There are many web hosting services to choose from, each offering different levels of functionality, plus performance, ease of use, price and service plan benefits are all important factors to consider when choosing a service. We will help you to make the most suitable choice!
There are many web hosting services to choose from, each offering different levels of functionality, plus performance, ease of use, price and service plan benefits are all important factors to consider when choosing a service. We will help you to make the most suitable choice!
There are two main things you can learn and take away from this article.
- How to pick the best web hosting service.
- How to save the most on your choice and get up to 90% off discount
Sophia has many years of experience in providing digital marketing and consulting services, and has helped many local SMEs and large organizations to set up new websites and handle website migrations, so she has both experience and practical skills in managing web hosting services and understanding these service providers. We also understand how to get discounts and offers when using these services, so that we and our customers can get the best cost benefits.
What is the best web hosting?
Simply put, the best web hosting service (Web Hosting) is one that provides reliable website speed, security features, stable uptime, ease of use and full service integration for modern websites. Our top picks are Bluehost, Siteground, WP Engine and HostGator.
1. Siteground
Best Customer Satisfaction ($3.95/month)
SiteGround has been providing web hosting services since 2014, and their quality and efficient customer support services are the best and satisfy customers. With a 98% customer satisfaction rate in 2018, choosing SiteGround as your web hosting platform, you can always ask online customer service questions or submit a technical support request when you have technical issues or problems, and you can get a response within 10 minutes on average.
In addition to user-friendly customer service, SiteGround’s performance and stability are also excellent, as the platform uses Linux containers to host websites, maintaining an average uptime of 99.99% as a measure of website stability. By using a Linux Container to host the site, the platform is able to maintain an average uptime of 99.99%, a measure of site stability.
If you don’t want to buy a 3+ year plan all at once, Siteground also offers a one-year plan with a nice discount. The basic plan starts at $3.95 per month (plus a $14.95 setup fee) and includes a free Let’s Encrypt SSL security certificate, automatic daily backups, and up to 10,000 visitors per month.
If you want to choose a hosting platform with adequate technical support and customer service response, then Sitegroud is the right choice for you.
Choose Sitegroud to save.
- Plan: $3.95/month activation fee + $14.95 setup fee
- Term: 12 months
- Total cost at checkout: $62.35
- Savings: $81.53
2. BlueHost
Bluehost is our web hosting platform of choice, which offers free domains, free SSL, 1-click WordPress installation, FTP and 7×24 customer support. Their plans start at $2.95 per month (63% off) and come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bluehost was founded in 1996 and now has over 750 employees. They are a custom-made platform for WordPress and currently serve over 2 million websites. Its features are all-inclusive: an easy-to-use interface allows users to easily choose a domain name, install WordPress with one click, choose a theme and build a website, and they have a 99.99% stability guarantee, making them a very reliable choice.
The average read time for a website hosted on their platform is less than half a second, so don’t worry about the loading speed of your website. In my past experience, even if you use their cheapest plan to build a WordPress website, with the use of some simple additional plug-ins, you can also achieve very high website loading speed.
In addition, one of the most important selling points of Bluehost is their security and integration with Cloudflare, which makes your website’s DNS management more convenient while also taking full advantage of Cloudflare’s powerful CDN (Content Delivery Network), which can protect against all kinds of malicious network access and DDoS attacks, and can also set up your You can also cache your site on its global server network to increase site speed. This way, even if your website does not have an overseas server, users around the world can still access your website at a decent loading speed.
In addition to web hosting, Bluehost has also created an application marketplace called MOJO, which integrates different software suitable for adding various additional functions to your website, for example, if you want to set up an online store for your website, there are many shopping carts or e-commerce software to choose from, and Bluehost is also the official recommended web hosting platform of WordPress.org. Bluehost is also the official web hosting platform recommended by WordPress.org.
To set up your website through Bluehost, you only need a few simple steps.
Go to Bluehost.com and click Start
Choose the plan you want ($2.95/month is the cheapest)
Sign up for a new account
Enter your account information, the plan you want to choose, and learn about pricing details
Choose to add a site security lock and basic code protection as needed
Click “Summit” and confirm, and you’re all set!
