassle-free. This makes it easy to process payments without having to look for a third-party payment gateway that’ll complicate your life.

If you’d rather not use PayPal as your payment gateway, you can capture payments through other available gateways with WooCommerce integration.

Especially if you operate in the healthcare industry, fitness, automotive, salon and beauty, or the health and wellness space, BirchPress helps make the process of scheduling and keeping up with appointments easy right from your WordPress dashboard.

Even if you’re constantly taking appointments and collecting payments, you won’t always be available. With BirchPress’s holiday blocking feature, you choose which dates are unavailable for booking throughout the year.

The straightforward features BirchPress offers, along with their ability to sync with more than one payment option, make them a top booking plugin for online appointment management.

Some useful BirchPress features include:

You can embed booking features on any page or post with their shortcodes
Integrates with Google Calendar, Outlook, iPhone, or Android to import and export appointment dates
Easily send reminders and emails when someone schedules, changes, or cancels an appointment
Customize their appointments to your needs by configuring sign up forms accordingly
Developer friendly plugin with advanced customization features

Once you make the one-time payment in the tier that suits your business budget, you can quickly start handling your booking needs. Here is the pricing tier breakdown:

Personal — $99
Business — $199
Business+ — $249

All plans come with one year of support and updates, automated email notifications, and holiday blocking. The Business+ package is the only one to support WooCommerce integration. Start using BirchPress today, or go through a live demo here.

What I Looked At To Find The Best WordPress Booking Plugins

Booking plugins come with lots of different features that can strengthen how you run your business appointments. Any booking plugin worth using will offer a great user experience, integrate well with your WordPress site, and streamline the process of accepting and organizing appointments.

Still, you’ll want to take it a step further and look into some key criteria to enable you to choose the best plugin that will deliver what you need.

To choose a plugin that works for you, make sure you’re clear on your business goals to know exactly what you need a plugin for.

Are you booking online sales calls with prospective customers? Are you booking local in-person appointments? Will you need to capture payment information upon booking? Are you booking appointments or reservations?

Some plugins come with robust features like drop-down menus for multiple schedules, the ability to revise and re-schedule appointments, a dashboard that allows you to easily view and manage your calendar, or even automated appointment reminders triggered upon booking.

Here are a few other things I considered when researching and choosing the best WordPress booking plugins. Use these factors when doing your research and selecting the best for you.

Online Payments

Some plugins are designed to accept online payment solutions without having to use a third-party payment gateway. This can be useful to you as a business owner if you require payment upon booking.

Being able to capture payments within your booking plugin can go a long way in saving you time. This way, you don’t need to integrate additional plugins on your site that could potentially slow it down.

Calendar Views

Would booking appointments on your site be made easier if your plugin offered a calendar view for you and your customers? Using a plugin with calendar views can be a great option if you offer appointments over a span of time or if your business is service-based.

Mobile-Friendly

Your booking plugin won’t do you much good if you can’t easily capture appointments from a mobile device. A vast amount of online traffic is generated through mobile as opposed to the standard desktop view.

You’re always better off with booking plugins that are up to date and offer mobile compatible views. Using booking plugins that haven’t been recently reviewed or updated to be compatible with the latest WordPress version can work against you if you aren’t careful.

Conclusion

This might have been a ton of information to digest in one go. I reviewed a list of the top booking plugins for WordPress you can start using right now that go beyond the basics.

To help you choose the best WordPress booking plugin, here’s a quick recap of the plugins I recommend:

StartBooking – The best for service appointment bookings
Bookly Pro – The best for using with staff members
Booking & Appointment Plugin For WooCommerce – The best for use with WooCommerce
Bookingo – The best for scheduling training and classes
BirchPress – The best for easily capturing payments

Now it’s your turn. Has there been a booking plugin that’s worked better for you than others? Let me know in the comments below.

5 PPC Business Ethics Examples and Best Practices

It’s no secret that competition in online advertising has become super stiff. In a bid to beat the competition, it’s easy to cross the line and employ shady tactics; tactics that may be unethical.

However, unethical PPC practices will do more harm than good for your business. They can also get you in trouble with the law.

That’s why as a digital marketer, you must always prioritize business ethics in all you do, including in your PPC ads.

Business ethics play a huge role in the success of your business. That’s why today, I want to focus on the topic from a PPC ads perspective.

The Importance of Business Ethics in PPC Ads

Business ethics refers to the moral principles that serve as guidelines for the way you conduct business. This includes everything from how you attract customers (via advertising) to the way you transact with them and everything in-between.

Business ethics are based on values like honesty, fairness, transparency, and social responsibility. An ethical marketer builds their PPC campaigns based on both moral and business perspectives.

In short, your PPC campaigns must help your prospects, not trick them into making a purchase, and they should also benefit your business. For some, walking this fine line is the most challenging aspect of running effective PPC ads.

Now, what’s the importance of business ethics in PPC ads?

Business Ethics Help You Build Strong Relationships With Customers

One of the most important reasons to practice business ethics in your PPC ads is to help you build strong relationships with your customers. People trust ethical brands as they’re authentic and transparent. They know they’ll get exactly what the brand promises in its ads.

As a marketer, put people before clicks (and profits). It will help you build strong relationships with your customers, leading you to enjoy higher retention rates.

Business Ethics Help You Develop a Good Reputation

Your reputation is one of your most important assets as a business. Two good reasons you must prioritize having a good reputation include:

Create brand ambassadors: When a person clicks on your ad and gets a positive experience, they’re highly likely to recommend your brand to their family and friends.
Improve your ad performance: Your brand’s reputation has an impact on the performance of your ads. Many users perform their own brand research before deciding to make a purchase. In today’s highly connected age, a poor reputation easily shows in the form of negative reviews.

Every business needs a good reputation to thrive, especially in a competitive environment. And good reputation management starts with employing good business ethics in all your activities, PPC ads included.

Ignoring business ethics in your PPC ads can only lead to wasted ad spend and a ruined business. With that out of the way, let’s quickly dive into the top five ethics you should follow as you create and run your PPC ads.

