Web hosting services are available in different ways. When it comes to selecting the best web hosting sites, certain factors need to be considered.
Shared hosting, VPS, dedicated hosting, server cores, managed hosting, various RAM, SSL certificates, CDNs….the list goes on.
Over the course of my career, I’ve managed a number of websites. I sifted through all of the hosting providers and narrowed down the best web hosting sites using my first-hand knowledge.
Read on for an in-depth analysis of each, as well as money-saving tips, the best forms of hosting for various scenarios, and my approach to selecting the best web hosts.
The Best Web Hosting Sites In 2024
1. DreamHost – The Most Cost-Effective Monthly Hosting Plan
2. Bluehost – The Best Web Hosting For Beginners
3. GreenGeeks – Best Environmentally Friendly Hosting Service
4. Nexcess – Best Option For Scaling And Development
5. SiteGround – Top-Rated Customer Support
6. InMotion – VPS Hosting At Its Finest
7. Hostinger – Best Low-Cost Hosting Packages
8. A2 Hosting – Reliable And Fast Shared Hosting
9. WP Engine – Best Managed Hosting for WordPress
10. HostGator – Best For Simple/Minimal Requirements
Web Hosting Comparison
1. Dreamhost Review – Most Cost-Effective Monthly Hosting Plan
DreamHost has a wonderful shared web hosting service that is very cost-effective on a monthly basis.
Their monthly plans begin at $3.95 per month. This package comes with one website and unlimited traffic, as well as a free SSL certificate—a good deal.
If you want more savings, their 1-year and 3-year contracts start at $2.49 per month, which is still a great deal despite not being the cheapest on this list (see Hostinger web hosting below for the cheapest contract hosting options).
DreamHost is unique in its approach to managing web hosts, in addition to its low rates. They are not using the same cPanel as the majority of web hosts. DreamHost instead provides a fully customized control panel for managing your website. Developers who want to be in control of their websites would appreciate this.
There’s a tradeoff:
It makes moving away from DreamHost even more complicated. Migrating to DreamHost, on the other hand, is now simpler than ever.
With the free plugin for migration, you can migrate quickly. You can scale your services when your platform grows as well.
If you work for a nonprofit, I strongly advise you to use DreamHost. For 501(c)(3) organizations, they have 1 free shared hosting Unlimited plan.
DreamHost is one of 3 recommended hosts for WordPress, and its simple shared plans include some managed hosting for WordPress. It also provides DreamPress — a managed plan with more features. It offers a great free trial period, a complete money-back guarantee within 97 days, as well as straightforward pricing that does not change after your initial purchase.
The 97-day free trial duration is the longest in the industry. Since DreamHost does not offer promotional rates, the price for web hosting will not increase after the first contract expires. This is one of the most affordable hosting plans available, making it an excellent choice for those looking to stretch their dollar as far as possible.
Customer service is a bit different: 24/7 email support, but live chat is available only during business hours. You must pay an extra $9.95 for technical support over the phone.
Phone support, as well as other premium options, are available with either the DreamPress Plus/ Pro managed hosting for WordPress.
2. Bluehost Review – The Best Web Hosting For Beginners
Bluehost is one of the most common and reliable web hosting services.
This is because they have excellent shared web hosting services at extremely low prices. They’re also designed specifically for people who are starting to build websites.
If you get lost or have an issue, they provide help 24/7 through live chat or phone support. There aren’t any complex processes to go through either. They have their customer service phone number and live chat listed on their website, so you can get in touch with them in 2 clicks.
They also have great analytics and SEO options to help you improve the efficiency of your website while also gaining more users.
Their SEO tool gives you a score and keeps track of how well your site ranks for particular keywords. This will give you a clear understanding of how to configure your website for the best search results.
They also have hosting that will help your company’s growth in whatever path it takes.
