WordPress Archives

How to Give Your Web Developer Access to Hosting and Domain Accounts

September 9, 2026/in WordPress

Most major hosting companies and domain registrars now let you add another user, delegate, collaborator or account manager. Your developer gets their own login, you keep ownership of the account, and you can remove their access later for any reason.

If you are working with Small Business Fanatics, use jl@smallbusinessfanatics.com whenever the instructions below ask for your developer’s email address. This guide covers the most common hosting companies, domain registrars and DNS providers we encounter while managing WordPress websites.

What Access Should You Give a Web Developer?

Give your developer enough access to do the work, but avoid handing over your primary account credentials whenever the provider offers a better option.

Depending on the project, a web developer may need access to:

Your hosting control panel
Website files and databases
Domain and DNS settings
SSL certificate settings
Backups and staging environments
PHP and server settings
Your WordPress dashboard

They usually do not need access to your credit card, billing profile or primary account password. If you are giving someone access because your website needs ongoing updates, security monitoring or troubleshooting, see our WordPress maintenance services.

How to Give a Developer Access to GoDaddy

GoDaddy uses a system called Delegate Access. It lets another person access products in your GoDaddy account without giving them your password or access to sensitive account information such as your payment methods.

Log in to your GoDaddy account.
Open Delegate Access.
Find People who can access my account.
Click Invite to Access.
Enter your developer’s name and email address.
Choose the appropriate access level.
Click Invite.

The developer will receive an invitation and use their own GoDaddy account to access the products you have authorized.

View GoDaddy’s official Delegate Access instructions.

How to Give a Developer Access to Namecheap

Namecheap has a Share Access feature for domains. This allows another Namecheap user to manage selected domain settings while you remain the domain owner.

Log in to Namecheap.
Open Domain List.
Click Manage next to the domain.
Open the Sharing & Transfer tab.
Find Share Access.
Enter your developer’s email address or Namecheap username.
Click Add.
Select the settings the developer is allowed to manage.
Enter your account password to confirm the change.

The person receiving access needs their own Namecheap account. Namecheap lets you choose which domain settings they can modify, so there is usually no reason to share your primary Namecheap login.

View Namecheap’s official domain sharing instructions.

How to Give a Developer Access to Hostinger

Hostinger provides Account Sharing specifically for situations like giving a developer or collaborator access to your hosting services.

Log in to Hostinger hPanel.
Click your profile icon.
Select Account Sharing.
Click Give Access.
Enter your developer’s email address.
Select the appropriate access level.
Select which services the developer can manage.
Click Give Access.

The developer can manage websites, files, databases and hosting settings based on the access you grant. Hostinger restricts shared users from sensitive actions such as changing your profile information, managing payment methods or deleting your account.

View Hostinger’s official Account Sharing instructions.

How to Give a Developer Access to SiteGround

SiteGround calls this type of user a Collaborator. For WordPress websites, collaborators can access the site’s Site Tools without logging into the owner’s personal SiteGround account.

Log in to your SiteGround Client Area.
Open Websites.
Find the website you want to share.
Open the Actions menu.
Select Manage Users.
Click Add Users.
Select New User if the developer has not already been added.
Enter the developer’s name and email address.
Click Add.

The developer receives an email invitation. SiteGround’s current system gives a new collaborator 48 hours to accept the invitation.

View SiteGround’s official collaborator instructions.

How to Give a Developer Access to WP Engine

WP Engine allows account owners to add additional users through its User Portal and assign different levels of access.

Log in to the WP Engine User Portal.
Expand Users.
Click Account Users.
Click Invite account user.
Enter your developer’s information.
Select the appropriate role and website environments.
Click Invite user.

One important distinction: adding someone to your WP Engine hosting account does not automatically add that person as a WordPress Administrator. Hosting access and WordPress dashboard access are separate permissions.

View WP Engine’s official user management instructions.

How to Give a Developer Access to Kinsta

Kinsta lets you give a developer access to individual websites instead of your entire company account. For most small businesses, that is the better choice.

Log in to MyKinsta.
Go to Sites.
Select the website.
Open User management.
Click Invite users.
Enter your developer’s email address.
Choose Site administrator or Site developer.
Click Invite users.

Use the role that provides the access required for the project rather than automatically granting company-wide access.