5 Examples of Business Ethics Principles You Should Follow in Your PPC Ads

To ensure your PPC ads follow business ethics principles, here are five best practices to keep in mind:

1. Don’t Advertise Misleading Products

One of the most unethical practices you must avoid as you steer your business towards ethical practices is giving your customers misleading information. Sadly, this is a common practice in the advertising industry, and some brands still utilize misinformation in a desperate bid to drive clicks. The internet abounds with examples of misleading ads; yours shouldn’t be one of them.

business ethics - don't advertise misleading products

One of the most common examples of misinformation in PPC is advertising misleading products. This could be anything that includes:

advertising products you can’t supply
using a high-traffic keyword that’s not relevant
using hype to infer your product does what, in reality, it doesn’t

There are many more ways unethical advertisers use misleading information to drive clicks. However, no matter how desperate you are to get people to click on your ads, don’t mislead your customers.

While you may get the clicks you want, the long-term effects of such unethical business practices are not worth it. For one, you’ll lose your customers’ trust. Even if they click on your ads, they’ll be so disappointed they won’t purchase what you’re selling.

No matter what products or services you’re advertising, be honest about the features and benefits. There are always people looking for what you have to offer.

Exaggerating the benefits of your product or service is tantamount to making a false claim. Promising your prospects a level of quality you can’t deliver will only ruin your reputation.

2. Only Include Honest Links in Ads

Business ethics, especially in PPC, demands that the message in your ads and the link destination must match.

Anything else is dishonesty.

Unfortunately, many unscrupulous businesses send people who click on a link in their PPC ads to a different destination. They advertise one thing and send visitors to a different landing page. Pulling a bait and switch like this goes against good business ethics. More than that, it leads to you losing your integrity as a business.

Besides the loss of integrity, dishonest links can lead to you being penalized for unethical practices. When your link takes customers to a page unrelated to what you’re advertising, your ad is considered a fake ad, and Google will take it down.

Dishonest links are prevalent among marketers who get paid using the cost-per-impression (CPM/CPI) model. They try to rack up impressions on their ads by creating their ads around popular keywords that attract a lot of traffic. When users click on the link, they’re directed to a different product or business.

As an ethical marketer, such tactics should never even be mentioned in your strategy and planning sessions. No matter how competitive your space may be, stick to ethical business practices.

3. Sell Your Products at Fair Prices

While some business ethics are clear-cut, others are not. Ethical pricing is one of those that isn’t so obvious.

If you’re wondering, ethical pricing means charging an amount that’s fair for your products.

It’s pricing your products in a way that allows you to make a profit without defrauding your customers. Doing so is not always easy as there are many factors that you have to consider to price your products fairly. The most significant are:

market factors
your competitors’ pricing
availability

Besides fair pricing, you must also ensure to practice ethics in your PPC ad campaigns as a marketer. Make sure you’re fully transparent about all the costs your customers will incur when purchasing your product or services. There’s nothing as frustrating as thinking you’ve found the best deal on a product, only to click on the ad and discover the advertised price wasn’t genuine.

From shipping to discounts and everything in between, your ads must be clear about the final price your customers will pay for your product. Doing so is essential to building trust with your customers. It’s also critical to reducing cart abandonment as undisclosed shipping costs are one of the leading causes of cart abandonment.

business ethics - Sell your products at fair prices

The bottom line is, sell your products at a fair price and make sure you’re transparent about pricing in your PPC ads and landing pages.

4. Don’t Plagiarize

As a marketer, you probably look for inspiration from ads that have performed well, but that’s as far as competitor research should go.

Never plagiarize other brands’ ad copy.

For your brand to do well online, you must follow Google’s search evaluator guidelines, the most significant being the EAT guidelines. Google’s EAT guidelines have a huge bearing on how you ethically create your PPC ad copy. Here’s what the acronym stands for and what it means to your ad copy creation:

Expertise

Your ad copy must reflect your expertise in your niche or industry. Show your customers why you’re the best. However, make sure not to stretch the truth as that would be dishonest and unethical.

Authoritativeness

People want to buy from brands that have built a reputation for themselves. A good reputation is born out of practicing good business ethics. Let your authority shine through every piece of content in your sales funnel—especially your ad and landing page copy.

Trustworthiness

Trust is one of the most significant factors that drive clicks to your ads. To build trust with your audience, you must be authentic. Avoid plagiarizing other brands’ ads or any other assets that have had a positive impact on their ads.

With so many brands vying for the same customers, authenticity and originality are essential to helping you stand out from the crowd. Following Google’s search evaluator guidelines will help you ensure your content does just that.

Your ad copy will have your unique personality and highlight your particular area of authority, thereby allowing you to attract your ideal buyer persona. More than that, it will help you rank well and drive clicks to your offer.

5. Don’t Use Click Fraud

One of PPC’s strengths has become a loophole that devious marketers now exploit. Yes, I’m talking about the cost-per-click (CPC) model and how some marketers commit click fraud.

What is click fraud?

Click fraud is when an individual exploits PPC ads by repeatedly clicking on them to generate fraudulent charges. As a result, the advertiser’s ad spend shoots through the roof while their conversion rates tank. Not to mention that crucial data said advertiser uses to create better iterations of their campaign gets skewed.

The main reason unscrupulous marketers leverage click fraud as part of their business strategy is to exhaust their competitor’s ad budget. Once their budget is spent, their ads will decrease, giving the unethical marketer a better shot at driving traffic to their ads.

Marketers also sometimes use click fraud on their own ads to “game” paid search advertising. By generating more clicks on their ads, they boost their quality score on Google Ads.

Your quality score depends on many factors, with the main two being ad relevance and the click-through rate (CTR) the ad generates. Both are factors that can be manipulated through click fraud.

Why would a publisher commit click fraud on their ads?

Simple. A good quality score is critical to marketers as it results in:

lower CPC
lower acquisition costs
better rankings for ads

While the advantages of having a good quality score are massive, you shouldn’t stoop to click fraud to get them. Improve your score as best you can, but make sure it’s within the confines of good business ethics.

Business Ethics in PPC FAQs

Can I Use Hype in My Headlines?

Using hype in your ad headlines is unethical. It’s the same as clickbait and should never be used to move people to click on your ads. Using hype in headlines goes against business ethics
Instead, use benefit-driven headlines as they’re more truthful. They also address your target audience’s pain points, resulting in better conversions.

Is It Wrong for a New Business to Gain Traction by Manipulating Ad Clicks?

The type of foundation you lay for your business determines its outcome. Once you start using unethical business practices, you’ll use them every time you need a “quick fix.” So, yes. It’s wrong to manipulate clicks at any stage of your business, even for the sake of just gaining traction.