Let’s say you want to install WordPress on a regular shared hosting package. To do so, they have a simple one-click installation. Then, if your website grows and you want to switch to managed hosting for WordPress to increase speed and security, they offer that as well. Upgrade to VPS hosting or a dedicated server plan if you want more flexibility.
Bluehost is a one-stop shop for all your hosting needs. That’s why they’re the best web hosting for beginners.
You’ll never need to turn to anyone else if you start with them.
3. GreenGeeks Review – Best Environmentally Friendly Hosting
GreenGeeks is an environmentally friendly web hosting provider.
You might be wondering what that means.
They’ve been running their web hosting on renewable energy for over a decade.
Aside from being environmentally friendly, their web hosting plans are great. They have high speeds, reliable uptime, and solutions for:
- Web hosting for WordPress
- Hosting for WooCommerce
- Web Hosting for Resellers
- VPS
- Hosting on a Shared Server
Overall, they are a great choice for environmentally friendly companies and websites.
Take a look at their shared hosting plans.
If you intend to use WordPress, they make it simple for you to get started. They include a one-click Installer for WordPress and auto-updates to maintain your WordPress website.
They also provide advanced security options and regular backups to ensure the safety and security of your data.
GreenGeeks also keeps up with cutting-edge technologies such as PHP7, CDN, SSD, and more. This ensures that your website is both quick and stable.
They also provide support 24 /7 via chat, phone, or their ticketing system. They are usually very fast to answer and can help with a variety of problems.
GreenGeeks hosting has a lot of fans because of their commitment to saving the environment with their eco-friendly hosting plans. GreenGeeks is highly recommended if you are searching for a “green” web hosting provider.
4. Nexcess Review – The Best Platform For Scaling And Development
Nexcess is a web hosting service from Liquid Web, a prominent player in dedicated web servers, VPS, and web hosting for WordPress.
As a result, it’s no surprise that Nexcess is on my list of web hosting companies. Managed hosting for e-commerce is where they really stand out.
They provide e-commerce hosting for the following:
- Woocommerce
- Magento
- WordPress
- BigCommerce
- Drupal
- Sylius
- Orocrm
- ExpressionEngine
- Craft CMS
If you’re thinking of starting an online shop, Nexcess should be at the top of your list.
Their Cloud Accelerator is a feature that puts a layer on top of the cloud stack to speed up the loading time of your websites. That’s a big plus because when it comes to keeping customers on your website, speed is important.
They also have a wide selection for each of their web hosting plans.
Nexcess is ideal for any company that is growing and plans to scale. They likely have a plan for you in whatever stage you are with your company.
Furthermore, they have a support staff that is present 24/7 to assist you with any tech problems that arise. For web hosting, this is crucial.
Nexcess should certainly be considered if you have an eCommerce business or run a startup that you know can scale quickly.
The cost of a CMS platform varies depending on the one you choose. However, their WordPress packages begin at $15.84 per month.
5. SiteGround Review – Outstanding Customer Service
SiteGround stands out from other hosting providers in 2 ways: an active following and overwhelmingly positive feedback.
Based on SiteGround’s annual review, 97.7% of their customers are extremely pleased with their work.
SiteGround is one of the 3 suggested web hosts for WordPress, alongside Bluehost and DreamHost. Web hosting for WordPress is included in all of their shared hosting packages. You’ll receive automatic updates, stellar technical support, and seamless security as a result of this.
The infrastructure at SiteGround is also completely optimal for WordPress. They use Google Cloud with SSD storage and a super-fast network. Users get access to their suite of features, such as the WP Starter plugin, which makes it simple to create a website.
Perhaps their best product is shared web hosting. SiteGround’s servers have lightning speed and incredible security, and they’re constantly updating to maintain it that way. They have a variety of security measures in place, including a server monitoring system built in-house that monitors servers regularly. Their security staff is on the lookout for software risks 24/7.
Their top-tier plan (GoGeek) is loaded with features that developers can appreciate, such as a staging server and the ability to create Git repositories. Some small businesses and personal websites might find this overwhelming, but if your requirements are more sophisticated than the bare minimum, SiteGround has a lot to offer.