View Kinsta’s official user management instructions.

How to Give a Developer Access to DreamHost

DreamHost uses Account Privileges. This lets you give another person access to specific areas of your DreamHost account instead of sharing your primary login.

Log in to your DreamHost panel.
Open Account Access.
Click Grant Privileges to a New Person.
Enter your developer’s name and email address.
Select the privileges they need.
Click Set Privileges.

DreamHost can provide fairly granular access, including permissions related to domains, databases and hosting plans. Be careful with domain privileges because some permissions can also affect email accounts associated with the domain.

View DreamHost’s official Account Privileges instructions.

How to Give a Developer Access to Cloudflare

Cloudflare is often where a website’s DNS is managed, even when the website is hosted somewhere else. That means your developer may need Cloudflare access in addition to hosting access.

Log in to Cloudflare.
Select your account.
Go to Manage Account > Members.
Click Invite.
Enter your developer’s email address.
Choose the appropriate scope.
Assign the necessary role or roles.
Continue to the summary.
Review the permissions and send the invitation.

Cloudflare supports scoped permissions, so avoid giving someone unrestricted account access when they only need to manage a particular domain or technical function.

View Cloudflare’s official account member documentation.

How to Give a Developer Access to Squarespace Domains

Squarespace allows domain owners to invite additional Domain Managers. This is especially relevant for domains that were moved to Squarespace following the migration of Google Domains customers.

Each domain manager uses their own Squarespace account.

Log in to Squarespace.
Open your domains dashboard.
Select the domain you want to share.
Open the domain’s permissions settings.
Invite the developer as a Domain Manager.
Enter their email address.
Send the invitation.

Keep in mind that Squarespace permissions can work differently when a domain is connected to and shares permissions with a Squarespace website.

View Squarespace’s official domain permissions guide.

How to Give a Developer Access to cPanel

cPanel is different from the companies above because it is hosting control panel software used by many different hosting companies.

Newer cPanel installations may include Manage Team, which lets the account owner create separate team users and assign roles.

Log in to cPanel.
Look under Preferences for Manage Team.
Click Create Team User.
Enter a username for your developer.
Enter their email address.
Choose the option that allows the user to set their own password.
Assign the appropriate roles.
Create the user.

Not every hosting company enables cPanel’s team management features. If Manage Team is missing, ask your hosting provider whether they offer separate users before sharing the primary cPanel password.

View cPanel’s official Manage Team documentation.

What About Bluehost?

Bluehost’s account management interface and available user permissions can vary depending on the account and hosting product. If your Bluehost dashboard provides a Users & Roles or similar account-user feature, use that instead of sharing your primary password.

If you do not see a separate account access option, contact Bluehost support and ask specifically how to provide a web developer with hosting access without sharing the account owner’s login.

Visit the official Bluehost Help Center.

Understanding How Hosting Access and WordPress Administrator Access Are Different

This trips up a lot of website owners. Creating a WordPress Administrator account does not necessarily give your developer access to your hosting company, server or domain name.

A WordPress Administrator can generally manage:

Pages and posts
Plugins
Themes
WordPress users
Most WordPress settings

Hosting or domain access may be required to manage:

DNS records
Nameservers
PHP versions
Server configuration
Databases
Server-level backups
SSL certificates
Website files when WordPress is inaccessible
Staging environments

If you only need to add someone to WordPress, go to Users > Add New User inside your WordPress dashboard and select the appropriate role. WordPress also maintains an official guide to user roles and capabilities.

Should You Give a Web Developer Administrator Access?

If the developer is responsible for actually fixing, migrating, maintaining or troubleshooting the website, limited read-only access may not be enough. The better approach is to give them the technical permissions required to do the work while keeping ownership, billing and unrelated services under your control. This is one reason separate user accounts are better than password sharing. You can see who has access and remove that access without changing your own login.

Working With Small Business Fanatics?

If we asked you for hosting, domain or DNS access, you generally do not need to send us your primary password. Use jl@smallbusinessfanatics.com when your provider asks for the email address of the developer, delegate, collaborator or account manager. If your hosting company is not listed above, send us the name of the provider. We’ll tell you which type of access we need.

Not sure whether your website has technical or SEO problems in the first place? Start with our Free SEO Audit. We’ll identify the issues worth addressing before you start changing things.