Business Ethics Conclusion

Despite the economic atmosphere being cutthroat, you must ensure you conduct your business ethically.

That’s especially true for your advertising tactics.

People don’t like being scammed, and unethical PPC ads fall on the dark side of false, misleading, and spammy advertising. While you may initially get some traction using deceptive advertising, you won’t succeed in the long run.

To build a sustainable business, you can only do so based on implementing good business ethics. Be ethical on social media, in your content, your PPC ads, and everything else you do to boost your business. This way, you’ll be able to build a good reputation and grow your loyal repeat customers.

What other business ethics examples and best practices do you think PPC advertisers should follow?

What’s the Best Way to Improve Credit Score for You and Your Business?

If you are thinking of starting a business, you are likely thinking about funding. Can you afford to start a business? If you have a good credit score you probably aren’t worried. If your credit score isn’t great, you may be wondering “What’s the best way to improve credit score in time to start a business?”

Best Way to Improve Credit Score, Both Personal and Business

The thing is, that’s the wrong question. You need to be asking yourself “What’s the best way to improve credit score for myself and my business?” Whether your business is brand new or fully established, it needs a strong business credit score to thrive.

Many business owners do not even know that their business can have a credit score. They assume everything rests on their personal credit. Others know their business can have credit all it’s own, but do not truly understand how a business gets its own credit score. That knowledge is key to learning the best way to raise your credit score and how to build a strong business credit score.

Keep your business protected with our professional business credit monitoring.

Personal Credit Score vs. Business Credit Score: What You Need to Know

Your business credit profile is the overall picture of the creditworthiness of your business. Lenders look at it to determine whether or not they want to lend to you.

To better understand the best way to raise credit score for your business and how it is different from your personal credit score, you need to understand some of the differences between business credit profiles and personal credit profiles. There are many, but these specifically seem to cause a lot of misunderstanding and confusion among borrowers when they get a funding denial.

How You Establish Each Type of Credit Profile

The biggest and probably most misunderstood difference is in how you establish the two profiles with their accompanying scores. Pretty much everyone knows that with your first debt, usually a credit card, you begin building your personal credit score. If you handle your credit responsibly, you will have a good score. If you do not, your score will be bad.

You do not have to do anything to open a credit profile for yourself. As you pay your debt, the creditor reports your payments, or lack thereof, and your score builds from there. Such is not the case with your business credit profile.

You have to intentionally set up your business in a way to establish your business credit profile. This means fully separating it from yourself as the owner by having separate contact information, an EIN, and D-U-N-S number, incorporating, and opening a separate bank account. In fact, this is the first best way to improve your business credit score. Before these things are done your business will have no credit profile or credit score of its own.

Late Payments

Both business and personal credit reports are affected greatly by late payments. Yet, business credit scores are affected faster and more profoundly. Late payments are not reported to personal credit reports typically until they are 30 days past due. Late payments on business credit accounts are reported if only one day late.

Inquiries

Hard credit checks on your personal credit will lower your credit score. However, business credit reports are different. A credit check on your business credit profile does not affect your business credit score.

Data Reported

In addition to late payments being reported much more quickly, accounts on your business credit profile are listed by industry. In contrast, personal credit lists the name of the company that issues the credit.

Also, personal credit reports show the exact amounts of accounts, while business credit reports show rounded amounts. How long data stays on a personal credit report varies, but typically it’s the life of the file. Information stays on business credit reports an average of 3 years.

Keep your business protected with our professional business credit monitoring.

Also, with personal credit accounts, almost every account reports to the credit reporting agencies. In contrast, only about 7% of business credit accounts report to business credit reporting agencies. This is why you have to intentionally seek accounts that will report to business credit reporting agencies (CRAs), and that is only one of many reasons working with a business credit expert is the way to go.

One last thing to note about business credit versus personal credit is this. While your business credit profile is totally separate from your personal credit profile and does not affect in any way, the reverse is not true. Your personal credit information can affect your business credit profile, and in some cases, even your business credit score.

Best Way to Improve Credit Score: Personal

Most people know many ways to do this, but what is the best way to improve credit score on your personal credit profile? Frankly, it’s to pay your bills consistently on-time. That said, sometimes that isn’t the problem. Furthermore, sometimes you need to make other improvements while you work on paying on time.

Personal Credit Score Monitoring

This is easy and free. You can get a free copy of your credit report annually. The first thing you need to do is look over it for mistakes. If you find any, contact the CRA in writing. Send with your letter copies any documents you have to support your case. This may be receipts, bank statements, anything that proves that what you are saying is a mistake is indeed a mistake.

After that, look closely for what else could be causing issues. Is too much available credit being used? Are there too many late payments? The best way to fix this is take a long, hard look at your budget. Cut wherever you can to start making more than the minimum payments.

A good strategy is to put all available extra cash on the highest interest debt. Then, when that is paid off, put that entire amount, extra plus the minimum, on the next highest interest debt, and so on. This is called the snowball method, and it can help you raise your credit score significantly if you stick with it.

After that, there are many free apps to help you track your personal credit score throughout the year. This is the best way to get credit score information on a regular basis. Typically, you can get a snapshot of what your credit looks like once a month with these, and if you pay a fee you can see it in real time. This can let you see if your efforts are working, and show you if something is amiss.

Best Way to Improve Credit Score: Business

Understanding how your business credit score is different from your personal credit score helps a lot. For example, now that you know that a business credit account can report a late payment even one day late, you can plan accordingly.

Furthermore, knowing that not all business accounts report lets you know that you need to intentionally look for those that will report to raise your score.

There are a few ways to do this. First, talk to any vendors you already have a relationship with. Ask them to report your payments to the business CRAs. They don’t have to, but they may. It can only help you.

Next, talk to utility, phone, and internet providers. You pay them monthly already. Ask them to report those payments. Again, they do not have to. Still, if they agree, it can only help you.

After that, actively seek out accounts that report. The problem is, most vendors do not make it publicly known whether or not they report. This is just one of the many ways a business credit expert can be helpful. They have inside information and relationships with vendors to help you get this information and more.

Keep your business protected with our professional business credit monitoring.