There’s a catch:
After you’ve used up SiteGround’s promotional rates, the price for web hosting goes up a little.
For instance, the lowest level of the shared hosting plan goes from $6.99 to $14.99 per month, while the highest level goes from $14.99 to $39.99 per month. It’s worth noting, however, that they include premium features like SSL, fast loading speeds, and regular backups to justify the cost.
It was the cause of some of TrustPilot’s one-star ratings. When comparing prices, keep in mind that your hosting package will last much longer than the promo duration.
SiteGround offers a 30-day free trial, which is standard in the hosting market. Some of the other options on my list have a longer trial duration. However, this isn’t a big issue. Within a month, you’ll be able to easily test every host.
SiteGround also provides cloud hosting services. Because of its strength and features like the auto-scaling function, SiteGround is one of my top choices for cloud hosting. This helps you to scale your website without having to do it yourself, allowing you to meet unforeseen traffic spikes.
If you think you would have to upgrade to a more powerful hosting plan once your site gets more traffic, SiteGround is a great solution that will make it simple in the future.
Customer service is present 24/7 via chat, phone, and email, and their knowledge portal is extensive and organized.
They also have the most reliable uptime: they guarantee 99.9% annual uptime (or offer you free hosting for a month) and publish both their previous month’s uptime and annual average on their website.
For companies with plans to scale in the future, SiteGround is an excellent choice. There are enough upgrades available to support you through your journey.
6. InMotion Hosting Review – VPS Hosting At Its Finest
InMotion web hosting boasts cutting-edge technology, a diverse range of plans, and a loyal customer base.
The web hosting service also provides you with access to a large self-help resource portal. So, if you are stuck with something, there’s probably an article out there that can assist you.
The customer service is also excellent. The free 90-day trial for shared hosting offered by InMotion is one of the best in the industry, giving you enough time to evaluate the InMotion team’s customer support.
InMotion web hosting plans are quite simple and very similar. You’ll get better servers as well as more databases, subdomains, and websites as you move on to the higher tiers. It’s the basic approach that I like, particularly for small businesses and simple websites. There are no upsells or convoluted tiers to deal with.
And the most basic plans come with outstanding customer service. It is available 24/7 a week through various communication channels: chat, phone, email, Q&A, and tutorials.
I really appreciate the fact that none of this help is hidden or difficult to locate. The phone number is prominently displayed at the top of the website, and the login for chat support is easily accessible from the admin panel.
Nothing is more inconvenient than the support that needs you to spend time figuring out how to reach them. It’s pointless and tells me everything I need to know about the hosting provider.
Other Benefits
I like that the service is tailored to your needs — whether you’re just getting started and need someone to guide you through the fundamentals in a friendly and encouraging manner, or you need someone who can talk specifications and technological jargon like a pro, InMotion is there to help.
InMotion also offers one of the best VPS hosting services. They also provide 2 kinds of VPS hosting, allowing you to choose the level of support and flexibility that you require.
They run promotional rates regularly, with monthly plans starting at $5. After the initial subscription expires, shared hosting prices increase from $8 to $9 per month.
InMotion also provides managed hosting for WordPress, VPS, and dedicated server hosting besides shared hosting.
I have gone over the InMotion web hosting review in greater detail before.
7. Hostinger Review – Best Low-Cost Web Hosting
Hostinger web hosting is one of the most cost-effective web hosts available.
Their cheapest package is $0.99 a month. That’s really low.
Many of these prices are for starters, and they will increase at renewal. However, if you sign up for a longer subscription, you can lock in these very low rates.
If you make a payment for 4 years in advance, you will get 4 years of hosting for $0.99 per month. That’s a fantastic deal.
And after the promo pricing expires, the price for web hosting remains low. The single-website plan is just $2.99 a month, making it one of the most affordable in the industry.
However, Hostinger web hosting does not give the impression of a low-cost provider.