WordPress Hacks: Smart Tricks That Make Your Website Faster, Safer, and Less Annoying

June 17, 2026/in WordPress

WordPress hacks can mean two very different things.

There are the bad kind, where someone breaks into your site and ruins your week.

Then there are the good kind: simple, practical WordPress hacks that make your website easier to manage, harder to break, and better for SEO.

This article is about the good kind.

1. Stop Ignoring Plugin Updates

Outdated plugins are one of the easiest ways to invite problems into your website.

If WordPress, your theme, or your plugins are out of date, your site may become slower, less secure, or eventually break completely.

WordPress hack: update plugins regularly, but always make a backup first.

2. Delete Plugins You Do Not Use

Every inactive plugin is one more thing sitting on your site doing nothing useful.

If you are not using it, delete it.

This keeps your site cleaner, faster, and easier to troubleshoot.

3. Use Fewer Plugins Whenever Possible

Plugins are great until your website starts looking like a junk drawer.

Before installing another plugin, ask yourself:

do I actually need this?
can my theme already do this?
will this slow the site down?
is this plugin still maintained?

4. Rename Images Before Uploading Them

Uploading an image called IMG_4827.jpg does nothing for SEO.

Rename your images before uploading them.

Example:

bad: IMG_4827.jpg
better: wordpress-hacks-security-checklist.jpg

This is one of the easiest WordPress hacks for better image SEO.

5. Add Alt Text That Actually Describes the Image

Alt text should describe what is in the image, not stuff keywords into it like it is 2009.

Bad alt text:

WordPress hacks WordPress SEO WordPress website tips

Better alt text:

WordPress dashboard showing plugin update notification

Need help with WordPress?

We handle maintenance, security, speed optimization, and SEO so you can focus on running your business.

6. Keep Your Permalinks Clean

Short, clear URLs are easier for people and search engines to understand.

Instead of:

/2026/06/16/best-wordpress-hacks-for-small-business-websites-final-version/

Use:

/wordpress-hacks/

7. Add Internal Links Like You Mean It

Internal links help visitors find related content and help Google understand which pages matter most.

When you publish a new article, link to it from older related pages.

Also link from the new article back to important service pages, contact pages, or helpful resources.

8. Make Your Contact Page Obvious

A website should not make people hunt for a way to contact you.

Add your contact link in the main menu, footer, and key service pages. Just check out our awesome Contact page here.

If leads matter, do not hide the door.

9. Use a Real Backup System

Hope is not a backup plan.

Your website should have scheduled backups stored somewhere safe, not just sitting on the same server.

Before big updates, design changes, plugin swaps, or migrations, don’t forget to create a fresh backup.

10. Check Your Site on Mobile

Most people will not see your website on the giant monitor you used to build it.

They will see it on a phone while distracted, impatient, and one bad tap away from leaving.

Check your site on mobile often while asking yourself these questions:

can people read it?
can they tap the buttons?
can they find the contact form?
does anything look broken or confusing?

11. Stop Using Huge Images

Large image files can crush your page speed. Remember dial-up or DSL? People are still using not-very-fast internet these days.

So, don’t forget to resize and compress images before uploading them.

Your website does not need a 5000 pixel wide image to display a small banner.

12. Create a Simple Website Maintenance Routine

You do not need to babysit your website every day, but you should not ignore it for months or years either.

A simple monthly routine can prevent so many inevitable problems.

Update WordPress
Update plugins
Update themes
Test forms
Review backups
Refresh important pages
Look for broken links or images

Want a set-it-and-forget-it solution? Subscribe to one of our affordable WordPress maintenance plans.

13. Watch for Weird Admin Users

If you see an admin user you do not recognize, take it seriously or you may lose your entire website in seconds.

That can be a sign your WordPress site has been compromised, either by a human or an AI bot.

Be sure to remove unknown users, change passwords, and review your site immediately.

14. Do Not Use “Admin” as a Username

Using admin as your username makes life easier for attackers.

Create a unique username and use a strong password.

Simple, boring, effective.

15. Test Your Forms Before You Need Them

A contact form that does not send emails is basically a decoration.

Test your forms regularly.

Submit a test message and make sure it actually lands in your inbox.

Final Thought

The best WordPress hacks are not fancy.