Business Credit Score Monitoring

This is a whole other ballgame. First, business credit score monitoring is never free. You may be able to get a peek as a one time free trial promotion, but for the most part you have to pay to see what is on your business credit profile. One exception is, if you get a loan denial because of what a lender sees on your business credit report. They have to disclose that, and you can get a free copy of your business credit report as a result.

While all the major business CRAs offer credit monitoring services, they are pricey. Credit Suite offers business credit monitoring for a fraction of the price.

Follow the same steps as you would with your personal credit profile. If you see a mistake, contest it. Each of the bureaus has directions on how to do so on their website.

There is More Than One Best Way to Improve Credit Score, and More Than One Credit Score to Improve

All the best ways to get your credit score up involve one thing, knowledge. First, you have to know how to see what is one your credit report. Then, you have to know what to look for so you can know what the problems are. After that, you can fix them. One thing remains true however. The hands down best way to improve credit score, whether personal or business, is to pay your debt on time. If you need help on the business side, Credit Suite has you covered. Talk with one of our qualified business credit experts today!

The post What’s the Best Way to Improve Credit Score for You and Your Business? appeared first on Credit Suite.

Best Domain Brokers

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You’re starting a new site. You Google the domain name to see if it’s available to take, but it’s already been snatched up by someone else. Bummer.

This happens more often than not, especially if you have a good name in mind.

What are you to do if you really want a domain name that has already been claimed? Or what if you’re sitting on a valuable domain and looking to sell?

Find the best domain broker to work on a negotiation plan and broker a fair deal on your behalf.

Here, I dive into the best domain brokers currently on the market that’ll help you do all the heavy lifting to acquire—or sell—a domain. And if you are on the fence about whether or not you really need a domain broker, I’ve included some other options that might work as well.

#1 – Namecheap — The Best If You Can Afford to Be Flexible About Your Domain Name Extension

Are you wedded to getting that perfect .com domain name or are you a little more flexible about the exact wording and domain extension?

If you have a little wiggle room and you’re willing to be inventive, I suggest seeing what you can get on Namecheap. This is a domain registrar, not a broker, but you’re going to find an outrageous selection of available domain names for way less than you would be able to get through a broker.

You won’t get help negotiating—it’s totally DIY, whether you are buying or selling—but you won’t pay any upfront fees and there’s only a 10% commission fee on domains you sell through the marketplace platform.

And if you buy your new domain name directly from Namecheap, there’s no commission at all.

I think you’d be surprised about what you can find. There are domains on Namecheap available for $0.99 for the first year. You won’t get a .com or a .org for that price, but many of the new extensions like .store or .link are available. And .com names start at $8.88 for the first year.

The reason I recommend Namecheap to people considering a domain broker is that they don’t always know what’s out there. They may be twisting themselves into knots trying to get a five-star domain name when there is something perfectly serviceable out there for purchase right now.

If you can afford to be flexible, Namecheap will help you find something. The search tool is amazing. You can enter up to 5,000 keywords in the search tool’s Beast Mode. This will produce thousands of results for open domains with those keywords.

Beast Mode can also offer suggestions based on transforming your keywords. Say you are looking for hireme.com—Beast Mode will find hire.me, for example.

Basically, it automates a lot of the strategies I advocate using when your dream domain name is unavailable.

The marketplace on Namecheap is very easy to use. It’s peer-to-peer, the only catch is that any domains on there have been purchased through Namecheap already. So if you wanted to sell or resell a domain on Namecheap’s marketplace, it would have to be one you already bought through them. Just be aware that 10% comes out of your final sale as commission to Namecheap.

Namecheap takes care of all the backend transactional stuff, so you’re not drawing up purchase agreements with people you’re never going to talk to again.

Odds are you’ll be able to find something very affordable, especially if you are willing to go with a newer domain extension.

Namecheap isn’t a broker per se, but they serve as the missing puzzle piece in much the same way. Go explore their bottomless list of available domains and see how little you need to spend to get something that works.

#2 – Domain.com — The Best for Buying .com Domains Without a Broker

It must be a good sign when a domain registrar itself owns the best domain name for its industry. Domain.com isn’t a true domain broker because you won’t be able to sell through them, but they are the premier destination for scooping up prime internet real estate on your own.

So, if you aren’t ready to shell out a commission fee for a broker, but you want a solid domain name with a .com extension, this is the first place you should look.

Namecheap is another good registrar for snagging domains yourself, but Domain.com has a more extensive selection of premium .com domain names.

Domain.com offers both a standard domain search and one for premium domains. As more and more common words and phrases have gotten claimed over the years, it’s become harder to get a .com that’s short and easy to remember.

With Domain.com’s premium domain search, though, you can grab one of these for your site.

Now, they won’t come cheap. A quick search will likely return some eye-popping price tags for domain names you had your heart set on.

But the helpful folks at Domain.com are available to help secure your dream URL at a price you can stomach. Their staff is available 24/7 via phone or live chat. In this way, Domain.com functions like a brokerage, because you have their assistance and guidance throughout the purchasing process if you need it.

It’s not going to be the white-glove service you get with a true domain broker, but you’re also not going to be paying 15-20% commission on top of the price of the domain.

And, even if the initial purchase is expensive, premium domains bought through Domain.com won’t renew at an exorbitant price. Instead, they will renew at the standard rates for the extension.

So, even if you buy a .com for several hundred dollars, it will renew at just $9.99 for one year, $19.98 for two, and so on.

And, as a registrar instead of a broker, Domain.com serves as a one-stop shop for everything you need. You can get web hosting, email, SSL certificates, and increased security for your new site. In short, you can purchase everything you need to protect and grow your investment.

If you aren’t ready to hire a broker, Domain.com is your best bet for securing a premium domain on your own.

I’m talking about two-word .com domains that are easy to remember. You can get less-coveted types of domain names and newer domain extensions on Domain.com, but Namecheap will probably be more affordable.

Domain.com is a great marriage of traditional domain registrar, detailed domain search, and brokerage-level support and assistance.If you want to stake your claim to a prime domain name, start searching through Domain.com today.

#3 – GoDaddy Domain Brokerage — The Best for Buying Domains Under $5,000

Tons of people use GoDaddy Domain Brokerage to buy a domain name that’s currently owned by someone else. Here’s why: it’s really straight-forward to use and there is virtually no work on your end.

Plus, GoDaddy brokers will go after any domain you want, regardless of the price.