It feels like a premium hosting provider, from the ads to the user interface for managing your website.
Hostinger also provides a separate email hosting service. That too starts at $0.99 a month.
Uptime, customer service, and site speed are all great. They guarantee an uptime of 99.9% and provide assistance 24/7. Expect them to fall short of other hosts in certain areas, but the value for the price is unbeatable.
A2 Hosting is known for its fast speeds and low cost.
This hosting provider outperforms other hosts on speed at every hosting level (shared, dedicated, and VPS). If you are switching from a different shared host, you’ll notice a significant change in website speed once you’ve moved to A2.
You can use their Turbo Servers with Turbo Boost as well as Turbo Max packages. It’s 20 times faster than their other plans, and it includes:
- AMD CPU speed is 40 percent faster
- 2 times faster time to the first byte
- Managing 9 times the amount of traffic
- NVMe drives provide 3 times faster speeds for read/ write
A2 Hosting also guarantees 99.9% uptime on all packages, so you can rest assured that you’ll be working with a dependable host with less downtime.
Each package also includes a free website migration. This is a great deal if you have set up your website on a poor host and want to move. You will save several hours trying to get your website up in running. It’s taken care of by the A2 Hosting support.
All of the common CMS tools, such as WordPress, Drupal, and Magento can be installed with a single click, just like many other web hosts.
It’s worth noting that their starter plan only includes 1 website.
If you want to host several websites, you’ll need the Drive package, which costs an additional $2 per month after the promo period expires.
One way for saving money using A2 Hosting is to renew before the promotional rates expire. Choose tri-annual payment, which will invoice for 3 years in advance, to lock in the 63 percent discount. You would get two years of free hosting.
9. WP Engine Review – Best Managed Hosting For WordPress
WP Engine is dedicated to web hosting for WordPress.
They offer an outstanding product that is well-suited to WordPress sites. This is the recommended host if you need as much speed and storage as possible for your WordPress blog or online shop.
But it comes at a cost. The price of completely managed hosting for WordPress is significantly higher than that of shared hosting.
The cheapest plan is $30 a month, but that’s only for one 10GB website with 25000 monthly visitors.
However, when you consider what WP Engine can do at this price, it’s a compelling choice for WordPress website users. WP Engine is a managed hosting for WordPress that only serves WordPress owners, so its entire infrastructure is catered toward WordPress. Your site will load at lightning speed, there will be almost no downtime, and several maintenance tasks will be handled automatically.
Overall WP Engine is the way to go if you want a lightning-speed website with everything handled automatically.
Customer service is also WordPress-centric, resulting in highly qualified and professional support available via monitored tickets and 24/7 live chat.
Just keep an eye on the price for web hosting. You will have to pay extra to get more value.
That being said, WP Engine is the best option for any WordPress-based business. These are the folks to contact if you do not want to spend time handling the hosting aspect of your website.
10. Hostgator Review – Best For Simple/Minimal Requirements
Another hosting for small business websites is HostGator.
However, I discovered that they are ideal for any company that needs a simple website. HostGator hosting is a great choice if you don’t require a lot of extra functionality from your web host.
I’m referring to blogs or websites where all you need is a user’s contact information. Maybe just an about section or a squeeze page to generate leads.
For tech support, HostGator has a comprehensive collection of how-to manuals. If you can’t get the answers you’re looking for, you can contact customer service via live chat, phone, or email.
Compared to some other hosts, HostGator hosting offers assistance for all the plans. This is the recommended host if you want a low-cost hosting service with support.
If you want to explore more, you can make use of their advanced options, but there is a learning curve.
Along with Linux, HostGator offers hosting for Windows, as well as a range of other options such as cloud hosting, managed hosting for WordPress, VPS, and dedicated server hosting. Plans for shared hosting begin at $2.75 per month.