Sophia suggests to start with Bluehost’s $2.95 per month basic plan, which comes with a 63% off long-term discount.
Choose Bluehost to save.
- Plan: Basic plan is $2.95 per month
- Term: 36 months
- Total cost at checkout: $106.20
- Savings: $181.44
3. HostGator
The Best Cheap Web Hosting Service ($2.78/month)
HostGator helps host over 9 million websites. They are one of the cheapest options, with plans starting at $2.78/month for a 36-month plan, and you can save 30-60% on website maintenance costs by choosing this short- to medium-term plan.
Data also shows that their average load speed is less than one second, so even though HostGator is not the fastest option, it is still above average. They also achieve a 99.98% uptime, which is better than the industry average of 99.94%.
They make the process of setting up a website easy, offering simple drag-and-drop functionality and the ability to add unlimited domains to your account. They can also assist with free site migration within the first 30 days of registration.
HostGator naturally also offers 7×24 customer support via live online chat, email and phone, and they have a pretty good response time.
They offer three main plans, and the more advanced plans even include fixed IP addresses and SEO tools to expand your online business, and HostGator also offers a 45-day money-back guarantee.
How to start setting up your website at HostGator.
Go to HostGator.com and click Start.
Select a domain name (or add a domain name you have already purchased).
Choose the plan that suits you, for the biggest savings, the 36-month plan is the best deal, and can be as low as $2.78/month plan.
Enter your payment information.
Click Checkout and you’re ready to go!
We recommend choosing the Hatchling Incubation Plan to start your site at $2.78 per month!
Choose HostGator to save.
- Plan: $2.78/month
- Term: 36 months
- Total Billing Cost: $100.08
- Savings: $150.12
Which is the best free web hosting platform?
After reading the above mentioned web hosting services, some readers will definitely want to ask: Is there any free web hosting service recommended? The answer is yes, and Sophia will also recommend some options. But honestly, although there are many service platforms on the web that provide free hosting, but as the saying goes, free is the most expensive, so I do not recommend using free hosting services.
When you realize that you can no longer tolerate the network management and experience on the free platform and wish to migrate to another platform, you may pay more, or even be forced to give up many months of effort to start over when you cannot migrate.
It is not worth it, however, if you are a developer or want to try to learn first, the following recommended choices can still be used to learn a lot of knowledge in the process, and eventually to actually run a website, it is recommended to use the above recommended paid services.
The following recommendations are some of the more popular and well-reviewed choices for the best free web hosting platforms.
- Google Cloud Web Hosting
- InfinityFree
- AwardSpace
- 000webhost
- FreeHosting.com
1. Google Cloud Platform
Google offers free hosting for small businesses (for the first year) and then pays for usage patterns and usage. With the cloud computing market reaching $258 billion by 2019, Google is investing heavily in its cloud platform.
WordPress is also available on GCP, and the performance of the servers they offer is relatively good, although note that the pay-as-you-go model may cause users to go over budget.
2. InfinityFree
InfinityFree is one of the most popular free tools and has a lot of great features. They have been running for over six years and have over 200,000 users.
Users can add as many web domains as they want and access up to 10 email accounts. They also include free DNS services, SSL and Cloudflare CDN integration, and claim to offer “unlimited bandwidth”, although there are limitations on the types of files that can be uploaded.
3. AwardSpace
AwardSpace.com provides free and premium web hosting services to over 2.5 million users. Through their open plan, users get 100% ad-free hosting, one-click CMS and 7×24 technical support. However, the free plan only offers 1 GB of storage and 5 GB of bandwidth, forcing users to sign up for their premium plans. Lastly, the biggest drawback of the bonus space is that it takes more than 1.5 seconds to read.
4. 000webhost
000webhost is a free hosting platform that has been in operation since 2007. They don’t force users to place any ads like other services and they also offer a payment plan. They provide users with two websites and 1,000 MB of storage space and 10 GB of bandwidth.
They also offer a relatively easy to set up console where users can set up a redirect site, phpMyAdmin and a file manager, and password protection. However, 000webhost does have a drawback in that it has a daily downtime of one hour.
