Resources
All of our recommendations in one place
When you begin a new website, it can be overwhelming to know where to start, and who to trust. Below are a few resources we use and love. Some links on this page are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through them (at no extra cost to you). I only endorse products and services that I have personal experience with and have used in my business. There is no obligation to use my links, but if you do, it’s appreciated.
Shop AI Tools & Toolkits for Businesses
Over the years, I have learned some things. I’ve created custom GPTs for ChatGPT, and some downloadable business resource kits to help you prepare for emergencies in your business.
Hosting for your Website
Selecting a reliable host is crucial when setting up your new website. A subpar hosting provider can greatly affect your site’s performance (and in turn, your business!) The hosts I recommend below are all hosting companies I do business with regularly and have been chosen for performance, excellent customer service, and robust security. (There are definitely some hosts that we do *not* recommend, so please check with us before you purchase!)
Many experts regard WP Engine as the top choice for managed WordPress hosting. Specializing solely in WordPress hosting, WP Engine offers expert performance and support, though their services come at a premium. Since WP Engine’s focus is hosting, you’ll need to purchase a domain and your email from somewhere else — we can help with that.
If you need something affordable, shared hosting with Siteground is one of the best. Site performance may not be quite as fast as a managed hosting choice, but for almost all of my clients, it is fast, as well as reliable. You get a free domain, SSL certificate and email when you sign up, and the first year is up to 80% off.
I have used Flywheel for many sites when collaborating with a partner. Their support is amazing. Like WP Engine, Flywheel specializes exclusively in WordPress hosting, so your domain and email will need to be purchased elsewhere, which isn’t a problem – we can set that up for you when we set up your hosting account!
Domain Names & Email Hosting
Given the recent changes in email deliverability standards, using an email address with your own domain has become crucial.
Depending on your choice of hosting provider, domain registration and email hosting services might be included. If not, I recommend these options:
NameCheap (Domain Registration)
If your hosting provider doesn’t offer domain names, Namecheap is a great solution, because they offer free WHOISGuard identity protection with every domain. You don’t need to purchase their hosting to qualify.
Google Workspace (email)
We love and use Google Workspace for our email client. You can use your own domain with the business email service, they have excellent online support, and many other benefits and offerings. Google also integrates well with NameCheap, allowing you the option to easily configure your domain settings.
Marketing with Email
Communicating with your clients, readers, and customers is the best way to retain them. I cannot stress enough the importance of building an email list! Below are a few of the email marketing companies I use with clients, and here’s a post about how to build an email list the RIGHT way.
The easiest free (up to 1000 subscribers/12,000 emails a month) newsletter service to get started with. Offers powerful automation tools including email sequences and customer journey mapping, as well as detailed analytics and reporting on email campaigns, including open rates and click-through rates.
Known for its extensive range of features, including email design, automation, audience insights, and integrations, Mailchimp offers a large selection of templates and reporting tools with insights into campaign performance and audience behavior. Starts free for under 500, but you have limited features unless you upgrade to a paid plan.
Designed for simplicity, with an easy-to-navigate interface and straightforward tools, Constant Contact includes features for event registration and management, which can be useful for businesses hosting events. Great customer service, including live chat and phone support. Plans start at $12/month for up to 500 subscribers.
More Resources
Created with Clients in Mind
- Getting Started with AI (offsite)
- How to use AI to Improve Your Writing Process
- Owning Your Website: A Strategic Investment
- DIY SEO: A Quick and Easy Guide for Small Business and Freelance Writers
- The Importance of Respecting the CAN-SPAM Act
- What is a Brand Guide?
- Emergency Preparedness Kit for Businesses & Entrepreneurs
- Why is Responsive Design Important?
- WordPress Technical Support
- WordPress Care Plans
Additional Tools & Resources
In addition to the above, we use and recommend the following resources to help manage your business more effectively.
Built for WordPress website, WooCommerce offers built-in features make the purchase process easy and stress-free for customers. Woocommerce flexibility allows the seller to customize and modify everything from product placement to customizing the whole storefront. Many payment processing options and integrations with a whole host of applications make it the best choice if your website is built on WP.
Shopify is built to support beginners and is easy to use. It’s flexible enough to meet the needs of growing small businesses as well as established enterprise businesses. If you’re in a hurry and don’t want to spend the time learning to set it up, we can help with that – we offer a one-day setup service for Shopify stores.
FreeAgent is accounting software that may be a good choice for small businesses because it offers a variety of features to help with bookkeeping, tax, and other business administration tasks. Other features includ unlimited clients and invoices,
time tracking
easy setup and navigation,
24/7 account visibility, and an app for on-the-go. We use this in our own business and love it.
WP Rocket is an open-source web performance premium plugin for WordPress. The plugin uses caching to accelerate website loading times. If you choose shared hosting, this is a must-have!
1Password makes it easy to generate, store, and autofill passwords for all your online accounts, on all your devices. Because weak and reused passwords are a leading cause of security incidents, using a password manager is an easy way to protect yourself, your family, or your business.
Creative Market is an online marketplace for design assets. The company sells fonts, graphics, illustrations, mockups, icons, templates, stock photography, and other digital goods for use by web creatives.
Canva is a graphic design platform that provides tools for creating social media graphics, presentations, promotional merchandise and websites.
Create custom forms for any project. Collect the data your business needs. Lead generation. Online payments. Surveys. Quizzes. It’s all possible with Gravity Forms.
Beautiful, free images and photos that you can download and use for any project. Better than any royalty free or stock photos. They offer both free and paid plans – no limits, the paid plan starts at only $7/mo if purchased yearly.
Pexels is a free stock photo and video website and app that helps designers, bloggers, and everyone who is looking for visuals to find great photos and videos that can be downloaded and used for free.
If your preferred method of learning is to watch videos, WordPress.tv is packed with video tutorials from experienced WP users, covering practically every subject you might wish learn about.
On of our favorite FREE tools for speeding up client websites – we use it on EVERY image we upload. Maximizes performance
and improves SEO rankings by optimizing your images.
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