HostGator hosting often appears in tech outlets such as PCMag. If you want to give HostGator web host a try, I suggest taking advantage of the money-back guarantee within 45 days and thoroughly checking their service before committing. In general, this is a fantastic web host for easy deployment and uses such as a business website that doesn’t get a lot of traffic per month. And with VPS plans, you’ll be able to scale as required.
Which Hosting Option Is Best for You?
Let’s examine the best hosting options for various scenarios.
Best Web Hosts For Small Businesses
Small businesses have enough on their plates. Their resources are often limited.
The best web hosts for small businesses are very stable, provide stellar customer service when a problem arises, and are fairly priced. This reduces the additional work for the owner while also lowering costs. When things go south, a strong support staff ensures that the problem is resolved as quickly as possible.
It would be a balance of stability, fantastic customer service, and price for web hosting.
These are the best web hosts for small businesses based on all the criteria:
Best Web Hosting For WordPress
I’ve run a number of websites with several monthly visitors. A solid blog is one of my favorite ways to generate traffic.
When you are running a blog, WordPress is undoubtedly the best choice.
For my high-traffic websites, I prefer managed hosting for WordPress, which is an advanced WordPress-optimized hosting plan.
Having advanced web hosting for WordPress has a few big benefits:
- WordPress is at the core of everything
- Additional security is in place
- Updates to WordPress and server maintenance are handled automatically
- Backups are performed automatically
- The support team is well-versed in WordPress
- Since it is based on WordPress, the website can accommodate a lot of traffic
However, there is one disadvantage: the price for web hosting.
The cost of managed hosting for WordPress is usually higher. It’s totally worth it if you are creating a website with the intention of generating a lot of traffic.
Even if there isn’t enough traffic, I take this direction. I’ll pick managed hosting for WordPress from the start if I’ve set a target to increase traffic in the future.
Skip managed hosting for WordPress if you have a small website and want to leave it that way. The premium options would not be sufficient to justify the additional cost. Almost every hosting provider makes it simple and easy to install WordPress.
My top 3 web hosting for WordPress:
Shared web hosting is what most website owners go for.
Your website would be hosted on the same server as the other websites if you choose shared web hosting. Since most websites are small to need their own server, web hosts group many websites together and place them on the same server.
That’s how web hosts reduce their costs for web hosting.
In the majority of situations, it works out well.
It comes with drawbacks. If one of the server’s sites goes down, yours might go down as well. If many websites are hosted on the same server and if one of them experiences a large influx of traffic that causes the server to go down, all of the websites are affected. As a result, it’s likely that your website will get taken down without your own fault.
But this scenario is quite rare. Getting shared hosting, particularly for smaller websites that can afford a little downtime now and then, is a fair trade-off for lowering the cost for web hosting.
Consider shared hosting as your website’s “starter” kit.
So, which shared hosting companies are the most reliable?
My top five shared hosting companies:
Best Cloud Hosting
If you are developing a larger website or want to ensure uptime, cloud hosting is the way to go.
Cloud hosting is not the same as shared hosting.
Your website would be distributed through several servers, rather than being on a server shared by a number of different websites. This creates a number of benefits:
- Other websites would not be able to take your website down. If they experience a surge in traffic, the server will easily switch to another server.
- You can easily increase and decrease your site’s bandwidth. Since you are already using several servers, adding more or removing some is easy.
- Since there is redundancy with many servers, uptime improves dramatically.
Both of these advantages come at a higher price. It will be more costly than a shared hosting plan, regardless of the cloud host you select.
I follow the rule of thumb of 50,000 visitors. If my website receives more than 50,000 monthly visitors or would in the near future, I migrate it to a cloud host.
If you’re looking to develop a big website or have a company that can’t deal with any downtime, cloud hosting is a good option.
The following are the best cloud hosting providers:
The Best Cheap Hosting
There are many ways to save costs for web hosting. And, since they recurring payments, keeping them as minimal as possible results in savings over a period of time.
However, I must warn you.
