Top Rated 10 Best Web Hosting Services & Companies 2024
Statista estimates that as of January 2023, there are more than “5.16 billion internet users worldwide,” meaning it’s impossible to imagine a world without the internet. To keep your business running, you need to find a way to catch all of these users’ attention, creating a website that they want to interact with. That all starts with a web hosting service.
With dozens of providers available, how do you pick one that matches the vision you have for your website? To help answer that question, we scoured the market to find the best hosting offers on the internet today.
Paying close attention to product and pricing options, features you may need, and important pros and cons, we created a guide to help you pick the best web hosting service for your needs.
Our Methodology: How We Reviewed the Best Hosting Services
Because there are several features to consider, such as server space and bandwidth, it can be challenging to make one-to-one comparisons. To compile our list of the best hosting sites, we reviewed all of the features and weighed them against their costs.
For our main comparison chart, we reviewed features provided by each web host at its most affordable tier. However, if you’re willing to spend enough money, almost every host will offer whatever you need.
Our methodology is based on these factors:
- Uptime guarantees
- Server speed and load time
- Disk space
- Bandwidth limits
- Reliability
- Security features
- Customer support
1
- Price per month Starting at $2.75/month
- Money-back guarantee30 days
- Uptime99.99%
RATING
Exceptional 9.7
Bluehost is one of the most popular web hosts to build a WordPress (WP) site, thanks to its one-click installation process, strong CMS (Content Management System) platform, and multiple hosting plans.
While the company offers other services—including shared hosting, dedicated hosting, and VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting—Bluehost’s reputation for being straightforward and easy to use may be their biggest benefit. They also deliver expedited setup of WooCommerce, a popular e-commerce plugin that runs on the WP engine. Security features like SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates and daily backups also add to their appeal.
“I love Bluehost as a hosting platform,” says web strategist and coach Wes Mcdowell. He also calls Bluehost “super reliable” and adds that “it’s a snap to get [your site] up and running” with this service.
Why we chose Bluehost: As one of today’s most versatile hosting providers, Bluehost features a beginner-friendly setup process and a range of affordable solutions. These offerings make them a good option for a variety of customers with diverse needs.
Our experience: We like Bluehost’s simple site design, navigation, and emphasis on WordPress products. These features gave us enough flexibility to build many different types of websites. The transparent pricing and product info also make it easier to sort through options and identify what’s best for you and your budget.
PROS
- Quick WordPress installation and setup
- WooCommerce online store hosting
- Includes security features
CONS
- Limited disk space (10GB)
- Email addresses not included
2
- Price per monthStarting at $1.99/month for 4 years
- Money-back guarantee30 days
- Uptime99.9%
RATING
Exceptional 9.5
Hostinger asks for the longest introductory offer commitment on this list, but its prices are very affordable. The first four years of service only cost $1.99/month, after which the price increases to a reasonable $3.99/month. Hostinger’s 30-day money-back guarantee and 99.9% guaranteed uptime also ensure peace of mind.
Although this offer doesn’t include a free domain name, it does come with a single email address. Plus, users get 50GB of SSD storage and 100GB of bandwidth. Security features include SSL certificates, weekly backups, and DDoS protection.
Why we chose Hostinger: Hostinger’s budget-friendly four-year introductory price gives you access to high guaranteed uptime at a very affordable price. The user scores and experiences we reviewed on Trustpilot and Hostinger’s homepage confirm that customers find great value in the service they get.
Our experience: The company’s customer service is highly responsive—we had our sample question answered within 10 minutes after posting it in Hostinger’s live chat. However, we didn’t like that Hostinger had a countdown timer on their homepage—it felt a bit like a gimmick.
PROS
- Affordable prices
- Highly responsive customer support team
- Included DDoS protection
CONS
- No free domain name
- Limited bandwidth (100GB)
3
- Price per monthStarting at $5.99/month for 3 years
- Money-back guarantee30 days
- Uptime99.9%
RATING
Excellent 9.3
While GoDaddy has gained widespread recognition due to extensive advertising efforts, its popularity can be attributed to factors beyond just marketing. A stellar security suite sets them apart from competitors and includes SSL certificates, automatic backups, DDoS protection, and active malware scanning.