5. FreeHosting.com
FreeHosting.com is one of the best free web hosting platforms because their bandwidth is not limited. They provide users with 10GB of server space, a free email account, a MySQL database and the ability to add a domain name (which users have to purchase), and of course they also provide free sub-domains for users to use.
They also offer a simple drag-and-drop website design tool with over 170 design templates and over 350 additional application options for websites.
If their free plan doesn’t cover all the features you need, you can also choose to upgrade to a paid plan, but for $7.99 per month.
One of the major drawbacks of FreeHosting is their site speed – which averages around two seconds. Since site speed is one of Google’s major SEO ranking factors, this is especially important when choosing one.
Is it good to use free web hosting?
Sophia believes that free options should not be and should be avoided as much as possible, there are a lot of hidden or potential costs and risks involved, so it is still advisable to choose a paid service platform, such as Bluehost and Siteground, as mentioned above, and with relatively friendly prices, why choose a free platform with a lot of restrictions instead of a stable and reputable service provider with a large number of users? Why choose a free platform with a lot of restrictions rather than a service provider with a large number of users, stable service and good reputation?
Simply put, free web platforms usually start out free and have strict limits, with the goal of attracting free users first and pushing you to upgrade to a paid plan. If you know for sure that your website will be up and running for a long time, a hosted platform is one of the most important options, so don’t be greedy, a small investment can ensure the future success of your website.
Which is the best web hosting option for small to medium sized businesses?
When running your own business, here are a few more things to consider when choosing the best hosting platform for your website: If you choose a less reputable service, your website may be down, shut down, hacked, or experience server problems. You don’t want these problems to happen while you’re running your site and have your business suffer. Now that 84% of customer communications are visual, your website and hosting needs to be top-notch.
That’s why choosing the best option for your small or medium-sized business is critical and should focus on three key areas: security, reliability and price. Here are my picks for the best web hosting for small businesses.
1. Bluehost’s Plus plan
This is the best and most suitable plan for small business, because the plan can be said to include all the most needed features, also very suitable for WordPress, and safe and reliable, the price is also very reasonable.
For example, when you are just starting out, you can start with Bluehost’s basic plan, and as your business grows or your company expands, you can further upgrade to their Plus plan, which allows you to add unlimited domains, SPAM wishes, and SSL security certificates, with many features available and supported for only $11/month.
If you run a larger business and need their top of the line configuration, choose their Cloud and VPS plans. These plans allow you to have more storage, unlimited bandwidth and faster load times. 2.
HostGator’s Baby Plan
With 99.9% guaranteed uptime for over 8 million domain websites, this plan is the runner-up for best choice for small businesses. HostGator is reliable and easy to use, and offers a money-back guarantee if their uptime standards are not met.
Their three paid plans (Hatchling, Baby, and Business) can be upgraded as your needs grow; the Hatchling plan is $2.75/month and has fairly basic features, while the Baby plan is $3.95/month.
If you’re looking for the best hosting option, I recommend their top tier plan, Business, which is $9.95 per month and gives you a free SSL certificate, dedicated IP address, and free SEO tools.
What is web hosting?
Web hosting is a service that allows websites to provide resources on the Internet and to be accessible from anywhere on the network. These companies purchase or lease servers at data centers connected to the Internet and sell space on these servers. A Web server in a data center may contain one or more Web sites. The operating system settings will vary using shared hosting, dedicated hosting, or VPS hosting.
Or you can think of it this way: a web site is made up of a bunch of files, including HTML files, CSS files, text and images, and so on. All these data are placed in a folder inside a computer connected to the network. That computer is what we often call a “server”, and it is what provides the content behind the scenes when someone visits the website.
When a web user wants to view a website, all they do is type the URL into their browser. Then, their computer connects to the server and the web pages (files) are sent through the browser.
To set up a website, you need a web domain and a web hosting platform. Some web hosting platforms offer domain name purchase services as well, but you can also purchase a domain name separately (e.g. GoDaddy) and then choose a web hosting platform. If you do this, you will need to understand how to edit your DNS records so that your domain name can point to your web host. If you purchase a domain name from the same platform or service provider, you can skip this step (usually web hosting platforms can help users set up with one click).