When it comes to web hosting, cheap isn’t necessarily better. There comes a point when more cost-cutting has a negative effect on the efficiency of your hosting. Your website will go down regularly, you will never be able to reach a competent customer service representative, and any job you attempt will be a nightmare to complete.
I’ve discovered the best cheap web hosts. Though their service isn’t as good as the others I suggest, it’ll suffice if you’re on a tight budget. Only be wary of looking for even better deals; they’re typically too good to be true.
If you want to keep your cost for web hosting as low as possible, I suggest these two hosts:
They’re also useful for side gigs or ideas you’re experimenting with. You can always turn to one of the better providers later if it becomes a real business or company.
Different Types Of Hosting
It entails sharing space with a number of other websites. The benefit is that it is less expensive. The disadvantage is that other websites can have an effect on your website’s performance. If someone else experiences a surge in traffic, it will affect everyone on that server before the website host controls their traffic.
VPS Hosting
Multiple websites can be hosted on the same virtual private server (VPS), but each site has its own dedicated space that is handled by software. Many of the advantages of a dedicated server (dedicated IP address, less uptime instability, etc.) are available without the need for an entire server for yourself. However, the performance isn’t quite as high as if you had your own dedicated server.
Cloud Hosting
It is like VPS hosting, except that instead of providing space on a single server, you have space on multiple servers. It can withstand traffic spikes from other websites like the VPS host. If another website on your server takes down the server, your host simply switches your website to a different server. That is why it is referred to as cloud hosting.
It is also very scalable for use on your own website. Increasing the resources that your website can consume at any given time is simple since your host just needs to increase the total server resources. Because of these added benefits, it is usually a bit pricier.
Dedicated Hosting
It offers you your own server. Nobody else is allowed to use the server. You’ll also have full control over the server and can customize it however you like.
Which one do you choose? Here are some basic guidelines:
- Small websites can be hosted on a shared server. Other websites on the same server would have a small impact. This is the best choice for any platform with less than 50,000 monthly users.
- When you reach 50,000 monthly visitors, upgrade to cloud hosting, and then to a dedicated host if it is really needed. Don’t think about a dedicated host before thousands of dollars per month on hosting seems like a blip on the radar in your annual expense.
Free Web Hosting
Free hosting isn’t worth it for almost everyone.
Saving money on web hosting is not a good idea. If you’re concerned about the cost of hosting, I’d advise you to focus on generating sales and traffic first, rather than trying to save a few bucks by cutting the hosting rate.
A free host is only suitable for a one-pager like an event or a very small, low-traffic website. If you’re doing one of those items, you can still ignore the free host and go right to a free websites builder like Google Sites or UCraft, which will let you connect your website for free to a custom domain. They are both very simple and minimal builders, but they’re much easier to set up compared to a free web host.
However, there are some good free and low-cost web hosting plans available for educators and nonprofits. If you’re interested in learning more, check out my overview of the best free web hosts. There, I go into greater detail.
How Do I Choose The Best Web Hosting Services?
Before I get into all of the parameters for evaluating web hosts, I’d like to give you a few pointers on how to choose a web host:
1. Get WP Engine if you want to create a high-traffic blog using WordPress. The additional expense is totally worth it. This is also a nice deal for people who don’t mind paying a little more and never have to think about their hosting again.
2. For all other websites, find a web host that has high speed, good uptime, and provides excellent customer service. Your best options are Bluehost, InMotion, and Siteground.
3. Go with Hostgator or Hostinger web hosting if you just want to save money. However, I would not consider any hosts that are cheaper than these options.
You will be satisfied with the host you get if you follow these guidelines, and you would not have to migrate anytime soon.
So, how do we assess web hosting companies? What is it that really matters?
Let’s go over some criteria.
Site Speed
Everything is impacted by site speed.
Do you want to improve your search engine rankings? Would you like to increase the number of conversions on your website? How about happy customers? Get a fast website.
Website speed has an effect on every aspect of the business.