I recommend it highly for people that don’t want to spend more than $5,000 on a domain. The harsh truth is that this is a fairly low number in this space. A .com domain with words you’d find in a real dictionary is usually going to cost five to six figures—maybe a lot more.

You’ll find that GoDaddy has a higher commission rate (20%) than what you get by going with a smaller domain broker. The trouble is that those smaller firms don’t always agree to take on clients looking to buy small fish domains of less than $5,000.

GoDaddy doesn’t care about the cost. Once you connect with a broker, they will chase down any domain your heart desires. So if your budget tops out at a few thousand bucks, GoDaddy is a great place to start.

Simply reach out to GoDaddy and tell them the domain you want. You’ll get an email back asking you to name the price you are willing to pay.

From there, GoDaddy handles everything else. The broker spends up to 30 days tracking down the domain owner and trying to negotiate a price. If the broker is successful, the domain is yours. Simply follow the guided steps and you’ll be in control.

It’s not impossible to get a domain on your own, but GoDaddy takes out all the legwork. Plus, the company has a ton of name recognition. Instead of you reaching out as a private individual or company, the seller is dealing with one of the biggest names in the business. Both parties are going to feel more comfortable having a trusted broker handle the arrangements.

GoDaddy takes care of all the legal legwork, too, but you won’t provide the strategic guidance that other domain brokers offer. This is basically a simple point-and-shoot service.

An upfront fee of $119.99 is required to start and GoDaddy takes a 20% commission if the deal goes through. Do note that you won’t get the fee back if the sale doesn’t go through.

The higher-than-average commission rate and upfront fees are a reflection of the fact that GoDaddy will broker deals of any size. Other firms can afford lower commissions and waive upfront costs because they only take on deals above $5,000.

Essentially, the other brokers can afford to take a smaller slice because they are only ever going after a bigger pie.

$5,000 is not a hard and fast number. But if you are in this neighborhood, you may have difficulty finding a broker who’s not going to charge an upfront fee to make it worth their time.

GoDaddy won’t broker sales, but you can use the company’s auction site to sell a domain. There’s also a free domain appraisal tool, which can help you figure out where to start the bidding.

Not everyone is looking to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a domain name. They still want a broker to get things done fast and right the first time.

With GoDaddy Domain Brokerage, the transaction is as smooth and hands-off as possible. If you can spell the domain you want, GoDaddy will make a run at it for you.

#4 – VPN.com — The Best for Keeping Your Identity Under Wraps

VPN.com can help you broker the sale or acquisition of a domain if you want to stay anonymous.

The company specializes in strategic stealth acquisitions, working on behalf of Fortune 500 companies, founders, high-net-worth individuals, and other organizations that need to fly below the radar.

The truth is that people with resources are often forced to overspend to get domain names. I don’t want to speak ill of domain owners out there, but some have been known to turn the screws on potential buyers because they know they can.

VPN.com keeps this from happening. Masters of discretion, the company is a favorite for celebrities, athletes, politicians, and other people that have to be conscious about sharing their identity.

Think about it. What’s a domain owner going to charge when the seller hears that Oprah wants it?

These stealth acquisitions take finesse and experience to manage properly. The simple act of inquiring about a particular domain name gives a lot of information away. VPN.com knows just how to handle all of the communications to keep your name out of sight until the ink is dry.

Unlike a lot of the other top domain brokers, VPN.com offers a range of online services. As you might guess, the company handles virtual private networks (VPNs). Secure communications are not a problem.

For people that need to jump through the hoops of a stealth acquisition, VPN.com will help you protect your investment. The company has in-house legal counsel. You’ll know what to do if people are infringing on your domain and be able to register your brand in every country.

There are absolutely no upfront costs, though VPN.com typically works with buyers and sellers of domains worth more than $5,000.

I’m guessing the crowd interested in stealth acquisitions will be onboard with that, but I wanted to mention it. If your sale is successful, there is a 15% commission.

For those who require the utmost discretion, VPN.com is a domain broker you can work with. And if you have a premium domain to sell, and you are not sure what it’s worth, reach out to VPN.com for a free appraisal today.

#5 – Domain Booth — The Lowest Commission for a Top Domain Broker

In the future, I could see DomainBooth charging insane rates for their brokerage service. But for now, you can get one of the best domain brokers on the market for an exceptionally low 12.5% commission.

So, you’re still going to pay, but it’s 2.5% lower than other top-quality brokers. If you are negotiating a deal for a five- or six-figure domain, the savings can be significant.

DomainBooth is something of a recent arrival on the domain broker scene. In 2015, then-26 year old founder James Booth made quite a splash by brokering more than $5 million in domain names in his company’s first 12 months.

This was no flash in the pan, either. Today, DomainBooth is one of the top performing domain brokers, outpacing some of the established players in the game. Booth actually had the second highest domain sales of any broker in 2020, according to Escrow.com.

The firm specializes in extremely short domains–two letters, a number and a letter, three letters, and one-word domains for the most part. I would definitely talk further with DomainBooth if you are interested in something like this.

There’s just not another broker of this calibur charging such low commissions. The minimum fee for buying is $500 and for selling it’s $1,000, which is to say the company is focused on buying domains greater than $5,000 and selling those greater than $10,000.

You will not pay a dime unless DomainBooth is successful in negotiating the deal.

For as young a company as it is, DomainBooth has developed a rich network of buyers and sellers. You can list your domain for sale in the DomainBooth newsletter for $750. This puts it in front of a lot of interested buyers in different markets who you would be hard pressed to reach on your own.

By getting DomainBooth as your broker, you’re putting yourself in a good position to get the most value out of your purchase or sale. There’s still a commission, but it’s not going to be as high as it is for other brokers with similar performance.

Get in touch with DomainBooth today for help securing or selling a premium domain.

#6 – Grit Brokerage — The Best If You Regularly Buy Premium Domains

Grit Brokerage is one of the recognized players in the space. The company has negotiated big-name deals and helped brands secure their position online.

I recommend them to businesses that are in the market for premium domains frequently. It may not be something you need all the time, but it’s also not enough for you to get a single solid domain for your company and be done with it.

If you have to work domain acquisition into your overall brand and marketing strategy, Grit Brokerage is an ideal broker to work with. It’s like having a domain expert in your office, except they’re not on the full-time payroll.

The company can walk you through the ins and outs of upgrading to a better domain in your industry, or branching out and capitalizing on a multiple domain SEO strategy.

