In this article, I will highlight Snagit Capture and Screen Recording features.
Snagit is a powerful screen capture and recording software that helps users quickly and easily capture their screen or record videos of screen activity. With its extensive suite of features, Snagit makes it easy to take screenshots, annotate images, draw professional-looking graphics, and record videos with audio.
With this article, I will only cover some of the features of Snagit. There are too many to attempt them all. I have been using Snagit for over 20 years, and in that time, I haven't used them all myself. Occasionally I will come across a new feature and wish I had already been using it.
My primary purpose in this article is to demonstrate Snagit's capabilities for those uninitiated about Snagit. Therefore, I will not demonstrate advanced features or provide a "how-to" of specific features.
Taking Screen Captures with Snagit.
Left Column
This image shows the main window of Snagit. This window is our starting point. We will work our way through the features from left to right. Starting with the left column, we will talk about the type of capture we will take.
Type of Capture
There are three choices:
All-In-One - If you select all-in-one, you will wait until later to choose whether to capture an image or do a video capture. After activating the capture process and selecting the area, you can choose whether to do an image or video capture.
Image - Choosing an image capture from this window will limit our capture to a single image. The image capture also provides several options as to the area to select for the capture.
Video - Again, choosing a video from this window will limit the capture to video capture. It will also show other options to be selected, such as using the webcam to include our image in the capture and recording audio with the video.
Center Column
Moving from the far left column in the main window to the center column, we have three choices if we take an image capture.
Capture Selection
The first choice is the area we will select. Notice the drop-down menu in the image. Only a few of the options are visible in the menu, but they include the following:
Region - Choosing a region allows us to drag the mouse over the area we want to select.
Window - This refers to an active window open on our desktop. It may be a word processor or another available app.
Full Screen - Everything on the desktop will be included in a full-screen capture.
Scrolling Window - This capture option will cause the active window to automatically scroll to the bottom of the page, capturing the whole rather than just the initially visible portion.
Panoramic - A panoramic capture is similar to a scrolling window. In contrast, you will select a portion of the page width and then scroll as far down the page as you wish using the mouse. This process will capture everything within the width of your selection and to the bottom of your scroll.
Grab Text - With grab text, a section of text on the screen is selected and then converted to editable text.
Choice of Effects
You will see the effects drop-down menu in the image to the right. Only a portion of the possible effects is visible. Effects include a border, shadow, edge, etc. SnagIt includes the selected effect in the final capture.
Share Capture
Again, a drop-down menu will list numerous choices to share the capture. These include:
Screencast - A cloud storage service of SnagIt.
Word
PowerPoint
Google Drive
Dropbox
Evernote
Many more
To summarize, you can choose an image or video capture, the area of the screen to capture or the entire screen, an effect to add to the image if desired, and an option to share the capture.
What To Do With The Capture
We are now ready to address the right column. Once you have made a screen capture, what will you do with it? Your choices include:
Preview in the Editor - This choice will automatically send the capture to the SnagIt Editor, where you can remove unwanted portions of the capture or make additions and enhancements.
Copy to Clipboard - Using this choice; you can paste the capture wherever you choose.
Activating A Capture
Now it is time to start a capture. We have three options.
The hotkey - Notice the image highlighting the hotkey setup. The hotkey can be whatever combination of keys you want unless that combination is already in use. Below the capture button, you will see your current hotkey. Mine is the print-screen keyboard key. If you press the capture button, you can change it to the combination of keys you want to use.
Press the big red button that says "capture."
From SnagIt Editor
Video Demonstration
Please watch the video below for a demonstration of the SnagIt features we have discussed. As they say, "A picture is worth a thousand words." Words would never explain using the SnagIt Editor or a screen recording video. But the video will provide a demonstration.
Conclusion
So as you can see, Snagit is a powerful and versatile tool for capturing, recording, and editing screenshots. It's easy to use with a range of features that make it perfect for professionals who need high-quality images or videos and casual users who want something quick and straightforward. With its hotkeys, capture widget, Snagit Editor presets, and more - you can easily create beautiful graphics in no time!