When you’re looking at various web hosts, be sure you select one that can load each page quickly.
When it comes to site speed, there is some caveat.
You’ll need a host that is quick enough in the beginning. It does not have to be lightning-fast, but it should be quick.
Consider Amazon. When Amazon was only selling books, its website needed to be quick but not instantaneous.
Amazon’s platform can’t be quick enough now that a lot of people are using it for their shopping needs.
You would want to be quicker as you scale. If you want to create a high-traffic website, you will need a host that can keep large sites running at lightning speeds.
Customer Service
When it comes to hosting services, customer service is one of the most critical features a web host can provide.
Sifting through user feedback doesn’t provide a clear picture of a web host’s service efficiency.
There may be a disconnect between the number of reviews and the quality of the product. Look at HostGator web host, for example. Its products are often praised in technology outlets, with PCMag and CNET both giving it a 4.5/5 rating. However, it has a 1.5-star rating on Trustpilot, with almost all the negative feedback aimed at customer support.
Be wary of positive feedback in high-profile publications; they can not always reflect the fact.
There is one real measure for determining the level of customer service provided by a host – the free trial test with customer service.
Almost every shared hosting contract comes with a money-back guarantee, i.e. you can get your website set up and find out how you feel about the service with little risk — only your time and any add-on service costs, such as domain registration payment.
During the trial phase, I suggest going all out with customer service. Get on the phone, live chat, and open tickets to see if you are satisfied with what you are getting.
You can take advantage of this time to learn everything you can about your host’s customer service, including its knowledge portal and, most importantly, its support team on all platforms. That will reveal the true story.
Uptime
Why have a website if people are unable to view it?
You need a web host that has good uptime. It means that the website is still up and running.
Most hosts have some kind of uptime guarantee of about 99.9% to avoid the pledge of perfect uptime. This assurance, though, isn’t much of a guarantee.
It simply means that if there is any unexpected downtime, the bill will be reduced.
There’s enough fine print on these promises, including the fact that they won’t allow third-party or self-reported uptime stats, and they won’t give refunds for downtime that wasn’t caused by the host (for instance, due to a hurricane).
Volume Of Traffic
The volume of traffic you receive is a significant factor in determining the type of hosting you need.
For a website with 300 monthly users, almost any regular hosting plan would suffice. You should be good as long as the web hosting company provides excellent customer service.
As you grow your website, certain details tend to be more important.
Is your website server’s PHP updated on a regular basis? Is there a CDN for the content?
Do you back up your website daily, and if anything goes wrong, are you able to restore it in a few minutes?
Does your website need an SSL? Is your server capable of handling a massive traffic surge during a marketing campaign?
When I work on a bigger website, I search for premium hosting that will take care of everything. If I want to create a big website, I prefer a host that can scale easily to millions of monthly users. I’m willing to pay a higher price for web hosting in order to ensure that future changes are easy.
If you plan to go big, don’t cut corners.
You can opt for a standard shared hosting plan if your monthly traffic would be less than 50,000. There is no need to be concerned about the advanced features.
Migration
Being able to move an entire website quickly and easily would help you save a lot of time.
Migrating even a simple WordPress website can be a pain. To begin, you would need to create a new WordPress installation on the new web host. Next export your old website’s database and import it into the new one. Finally, everything in WordPress, including the theme, settings, and plugins must be re-configured.
All of this can be skipped if planned properly.
For site builders like WordPress, some hosts have a one-click migration.
Look for a fast migration capability if you are changing hosts and doing the migration by yourself. When you’ve narrowed the options down to a few choices, this is a perfect factor to consider in order to make the final call.
The Cost For Web Hosting
You shouldn’t pay too much or too little for hosting.
Avoid picking a host solely on the basis of price for web hosting.
The majority of simple web hosting packages cost between $10 and $20 per month. Yes, there might be cheaper alternatives. Some are limited-time deals that expire when you renew your subscription. Others provide hosting packages with poor customer service and uptime.