The company also has its own website builder for WordPress, which means you don’t have to hire an expensive designer to create a website. Instead, the GoDaddy Wizard gives you access to beginner-friendly tools to help build your site. GoDaddy also has design services available if you prefer to avoid site-building altogether.
Why we chose GoDaddy: As one of the most established and recognizable web hosting services out there, GoDaddy earned its spot at the web hosting table years ago. But what gives them staying power is their highly competitive plans and top-notch security features. Plus, their strong line-up of e-commerce tools and resources provides extra support to strengthen and grow your business.
Our experience: We like that GoDaddy includes custom domain name registration and lets customers search for domains directly from the homepage. We also found this service’s numerous storefront and payment tool offerings very helpful.
PROS
- Robust security
- Website builder and site design services
- Free one-click WordPress installation
CONS
- Introductory price is a little higher than others
- Email addresses are only free for the first year
4
- Price per monthStarting at $2.75/month for 3 years
- Money-back guarantee30 days
- Uptime99%
RATING
Excellent 9.0
HostGator is a smart choice for larger organizations that need multiple email addresses. This web hosting company includes unlimited email addresses with the plans offered. They also guarantee at least 99% server uptime and unmetered bandwidth.
In his book WordPress in easy steps, Darryl Bartlett, freelance web developer and technical writer, explains that “[to] install WordPress, you are going to need some space online.” He adds, “I recommend a company called HostGator. It is very well priced, has a 24-hour support team, and is very simple to set up WordPress on.”
The introductory $2.75/month plan requires a commitment of three years, but the price doesn’t increase to the usual $7.99/month rate until after the introductory period ends. In addition to standard shared hosting, dedicated hosting, and VPS, HostGator also offers reseller hosting for those who want to provide their own hosting services.
Why we chose HostGator: HostGator has won awards for everything from web hosting to customer service. Its unlimited email addresses, offered even with the most basic plans, impressed us. Organizations with a lot of personnel will particularly appreciate this feature, especially because you can set up your email preferences for optimal performance (e.g., capping at 500/hour to minimize IP block listing).
Our experience: We appreciate that HostGator doesn’t force you to pay for additional email addresses or use a third-party email provider. Instead, they keep business in-house. We also liked that they deliver some of the fastest and most affordable hosting options on the market.
PROS
- Unlimited email addresses
- Long-term offers available
- Award-winning customer service
CONS
- Only 10GB of server space
- Best price requires three-year commitment
5
- Price per month Starting at $2.99/month for 1 year
- Money-back guarantee30 days
- Uptime99.9%
RATING
Very Good 8.9
Namecheap offers a range of web hosting services that provide users with the resources needed to host their website, including server space, bandwidth and technical support. You can choose your preferred service based on different website requirements and budgets, such as:
- Shared hosting: Shared hosting is a type of web hosting where multiple websites are hosted on a single physical server. Thanks to this approach, numerous users can share the resources of a single server and keep costs low. Namecheap’s shared hosting plans come with features such as free domain registration, cPanel, unmetered bandwidth and a free website builder.
- WordPress hosting: Namecheap’s WordPress hosting plans are optimized to provide faster loading times and better performance. The plans include an easy-to-use installer, SSL certificates and automatic backups.
- Reseller hosting: Namecheap’s reseller hosting plans allow users to sell hosting plans to their customers under their brand name, with the option to white label Namecheap’s hosting services.
- VPS hosting: Namecheap’s VPS hosting plans offer dedicated resources and full root access. The solution is completely customizable, allowing users to choose their operating system (Ubuntu, CentOS or Debian), get root access to the server and determine whether the control panel (cPanel) will be installed.
- Dedicated hosting: Namecheap’s dedicated hosting plans provide users with complete control over their server, with dedicated resources and a choice of operating system.
