I hate YSB/Aabco. Now what?

[GanChan]

I set up my freelance writing business's online presence under a Yahoo Small Business (later Aabco) account many years ago, mainly because I didn't know any better. But the huge data breaches, crappy Yahoo Mail performance, etc. have got me itching to pull up stakes and shift everything elsewhere. But where?

Google Domains makes the domain transfer process look pretty simple, but then I still need to set up my web and email hosting. I do have a Gmail account, but I'd need to alter it so it uses my domain name. Then there's the hosting issue. I've heard good things about Bluehost, or I could keep things in the Google family and try Wix.... I already have a website I created in Rapidweaver, and if possible I'd love to simply FTP the whole thing up to the host.

Any suggestions on the least painful options?

 

[james.clark]

I was in the same boat for several years. I had a Yahoo! Small Business domain, email account, and a simple web presence. But after several email breaches, I realized I needed something better. I chose to move my domain to GoDaddy. I bought their Deluxe Linux-based hosting plan (they also offer Microsoft Windows-based hosting). I also went with their Microsoft Office 365 Email Essentials plan (Microsoft Exchange-based email). I really like the Exchange-based email, it couldn't be easier to set up and works well on mobile devices. I've been happy with this and would recommend it as a low-cost solution. GoDaddy's tech support has been good also. I use FileZilla for FTP access.

 

[GanChan]

Thanks. I'm sort of torn between GoDaddy and HostGator. They're about the same price for comparable services, but HostGator is supposedly even easier to set up than GoDaddy. (?) I won't be using the interface much anyway if I'm making primarily working offline and uploading via FTP, but I really am not tech-savvy and I just want a seamless transition if at all possible....

One difference I'm noticing is that HostGator appears to charge extra for domain privacy, while GoDaddy includes this feature by default in the domain transfer fee.