This demonstration may have made you interested in checking it out further. If so, use this button for a free SnagIt download. You will receive a 15-day free trial. Using SnagIt is the best way to decide if it is a good fit for you.
Why might you choose WPMU DEV for Your WordPress Projects? First, let me ask, “What is your approach to using plugins for your WordPress websites?” If you’re like me, when I first got acquainted with WordPress, my use of plugins could have been better organized. I’d seek a plugin to fill whatever my current need happened to be. My preference was for free plugins.
In time, I had an array of plugins beginning to have conflicts and JavaScript errors. I was becoming increasingly frustrated with the problems arising and the time it took to find solutions.
One day, while looking for a better solution for image optimization, I came across a recommendation for Smush. Smush is for image optimization. The advice included Hummingbird for site performance. Initially, I saw them as individual plugins, but then I learned they were just two of a covey of plugins that WPMU DEV provides. As was my practice, I began using the free versions. But when I decided to upgrade Smush to the pro version, I learned that by upgrading this one plugin, I had access to the whole line of pro plugins offered by WPMU DEV.
Besides doing blogs for my affiliate website, I also developed WordPress sites for small businesses and organizations. While researching and experimenting with various plugins, I was also looking for a unified package I could offer my clients. Also, I can manage all the sites I host.
I had found that with one company and was on the way to making this my website management system for all my clients. But after I came across WPMU DEV, I changed my mind.
Why I selected WPMU DEV
So, what changed my mind? Well, it was the usual: quality and price. Beginning with quality, I knew Smush and Hummingbird have name recognition for quality products, and I liked what I saw in working with those two plugins. Initially, I assumed they would be out of my price range, at least for what I’m willing to work with. But this was not the case. So when I considered upgrading Smush to the pro version, I learned that for the price of what I was paying for the lowest level backup with the other company, I could have the pro version of every plugin that WPMU DEV offered just for the price of that one plugin.
And guess what? There are no conflicts. They all work together. My website runs faster and smoother than it ever has. But this was only the beginning. I considered what I paid for backup, security, contact forms, SEO, and other plugins. When I compared the combined cost of those apps to the one price I was required to pay for all plugins by WPMU DEV, I was blown away.
Furthermore, I considered the cost of multiple websites. I got all the pro plugins for $7.50 a month for my one site. I paid $5 per month for the basic backup with the other company. If I were to add more websites, it would cost me $12.50 a month for three sites. This would allow one license for my site plus two clients. And I would share the cost with those clients. If I were so inclined, I could also add a small surcharge.
This monthly fee for three sites gives access to all pro plugins for all three sites, plus a dashboard. I can monitor each site from the dashboard, check if they are down, update plugins, check analytics and security, and make backups or site recovery. I can also use their tools for client billing and reporting.
If any of this piqued your interest, keep reading. In the remainder of the article, I will give an overview of the various plugin features. Even though I’m an affiliate marketer, I don’t receive any benefits if you should sign up with WPMU DEV. I want to help readers find quality services for their websites and small businesses.
WPMU DEV Hub
You can see the WPMU DEV “Hub” in the displayed image. I have websites linked to all three of the licenses with my subscription. I get an overview of the activity from the Hub for all three sites. I hover over the corresponding icon to check any feature and get a report. Moving from left to right, I can check the following:
Available updates
Security
Performance
SEO
Backups
Uptime
Analytics
Reports
Client billing
And link to the client admin panel.
WPMU Features
Based on what I see when I glance at the sites listed in the Hub, I may take a closer look. First, I must click on the website I want to explore. This opens a dashboard for that site. This page gives us a more detailed summary of all the features we glanced at on the Hub.
I may not need to go further, depending on what I see here. Even if there are no performance or security issues, I often move on to a detailed page for a feature, so I might check my settings or take a closer look at the data.
For this article, I checked the uptime details for the website I’m reviewing. Because I noticed a few dips in response time over the past week, I selected the detail page for uptime. From this page, I can see the times when the drops took place, and if I choose, I can compare it to other issues that might result from the low response time.