- Email hosting: Namecheap’s email hosting plans provide users with a business email address with their domain name, secure webmail access and spam protection.
- Read full Namecheap review here
PROS
- Easy-to-use interface
- 100% uptime
- Domain name included in first year pricing
CONS
- No phone support
- Low storage for basic plans
6
- Price per monthStarting at $2.75/month for 3 years
- Money-back guaranteeNo
- Uptime99.9%
RATING
Very Good 8.7
Web.com is a no-frills service provider offering shared hosting for WordPress and custom sites. Although they don’t have dedicated hosting, VPS hosting, or reseller hosting plans, they do provide a website builder for anyone not using WordPress.
The basic plan includes a free domain name for the first year and one business email, with additional email addresses at an extra fee. Web.com also claims to have a 99.9% uptime record but doesn’t guarantee it. Plans come with unmetered bandwidth and an SSL certificate, malware scanning, and daily backup service for security.
Why we chose Web.com: This web hosting solution is a stable, well-rounded option with unmetered hosting. They give users free access to a drag-and-drop website builder and promise load speeds up to 70% faster than their competitors.
Our experience: We like Web.com’s website builder and design options, which come with one hour of free web design support and predesigned building blocks. We were a little frustrated by the lack of technical details available about their plans.
PROS
- Includes one business email
- Free domain for the first year
- Free drag-and-drop website builder available
CONS
- Email addresses cost extra
- Lack of detailed technical information
7
- Price per monthStarting at $2.59/month for 3 years
- Money-back guarantee97 days
- Uptime100%
RATING
Very Good 8.2
DreamHost offers an extended 97-day money-back guarantee and 100% guaranteed uptime. This shows how confident they are in their service, which should put even the most risk-averse consumers at ease.
The introductory plan includes a free domain name for one year but doesn’t come with any email addresses. Bandwidth is unmetered, and there are no storage limits. There are various WordPress site options, too—from basic hosting to dedicated WordPress hosting and cloud hosting options for those looking to publish web apps.
Why we chose DreamHost: DreamHost promises to deliver 100% uptime and compensate you for any downtime. Plus, with the 97-day money-back guarantee, you have the freedom to test their services and confirm if they can live up to their 100% uptime promise.
Our experience: We liked that we could choose between two unmanaged shared plans, three managed shared plans, four VPS plans, and nine dedicated plans. DreamHost’s wide selection of WordPress hosting plans may be confusing to some potential customers or new users, but we liked that they provide enough flexibility to host any type of website.
PROS
- Generous guarantees
- Cloud hosting
- Free drag-and-drop website builder available
CONS
- No included email
- Potentially confusing plan options
8
- Price per month Starting at $5.69/month for 1 year
- Money-back guarantee No
- Uptime99.9%
RATING
Very Good 8.1
Network Solutions is powered by Web.com and delivers similar services. However, they provide the additional benefits of quick, responsive, and helpful customer service.
When it’s time to renew, Network Solutions doesn’t increase the monthly rates on its Starter plan—an excellent incentive for potential customers. The plan includes 15GB of storage and five email addresses. Plus, Network Solutions guarantees 99.9% uptime but doesn’t provide much information about bandwidth. Also, while WordPress plans cost more, they include extra storage, email addresses, and a free domain name.
Why we chose Network Solutions: Network Solutions is a solid option that doesn’t increase fees after renewal. This provider also boasts outstanding customer service and includes five free emails in its most basic plan.
Our experience: When we reached out to Network Solutions’ customer service team, we were immediately connected with a representative. The site offers a mix of live and chatbot text support. Their 99.9% uptime guarantee also gave us confidence that our site would consistently be available to visitors.