Grit.org is the parent company of Grit Brokerage. The organization is focused on empowering people to build better companies and communities. If you work with Grit, its brokers will invest their time in helping you grow by acquiring the right domains at a fair price.

This is a challenge, even for companies with deep pockets and bright ideas. It took Elon Musk more than a decade and $11 million to get tesla.com. Until then, the company had settled for teslamotors.com and constantly took a hit in search rankings.

Not everyone’s battle to get the top domain is so brutal, but it’s never easy these days.

You’ll have to get in touch with Grit Brokerage for pricing, but it’s not hard to make contact. The founder and senior partners all have their cell phones listed on the website. Imagine the kind of service and availability they provide to paying clients.

Whether you’re a frequent buyer or a seller, Grit Brokerage can help you over the long haul. Get in touch directly and begin a productive relationship today.

#7 – MediaOptions — The Best for Domains Over $75,000

If you are going after that perfect domain name—maybe it’s an exact match to your business name or a major keyword in your industry—it’s not going to be cheap.

And it’s going to be ludicrously expensive if you don’t have a seasoned negotiator in your corner.

When you don’t have flexibility—you need that domain—it’s time to call up MediaOptions and get help from the most successful company in the business.

It was founded by Andrew Rosener, who has been the top domain broker in the world for the last three years according to Escrow.com. He’s the creator of the Rosener Equation, which people use to value domains, and has testified in court as an expert witness on domains.

Rosener’s knowledge of the space is a big part of MediaOptions’ continued success. The company has brokered hundreds of millions of dollars in domain deals over more than a decade in business.

I highly recommend this broker for businesses that need a prime piece of web real estate. MediaOptions has a lot of experience with stealth acquisitions as well as a track record of locating domain owners that don’t want to be found.

Essentially, MediaOptions has mastered every step of the domain acquisition process that trips people up. You won’t spin your tires trying to track down and convince a domain owner who doesn’t want to sell. The expert broker knows how to get the best outcome in that touchy conversation.

And, because MediaOptions knows how to play the game, your identity will remain hidden. So you won’t be over a barrel to get the exact domain you want.

I also recommend MediaOptions if you have a high value domain to sell. Over two decades, the company has crafted the most successful outbound sales process of any brokerage. This includes a rich network of buyers and sellers, the top domain newsletter in the industry, and timely press releases.

There is no better team to hire, and MediaOptions can afford to be choosy about their clientele. To qualify for premium domain brokerages services, the domain in question must have a sale value of $75,000 or higher.

Generally speaking, this is going to be domains that are one or two words with a meaningful volume of exact match search.

If that description sounds like what you are looking for, five or six figures (if not more) is very normal. Acquiring one of these domains will pay for itself very quickly by catapulting your sites to the top of Google’s page one search results.

Because these ultra-premium domains are so valuable, negotiating their sale or acquisition takes someone who knows what they are doing. You should anticipate that the party on the other end of your potential deal has an expert on their side. So should you.

MediaOptions is your best bet. The company’s results and reputation speaks for itself. The fact they charge 15% commission is another plus. I know it’s standard rate for the industry—but, given MediaOptions success, I feel like they could charge more.

If you need the best, and you are willing to spend to get it, having MediaOptions as your domain broker will give you the best chance at a good outcome. Get in touch today.

What I Looked At To Find The Best Domain Brokers

There are a few basic ground rules for choosing domain brokers because there is literally zero certification required.

Anyone can say they are a domain broker, but you should only consider ones that:

Have been around for a few years, at least
Maintain a spotless reputation
Use a recognized payment system, such as PayPal or Escrow.com
Handle all of the negotiations confidentially

If you are going to hire a broker, this is the bare minimum. There’s a lot of money changing hands online for domain names. The market attracts scammers you definitely want to avoid.

All my recommendations for domain brokers have you covered. They are well-known and respected in the industry, and they will be able to steer you clear of the people who aren’t.

Now, there’s a range of broker services out there. You can get help with the nuts and bolts of the deal, so you’re not drawing up purchase agreements or tracking down a domain owner.

Some domain brokers offer more of a consulting relationship. They help you with domain marketing, acquisitions, and strategy to establish and protect your brand over the long term.

There’s a ton to know about domains and it’s always changing. Getting a good domain broker means you don’t have to worry about any of it.

You really only have to focus on a few things in order to connect with the right one.

How Important Is the Exact Domain?

The significance you attach to a particular domain name determines the type of broker you should be looking for. Let me explain with two examples:

Example 1: You need a domain that’s short, easy to say and spell, and you want it right now. The exact name is not a huge deal. Ideally, the name is related to your business, but you’re flexible and willing to be inventive.
Example 2: You have trademarked your business, you know the exact domain name you want, and it can’t be anything else. You are willing to spend as much time and money as it’s going to take to get this exact domain name.

Both of these people could benefit from domain brokers, but they need very different types of service.

If the exact domain name isn’t the end of the world, you could start simply by seeing what’s out there. Namecheap and Domain.com make it very easy to be your own broker, even if you’ve never bought a domain before.

Alternatively, you could reach out to GoDaddy Domain Brokerage if you don’t want to deal with an auction or the back-and-forth of negotiations. Simply tell the broker what you want and how much you’re willing to pay, and GoDaddy will spend the next 30 days trying to make it happen.

Now, if you are going after a specific domain and can’t compromise, I highly recommend getting help from someone like VPN.com, Grit Brokerage, DomainBooth, or MediaOptions.

These folks know the space—which is crucial, because getting the exact domain you want at a fair price is really challenging.

Even just finding the person who owns the domain can be impossible. I’m serious. Sometimes the owners don’t want to be found. They bought the domain years ago for some pet project that didn’t take off, and now—out of inertia or spite—they won’t let go.

Whatever the reason, these domain owners are tired of being pestered by people. It’s not uncommon for them to set up dummy accounts, fake addresses in other countries, and a whole mess of obstacles to keep people away.

The really expert domain brokers know how to get around all these barriers and track people down like a sheriff on the frontier.

Here’s the other thing to think about if you are in the market for an exact name domain: everyone knows they are valuable. There’s no low-hanging fruit left.

Whoever owns the domain you want so badly is probably not some schlub. They might even sell domains for a living. If you approach that negotiation without someone on your side who knows as much as the seller does, things could go south quickly.