I can also see one downtime during that period of one minute. However, the uptime average for that week was 99.98%. A score that is within the promise of the hosting service and could even correspond to a maintenance episode.
I also noticed on the dashboard page there were two failed audits under SEO. After going to that detail page, I learned that the failures have to do with a missing image alt and an uncrawlable link. So I fix these issues.
While on the SEO detail page, I noticed some other details needing attention, though they were not causing alerts.
These examples show how the WPMU DEV website management helps me monitor and maintain client websites. The examples I used with Uptime and SEO could also be applied to: Plugin updates, Security, Backups, Performance, and Analytics.
WPMU DEV Plugins
Here is a complete list of WPMU DEV plugins:
Smush Pro – User’s choice, award-winning, and benchmark tested – The best image optimizer plugin for WordPress.
Hummingbird Pro – Everything you need to get your site running super fast.
Defender Pro – Regular security scans, vulnerability reports, safety recommendations, and security tweaks for WordPress.
Hustle Pro – Grow your business and audience with this super easy, super slick email opt-in and marketing plugin.
Forminator Pro – Drag and drop WordPress form builder plugin with interactive polls and quizzes for increasing user engagement and building a following.
SmartCrawl Pro – Boost your PageRank and drive more traffic to your site with little effort and simple configuration.
Snapshot Pro – Make and schedule incremental backups of your WordPress websites and store them on secure cloud storage.
Branda Pro – White-label WordPress branding for both the front and back end of your site or network.
WPMU DEV Dashboard – Instant access to brilliant support and one-click plugin and theme installation.
Shipper Pro – Shipper Pro moves WordPress websites with one click, from host to host, local to production, development to live, and top to bottom, without using FTP.
Beehive Pro – Customizable Google Analytics dashboards, statistics, and reports for WordPress and Multisite.Integrated
Video Tutorial – Complete, quality, always up-to-date list of unbranded WordPress training videos.
WPMU DEV Support
I want to conclude with a comment about WPMU DEV Support. Support is always an important factor, along with the price and the quality, when selecting a product. Before investing heavily in a product, I want to know if I will receive help should I need help with the product.
With WPMU DEV, the answer is a yes. I give it an A+ rating. This is my response to the help I received when setting up the Snapshot plugin for backups. It needed to be fixed with my site.
I began by making contact through chat. The chat agent spent a couple of hours with me seeking the solution. When we were unsuccessful, he elevated the issue to technical support, activating a support ticket before we signed off. It was also necessary for me to give wp-admin and FTP access.
By the next day, the backup was working, but they had also made some changes in the plugin to make it work. Changes will be reflected in the next update. I was asked to create a staging site to allow further debugging so they could find and implement a fix in future releases.
View Video
You can view a video of the article for a more hands-on presentation.
Conclusion
Thank you for joining me in this article about WPMU DEV and its all-in-one monitoring system. If you found it helpful, please leave a comment below. Let me know what you think and the questions you have. I would love for you to share any ideas for future articles.
Need help with SEO? Most of us do. SEO is probably outside your skill set list if you are a small business owner managing your website. And then, how high a priority in your budget can you allow for SEO costs?
I learned about Ubersuggest early in my pursuit of an affiliate marketing website. I found it to be a welcome partner. In this article, I want to share with you the benefits I have found using the Ubersuggest SEO tools. In short, Ubersuggest is a powerful digital marketing tool that can help you optimize your website, analyze your competitors, and manage campaigns more effectively.
It can help you with valuable keyword research, giving you keyword suggestions and insights. With this data, you will be on your way to meeting your SEO goals. So, keep reading as I delve into many of its features that can help meet those SEO goals.
How I Got Started With Ubersuggest
I have an affiliate marketing website that is about nine months old, and I am still trying to get traction with SEO traffic. As I prepared to launch my site nearly nine months ago, I was looking for tools I could afford to help with keyword research. But the tools I needed were expensive, so I initially settled for free tools. There were better choices than this, though.
Finally, I came across Ubersuggest. I am trying to remember how it came to my attention. As I explored the service, it was not only affordable but offered much more than I would have expected for the price. As I begin this overview, I want to start with the Ubersuggest subscription plans. Then I will go on to highlight some of the features that Ubersuggest.
