Websites Archives - Tech Magazine MENA's Leading Technology News Platform Thu, 27 Jun 2024 11:19:15 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 https://techmgzn.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/cropped-Tech-Magazine-Favicon-e1586521001128-32x32.png Websites Archives - Tech Magazine 32 32 Best Web Hosting Providers In The Middle East https://techmgzn.com/best-web-hosting-providers-in-the-middle-east/ https://techmgzn.com/best-web-hosting-providers-in-the-middle-east/#respond Tue, 20 Jun 2023 09:17:29 +0000 https://techmgzn.com/?p=3276 Discover the top web hosting providers in the Middle East. We delve into key features, pricing, customer service, and more.

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So, you have an idea for a website aimed at the Middle East region, and you’re looking for a reliable web hosting provider with servers located in the same geographical area to ensure your site runs smoothly and reliably.

We know that navigating through the wide range of web hosting options available in the Middle East can feel like crossing the Sahara without a map or a compass. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of the best web hosting providers in the Middle East.

Why Choose A Middle Eastern Web Hosting Provider?

Choosing a web hosting provider for your site is much like choosing the perfect location for your brick-and-mortar store. You want to position yourself where your audience can easily reach you. Why? Because you can unlock the following benefits:

  • Enhanced Performance: Servers located closer to your audience mean faster load times and a smoother user experience. This proximity reduces the latency between the user’s request and the server’s response.
  • Improved SEO: Search engines like Google take server location into account when determining your site’s ranking. By hosting your site on servers located in the Middle East, you’re signaling to search engines that your content is relevant to users in this region.
  • Local Customer Support: There’s nothing like speaking to someone who understands your language, both literally and culturally. Local providers typically offer customer service in regional languages and are more likely to be attuned to the needs and expectations of Middle Eastern customers.
  • Easier Regulatory Compliance: The Middle East has specific online regulations, and opting for a local provider ensures your website is built and maintained in line with these regional regulations, providing peace of mind that you’re on the right side of the rules.

Now, you understand why choosing a Middle Eastern web hosting provider is a smart move. Before we list our top picks, let’s briefly go over some of the most important selection criteria we considered when compiling this list.

Note: It takes more than the right web hosting provider to create a successful website.

How To Choose A Web Hosting Provider In The Middle East?

Choosing the best web hosting provider in the Middle East isn’t difficult because there are several important factors you should always take into account:

  • Uptime: Uptime refers to the percentage of time your website is accessible and running. Ideally, you want a web host that offers an uptime of 99.9% or better because, let’s face it, a website that’s often down doesn’t make a good impression on your visitors.
  • Performance: Performance is all about how fast your website loads for your visitors. Look for a host with high-speed servers and optimized technologies that ensure your website loads quickly because loading speed is an important ranking factor.
  • Scalability: Your website will grow over time, and so will your hosting needs. Look for a provider that offers scalable plans, allowing you to easily upgrade as your traffic and resource needs increase.
  • Extras: The best web hosting providers make it easy to obtain and install SSL certificates, set up email accounts, get popular content management systems like WordPress up and running, and more.
  • Customer Support: If things go wrong, you want to be sure you can reach out to a knowledgeable and responsive customer service team, preferably 24/7. Because the last thing you want is to be left in the lurch with a broken website.
  • User Reviews: Don’t just take the provider’s word for it. Check out user reviews and ratings on independent review sites. They can offer valuable insights into a provider’s reliability and the quality of their service.
  • Price: While price shouldn’t be your sole deciding factor, it’s definitely important. Look for a provider that offers transparent pricing and gives you good value for your money. Remember, the cheapest isn’t always the best.

We considered all these factors when compiling our list of the best web hosting providers in the Middle East, and now it’s time to reveal who made the cut.

Top 7 Best Web Hosting Providers In The Middle East

When going through our selection of the best web hosting providers in the Middle East, you should remember that your ultimate choice should reflect your specific personal needs. You might be hunting for the best shared hosting package to save costs, or you might be a large business requiring a robust dedicated server. If you take these various personal factors into consideration, you should end up with a web hosting provider that you won’t want to leave anytime soon.

