Products and Services that I trust and believe in.
I frequently receive emails asking for recommendations on different services or products, so I thought it would be helpful to put a list together for you. I only recommend services and products that I have experience with, trust and believe in. You may want to bookmark this page for future reference. I’ll add to it as I discover new and useful things to share with you!
Domain Names
GoDaddy – You should always have access to your domain name to make necessary changes. I use GoDaddy to purchase and manage all of my domain names. They frequently distribute promo codes for domain names too!
Hosting (e-commerce)
Merchant Moms – Affordable, reliable hosting with the BEST customer service! They have plans bundled with hosting, Content Management software and shopping carts to fit any size business! I host The Nifty Studio with Merchant Moms and I can’t say enough good things about them.. and I don’t even receive a commission for recommending them! Use the promo code “Designer” for $20.00 off an annual hosting plan.
Shoppe Pro – Simple, affordable hosting company with fast and friendly customer service. They offer bundled services that cater to small and medium size businesses. I’ve installed many of my custom design client’s websites on Shoppe Pro.
Hosting (WordPress)
Host Gator – Affordable and reliable hosting that is 100% wind powered. Cpanel with one-click WordPress install. Niftyology.com is a WordPress driven site hosted on Host Gator. I’ve been very happy with the service.
BluHost – Another affordable and reliable hosting service that has Cpanel with one-click WordPress install. I use BluHost to host our WordPress driven site, Coolibah. We use shared hosting and it’s a bit slow at times but, overall we’ve been happy with the service.
Blogging Platforms
Blogger - Free blogging platform that’s super quick and easy to set up, use and customize. It has all the basic features but lacks many of the more robust features that WordPress has. It’s a good platform if you just need a blog to post updates for your e-commerce business.
WordPress (self hosted) – An excellent and robust blogging platform that has the ability to grow to meet your needs. There are many free themes to get you started. You do need to provide your own hosting with this WordPress option. I highly recommend this if you want to blog seriously. It’s also great for building informational websites on as well.
WordPress.com – Web software that’s free and easy to use. It’s hosted by WordPress so you don’t need to provide or pay for your own hosting. It’s not as flexible or as customizable as a self hosted WordPress blog. But overall it’s a good free service to get you started.
Newsletter Marketing
Mailchimp – A powerful and easy to use email newsletter service that’s jam packed full of tools to help you manage and grow your list. I use this service and I love it! It’s free up to 2,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails a month. They have designer templates or you can easily customize your own.
Printing Services
PrintRunner – Professional printing company that has amazing customer service and high quality products. I outsource all of my print jobs to them and I have for years. I highly recommend them for all of your printing needs!
Photo Editing & Optimizing
Picnik – Free online photo editing. Perfect for editing product photos for your e-commerce store!
Data Backup Services
Backblaze – Super affordable, hassle free (as low as 3.96/mo.) unlimited secure online data backup service. The price even includes external drives! I use this service to back up my iMac and my external drives. It runs in the background automatically. I forget it’s there! I highly recommend this service.
*disclaimer – Some of the links above are affiliate links. If you click on a link and make the choice to purchase something I will earn a commission. I only recommend products and services that I have experience with, trust, and believe in… not because I earn a commission from them.