Subscription Plans
The subscription plan is shown in the image below. As you can see, there are three plans: the individual, the business, and the Enterprise. I chose the Individual Plan for $29 a month. I will get into the plan’s features when I discuss the Dashboard.
The individual plan allows one domain, whereas the Business Plan allows seven domains, and 15 domains come with the Enterprise. And, of course, the number of searches and other allowances also vary with each plan. About five months after subscribing to Ubersuggest, a lifetime plan was introduced. This plan added even more value to the subscription.
Paying $29 a month amounts to $348 a year. At $290 for a lifetime plan, I’m paying less than I was per year on the monthly plan. And the lifetime is a one-time payment. If you want more features than this offers, you can add them at $5 a month per feature.
Ubersuggest Dashboard
As you would expect, the dashboard provides an overview of information from several different features. So, for instance, it displays SEO issues such as blocked pages and broken links. We also are given items to optimize, such as keywords with more significant potential for specific pages.
Further down, we see the organic traffic. Increasing organic traffic is a big goal. If you are new to this, organic traffic results from Google searches, whereas direct traffic may come from anywhere.
I was excited when my organic traffic began to exceed direct traffic. Now I’m seeing keywords ranking in the top 10 search results. You will see those in the image below.
I now have two keywords that are coming in, in the top three now, two that are coming in in the top 10 and then 15, and the top 100 and so forth on-page SEO score gives me my score. And then down here, I can click and go. Well, check out some of my competitors, which I’ll not go into now.
Rank Tracking
Moving on to Rank Tracking, we see more details about keyword search results. For instance, my average search position is shown, and there is more detail on the ranking keywords. Ranking pages are listed along with their search position, volume, and difficulty. This information can be used to capitalize on the content ranking well.
Chrome Extension
The next feature is the Chrome extension. Using this tool, we can learn SEO statistics for any webpage we load in our browser. In the image below, we see the chrome extension displaying information on the neilpatel.com website.
On the Domain Overview tab, We can see the organic keywords, organic month traffic, domain authority, and backlinks. We can also view keyword ranking. Clicking on the Keyword by Traffic tab, we see a list of keywords, their volume, and their position. Using the corresponding tabs, we can view Backlink information and SEO analysis.
The extension is a great tool to use while browsing similar or competitive sites to your own
Site Audit
To continue down through the sidebar menu, the next feature to explore is the Site Audit. Your website will be crawled weekly using this feature and return an audit report. You can initiate an on-demand crawl using the “Recrawl Website” button.
In the image above, you can see that my last crawl was on January 23. My report from this crawl shows an on-page SEO score of 77, an organic monthly traffic of 52, an organic keywords count of 113, and 19 backlinks. As you can see, there is much room for improvement. Based on those numbers alone, I need to work hard at backlinks, keep tweaking on-page SEO scores, and keep up with keyword analysis and strategy.
Next, I could focus on the SEO issues discovered, such as pages with low word count, pages with duplicate meta descriptions, and pages with no H1 headings. From your own experience, you will know that addressing such issues is a never-ending task.
Moving on down the report, I want to check site speed. This, too, can be an ongoing effort to keep the site speed as high as possible. Every new post or major edit threatens to impact the speed.
Three concerns are targeted with site speed:
Load Time is “The time it takes for the page’s main content to load.” This report shows a load time of 2.50 seconds which needs improvement but is on the borderline of great. Last week’s report showed great. Keep in mind that the server response during the speed test will have an impact. My next post will address site speed more as I review WPMU DEV WordPress tools.
Interactivity is the “total time a page is blocked from responding to user input, such as mouse clicks or screen taps.” This report shows excellent interactivity.
Visual Stability – “How much your page layout shifts or jumps while it’s loading.” The report gives a great response.
Keyword Research
Let’s move on to keyword research. This may be the main area in which you’re interested.