#1- AEserver

aeserver

🖥 Web Hosting Types: Linux hosting, Windows hosting, managed WordPress, cloud VPS, dedicated servers, colocation in Dubai, private cloud

⬆ Uptime Guarantee: 99.99%

🌍 Server Location: United Arab Emirates, and other locations

Established in the UAE in 2005, AEserver has evolved from a simple domain name registration service to a robust web hosting provider renowned for its excellent performance and value for money. Hosting over 50,000 websites globally, this top-rated provider has indeed come a long way.

With a diverse offering of hosting types, AEserver caters to a broad spectrum of users, so it should be able to meet your needs regardless of what you’re looking for. Its 4.8/5 rating from over 500 reviews speaks volumes about the company’s service quality and reliability.

AEserver’s commitment to customer satisfaction is clear in its support structure. With phone support available during Dubai business hours from Saturday to Thursday and a ticket-based issue management system, the web hosting provider ensures prompt and helpful responses to all inquiries. However, it’s important to note that it currently offers support in English only.

đź‘Ť Pros:

  • Excellent user reviews
  • Great uptime guarantee
  • Plenty of web hosting plans to choose from
  • Responsive customer support

đź‘Ž Cons:

  • English only

#2- A2 Hosting

a2 hosting

🖥 Web Hosting Types: Shared hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated hosting, reseller hosting, email hosting, cPanel hosting, turbo hosting, WordPress hosting

⬆ Uptime Guarantee: 99.9%

🌍 Server Location: Israel and other locations

If you’re looking for a hosting provider that’s not just reliable but also extraordinarily fast, A2 Hosting might be right up your alley. Established in 2003, this Linux-based hosting provider stands apart from the crowd with its Turbo hosting plans, which are advertised to be 20 times faster than the industry average. This makes A2 Hosting a solid choice for websites that are content-rich or expecting high levels of traffic.

A2 Hosting has certainly built a reputation for excellent customer service, with 24/7/365 live support and a 97% customer recommendation rate. What’s more, it also offers a wealth of freebies with each hosting plan, such as an SSL certificate, site migration, and robust security protections.

However, it’s worth noting that while the introductory prices of A2 Hosting plans are enticingly low, their renewal rates can be relatively steep. So, ensure to take this into account when budgeting for your website’s hosting needs.

đź‘Ť Pros:

  • Many web hosting types to choose from
  • First-class customer service
  • Great speed
  • Plenty extra goodies

đź‘Ž Cons:

  • No Windows server options
  • Expensive renewals

#3- Alibaba Cloud

alibaba cloud hosting

🖥 Web Hosting Types: Virtual cloud servers

⬆ Uptime Guarantee: 99.50%

🌍 Server Location: United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and other locations

As a subsidiary of the Alibaba Group, Alibaba Cloud, formerly known as Aliyun, has been delivering solid cloud computing services since 2009. The web hosting provider has data centers in most geographical regions, including the Middle East, making it a great choice for those who want global reach.

Indeed, Alibaba Cloud is geared toward enterprise customers, offering cloud services like elastic computing, relational databases, big-data processing, storage hosting, and others. Even the custom control panel is tailored more towards advanced users, and beginners who are used to one-click installers are guaranteed to find it difficult to use.

The good news is that a free trial for new users is available, so you can test out its services before fully committing. Should you have any questions or run into any issues, you can contact Alibaba Cloud’s customer support staff using different channels, including live chat, ticket system, and toll-free telephone service.