My rule of thumb is that if the cost of web hosting seems too good to be true, it most likely is.
I also don’t actively look out for promo deals to save a few bucks. I have used my host for years on every website I’ve run, never moving after finding one that I liked. Promotional deals keep coming every now and then.
Managed Hosting
Here’s how a typical hosting provider operates:
- Once you’ve signed up, you’ll be given a username and password.
- When you log in, you’ll be taken to cPanel. The cPanel is a server-side application that allows you to control your server through a graphical user interface without having to know how to code.
- You will be able to get your server configured.
- It is possible to manually upload files to your server using FTP.
- There are also easy options to install WordPress and other site features.
- You have complete control and can get anything you like. It’s a DIY approach. Install Drupal, WordPress, and Magento, or code the rest of your pages.
This is how most web hosts function.
Managed web hosts on the other hand work a bit differently. These hosts can customize your hosting experience and take care of many aspects for you.
WP Engine is a good case in point; they’re a provider of managed hosting for WordPress. Rather than a cPanel login that allows me to do anything I like, WP Engine provides me with a login to a custom portal designed specifically for managing WordPress pages.
Three things occur when a web host is catered solely for WordPress:
First and foremost, it is quicker than almost any shared hosting company. Whether it’s improving website caching or messing with the command lines, anything can be customized to make WordPress function its best. In contrast to, say, Joomla or some kind of custom-made platform, the host just needs to know how to support WordPress.
Second, websites become secure and more reliable. A service for managed hosting for WordPress can set up a system that anticipates, accommodates, and fixes all of WordPress’s flaws. As a result, there will be fewer malware threats and downtime.
Lastly, and in fact most prominently for small companies, administration, and site upkeep become much simpler. Since managed hosting for WordPress is substantially more costly than shared web hosting, this is really beneficial.
Though I lose some versatility by not getting a simple server like other web hosts, a managed host handles a lot of the regular tasks that I would otherwise have to handle on my own.
A regular host would suffice if you have a small business website. A managed host will save you a lot of time in the long haul and is well worth the additional cost if you’re developing a bigger site.
FAQs – Best Web Hosting Sites
1. What is the cheapest way to host a website?
Utilizing free hosting services or opting for affordable shared hosting plans can be a budget-friendly approach. Check out the article on the best free web hosting sites.
2. How much money is needed to host a website?
The cost varies depending on factors like hosting type, provider, and required features. Expenses can range from a few dollars per month for shared hosting to higher amounts for dedicated hosting.
3. Can I host a website for free?
Yes, certain hosting platforms offer free hosting plans, although they may have limitations on resources and features.
4. How much should a small business spend on a website?
The budget for a website depends on its complexity and the specific needs of the business. Generally, allocating a few hundred to a few thousand dollars is a practical range.
5. Is WordPress free if you host it yourself?
WordPress itself is free, but hosting a WordPress website incurs costs for hosting services, domain registration, and potential expenses related to additional services, themes, or plugins.
Final Thoughts – What Is The Best Web Hosting Company?
So which platform is best for hosting websites? I’ve whittled down several web hosting companies to my top ten choices for the best web hosting sites.
If you’re new to hosting or know you’ll need some support, Bluehost is the place to go. SiteGround is also a good option because of its excellent customer support.
Do you want to get the best bang for your buck? Dreamhost has the most affordable monthly hosting plans, while Hostinger has some of the most affordable overall hosting plans.
HostGator hosting is the perfect choice for a basic website if you know you won’t need any additional features from your hosting company.
A2 Hosting and InMotion are excellent choices for websites that need fast speeds, especially for shared and VPS hosting.
Do you want to scale your website? Nexcess is the hosting company that is most suitable for growing your website.
While Bluehost is one of the recommended web hosts for WordPress, you can also get managed hosting for WordPress from WP Engine.
GreenGeeks hosting is the provider whose standards align with any businesses or operations that prioritize ethical, environmentally sustainable hosting.