A Global Small Business Survey conducted by GoDaddy found that only 28% of South African small businesses have a website, while 22% plan on building one in the near future. The same survey reports that a website can have a positive impact on business outlook and reach.
Only 20% of small business owners use e-commerce in their business on a regular basis, this is according to the SME Landscape Report. E-commerce presents enormous potential for local SMEs to increase their market share by simply trading online.
Did You Know that 67% of entrepreneurs who have a website expect to grow 25% in the next three years.
The main reasons South African entrepreneurs do not have a website is due to affordability and a lack of technical expertise, according to SME South Africa’s white paper report, Advancing Technology Use Among South African SMEs To Accelerate Growth.
To help with finding the right website hosting and domain platform SME South Africa did the research. We compare three popular Website Hosting and Domains platforms – 1-Grid, Afrihost and GoDaddy. This is what we found – taking into account factors like affordability, usability and support.
1 Grid – Extensive Website Design Packages for Small Businesses
ABOUT 1-GRID
1-Grid is a South African-based company that specialises in all things website hosting. 1-Grid offers domain registration, company registration, reseller hosting, web and email hosting, website design, website optimisation, website builders and Facebook marketing.
FEATURES
1-Grid offers powerful cPanel hosting, easy domain management, website building, efficient management tools, database tools and domain registration.
BENEFITS
- Can install WordPress in one easy click.
- Set up domains and redirects to point visitors to the right website.
- Access tools for building an e-commerce website and blog.
- With website management you can monitor your disk space usage, edit and backup your files and folders.
- Secure your website with watertight SSL certificates.
- Access to add-ons such as website optimization and Facebook marketing.
PRICES
Medium: the medium package ranges from R99 per month and includes 5GB storage, unlimited traffic, unlimited email accounts, unlimited SQL database (relational database management systems), 50 000 inodes (data structure on a file system) and more.
Medium 2.0: the medium 2.0 package ranges from R149 per month and includes free .co.za domain, 25GB storage, unlimited traffic, unlimited email accounts, unlimited SQL database, 75 000 inodes and more.
Large: the large package ranges from R239 per month and includes free .co.za domain, free .online domain, 50GB storage, unlimited traffic, unlimited email accounts, unlimited SQL database, 100 000 inodes and more.
Afrihost – Affordable and Powerful
ABOUT AFRIHOST
Afrihost is a South African Internet Service Provider (ISP) that started off as a website hosting company, today they provide a number of other services including ADSL broadband, fibre, fixed wireless, mobile services and domains.
FEATURES
Afrihost Linux hosting services have a number of features including a website builder, website administration, security features and email features.
BENEFITS
- Free .co.za, .online and .site domain registration.
- 24/7 priority support for all customers.
- Their use of Softculous makes it easy to install WordPress or Joomla.
- Unlimited traffic.
- Locally hosted which means you get fast connection to your website.
- With your account you receive additional services such as web mail, website control panel, online organisers and virus filters.
PRICE
Silver Pro: the Silver Pro package costs R109 per month (incl. VAT). The package includes a free domain for the first year, free setup, unlimited web traffic, 10G storage space, 2000 email accounts, 100 SQL databases and more.
Gold Pro: the Gold Pro package costs R175 per month (incl. VAT). The package includes a free domain for the first year, free setup, unlimited web traffic, 20G storage space, 5000 email accounts, 200 SQL databases and more.
Platinum Pro: the Platinum Pro package costs R419 per month (incl. VAT). The package includes free domain for the first year, free setup, unlimited web traffic, 50G storage space, unlimited email accounts, unlimited SQL databases and more.
GoDaddy – Beginner Friendly Platform
ABOUT GODADDY
GoDaddy is an American internet domain registrar and website hosting company. They are the world’s largest service platform for entrepreneurs around the world.
FEATURES
GoDaddy’s features include SSL certification, website security, email marketing, e-commerce solutions and a website builder.
BENEFITS
- Their interface is super simple to use, you do not need to have any technical skills.
- All of their plans include a free SSL certificate.
- The memory and disk space that come with your business hosting are dedicated and belong to you.
- Get super fast speed with a dedicated CPU (central processing unit- is the brain of the computer, it stores data and gives instructions) and RAM (random access memory- computers short term memory).
- Offers expert 24/7 phone support.
- Their Business Hosting offers private server speed.
PRICE
Launch: the Launch package is ideal for basic websites. You can get it for R245,99 per month on sale and R368,99 per month when you renew. It includes 60GB storage, 2GB RAM, 1 CPU, unmetered traffic, unlimited websites and databases and a standard SSL certificate.
Enhance: for high traffic websites that run on Joomla, WordPress and other platforms. You can get it for R322,99 per month on sale and R645,99 per month when you renew. It includes 90GB storage, 4GB RAM, 2 CPUs, unmetered traffic, unlimited websites and databases and a standard SSL certificate.
Grow: for advanced e-commerce websites. You can get it for R430,99 per month on sale and R904,99 per month when you renew. It includes 120GB storage, 6GB RAM, 3 CPUs, unmetered traffic, unlimited websites and databases and a standard SSL certificate.
Disclaimer: Please note that some of the links in this article are affiliate links and SME South Africa will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. All recommendations have been carefully considered and they are resources SME South Africa has found helpful and trustworthy.