👍 Pros:

  • Wide range of enterprise-level cloud-related services
  • Multiple data center locations
  • Free trial for new users
  • Comprehensive customer support

đź‘Ž Cons:

  • Virtual cloud servers only
  • Too complicated for beginners

#4- eHosting DataFort

ehosting datafort

🖥 Web Hosting Types: Colocation, managed colocation, managed hosting, hosted dedicated cloud, private cloud, public cloud

⬆ Uptime Guarantee: 99.9%

🌍 Server Location: United Arab Emirates

If you’re after top-notch reliability, then eHosting DataFort is your go-to option. Founded in 2001, this Dubai-based web hosting provider owns and operates multiple Tier 3 data centers with completely redundant power and cooling systems. Indeed, the web hosting provider offers an uptime guarantee of 99.9%, so your website shouldn’t be down for more than 1 minute and 30 seconds per day.

As far as compliance goes, eHosting DataFort has you covered with ISO 9001, 20000, 22301, 27001, and PCI-DSS certifications. The web hosting provider has also nabbed the prestigious Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) STAR Certification, being the first in the region to achieve this feat.

But no web hosting is perfect, and eHosting DataFort has one major limitation too: it operates from just one location, which is in the UAE. This means if your target audience is spread across other Middle Eastern countries, the latency might be slightly higher compared to a provider with multiple server locations in the region.

👍 Pros:

  • Great reliability
  • Many compliance certifications
  • Attractive prices

đź‘Ž Cons:

  • Only one server location

#5- SkyHost

skyhost

🖥 Web Hosting Types: Web hosting, reseller hosting, WordPress hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated servers

⬆ Uptime Guarantee: 99.99%

🌍 Server Location: United Arab Emirates

SkyHost offers an excellent blend of affordability and performance while covering almost the entire spectrum of hosting services. Thanks to its impressive uptime guarantee of 99.99% and servers conveniently located in the UAE, the web hosting provider is perfectly equipped to serve businesses and individuals looking to establish a robust and reliable online presence in the Middle East.

If you’re a web hosting beginner, then you’re guaranteed to appreciate SkyHost’s easy-to-use cPanel powered by Cloudlinux and over 300 one-click installs (including WordPress, Magento, and OpenCart). Migrating from a different web hosting to SkyHost is also easy thanks to a free hosting migration service.

Our biggest dislike is the lack of monthly billing. As a SkyHost customer, you can choose only from annual, biennial, or triennial billing, and we think that’s not flexible enough.

👍 Pros:

  • Impressive uptime
  • Great for beginners
  • Free migration service

đź‘Ž Cons:

  • No monthly billing

#6- Premium RDP

premium rdp

🖥 Web Hosting Types: Cloud VPS, dedicated servers

⬆ Uptime Guarantee: 99.99%

🌍 Server Location: Saudia Arabia, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, and other locations

Premium RDP brings you robust, reliable, and cost-effective cloud servers tailored for businesses looking for a high-quality web hosting experience. Its offering extends across 195+ global locations and 750+ data centers.

One of the standout features of Premium RDP is its custom-made cloud management panel. This full management system allows you to monitor individual servers, manage staff accounts, view bandwidth and usage reports, and more.

Perhaps because Premium RDP makes it so easy for customers to self-manage their accounts, the company doesn’t provide a phone support number. Only a ticketing system is available, and that’s not enough for emergency-level issues.

👍 Pros:

  • A diverse range of hosting options
  • Fast RAID SSD storage
  • Automated daily and weekly backups

đź‘Ž Cons:

  • No support phone number

#7- EXAHost

exahost

🖥 Web Hosting Types: Shared hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated servers, mail hosting

⬆ Uptime Guarantee: 99%

🌍 Server Location: Saudi Arabia

Beginning its journey in Saudi Arabia 20 years ago, EXAHost has since then dedicated itself to enhancing the Arabian and Saudian online presence. With a vision centered around fortifying Arabic content online, the web hosting provider has persistently worked towards developing web solutions that meet the highest standards.

EXAHost offers a variety of hosting plans to accommodate the needs of various types of clients, and they all come with exceptional 24/7 technical support and a user-friendly control panel.

One slight downside of EXAHost is its 99% uptime guarantee, which is slightly less than the industry standard of 99.9%. Over a year, the difference between 99% and 99.9% uptime adds up to more than 3 full days of downtime, and that’s quite a lot.

