Tools we recommend

Domains and hosting

For a small business website you need two things: a domain name (your address, like yourbusiness.com) and hosting (the computer that serves your site). Buy them from a well-known company with clear renewal prices and good support.

• Namecheap: domains with free privacy protection, and simple shared hosting with cPanel. We host our own sites here.
• Hostinger: low-cost WordPress hosting with a beginner-friendly panel.

Tip: look at the renewal price, not just the first-year discount.

WordPress hosting checklist

• Free SSL certificate (the padlock)
• Daily or weekly backups you can restore yourself
• PHP 8.2 or newer
• Email accounts included, or easy setup with Google Workspace or Zoho

Themes and page builders for WordPress

• Astra, Kadence and GeneratePress: fast, well-maintained themes with good free versions.
• Elementor: drag-and-drop page builder. The free version is enough for most small sites.

Only install themes and plugins from WordPress.org or the official developer. “Free” copies of paid plugins from other sites often contain malware.

Business email

• Google Workspace: Gmail with your own domain, plus Drive and Meet.
• Zoho Mail: a cheaper option, with a free plan for very small teams (check the current limits).

Security and backups

• Wordfence: firewall and malware scanner for WordPress.
• UpdraftPlus: scheduled backups to Google Drive or Dropbox.