Keyword Overview
Enter a keyword, such as “meal delivery,” for an overview of the results you might expect with that keyword. Here is what we get:
A search volume of over 60,500
SEO difficulty of 75 out of a hundred
Paid difficulty is 56
Cost Per Click (CPC) is $14.18
These numbers provide an overview. Let’s go down to “Search Volume” and get the volume trend for the past year. This keyword peaked in August and dropped down the next month. It looks just at the start of an upward trend in December.
Keep going down the page, and next is “Keyword Ideas.” This list gives a whole list of other forms of the keyword. For instance, based on meal delivery, other ideas include “food for delivery near me” and “food with delivery.” With each picture, you see the trend and volume.
While “meal delivery” has a possible volume of 60,500, “food with delivery near me” has a potential of 1.5 million. You can see how this tool can be beneficial.
Moving along. The following section is “Content Ideas.” This can be particularly helpful if you blog. Using the initial keyword, “meal delivery,” this section lists content using that keyword along with estimated visits and backlinks. If you decide to go with one of the keyword ideas, enter it in the search at the top of the page and look at the keyword and content ideas.
Keyword Ideas
Next on the left sidebar menu is “Keyword Ideas.” This is similar to the “Keyword Overview” we just discussed. But it takes a slightly different approach.
Here you can enter three keywords at one time and search. The result will be a comparison of results for the three keywords. In addition, you get a list of keyword ideas, including their search volume. You can drill down further by clicking on “search results” for a select keyword idea and get a list of URLs using that keyword idea.
Keyword Visualization
Continuing down the left sidebar menu, we come to “Keyword Visualization.” This is yet another approach to keyword research. Enter your keyword and search. The result will be a large circle showing keyword variations, including words such as what, which, are, why, how, etc. By hovering over each item in the ring, you can see the data for that keyword. Notice the image below.
The visualization image can be exported and is shown here:
Traffic Overview
Skipping a few features in the sidebar menu, I will move on to Traffic Estimation and Traffic Overview.
This feature allows you to analyze the keyword results on your website. Enter the URL of your website and search. The first output will be the same statistics you saw on the dashboard. Organic keywords and traffic. Next, you see a graph of your organic monthly traffic for the past year. You will see an image of this graph above.
I launched my website, digitalchowder.com, in April of 2022, so there is no data for the first five months of 2022. June shows two organic visits, July has 6, and August drops back to 2 visits. Beginning in September, the number started to climb dramatically, and since October, is showing slow growth.
As you review your organic traffic in this way, you can identify factors that may have contributed to growth or decline. Unfortunately, with traffic analysis, we are always looking in the rearview mirror. We are still waiting for immediate results for the adjustments we make. It is about three months later that we see the outcome.
AI Writer
Finally, I’m jumping down the sidebar menu to “Labs” and, under that, to “AI Write.” This is one of my favorite features, probably because I blog.
There are several tools of interest with the AI Writer. For instance, you can enter a keyword you want to rank for using the Meta Title tool and get a list of possible meta titles suitable for that keyword. You continue by doing the same with the Meta Description and Headline Generator tools. Other tools include:
Paragraph rewriter
Answer a “People Also Ask . . ” Question
Product Description Generator
Listicle Generator
Related Hashtag Generator
I often use the feature at the top of the page, which is to “Create New Page.” This feature combines the Meta Title and Description, plus the Headline Generator, all in one process. The result is an outline for a post. You start by entering the keyword for which you want to rank. Then select the title from several you are given, choose a description from several options, and finally, select as many of the headings you want from a list.
Next, turn the writer loose and it will write a document using all those elements, including a paragraph under each heading. If you check the search results in the left sidebar, you will find a list of the web pages from which the data was gathered. With this, you can do further research for your post.
View Video
You can view a video of the article for a more hands-on presentation.
Conclusion
So this has given you a preliminary glimpse of Ubersuggest. You now have a good overview of Ubersuggest features without registering for an account. Here is a link to go over Ubersuggest and sign up for a first-hand trial of the SEO research service.
As mentioned above, in my next article, I will give an overview of WPMU Div. This WordPress site management service offers an array of plugins covering everything from SEO to backup protection to security measures. Plus, it allows one to manage one or many websites at once.