👍 Pros:

  • Has been around for a long time
  • Personal approach

đź‘Ž Cons:

  • Uptime guarantee of only 99%

Conclusion

Choosing the right web hosting provider is a pivotal decision in your website’s journey. The best web hosting providers in the Middle East offer not only great value for money but also provide the advantage of geographical proximity to your audience. Remember, your personal needs should guide your choice, whether you’re a small blogger in search of a cost-effective shared hosting plan or a big business looking for a powerful dedicated server. So take your time, review your options, and make an informed decision.

FAQs

What are the best web hosting providers in the Middle East?

The best web hosting providers in the Middle East include AEserver, A2 Hosting, Alibaba Cloud, eHosting DataFort, SkyHost, Premium RDP, and EXAHost.

Why should I choose a Middle Eastern web hosting provider?

Choosing a Middle Eastern web hosting provider can enhance the performance of your site for regional users because server proximity can result in faster load times.

What is the difference between managed and unmanaged hosting?

Managed hosting means the hosting company handles the day-to-day management of the hardware, operating systems, and standardized applications. This service can be beneficial if you don’t have the technical expertise in-house. On the other hand, with unmanaged hosting, you’re essentially renting a server, and the necessary management and maintenance are your responsibility.

What’s the difference between a domain name and web hosting?

A domain name is the address that internet users can enter into a web browser to access your website. Think of it as the address of your house. Web hosting, on the other hand, is the space on a server where all the data that makes up your website is stored. This can be likened to the physical house itself.

Is dedicated web hosting better than shared web hosting?

Shared hosting, where multiple websites are hosted on the same server, is a cost-effective option suitable for small websites with less traffic. Dedicated hosting, where a whole server is reserved for a single website, offers more resources and greater control over the server. This option is best for large businesses and high-traffic websites.

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6 Steps To Create A Successful Website In 2024 https://techmgzn.com/6-steps-to-create-a-successful-website/ https://techmgzn.com/6-steps-to-create-a-successful-website/#respond Wed, 27 Jul 2022 14:21:39 +0000 https://techmgzn.com/?p=1807 Building a successful website doesn't have to be a pain in the neck. With these 6 simple steps, you'll have your website up and running in as little as a few hours.

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It’s estimated that there are more than 1.5 billion websites on the internet in 2024. For your website to stand out and gain loyal visitors, it must be optimized in every way possible. This article is intended to give you a bird’s-eye view of how to create a successful website in 2024, breaking down the entire process into just six easy-to-understand steps.

Choose A Memorable Domain Name

You can imagine the internet as a huge city where every single building has a name. It’s no coincidence that the largest buildings in this city have the most memorable names (like Google.com or Amazon.com).

If you want your website to stand out as well and attract a lot of foot traffic and returning visitors alike, then you need to choose a name that everyone will easily remember. Here are some quick tips to help you distinguish memorable domain names from those that are forgettable:

  • Do keep it short.
  • Don’t use numbers and hyphens.
  • Do consider your target audience.
  • Don’t use words that are hard to pronounce.
  • Do avoid doubled letters.

You can generate some pretty good domain name ideas using tools like DomainWheel and Nameboy. To check if a domain name is available, you can use the free domain name checker provided by Namecheap.

Select The Right Web Hosting Service

Remember how we compared the internet to a huge city with around 1.5 billion buildings? In reality, most buildings in this city are owned by specialized companies that rent them to people who want to establish an online presence without having to worry about the technical aspects of operating a web server.

The web hosting services provided by specialized companies can be separated into several main categories, including:

  • Shared Web Hosting: This type of web hosting lets multiple websites share the resources of the same server (or multiple servers) — just like when multiple people live in the same apartment.
  • Virtual Private Server Hosting: VPS web hosting services let customers rent an isolated part of a physical dedicated server — similar to how a single building can be split into multiple apartments.
  • Dedicated Server Hosting: These web hosting services let you rent an entire server all for yourself — much like when a family rents an entire house.