PROS
- Price stays the same after renewal
- Fast chat support with customer service
- Includes five free email addresses
CONS
- No free domain name
- Bandwidth information for Starter plan is not available
9
- Price per month Starting at $3.95 per month
- Money-back guarantee30 days
- Uptime99.9%
RATING
Good 8.0
HostPapa is an exceptional web hosting and design service that brings professional online presence within reach for businesses of all sizes. The intuitive drag-and-drop website builder enables effortless creation of stunning websites in no time. With plans starting at just $3.95 a month, it’s an affordable solution for anyone. HostPapa offers various hosting options, including web hosting, WordPress hosting, VPS hosting, reseller hosting, and even specialized Ecommerce hosting. With 400+ business apps, you can enhance your website’s functionality. Plus, enjoy free domain registration, ample storage, and unlimited bandwidth with every package. HostPapa empowers businesses to thrive online with its feature-rich and cost-effective hosting services.
Why we chose HostPapa: We selected HostPapa primarily because of its versatile hosting options. With HostPapa, users have a range of choices including web hosting, WordPress hosting, VPS hosting, reseller hosting, and specialized Ecommerce hosting. Whether you’re running a personal blog, an online store, or a growing business, HostPapa offers hosting plans tailored to meet your unique demands and ensure a smooth online presence.
Our experience: HostPapa is great when it comes to uptime. They maintain excellent uptime of 99.97 percent, which means their website is hardly ever down. Although it’s impossible to have 100 percent uptime due to occasional problems and maintenance, HostPapa’s uptime translates to less than three hours of downtime per year. This high level of reliability is perfect whether you’re running a blog or an online store because it ensures your website is available to visitors most of the time.
PROS
- Lots of features even with basic plan
- Softaculous with 400+ free apps
- One-on-one training
CONS
- Money-back guarantee isn’t 100%
- Some hidden fees
10
- Price per month Starting at $2.99/month for 1 year
- Money-back guarantee30 days
- Uptime99.9%
RATING
Good 8.0
A2 Hosting has a variety of solutions for individuals and enterprise-level users. They offer hosting plans for WordPress (both managed and unmanaged), dedicated emails, WooCommerce, reseller hosting, and even specialized plans for non-profit organizations.
Their basic shared hosting plan, suitable for either WordPress or custom sites, starts at $2.99/month for one year. The plan includes 100GB of SSD storage, unlimited bandwidth, and unlimited email addresses. However, users need to pay for a domain name.
Why we chose A2 Hosting: A2 Hosting has a lot to offer—tons of storage space, as well as all of the emails and bandwidth you could ever need. Their plans include a comprehensive security suite with SSL certificates, backups, malware scanning, DDoS protection, and two-factor authentication (2FA).
Our experience: We appreciate the straightforward reporting A2 Hosting uses to back up its claims with precise data. This provider prominently outlines its methodology online to prove it can deliver lots of storage and reliable bandwidth.
PROS
- 100GB SSD storage
- Unlimited email addresses
- Comprehensive security suite
CONS
- No free domain name
- Renewal cost is somewhat high
Top 10 Best Web Hosting Services & Companies 2024
| | | | | | | | | |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price per month | Starting at $2.75/month | Starting at $1.99/month for 4 years | Starting at $5.99/month for 3 years | Starting at $2.75/month for 3 years | Starting at $2.59/month for 3 years | Starting at $2.75/month for 3 years | Starting at $5.69/month for 1 year | Starting at $3.95 per month | Starting at $2.99/month for 1 year | Starting at $2.07/month for 1 year |
| Bandwidth | Unlimited | 100GB | Unmetered | Unmetered | Unmetered | Unmetered | n/a | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Special offer | Free domain for 1st year, SSL certificate, CDN | Free SSL certificate, email, website builder | Free domain for 1st year, SSL certificate, two free Microsoft 365 mailboxes for 1st year | Free domain for 1st year, SSL certificate, unlimited emails, one-click WordPress installer | Free domain, SSL certificate, WordPress migration | Free domain | Five free emails | Free domain registration, 51% savings | Free domain, SSL certificate, WordPress migration | Free domain, SSL certificate, WordPress migration |
| Uptime | 99.99% | 99.9% | 99.9% | 99% | 100% | 99.9% | 99.9% | 99.9% | 99.9% | 99.9% |
| Website builder | Yes | Zyro in-house builder | Yes | Yes, in house and Drupal, Joomla compatible | Yes | Built-in | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days | 30 days | 30 days | 30 days | 90 days | No | No | 30 days | 30 days | 30 days |
How to Compare the Best Hosting Services
To help you better understand the features of the best web hosts, we captured a few key details to consider in the comparison chart below.