Check back at DigitalChowder.com frequently for information on various topics related to digital resources for Home and Small Businesses. On the Home page, you will find a list of categories for subjects in which you may be interested.
Please leave comments in the section below, including topics you wish I would address in the future.
My Personal Guide to All the Best Features in Nicepage – Part 3
This is my third article in a four-part series about my favorite web builder, Nicepage. In the first article, “My Personal Guide to All the Best Features in Nicepage, Part 1,” we discussed the Nicepage subscription plans. We also mentioned its desktop app for Windows and Mac allows you to design and edit your website offline. Then, in my second article, “My Personal Guide to The Best Features in Nicepage Part 2,” I highlighted special design features in Nicepage that I especially like. Some are even unique to Nicepage.
In this third article, we will discuss the options available on Nicepage, allowing you to publish your site to your website from the desktop app.
Publication Options
I have provided screenshots to help you visualize the comments, but there is also a video further down you can view.
Nicepage Publishing Options
So let’s go to the desktop app for Nicepage. In this case, it is in Windows, but there is also a version for Mac computers. The website showing on the desktop is one I have been working on in the second video for demonstration purposes. We demonstrated some animation, grids, and how they contribute to a responsive website. We also presented a modal, accordion, and tab feature.
Assuming that we are ready to publish our website on the internet, let’s look at our publication options. These methods export the site from our desktop app to our online website. So we go to the publication feature, where you can see the following options:
Website. This option uploads the site directly to the Nicepage server. This is a simple way to post the site online and allow clients to view it before launching it publicly.
HTML. For those who prefer a simple, straightforward website rather than a CMS such as WordPress or Joomla.
WordPress. This is the most popular website option, and Nicepage is a leading theme builder for WordPress.
Joomla. Though less popular than WordPress, Joomla offers another CMS option.
Image. Publish a one-page image of the site.
Website project. This packages the website project for transfer to another computer.
View Video
Website Publication
Website Publish option
Starting with the first option, we will publish to a website. The subdomain to which it will be posted is shown in the window. Use this URL to view the site once it’s published. A custom domain name that you have registered can also be configured to direct viewers to the Nicepage subdomain. A few other options can also be selected in the window, but we will skip them and go straight to “Publish Website.”
Now we can use the subdomain URL to view the site. As you scroll down the home page, you can observe the animation in action with the various page elements as they zoom out or slide in. Click on the button for the modal to have it pop up with the photo slider. And then, you can see how the accordion and tab look and operate. Both are good options for offering viewers an opportunity to view the data or not.
HTML Publication
HTML Publish option
With the option to publish to HTML, we can export the site to a folder, a zip file, or directly to our website using FTP. I use my FTP client, so I take the Folder option and select where to export it.
I will go over to Filezilla, connect to the export folder, and then to my website folder online. I will select all files and folders in the export folder, then drag and drop them into the online folder on my hosting site.
There is no further configuration necessary. I can go to my browser, enter the URL of my website, and immediately view the site. This assumes that my domain is set up with the hosting site and has propagated across the internet.
WordPress Publication
WordPress Publish option
Finally, we will choose the WordPress option for publishing. Again, we can export to a folder, zip file, or FTP. Selecting the zip file option is the most straightforward choice. You will need a more advanced understanding of WordPress to use the folder or FTP approach.
By choosing to export to a zip file, I will install the site on my WordPress website as with any other theme. The only difference will be the import of content and installation of a plugin. The Nicepage plugin will serve as your editor in WordPress to work with your Nicepage web pages.
Before exporting the WordPress zip file, choose which features you want to export to your website. You will want to include the Theme along with pages and Editor Plugin. If you are planning an eCommerce site, retain the templates. If you want to export your site to the desktop app, choose to have the Nicepage Project. Now we are ready to export.
Next, we will go to the wp-admin section of our WordPress website to install the zip file. Once you are in the wp-admin area, select “Appearance” from the left menu and select themes. At the top of the page, click on “add new” and then on “upload theme.” You will locate the exported zip file on your computer and click “install.”