Generally speaking, the fewer visitors your website has, the more people you can afford to share a single server with. If you’re just starting, then shared web hosting will likely work just fine for you.

Build A Well-Designed Website

Websites are built using technologies like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP, among many others. The good news is that you don’t really need to understand them to build a well-designed website.

If you have a decent budget, you can let someone else build your website for you. On sites like Upwork, you can find plenty of skilled freelance web designers who can turn your vision into a functioning site.

Alternatively, you can use an easy-to-use content management system like WordPress or a web builder like WIX to assemble your website from pre-made parts.

Obviously, the DIY approach requires more time and effort, so we recommend it mainly to tech-savvy folks who are familiar with terms like FTP, backend, and frontend.

Perform Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Because the internet is such a massive place, your new website would never be discovered by anyone if it wasn’t for search engines like Google and Bing. They make it possible for users to find your website based on keywords and natural search phrases.

For search engines to recommend your website to as many users as possible, you need to perform the so-called Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Simply put, SEO is a set of best practices to help your content rank higher. Here are some of them:

  • Write well-researched content.
  • Use descriptive headings.
  • Include a meta title and a meta description.
  • Create an XML sitemap.
  • Optimize your website loading speed.

Entire books and websites are dedicated to SEO, but the best place to start is Google’s Search Engine Optimization Fundamentals online course.

Keep Your Website Security In Check

It’s estimated that 30,000 new websites are hacked every day. To prevent your website from contributing to this alarming statistic, you need to keep your website security in check.

To start with, make sure your content management system and server are both fully patched. Some web hosting services can help you with both, and those are the ones you should use if your tech skills are limited.

Since many successful website hacks involve weak or stolen passwords, it’s paramount that you use a strong, unique password for your administrator accounts.

Last but not least, you should always create backups on a regular basis so that you can quickly recover your website even if the worst happens.

Establish A Social Media Presence

You want everyone to talk about your successful website, and you can help make this goal happen by proactively establishing a social media presence. Here’s how:

  1. Create accounts on all social media websites you want to use.
  2. Align your social media branding with your website design.
  3. Start sharing regular social media content.

Because it takes so much time and effort to establish and maintain social media presence, increasingly many website owners pay a dedicated social media person to handle everything for them.

Conclusion

We hope this brief introduction to the topic of building a successful website has helped you understand the road you need to follow in order to reach the end destination.

If you would like to learn even more information about web design, search engine optimization, web security, and other related topics, then we recommend you subscribe to the SaneChoice newsletter. SaneChoice is currently running a giveaway, so there’s a chance that your subscription will win you Apple AirPods.

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How To Create A Website (A Beginners Guide) https://techmgzn.com/how-to-create-a-website-a-beginners-guide/ https://techmgzn.com/how-to-create-a-website-a-beginners-guide/#respond Sat, 19 Jun 2021 09:42:39 +0000 https://techmgzn.com/?p=975 From choosing the right domain name, to picking a reliable web hosting provider, this beginners guide shows you how to create the perfect website for your personal brand, business, or side hustle.

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Whether you’re a small business owner advertising your product or service online, or a student looking to make some cash from a side hustle or two, knowing how to create your own website from scratch is an essential skill that you need to master.

Sure, the idea of building your own site can sound a little daunting, but trust us, it’s a lot easier than you think, and the skills you’ll learn along the way will give you a huge advantage over the competition. Here are just a few of the reasons why:

  • Web design costs money. If you’re trying to grow a business, you’ll save a ton of cash that can be channeled into things like advertising and branding, especially when you consider the ongoing costs of modifying your site over time.
  • You’ll be able to react quickly to market trends and stay ahead of the competition, because you’ll be able to update your site without needing to wait for a designer to help you.
  • You’ll learn a valuable skillset that you might even be able to use to turn a decent profit.