While evaluating each host provider’s details, keep in mind that direct comparisons aren’t always possible. The features listed here apply to the lowest-cost plan from each hosting service, but higher-tier plans may include better features. For example, some hosts may provide a free domain name with higher-cost plans but not with the basic plans listed in the chart. Be sure to visit each web hosting service’s website for specific details on their other offers.
What are Web Hosting Services and Which is Right for You?
There are many types of hosting services for businesses of all sorts. Some web hosting companies can do everything from building your website to marketing and selling it; while other providers only provide the space, infrastructure, technical support staff and equipment so you can build a website on your own.
Depending on your business model and size, you’ll choose a hosting company based on the factors explained below. Once you understand the terminology, you can weigh features and select the service that works best for your company’s needs.
Exploring the Different Types of Web Hosting
The larger or more complex a website, the more comprehensive a configuration package it’s going to need. The main ones are broken down as follows:
Shared Web Hosting: Affordability and Simplicity
Shared web hosting is the basic package that services offer. Your website sits on the same server along with many other websites, so you’re sharing the server, and any other resources, such as memory or CPU.
These are good for basic website needs such as email sending, file sharing, and base level e-commerce sites. Shared web host plans are the cheapest and, therefore, smartest option for smaller or startup businesses.
VPS Hosting: Balancing Power and Flexibility
A virtual private server is designated for your direct purposes, more than a shared server. You still may be sharing an actual server, but the service creates a virtual server of your very own, especially if it’s a shared VPS.
That means all the resources are yours alone, from memory storage to processing power and beyond. This is a safer and much more reliable option that keeps your site separate from the others while still maintaining affordability.
Dedicated Web Hosting: Maximum Control and Performance
Dedicated hosting is on another level. In addition to getting your own server, dedicated hosting lets you take full control over your server. That means you have full administrative access and can set things up the way you like it.
This type of hosting package comes with a royal suite of features that may not be necessary for all types of businesses.
WordPress Hosting: Optimized for WordPress Websites
WordPress provides shared hosting plans that cater to a more specialized clientele. The servers themselves are optimized differently and have features that are particularly attractive to performance, such as faster load time, a WordPress installer, security features that work specifically with WordPress sites, and host WordPress updates. This is useful for businesses that have websites created on WordPress.
What Is Included With a Web Hosting Service?
With a web hosting service, you’ll get tools to design your site, hundreds of templates, blogging and eCommerce functions, email marketing, analytics & reporting, cloud hosting services, and more. Web hosts centralize everything into one service that will let you launch your site online, maintain its smooth running status, and store data securely.
Web Hosting Pricing and Value Analysis
Some choose web hosting companies based solely on price. While that’s not a great strategy, you should certainly take pricing into consideration. The best providers offer plans for every budget, and in some cases, signing up for longer subscriptions (rather than paying month to month) will qualify for extra discounts.
Also, leave some room to grow. Choosing a web hosting plan that meets your website’s current needs is great. But, with any luck, your site will grow and expand over time, and your needs may change. Since switching to a new web hosting provider is a major hassle, consider one that offers a wdie range of scalable plans.
Meaning, you should be able to upgrade to another plan easily once necessary. Low prices are always nice, but if the low price comes with a limit on space or bandwidth, you need to be sure the deal is really worth it.
Along the same lines, you may want to pay attention to how many email accounts are provided. Whether or not you believe you’ll need dozens of email addresses, it’s nice to have the option to create as many as possible down the line.
In most cases, larger numbers of email addresses are included in more expensive plans. This feature, while not very important to some, is critical to others.
Should You Consider Free Hosting?
In general, free hosting plans aren’t worth it, as they can create more issues than benefits by cutting corners and compromising your site’s speed, security, and scalability.