Upfront Costs and Commissions

Domain brokers all charge for their service a little differently. It’s important to understand exactly how this works. You may wind up paying fees even if you don’t get the domain you want.

Some brokers charge an upfront fee to get started and then take a commission based on a percentage of the sale.

Keep a close eye on this percentage, as premium domains are often five and six figures. Commissions will add a significant extra expense to the price of a domain, or cut into the profits of one you sell through a broker.

Even if you choose to be your own broker on Domain.com, there’s still a commission for using the platform to execute your trade.

You’ll find that some brokers work only on commission. There’s no upfront fee. These firms only see money if they get you what you want at a price you’re willing to pay.

If your budget is not that high, the commission-only brokers may not take you on as a client. They are not massive companies and can’t afford to spend their time negotiating deals with a small commission.

On the other hand, GoDaddy charges an upfront fee but its brokers will go after whatever you want. Just point and shoot.

A 10-20% commission fee is within the standard range. I know it’s going to be a chunk of change, but it can be totally worth it.

The best domain brokers are in business because they consistently help clients get a better deal than they could by themselves. They can help you acquire a domain for a fraction of what it would cost on the open market. If you are selling, they can get you max out the value of your sale.

At the end of the day, using a domain broker is a strategy, not a turnkey solution. You have to understand the pricing structure in order to pick an appropriate broker and avoid surprises down the line.

Stealth Acquisitions

What if you don’t want people to know you’re a buyer or a seller? Like it’s really important that your identity or the name of your business is kept totally under wraps?

All the brokers I looked at keep your identity shielded to some extent, but sometimes it requires a little more finesse. If anonymity is a must for you, you’ll want to find a broker that specializes in stealth acquisitions.

Here’s why it’s important.

If the person who owns a domain gets a call from a broker, they automatically know that there’s significant interest in their online property. Someone hired the broker, after all.

Put yourself in the seller’s shoes. They’re going to try and get as much money as they possibly can from the sale. Wouldn’t you?

The only thing stopping them from jacking up the price is what they believe you are willing to pay. So, if they can do a little research and find out that you are a company with deep pockets or a startup that just got funding, they’re going to aim for the top of your budget.

Just because you can spend six or seven figures for a domain doesn’t mean you want to.

Whatever your reason for staying anonymous, if it is a major concern, you want to pick one broker that knows how to execute stealth acquisitions. When you get in touch, ask them about war stories and some of the crazy maneuvers they’ve had to pull in order to get their clients their dream domain.

If they’re really good at this, the broker is going to have no shortage of ridiculous-sounding tales about the games they’ve played to broker touchy deals. That’s my experience, anyway. You have to work with someone who knows how to play the game.

VPN.com has a track record of negotiating domain acquisitions for politicians, celebrities, and organizations with really well-known brands. It’s a good place to start. MediaOptions and DomainBooth would also be worth shortlisting, if you need discretion.

Conclusion

An effective domain broker makes the process of acquiring or selling a domain a breeze.

Let’s face it, selling or buying a domain successfully can take a lot of upfront work. Once you’ve researched which domain name you want and made sure it’s already registered, the next step is to look into which domain broker fits your needs.

As they say, domain brokers aren’t all created equal. Here’s a quick rundown of the domain brokers I recommend and reviewed here:

Namecheap – The best if you can afford to be flexible about your domain name extension
Domain.com – The best for buying .com domains without a broker
GoDaddy Domain Brokerage – The best for buying domains under $5,000
VPN.com – The best for keeping your identity under wraps
Domain Booth – The lowest commission for a top domain broker
Grit Brokerage – The best if you regularly buy premium domains
MediaOptions – The best for domains over $75,000

Now I’d like to hear from you. Are there any domain brokers you’ve had a great experience with worth mentioning? Let me know in the comments. I’m all ears!

Best Contact Management Software

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When you’re trying to make the sale, you want to be as tactful as possible. You want to talk to your customer at the exact time they want what you’re selling.

This means going beyond storing their basic contact information and tracking points of contact, rebuttals, and previous sales deals.

That’s where contact management software can be one of your most valuable sales tools. It helps you streamline your sales process so that you can close sales faster, keep your most valuable customers, and grow your business.

But how do you find the right contact manager to integrate into your sales system?

In this extensive guide, I review five of the top contact management tools on the market and walk you through the best features as well as their price points.

Let’s get started.

#1 – HubSpot Review — The Best Free Contact Management System

HubSpot stands alone as a powerful free contact management system with tons of accessible tools to enhance your sales cycle from beginning to end.

That’s because HubSpot gives away a free version of its award-winning CRM (customer relationship management) software. Contact management is one of the foundational services included with this suite, but you will find tools for sales, marketing, and customer service teams.

For a free product, it’s unbelievably rich.

Focusing in on just the list of contact management tasks you can do for free with HubSpot’s software still gives you a long list. You can keep track of contact website activity, deals, company insights, manage ticketing, manage ads, email tracking and notifications, and even messenger integrations.

HubSpot’s free contact management software is an excellent stepping stone toward more varied and growth-oriented contact management as your business grows since you can always upgrade to one of their paid CRM plans without having to migrate.

If you’re getting started with contact management and want to do more with your contacts in terms of sales strategy on a budget, I recommend you start onboarding HubSpot’s free tools for a strong beginning.

Start using HubSpot for free here.

#2 – Bigin Review — The Best For Simple Contact Management

A small or mid-sized business doesn’t always have use for tools built with enterprises in mind. Bigin takes the prize for a simple yet reliable contact manager you can easily start with.

A single dashboard unifies all your data points so you can make strategic decisions at a glance and manage everyone on your roster. It helps to think of it as your own personal yellow pages except for ten times more useful.

You can do things like adding your preferred tags to contacts to find what you’re looking for quickly, glance over at your expected revenue numbers, and see all your pending tasks.

Bigin makes it easier for you to close deals by scheduling follow-up activities and then closely monitoring results, all on an intuitive dashboard.

Bigin’s simplicity bleeds into its pricing structure, too. Here’s a quick overview:

Free

Single user
500 contacts
One pipeline

Express – $7/user per month

50,000 contacts
5 pipelines
Add 10,000 additional contacts for $1/month
Up to 20 custom fields per module and 10 custom dashboards

It’s that simple. One user with one pipeline can manage up to 500 contacts free, forever. And the paid tier isn’t tough to stomach, either.