If we’ve piqued your interest and you’re keen to get started, carry on reading this handy guide that will walk you through the process of creating a website from beginning to end:

Get Yourself A Domain Name

Before you do anything else, you’ll need a domain name for your site. There are literally hundreds of domain vendors out there, and they’re all pretty similar in terms of pricing and features.

Some companies offer free email accounts with domains, whereas others are more spartan in terms of added extras, but extremely cheap to use.

We’d recommend one of the big-name vendors like GoDaddy, Namecheap, Bluehost or HostGator for ease of use and competitive pricing.

Registering your domain is as simple as adding it to the cart and paying at the checkout. Once the order is processed, you’ll see your shiny new domain sitting in the admin area of your account.

Are Some Domains Better Than Others?

There’s a lot of misinformation out there about domain choice. SEO gurus used to be adamant that you had to get a .com domain, which ideally used your exact brand or site description in Its title. These days, most of that advice is out of date, and the domain you choose (and its ending) make very little difference to how your site will rank in Google. With that being said, if you can get a region specific domain, all the better.

Purchase Some Web Hosting

Once you have a domain name registered, you’ll need to get yourself some web hosting. When you buy web hosting, you’re essentially renting a space on a computer server. That computer server is online 24 hours a day, and when your visitors type your domain name into their address bar, or click on a link to your site, they’re directed to the server where all of the files are stored that make up your website.

When it comes to selecting web hosting, you have a couple of options: It’s entirely possible to buy a domain from one company and web hosting from another. However, for ease of use, beginners might want to purchase their domain and web hosting at the same time.

All of the companies mentioned above (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Bluehost and HostGator) offer good quality, cheap hosting as well as domain names, so purchasing both at the same time makes a great deal of sense.

Some Advice On Hosting Costs

Many hosting companies offer extremely cheap deals for the first year’s hosting, as the industry itself is extremely competitive in nature. Just make sure you read the small print and check the renewal price, or you may get a nasty surprise when you get auto-billed at year two.

Setting Up Your Domain & Hosting

These days, setting up your domain and hosting is a mostly automated process, and every major company has in-depth beginner guides to get you up and running. With that being said, there are a few things to remember:

  • Make sure your domain works with and without the WWW. prefix. This is easy enough to manage in your control panel, and is often already in place.
  • Check that your domain is “pointing” to your hosting package, so that when visitors use your domain, they’re directed to the right place. To do this, most companies’ control panels will have a setting listed under something like “name servers”. Here you’ll have an option to point the domain to your hosting.
  • Make sure your domain and hosting are set to “auto renew”, if you intend to keep the site running after the first year.
  • Check the privacy settings if you want to hide your domain’s registrant details from the public records.

Log In To The cPanel

cPanel is the administrative area of your web server, and although it sounds scary, it’s really just a simple interface where most tasks can be completed in a few mouse clicks. Usually, when you buy web hosting, you’ll get notified when your server space is ready with an email, a link to the cPanel area, and the log in details. This usually happens within 5 minutes after purchase.

Once you’re logged in to the cPanel, you’re ready to build your website!

Setup WordPress

WordPress is an open-source, completely free piece of software that allows you to quickly build a beautiful looking company website or blog. It’s by far the easiest way for beginners to setup a website and you can install it in just a few clicks.

To get started, you’ll need to be in the admin area of the cPanel. From there, find an icon named something like “Softaculous” or “Software” and you should find an option to install WordPress.

Select a domain, name your site, make a note of the login details and then click “install”. After a few moments, your website will be ready to go!

When your site is installed, navigate to YourDomainName.com/wp-admin.php. Enter your login details and you’ll be directed to the dashboard area of your new WordPress install. At that point, you’re ready to add content to your new site.

It really is that simple!

Customize Your Theme & Pages

Now, although your WordPress website should display correctly when you visit your domain name, you’ll probably be pretty disappointed with what you first see when you arrive at the site.

By default, WordPress is installed with a couple of demo pages and a very basic, vanilla looking theme. You’ll need to customize your site with a theme of your choice and of course, all of your own content and branding.