Things to look for when choosing a provider.
- Understand your hosting needs
- Look for server reliability and Uptime guarantees
- If scalability is important, understand the type of service plan the platform offers
- Look at registration and renewal pricing, as they can be very different
- Study the console to see if it’s easy to use
- Make sure the hosting platform has basic features: one-click installation, FTP and STFP access, .htaccess files, storage space and data transfer bandwidth
- Research site speed, page load times, and integration with content delivery networks (CDNs)
What are the different types of web hosting?
1. Cloud hosting
Cloud hosting is a new type of hosting that uses a network of virtual servers to store files in the cloud rather than on a single server. This type of hosting is more secure and can effectively mitigate DDoS attacks, as multiple servers and network access are more difficult to crack than a single server.
Cloud hosting plans are mainly on a pay-as-you-go or pay-as-you-use basis. Because they are virtual when not in use, they do not consume resources. One benefit of this pay-as-you-go model is that if you anticipate an increase in visitor traffic during certain periods and cycles, you can set the level or capacity of the server to be upgraded at those specific times at any time to meet unexpected needs, and later revoke those upgrades.
One of the advantages of cloud hosting is that you can add more virtual server resources to your site as traffic grows. This flexibility allows you to increase bandwidth as your online business gradually expands.
It’s also better in terms of stability; for example, if you’re using shared hosting and the server shuts down, your site will also shut down and become inaccessible. However, because cloud hosting spans multiple servers, your site won’t shut down even if some of the servers go down – cloud platforms like AWS and GCP, for example, are guaranteed to stay up 99.999% of the time or more. But relatively speaking, cloud hosting can cost between $40 and $100 per month or more.
Shared hosting is the operation of multiple websites on a single server. This form of hosting is one of the most popular and cheapest options, as many websites can share the server resources owned by the web host.
However, the disadvantage of shared hosting is that it also shares resources. If one of the websites on the same server has a lot of visitor traffic and takes up most of the server’s resources, the other websites will get less resources, which will affect the performance of the website. Despite this drawback, shared server hosting is still one of the most popular choices because it can still share resources efficiently if the settings are appropriate.
This type of hosting is ideal for new sites that do not have a lot of content. The cost of shared hosting can range from $2 to $30 per month.
3. VPS hosting (VPS hosting)
VPS hosting refers to Virtual Private Servers (VPS). server.
When using VPS hosting, a server is like a series of individual servers. With VPS, you get dedicated resources for a shared server, so your web hosting is not affected by other sites on the server. As a result, you get your server space and relatively few sites sharing resources.
VPS hosting is usually a little more expensive than shared, but as traffic grows, you get more resources and the option to expand your site. In other words, if your website is starting to get more traffic and your online business is growing, you won’t be limited by the performance drag. This hosting usually costs between $20 and $150 per month.
4. WordPress hosting
WordPress usually hosts faster than shared hosting because they have good integration and expert team support3.
WordPress is now also working with other platforms to bring more advanced e-commerce features to its products. 39% of e-commerce merchants say they have lost money due to website performance or stability issues. Combining the front-end functionality of WordPress with the back-end functionality of an e-commerce platform is a great option for expanding growth. WordPress hosting costs from $5 to $100 per month.
5. Dedicated hosting
Dedicated hosting is a way to rent an entire server and manage all your website hosting yourself. If you are managing an important website for a large organization or business, this higher cost option allows you to control your website with the greatest degree of autonomy.
By having full control of the server, you can install and customize any complex programs, scripts and applications that would not be possible with shared hosting. However, the disadvantage is obvious, if you do not have the relevant management skills and technical knowledge, even if the server is provided, you can not begin to build your website, of course, you can also spend an extra amount of money to hire another technical staff to help you manage. Dedicated server hosting costs $120 per month or more.