They are the simple habits that keep your website clean, fast, secure, and useful.

Update your site. Delete what you do not use. Compress your images. Check your forms. Back things up.

That is how you avoid website chaos.

And if your WordPress site already feels like chaos, that is usually a sign it needs maintenance, not another plugin.

Web Design Trends That Actually Matter

June 5, 2024/in Web Design, WordPress

Every year, hundreds of articles predict the next big web design trends. Most are filled with things small businesses don’t actually need like VR websites, or 3D everything, or crazy animations everywhere. Or whatever the newest design buzzword happens to be, right? Meanwhile, the websites that actually work keep getting simpler, faster and easier to use.

We work with WordPress websites every day, and these are the web design trends we believe are actually worth paying attention to in 2027.

1. AI Is Changing Websites, Just Not How You Think

The goal shouldn’t be adding AI to your website. The goal should be figuring out where AI actually improves the website.

AI is obviously one of the biggest changes happening online, but that doesn’t mean every website needs an AI chatbot.

We’re much more interested in how AI is changing the way websites are built, managed, searched and understood. AI is already being used for development, troubleshooting, content research, accessibility, SEO, image creation, customer support and analyzing large amounts of website data.

At the same time, people are increasingly discovering businesses and information through tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini and AI-powered search experiences. That makes useful, well-organized website content even more important.

Google’s own SEO Starter Guide still emphasizes creating content for users and making it easy for search engines to understand.

2. Users Expect Accessibility Compliance for Web Design in 2027

Accessibility shouldn’t be something added after a website is finished, agreed? Readable fonts, sufficient color contrast, keyboard navigation, properly labeled forms, alternative text and logical heading structures should simply be part of building a good website.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) from the W3C remain the primary technical reference for web accessibility. The current standard is WCAG 2.2. Most accessibility improvements also make websites easier for everyone to use. We cover this in more detail on our Website Accessibility page.

What are the most downloaded plugins for WordPress accessibility as of August 2026?

Web Accessibility, formerly Ally
500,000+ active installs
Accessibility by UserWay
80,000+ active installs
WP Accessibility
60,000+ active installs

These plugins can help, but installing an accessibility plugin does not automatically make a website accessible. The underlying design, HTML and content still matter.

Our favorite? For years we’ve trusted and recommended the accessWidget by accessiBe to keep our ADA compliance automated.

3. Websites Are Getting Simpler

We’re happy to see this trending. Businesses are realizing that stuffing more things onto a webpage doesn’t necessarily make it better.

Fewer navigation choices
More whitespace
Clearer headings
Shorter paragraphs
Obvious calls to action
Less unnecessary animation
Fewer competing fonts and colors

If something doesn’t help visitors understand the business, find information or take the next step, there’s a good chance it doesn’t need to be there. This is also why improving an existing site can often make more sense than automatically rebuilding it. Our WordPress support services frequently involve fixing usability and technical problems without starting over.

Is Your Website Doing Too Much?

Slow pages, cluttered layouts and unnecessary plugins can hurt both users and search visibility. Sometimes the best redesign starts by removing things.

Explore WordPress Support →

4. Typography Is Becoming Part of the Design

You don’t need giant graphics anymore to make a website share-worthy. Good typography can do a lot of that work. Large headings, strong font weights and clear differences between headings and body copy can create visual hierarchy while making pages easier to scan.

Just don’t go crazy. Most websites don’t need five or more fonts!

What are the most downloaded plugins for custom fonts?

Custom Fonts – Host Your Fonts Locally
400,000+ active installations
Use Any Font
200,000+ active installations
Fonts Plugin
200,000+ active installations

Locally hosted fonts will certainly reduce unnecessary third-party requests and give website owners more control over how fonts are delivered. Also less fonts on your website means less fonts your users are forced to download.

5. Real Images Are Becoming More Valuable

Generic stock photos have been bad for ~~years~~ decades. Now we also have generic AI photos. Good LAWD!

Visitors don’t need another suspiciously happy person holding a laptop next to a perfectly placed plant and coffee cup. So show them something real, like your actual office – even if it’s your home office.

You can showcase your employees, your products, your completed work with screenshots. Before-and-after examples of actual real-world projects with real clients. Make sure to request their permission first!

6. Mobile-First Isn’t a Trend Anymore

Don’t just check whether the website fits on a phone, actually use it on one.