What Is A WordPress Theme?

WordPress itself is the background “engine” that runs your website, but the overall layout, design and branding is controlled by swappable templates called “Themes”. There are hundreds of themes to choose from, enabling you to customize your site to suit any type of blog, product or business imaginable.

Adding A Theme

To add a new theme to WordPress, all you need to do is look for the “appearance” tab on the left-hand side of the admin area, and navigate to “themes”.

From there, you’ll see the themes that you currently have installed, as well as an option in the top left corner to “add new”. Clicking this button will take you to the WordPress theme directory, where you have access to huge selection of great looking themes.

To install a theme, simply click “install”. Once a theme is installed, you’ll see a button appear inviting you to “activate” the theme. Click this, and you’re all set and ready to go.

Adding Pages

To get your site up and running, you’ll need to create pages for your content. At the bare minimum, you’ll need an “about” page, a “contact” page and a “home” page. To add these pages to your site, simply click on the “pages” tab on the left menu of the WordPress dashboard. This will reveal further options to add more pages to your site, or view and edit the pages that already exist.

Customizing Your Website

Once you have your theme, pages and content in place, it’s time to customize your site to your taste. To modify the look and feel of a WordPress site, head over to the “appearance” tab to the left of the dashboard, and click “customize” on the next menu. Doing so will reveal a wealth of different options and settings for altering your theme to your requirements.

WordPress itself can be as simple or as complicated as you wish, and there’s a virtually infinite range of plugins and add-ons that can turn your site into a fully featured online store, a hotel booking site and everything in-between.

Other Options For Building A Website

We’d always recommend taking the time to learn how to set up a WordPress website, just because it’s such a flexible and versatile option. We’re rapidly approaching the point where the majority of personal and business websites on the internet are running on the WordPress platform, so there’s a huge amount of knowledge and information out there to help you along the way, and a massive variety of themes and plugins to choose from.

With all of that being the case, there are a couple of obvious alternatives to WordPress, especially if you have more specific needs in mind:

WIX

create a website wix homepage

WIX is very much a beginner option, and can’t compete with WordPress for customization options or versatility. Where WIX does score points is in its ease of use: When you sign up for WIX, you essentially don’t have to worry about domains, hosting, setting up the cPanel or any website software. Everything on WIX is done for you, and the drag and drop page builder is much easier to use than the WordPress dashboard.

Shopify

create a website shopify homepage

Shopify, as the name suggests, is aimed squarely at businesses looking to setup an online store. For a monthly fee, Shopify allows you to run a fully featured retail website, complete with custom themes, a shopping cart and much more besides.

If you plan on selling physical products online, then Shopify is probably a better choice than WordPress, as although plugins exist to turn WordPress into an online storefront, it can get complicated very quickly, especially if you’re a raw beginner.

Squarespace

create a website squarespace homepage

Squarespace is much like WIX, in that it’s a fully featured website creation tool, doing away with software and hosting, and using a bespoke page builder and templating system instead. Squarespace is just as easy to use as WIX, but is aimed more towards personal and portfolio sites for creative types, priding itself more on aesthetics and visual beauty rather than outright versatility.

Weebly

weebly homepage

Weebly blends elements of all of the above services to create a product that has the ease of use of WIX, the aesthetic appeal of Squarespace, and the online store elements of Shopify. There’s a range of great looking templates to choose from and the site builder is very easy to use.

Summing Up

This guide only scratches the surfaces of what’s possible with WordPress, but we hope it goes some way to demonstrating just how easy it is to get a site up and running quickly.

With a little time and perseverance, it’s possible to customize a WordPress install to fulfill any role or function imaginable, and for those of you that don’t feel confident tackling the entire installation process, it’s perfectly possible to use one of the other options like WIX or Squarespace to quickly and easily create a website and start your online business in less than a day.

Have you been wanting to create a website for your personal brand, business, or side hustle, but just didn’t know where to start? We hope this guide helped give you some insight on the entire process.