6. white-label hosting
Reseller plans allow developers or development organizations to resell white-labeled hosted websites on plans they own. For example, if you help 10 clients build their websites, you can purchase a premium hosting plan and resell the hosting to your clients at a fixed monthly cost.
Platforms like Siteground and Bluehost both offer reseller plans, which typically include features like a console, fee-based software, and automated reporting. Reseller hosting costs around $20-$75, depending on features and bandwidth.
7. Data Center Hosting (Colocation)
You can also rent space from a data center to host your website. However, you will need to provide the server hardware while the data center provides the security, cooling system, power and network connection. In addition to the rack space rental fee, you will have to pay a monthly bandwidth usage fee. Due to the technical knowledge required, the incidence of problems and the high cost, this is not recommended for novice or small businesses.
8. E-commerce hosting
If you are managing an online store, you can choose the appropriate e-commerce platform to host your website at the same time, such as Shopify.
These e-commerce platforms can host your website for you at the same time. In addition, if you use WordPress to build your website, you can also use a hosting platform like Siteground and then add an e-commerce plug-in for WordPress, such as WooCommerce.
E-commerce hosting is also an option offered by web hosting platforms such as Bluehost, which also allows you to sell your website online.
The following are the points to note when choosing an e-commerce platform for hosting.
- Shopping cart software used
- PCI-compliant servers
- SSL and security required to process transactions
- Customer database
- Low downtime, because you don’t want to lose orders or even customers because your website is inaccessible
- Fast server response time
Is it possible to host a site on AWS? Should I do so?
Amazon is one of the world’s largest e-commerce platforms, but did you know they also offer one of the best Internet service providers in the world today? Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a large cloud services platform that provides massive cloud servers and other features to help businesses expand their network infrastructure and scale. Among the many services it offers is, of course, web hosting, and whether you can start building and hosting WordPress sites on AWS.
The answer is yes, of course, you can host WordPress and other architectures on AWS, which is already known for its top-notch reliability and uptime. Almost all data centers have 99.999% uptime, and the sites hosted on them never go down. Even web giants like Facebook use AWS for much of their business infrastructure, and it is also the network infrastructure of choice for large enterprises.
It’s worth noting, however, that setting up a website on AWS is not easy. You need to have some technical knowledge and know how to type in the appropriate code to set up and manage a website. However, AWS does offer the peace of mind that your site will always be protected from unwanted malicious attacks. If you choose to use AWS, the service will be billed based on usage.
Which is the fastest web hosting?
When choosing the right web hosting platform, the loading speed of your website is naturally a very important indicator. When you have normal or low visitor traffic, you may feel that the loading speed of your website is not bad and the hosting platform can effectively handle the normal traffic of your website. But if there is a day or a certain time of the day when your site is experiencing a huge increase in traffic, will the site work properly? Or will it keep loading as fast as usual? These are the key concerns when choosing a web hosting platform.
Your website visitors are an important factor in determining the loading and browsing speed of your website, as their number will directly affect the speed of your website. If the server can’t handle the peak traffic, it may even cause the site to stop being accessible. In this way, the hosting platform you choose needs to be able to handle your website traffic even during peak visitor hours is another key.
The location of the server is another factor that affects speed, and to effectively improve access speed, content delivery networks (CDNs) are often overlooked to ensure that your site visitors can access your site content quickly from the nearest server, thus allowing visitors to access your site at a better speed without having to deploy servers everywhere, which is especially important for out-of-country web visitors. This is especially important for overseas web visitors.
The following are the Sophia’s choices for the fastest hosting services. Just remember to conduct an in-depth analysis before choosing to ensure that your choice is the best fit for your site and visitor audience.
- SiteGround
- Hostinger
- A2 Hosting
- BlueHost
- Cloudways
Web Hosting Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is web hosting used for?
Web hosting is a service that provides shared or dedicated hosting, most commonly used to build websites, but also to store and host documents, email addresses and other content.
What is the most secure web hosting?
If you want to protect your website from malicious attacks and potential threats, my choices for the best secure web hosting are WP Engine, Siteground and Bluehost, HostGator and InMotion, which offer excellent security and great customer support.
What is the difference between a Domain and a Hosting?