Get started with Bigin here to go beyond managing a simple list of contacts.

#3 – Pipedrive Review — The Best For Visual Contact Management

Pipedrive is loved not just for the wide array of CMS tools it offers but because it makes the whole contact management and sales process straightforward and visual. It’s been used by over 90,000 companies in more than 170 countries and business giants like Vimeo, Amazon, and Re/Max.

Pipedrive is a highly intuitive system that easily updates and automates contact tasks and sales calls. The easy drag-and-drop features and their clean and approachable interface make them an easily adaptable and usable system.

With a visual dashboard in mind, they don’t falter in the features department, as it offers plenty of tools for powerful contact management like task automation, lead pipelines, and smart lists that track the last time you contacted a prospect.

You can always try Pipedrive free for 14 days. It doesn’t hurt to spend a few days trying out the software’s ins and outs to see if they’re a good company match. Otherwise, the ricing plans break into four tiers:

Essential – $12.50
Advanced – $24.90
Professional – $49.90
Enterprise – $99

#4 – Zendesk Review — Best For Reporting and Analytics

Zendesk is a dynamic CMS that emphasizes the analytical and reporting aspects of contact management.

The last thing you want is to grow a robust list of leads and then have no idea what to do with them due to lack of data. Zendesk’s analytics make it possible for you to engage in better conversations with your prospects with their pre-built analytics features.

With them, you can track rep activities, call response times, and live chat interactions. Their rich reporting features ensure you keep a finger on every touchpoint of your sales cycle. This makes it easy to increase the ROI of each sales rep on your team.

Zendesk’s price breakdowns can get specific depending on the solutions and features you’re looking for. The contact and relationship management tiers start at $19 per seat.

Here’s a quick overview of the pricing tiers:

Team – $19 per seat per month
Professional – $49 per seat per month
Enterprise – $99 per seat per month
Elite – $199 per seat per month

Get started with a free demo of Zendesk here.

#5 – Salesforce Review — The Best Scalable CMS

Contact management software that scales with you and offers powerful tools to take you beyond the basics? There’s a tool for that. It’s called Salesforce.

The point of a CMS is to increase the efficiency of your daily operations, so you’re never blindsided by lost sales or missed relationship-building opportunities.

Salesforce does that by offering the tools to build a good contact management base. This means contact history, survey answers, and email responses. But they take it a step further with their social data tool to keep track of what your customer is saying about products and services.

Not only that, but Salesforce makes it easy to collaborate with everyone in your business. You can share documents, comments, analytics and insights, sales history, and any other information relevant to your ROI.

On-the-go contact management is also possible with its mobile app. You can hop on a call armed with plenty of preemptive information about your customer from anywhere. This awesome array of tools makes Salesforce not only a contact management tool but a sales closing system, too, which is why it’s made it on my top five picks.

Here’s a breakdown of each plan they offer:

Essential – $25
Professional – $75
Enterprise – $150
Unlimited – $300

Each plan comes with:

Account, contact, lead, and opportunity management
Email integration with Gmail and Outlook
Access to the Salesforce mobile app and all it’s features

The higher the tier, the more access to customizable features and tools you’ll have. Thankfully, you don’t have to jump right into a plan without testing how they work first.

Salesforce also gives you the option of testing any pricing tier first before committing.

Try Salesforce for free fi rst here and see what plan fits your contact management needs the best.

What I Looked at to Find the Best Contact Management Software

Choosing the best contact management software goes beyond making sure they provide the standard contact management software (CMS) tools like sales tracking, customer notes, emails, and sales history.

Your business is unique, which means your CMS needs are also unique. Because of this, it’s hard to pinpoint a one-size-fits-all CMS that you can use in any given sales scenario or industry.

You also have to consider the size of your team, your plans for scaling and revenue growth, and what functionalities are non-negotiable in your given industry.

Beyond that, there are a few specific key factors to think through when trying to make the best choice in a sea of software. Use these criteria to ensure you’re making the best contact management investment possible.

Reporting and Analytics Capabilities

Some contact management systems put more emphasis on sales reporting and analytics than others. This can prove to be a valuable asset or just an extra feature to your team, depending on how you handle your sales process.

These days, contact management software is increasingly robust in terms of the analytics it can gather to help you make the best sales decisions. Some of them can measure everything from live chat interactions to sales calls, email responses, and even what you’re prospective customers say on social media about you or your competitor’s product or service.

Deciding how deep you need your contact management analytics to go will ultimately depend on your sales goals and budget. Consulting with your sales team can be a sound idea in the process of making a final decision.

Sales Process and Software Fit

The sales process you use to sell printers isn’t necessarily the same one you’d use to sell premium car parts. This also means you’ll want to find a CMS that fits every unique point of sale your team goes through continuously.

If done right, this can mean higher ROI, shorter sales cycles, and more revenue. This is where it’s a good idea to take the time to test drive every prospective CMS that looks appealing to your sales team. Most of them have the option for a demo or a 14-day free trial.

These trials exist for a reason. I highly recommend you take advantage of them before you commit.

User Experience

The more scalable integrations and features a CMS has, the more likely it is to have a big learning curve. This is important to take into account when thinking about onboarding your sales team to the system successfully.

Besides that, the user experience for both your front-facing customer features like contact forms and chatbots and the backend features your sales team will have to interact with daily is also a crucial part of the process as far as ease of use goes.

An array of powerful features is pretty much useless if your sales team continually runs into trouble using them, or if integrations prove too clunky to operate properly.

This also raises questions about what support features your preferred CMS provides and whether they offer any accompanying training options like forums, live chats, or even training webinars.

Summary

Finding the right contact management system can make the difference between constant sales, shorter sales cycles, and more efficient business growth all around.

But it starts with figuring out what your sales needs are, how you go through your sales strategy, and what you need to optimize for higher ROI. Once you’ve figured out your key needs, you can start narrowing down your list of prospects.

My recommendations are all excellent products, but they each have their strong suit:

HubSpot – Best free contact management software
Bigin – Best for simple contact management
Pipedrive – Best for visual contact management
Zendesk – Best for reporting and analytics
Salesforce – Best scalable contact management software

My top choices for effective contact management are HubSpot, because of their extensive list of free tools, and Salesforce, because of how versatile and adaptable they are. Make sure to use this review as a roadmap to make your final decision.