A website working properly on a phone should be considered basic web design in 2027. The bigger question is whether it’s actually comfortable to use on a phone.

We regularly come across websites that technically work on mobile but still have tiny buttons, awkward menus, overflowing text, giant popups or forms that are miserable to complete. The responsive design guidance from web.dev is a useful reference for understanding how modern layouts should adapt across screen sizes.

7. Website Speed Is Part of Web Design, Get Over It

A beautiful website that takes forever to load is not well designed. Large images, unnecessary scripts, video backgrounds, excessive plugins and complicated animation all come with a performance cost. Google’s Core Web Vitals provide a useful framework for measuring loading performance, responsiveness and visual stability. That’s why performance needs to be considered while a website is being designed rather than after everything is finished.

What are the most downloaded plugins for WordPress speed optimization?

Smush
1+ million active installations
WP-Optimize
1+ million active installations
10Web Booster
70,000+ active installations

These plugins can help, but no optimization plugin can completely fix a bloated website. Sometimes the best performance optimization is simply deleting stuff.

Find Technical Problems Before Redesigning Anything

A redesign isn’t always the answer. Run the site through our audit first and see what technical, SEO and performance problems actually need attention.

Get a Free SEO Audit

8. Dark Mode Has Settled Down

For a while, dark mode appeared on practically every web design trends list as though every website was about to turn black. It even scared our internal team but luckily that didn’t happen.

What stuck around, however, is much more practical by allowing websites to respect a user’s own preferred color scheme. Modern browsers support tools such as the prefers-color-scheme CSS media feature, allowing websites to detect whether a user prefers a light or dark interface.

The MDN documentation also explains the HTML color-scheme setting used by browsers. We wouldn’t add dark mode just because it’s trendy. Add it when it actually improves the experience.

9. Small Animations Beat Giant Animations

Animation still has a place in modern web design, we’re just getting better at knowing when to use it. Making half the homepage fly onto the screen while someone scrolls usually doesn’t. Animation should provide feedback or improve usability. Otherwise, it’s decoration.

10. Security and Privacy Are Part of the Experience

Security isn’t technically web design, but visitors do experience it through the website. Cookie notices, privacy controls, secure forms, HTTPS, login systems and spam protection all affect how trustworthy a website feels. Nothing destroys confidence faster than a browser security warning, hacked website or form that looks questionable.

What are the most downloaded plugins for WordPress security?

Wordfence Security
5+ million active installations
All-In-One Security (AIOS)
1+ million active installations
Kadence Security
700,000+ active installations

For cookie consent and privacy controls, Complianz also has more than 1 million active installations. And the WordPress security documentation is also worth bookmarking if you manage your own WordPress site.

11. Websites Have to Work for Search Engines and AI

This is one of the changes we’re watching most closely, as I’m sure you are as well. Websites aren’t being read only by people anymore.

Google, Bing, ChatGPT, Gemini, screen readers and other systems are constantly trying to understand what’s on a webpage. That makes basic website structure increasingly important.

Use descriptive headings
Write useful page titles
Organize information logically
Use internal links
Add appropriate schema markup
Answer important questions clearly

Google specifically recommends using semantic HTML and making sites secure, fast, accessible and usable across devices. Structured data can also provide search engines with additional information about what a page represents. None of this is particularly flashy. It also happens to be the kind of work that keeps paying off.

12. The Best Web Design Trend Is Removing Crap, LOL

If there’s one trend we’d like to see continue, it’s this one! Stand out from your competition by having fewer popups. And fewer sliders. Fewer giant stock photos. Fewer unnecessary plugins. Fewer animations. Fewer things fighting for attention.

Good web design should make four things immediately clear:

Where am I?
What does this business do?
Why should I trust them?
What should I do next?

If your website answers those questions quickly, you’re already ahead of a surprising number of businesses.

What’s Next for Web Design?

Websites will keep changing. AI will improve. Browsers will change. Search will change. New design styles will come and go. But the fundamentals probably aren’t going anywhere.

Make the website fast
Make it accessible
Make it easy to use
Publish genuinely useful information
Keep it secure
Stop adding things just because somebody called them a trend

That’s the direction we expect good web design to keep moving.

Need Help With an Existing WordPress Website?

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