A web hosting is an account on a server that stores website files, while a domain name or top-level domain (TLD) allows IP addresses to be associated with meaningful terms that are easier for users to remember, making it easier to access related websites by typing the URL into a browser (e.g. Google.hk and Facebook.com, etc.).
What is the difference between a Server and a Hosting?
The difference between the two is that a server is a hardware device that stores and manages files on a network, while hosting is a service provider that provides the technology to manage the server or the settings and files therein.
Is WordPress a web hosting platform?
WordPress is one of the world’s most widely used content management systems (CMS), allowing users to create custom websites online. However, you need to have an additional hosting method or platform in order to use the custom domain name to run the website.
How many types of hosting are there?
There are six main types of web hosting, including shared, virtual private server, dedicated server, cloud hosting, e-commerce platform hosting, and data center rental.
Can I host a website without a feature variable name?
As mentioned above, you can build a website using a free hosting platform. However, you usually have to use a subdomain of the service platform, such as mywebsite.wordpress.com, and it is better to choose a paid service provider.
Can I host my own website?
Yes, but hosting your own website requires you to use a Windows or Linux system to calculate your computer, put the website content into a specific folder, and then use the appropriate tools to publish it to the web. However, in addition to the technical knowledge required, there are a number of potential security risks and problems with website reliability and access speed, so this is generally not recommended.
What is hostname and IP address?
A hostname is the name used by a specific device when it is connected to a computer network. It is used to identify a device for communication purposes, such as the Internet, email, etc. Hostnames are used for identification purposes. In the Internet, the host name is attached to the domain name of the Domain Name System (DNS) to form the complete domain name. The host name is sent to the Internet Protocol (IP) address to manage the online presence of the website.
What does localhost mean?
Localhost is a term that refers to the local computer where the program is running, with an IP address of 127.0.0.1.
How much does it cost to use WordPress?
You can use the WordPress website with .com subdomain for free. However, a website with your own domain name is the best option and can cost as little as $2.95 per month.
Can I pay someone to maintain my website?
Every website requires daily maintenance and software updates. Many web development companies offer this service to website owners. Prices vary depending on the size and complexity of the site, ranging from as little as $30 to as much as $1,000 for a complex site.
Do I need to buy CodeGuard from Bluehost?
CodeGuard is a value-added service included for free with the Bluehost Plus plan and is a more advanced backup tool, but there are many other backup plug-ins available on the web, so if you are using the basic plan, it is not worth the extra money to buy this value-added service and it is not difficult to find alternatives.
Do I need the SiteLock feature?
No. SiteLock is a Cloud-based security tool that scans for malware, and there are many good security tools available for WordPress sites on the web, such as Wordfence, so there is no need to buy SiteLock as well, and there are better, cheaper options available.
Is domain privacy worth the cost?
If you want to avoid identity theft, then domain privacy is worth it. Without it, anyone can find your WHOIS data and disclose your sensitive personal information, such as name and contact information, and even your address and phone number. If you do not want this information to be available to everyone on the web, you should choose privacy protection when you purchase your domain name.
Can I upgrade my hosting plan at any time?
With most of the hosting services, you can upgrade your plan at any time. However, I recommend that if you decide to build a website, you should plan it well from the beginning, as this can often save you a lot of money.
How much does it cost to maintain a website?
To run a website, you need to invest in web hosting services and a domain name. At a minimum cost, your website domain name may cost as little as $10 per year, and web hosting with a low-cost service plan is about $2.75 per month, so the total cost for a year is only about $43. But if it’s a large website, then the total cost for a year could be over a thousand dollars.
Should I pay for web hosting?
The answer is yes, because the free options are very limited and there are many limitations on features, including possible service interruptions, and the most important thing is to invest your money in your website and treat it as seriously as your business.
Web Hosting Service Selection Notes (Summary)
When choosing a web hosting provider, you should. Focus on security, reliability, speed and technical support.
We hope the recommendations and explanations in this article provide you with useful information and help you find the right hosting service to fit your situation. Remember, the right upfront investment will allow you to focus on growing your business rather than dealing with constant problems.