Now that we have installed our website, we need to activate it. Having done that, click on customize, and you will need to go to self-identity. In this section, you will insert your logo and Favicon from your media library or upload them from your computer. Then go further down to insert the site icon.
Now click the back arrow, then go down to the menus. Under menus, you will need to select the menu you will be using. Most likely, it will already be set.
Next, click the back arrow and go to “Homepage settings.” Here you will choose whether the homepage will use the latest post or will be a static page. Although posting is a significant function of my Digital Chowder website, I use a static homepage with links to posts.
At this point, you’re ready to click publish and view your WordPress website online.
In my fourth and final Nicepage-oriented article, I will discuss working with your Nicepage-generated website within WordPress. In addition, I will show how to go back and forth between your online and offline versions of the site. You can view all four articles on YouTube for a better visual demonstration of this presentation.
Website Building and Repair
Elite Web Presence
Do you find all this a bit overwhelming, or do you not have the time to work with a site? Let me make a suggestion. Go over to Elite Web Presence for some help. Whether you need a complete website build and update, or some cleanup and maintenance, they can do the job for you. They can also help with SEO, along with website backup and security.
Conclusion
Has this series been helpful? Building a website with Nicepage is an easy and efficient way to get your site up and running quickly. Using the tools it offers, you can create an attractive design that drives traffic to your pages and gives customers what they need.
Finally, does all of this sound too daunting or time-consuming? In that case, Elite Web Presence can help build, update or maintain your website to optimize it for success.
Have questions or comments? Please leave them in the comment section below.
Choosing The Perfect Web Hosting Service for Your Business
Introduction
In my article, “6 Steps to Building A Website for Your Small Business,” I gave six simple steps to launch your business’s online presence. In that article, I touched on selecting a host for your website. In this article, I will go into more detail about Choosing The Perfect Web Hosting Service for Your Business.
Where Do I Start?
If you are new to website building and hosting, “where do I start?” may be your most daunting question. Where do you start? Do not start by researching web hosting services, what they charge, and what they have to offer. From this research, you will only learn what is available and what it will cost. You could then make the mistake of choosing a hosting service based only on cost.
So, where do you start? Start with your business.
What is the nature of your business?
What do you want an online presence to do for your business?
Promote your business?
Capture a reasonable margin of the market share?
What will be your market reach (local, regional, national, global)?
Provide legitimacy for your business?
Sell products?
What will be the nature of the content for your website?
Information?
Blogs?
Media (images, videos, etc.)?
Data?
eCommerce?
There is more that could be listed here, but these questions will give a good start at identifying the requirements of a website for your business.
What Next
Based on your answers to the questions above, you will have vital information to use in selecting a web host. You can then identify which category you fall into below :
Less than average usage – The following website content will result in less than average bandwidth and storage:
Basic information about the business
Informational blogs
Low to moderate traffic (less than 30,000 users per month)
Storage needs primarily consist of website images and a few files for download.
A low amount of file downloads or uploads
Average usage – The following content will have moderate bandwidth and storage usage:
Medium to medium-high traffic (30,000 to 150,000 users per month) – 100Mbps is needed for every 1,000 users.
One or two of these activities in moderation:
Streaming music
Video conferencing
Large image files
A moderate amount of data
A moderate amount of one or two of these items:
Audio files
Video files
Image files
Databases
eCommerce
Higher than average usage – Increase everything under average use to high rather than moderate amounts. As traffic increases, bandwidth will increase regarding every activity on your website.
What Kind of Hosting Will I need?
Assuming you have worked through the questions above, you now have enough information to consider the hosting you need.
Using the information you have gleaned to this point, you have a general idea of your storage and bandwidth requirements. With this knowledge, consider the three hosting options: shared, virtual private, and dedicated, described in the digital.com article, “How To Choose a Web Hosting Provider.”
Shared Hosting
With shared hosting, multiple sites use the same IP address and reside on the same server. This is the most economical form of web hosting, as the hosting company splits the cost of a physical server among multiple sites.
