Every website owner knows the importance of quality web hosting. Quality web hosting ensures that your site is secure, fast and reliable- don’t ever underestimate the damage a slow or constantly down site can have on your business and reputation.
Over the years I’ve gone through my share of good and bad web hosts for different sites and projects of mine. Here are my top 3 web hosts based on personal experience, and feedback from my many blogger peers. Are these hosts perfect? No. But they are better than probably 90% of what is out there.
1. Bluehost
Bluehost is one of the largest WordPress hosting platforms, and probably one of the most recommended due to their low cost. Although the company offers a variety of plans, they are famous for their WordPress shared hosting.
Features :
- For WordPress users, Bluehost offers free domain services and free SSL certificates.
- 1 click WordPress install and other powerful tools in its enhanced version of cPanel.
- 30-day money back guarantee.
- Optimized WordPress hosting that is well oiled for WordPress sites
- Shared hosting that can support unlimited websites at just $5.95
- Unlimited bandwidth and Unlimited database
Pricing:
They offer a wide range of hosting services at affordable prices. Their basic shared hosting plans start with $2.95 per month. Similarly, their Managed WordPress hosting plan starts at $19.99 per month.
Ease of Use
This is the most beginner friendly web hosting for people that aren’t tech savvy. Their WordPress friendly plans come with one-click WordPress install, along with common plugins that can easily be enabled with a click of the button in the control panel.
Support:
Bluehost has one of the fattest customer support in the industry. You will always find help accessible in few clicks.
Their support team is technically sound and are willing to help you with any kind of technical support. There are lots of documentation and step by step guides for learning.
2. Siteground
SiteGround has emerged as the new golden child in hosting bloggers and small businesses, despite strong competition.
Its great features, blazing fast page speed, and superb support have impressed customers and earned them the excellent overall word of mouth. SiteGround provides an optimized solution for different open sources applications like WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla.
Features:
- 1 click installer
- Free setup and transfer
- SSD drive for all plans
- 30 days money back guarantee
- Latest speed technologies with free CDN and free SSL certificate
- Own firewall security rules
- Managed WordPress hosting at a super low price
Plans:
Their managed WordPress hosting plans start at just $3.95 per month. You can find great deals on special occasions such as Boxing Day and Cyber Monday They also offer cloud hosting and dedicated servers at a good price for enterprise clients.
Ease of use:
SiteGround offer free setup and transfer. Their cPanel is easy to use with all the essential tools.
It has 24/7 live chat support system and there are helpful documents for most basic issues.
Customer service:
Customer service is an important part of any company’s success. That is the reason SiteGround has so much of its resources in customer service.
They offer 24/7 live chat support, support ticketing system, phone support, documentation and, tutorials.
3. WP Engine
WP Engine is a pinnacle of WordPress Hosting in terms of speed, support, and security. Their prices will scare away a lot of users, though if your site is mission critical, there is no better choice. WP engine has the expertise to support any type of WordPress issues you throw at them.
Features:
- They provide the technology and expertise to give a secure and scalable hosting platform.
- Security wise they are best. Daily backup, 1 click restore, firewall and malware protection
- Support system by true experts.
- Custom built EverCache technology so no need for any cache plugin
Pricing:
Based on requirement and traffic, customers can choose a plan in WP Engine. Their lowest price plan is the StartUp Managed WordPress Hosting which costs around $35/month. If you have extremely high traffic you can also use their Custom Grade Managed WordPress hosting plan and get a quote personally.
Ease Of Use:
This is somewhere between beginner friendly and developer friendly hosting.
Support:
24/7 Live chat support system. They support is given by US-based WordPress experts.
Conclusion
Wordpress hosting comes in many forms like dedicated, shared, managed, VPS etc. You can start with a low cost shared hosting plan, and go for better plans later when your site traffic picks up. This is the route I took when I started my site.
As a brand new site, Bluehost made the most sense, though as the site grew, some features like daily backups became important to me. My next move will be Siteground, as they offer free backups on demand with their GoGeek Plan.
Siteground or Bluehost are perfectly suited for small to medium WordPress sites. Both of these hosting services provide cost-effective WordPress hosting for startups. You always have the option to upgrade to the advanced plans later.
WP Engine is an enterprise-ready solution that has both the expertise and hardware to support even the most demanding WordPress sites.
What is your favorite WordPress hosting platform? Tell us in the comment below.
Author Credits: This article was written by Jon Muller, founder of Ergonomic Trends and an avid technology enthusiast and WordPress user. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter.