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Top 5 Websites To Download Free Stock Photos https://techmgzn.com/top-5-websites-to-download-free-stock-photos/ https://techmgzn.com/top-5-websites-to-download-free-stock-photos/#respond Tue, 01 Sep 2020 12:22:16 +0000 https://techmgzn.com/?p=375 These are the top 5 websites you can use to download free stock photos from talented photographers and graphics designers.

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It doesn’t matter if you’re writing an online article, putting together a report, or developing an innovative app — you need captivating visuals to engage your target audience. While there’s no shortage of websites with stock photos, most suffer from the same problems: their prices are too high, the photos are cheesy, and you need to create a user account and agree to lengthy terms of service just to use the website. In this article, we present the top 5 websites you can use to download free stock photos from talented photographers and graphics designers. We highly recommend you check out and bookmark all 5 of these websites since each contains a different collection of free stock photos.

#1 – Pixabay

pixabay homepage

Pixabay is arguably the most popular website that allows users to download free stock photos without any hoops to jump through. The site is available in 26 languages, and it’s estimated to offer over 1.8 million high-quality photos, illustrations, vectors, videos, and even music!

To download a free stock photo from Pixabay, all you need to do is enter a keyword in the prominent search bar, choose the best result, and click the “Free Download” button. Thanks to the Pixabay license, all photos are free for commercial use, and no attribution is required.

The only downside is that the best stock photos on the site are usually sponsored results from iStock, a premium stock photography provider owned by Getty Images. To download iStock photos, you need to purchase credits or get a monthly subscription.

#2 – Life Of Pix

life of pix homepage

Life of Pix is more than a free provider of stock photos. It’s a booming community of photographers from around the world, who are on the site to showcase their best pictures. Each week, Life of Pix makes one photographer the “Photographer of the Week” and highlights the person’s top 10 photos on its social networks and website.

The photographer receives recognition, and Life of Pix users get to download free stock photos with heart and soul. Not too long ago, Life of Pix partnered with Adobe Stock, allowing Adobe to advertise its premium stock photos on its site. The good news is that Adobe Stock photos are clearly distinguishable from original Life of Pix content, so you can easily ignore them if you’re not interested in their content.

#3 – Stockvault

stockvault homepage

Offering over 130,000 free stock photos, textures, backgrounds, and graphics, Stockvault may not have the biggest collection of stock images, but you would be hard-pressed to stumble upon any low-quality images that you would be embarrassed to use for your project. That’s because all of Stockvault’s content is hand-picked by its staff, who always make sure to include topical images as well as evergreen content.

We really like how Stockvault organizes thematically similar stock photos and graphics into image collections, such as education, medical, flowers, protests, beach holiday, or business concepts. These collections make it incredibly easy to find all the stock photos you need with a few simple clicks.

#4 – Unsplash

unsplash homepage

Unsplash is the product of over 200,000 photographers from around the world sharing their best images and offering them under the Unsplash license. According to this license, all photos can be downloaded and used for free for both commercial and non-commercial purposes, and there’s no need to attribute the original photographer. However, photos can’t be sold without significant modification or offered on a different stock photography website.

We recommend Unsplash to those who are looking for contemporary photos that don’t look tacky or staged. Just keep in mind that some photos on Unsplash are sponsored and created to advertise a certain product or service in a subtle manner.

Read Now: How To Find & Cancel Pending Instagram Requests

#5 – Pexels

pexels free stock photos homepage

Launched in 2014, Pexels is yet another website where you can download free stock photos of people, places, animals, events, and more. All photos on the site are free to use, and users are not required to attribute the photographer or the site itself. What’s more, you can even modify photos downloaded from Pexels without running into any licensing issues.

When browsing Pexels, make sure to click the Explore button to discover popular collections of free stock photos, trending photography topics, and an interesting photographer leaderboard showing which users have uploaded the most viewed photos.

Which of these websites do you like the most? Do you know any other websites offering free high-quality stock images that you can recommend? Make sure to post them in the comments below!

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