The main advantage of shared hosting is its price. However, you are also at the mercy of the bandwidth other sites on the same server use. If a large amount of traffic goes to another location on the same server, it slows your site considerably.
Also, if another site on the same server is engaging in nefarious behavior and has its IP blocked by spam filters, your site may be affected as well. Reliable hosting providers prevent this but you should take this possibility into account.
Virtual Private Server Hosting
Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting is the next step up in web hosting technology. While you still share the same physical server with other sites, you are set up with a unique virtual server and a unique IP address. This unique IP address keeps your site separate from other sites on the server.
If you choose VPS hosting you have the advantage of being able to manage more features on your server yourself and eliminate blacklisting risks like those with shared hosting. There are some limitations on how much traffic a VPS can handle, but most sites for individuals or small businesses will never come close to exceeding these limitations.
Dedicated Hosting
With dedicated hosting, your physical server or servers are for your website only. This is a more expensive type of hosting, but it is also the most reliable.
Large companies require the use of dedicated hosting services to guarantee uptime and to secure their site. This option is best for efficiency; but, again, it is far more expensive. There are options that help deflect the cost. Through Amazon Web Services (AWS), for example, where you can pay as you go to maintain better control over the costs.
For individuals or companies who decide that shared hosting fits their needs, you can’t get a better deal than Bluehost. It provides one of the least expensive starting packages for web hosting and includes a full 50GB of storage space at its lowest level plans. It also boasts an impressive 99.99% uptime. We found that its rates and support are among the best in the business for first-time users.
Siteground provides a suite of excellent services, including reliable web hosting and fully managed WordPress hosting. Their hosting also comes with useful addons for e-commerce, including WooCommerce.
While SiteGround tends to be slightly more expensive than some of its competitors, it consistently provides some of the best service and fastest speeds available on the internet. It is ideal for beginners (it has several easy-to-use drag and drop tools), and established companies. They are a solid choice for a web host.
Hostinger stands out as an especially good option for hosting users who are on a tight budget. While Hostinger’s plans are exceptionally affordable it doesn’t mean they’re missing any key features. It provides a wide range of services that will satisfy most small businesses. Its entry-level packages are very affordable and can scale up to meet the needs of more demanding sites. Even the lowest-level shared hosting plan includes SSD storage, a free SSL certificate, and managed auto-updates for WordPress.
More on Hosting
Have your questions on hosting not yet been answered? You can take a deeper dive by checking out these other articles at Digital:
Once you have settled on a hosting plan, it is time to consider additional features you will need for your website. These include Email, SSL security, and web builders.
Email Accounts – You will likely want multiple email accounts based on your business domain. For instance, sales@mybusiness.com. You will want to be sure the service you select includes email accounts in your hosting package.
SSL Security – SSL security assures that data transferred to and from your website is safe. Having this safeguard has become a must on today’s internet. Most browsers will either warn you or block you when you are about to enter a website that does not have SSL. Receiving an unsafe warning in your browser about the website you are about to visit does not engender confidence in the business that operates the website.
Whether or not a hosting service includes SSL in its hosting package, you can purchase and install a certificate yourself. But it is a nice perk if included in the package, saving you approximately $50 annually.
Web Builders – You will need an application to build your business website. What does the hosting service you are considering offer? Many include a website builder app with drag-and-drop features. These can be relatively simple to learn to use, but will they offer you the flexibility you need?
Apart from a web builder app included in a hosting service package, there are two main options: build an HTML website or use a CMS app such as WordPress. A significant percentage of websites on the internet are run on WordPress sites.
A WordPress website can offer greater flexibility than drag-and-drop builders, especially when using a custom theme. It is helpful to use a professional designer to get the most out of a WordPress site. I recommend Elite Web Presence services for a custom WordPress or HTML site.
Should you choose WordPress to power your website, consider selecting a hosting service that specializes in hosting WordPress sites. Such hosting services will usually offer additional tools to enhance your WordPress-powered site.
Conclusion
It can be challenging to decide on a web hosting provider with all the available options. To help you narrow down your choices, we’ve put together a list of factors to keep in mind and some top providers. Let us know if you have any questions in the comments below!
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