With a free host, the SEO of your site will be impacted by slow run times. Your website may not even show up on the search results page. Your site’s security may also be compromised since free hosts usually don’t have protection against cyber attacks. In the end, there won’t be anybody to turn to for help as customer support is near non-existent with free hosting plans.
Essential Web Hosting Features You Need
Hosting quality is affected by several factors that are important to weigh during your decision-making process. Some of the most significant factors include:
Uptime Guarantee: Ensuring Reliable Website Availability
If you’re looking into web hosting, you’ll hear the term uptime guarantee a lot. That makes a lot of sense, considering it is one of the most important factors when choosing a service. Uptime, which is the percentage of time that a hosting service is up and running, will be guaranteed by various companies with a certain percentage of time to be up.
That doesn’t mean they will definitely go down for the other percentage of the time, but they can say without fail that they will be up for at least that amount of time.
The reason this is important is because you don’t want your site constantly being unavailable or unreachable to your customers. Otherwise, why have a website at all? A high uptime percentage ensures that your audience can see and interact with your website more often.
Quality brands like InMotion Hosting, HostGator and Bluehost offer a more than 99% uptime guarantee, and that’s really good for your business.
Load Time Optimization: Speeding Up Your Website
Load time is also really important. Recent studies show that the average attention span has shrunk over the years to smaller than that of a goldfish! So, if your website takes even a drop too long to load a page, your business is dead before it’s even started.
To keep yourself in the running, be sure your domain hosting service has a fast load time. A2Hosting will deliver a 360ml load time for pages, the fastest in the industry.
Customer Support: Reliable Assistance When You Need It
Because having an issue with your website is nothing to take lightly, you want to make sure customer service is available, knowledgeable, and easy to work with. More on this below.
Server Location: Choosing the Right Geographical Server
The number of servers and location plays a huge part in the speed of your website loading and service. Obviously, the more servers available, the faster the service, but where those servers are found in the world will also affect the quality.
Look for servers in substantial locations close to you, such as the UK, US, or Israel, depending on your location.
Email Hosting: Managing Email Accounts with Your Hosting
Email hosting is another way to expand your business’s reach online and provide employee-specific mail addresses to all your employees. Most web hosts have email hosting tools that can help you manage accounts and communications from one spot.
Security Features to Look for in a Hosting Package
In the United States alone, 30,000 websites are hacked with malware every day. A large number of those are small business websites which are targeted because they don’t have the cybersecurity protections that large enterprise IT teams can put up.
But there is still plenty that small business owners can do to ensure the safety of their accounts. Check if your hosting provider offers any of the following, all of which can help ensure that your account does not become the next statistic.
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Strengthening Account Security
Also called multi-factor authentication (MFA), 2-factor authentication adds a second security credential to the login process. If you’re on a managed hosting plan, then you probably know that cPanel is where your technical staff can configure all aspects of their hosting accounts.
Because cPanel is so powerful, the risks of a hacker getting in are far more damaging than gaining access to, say, an FTP account or a WordPress backend. That’s why it’s extremely useful if your host offers 2FA on logins to cPanel.
Free SSL Certificates: Securing Data Transmission
If your small business operates multiple domain names, then you’ll find it particularly helpful if your hosting provider offers free SSL certificates with their hosting package. An SSL certificate is a guarantee from a Certificate Authority (CA) that traffic to and from the website will be encrypted by Transport Layer Security (TLS).
You might be more familiar with this as https:// rather than http:// before certain domain names. Using TLS gives your customers peace of mind that data they send to and from your website will be encrypted over their local networks.
Because your customers’ user credentials could conceivably be used to brute force your own digital infrastructure, it’s in your interests too to make sure this is offered.
DKIM, SPF, DMARC: Enhancing Email Security
Email spoofing is a real concern for any small business. To combat this, look for a host that offers 3 email authentication tools on its hosting packages: Sender Policy Framework (SPF), Domain Keys Identified Mail (DKIM) and Domain-based Message Authentication, and Reporting & Conformance (DMARC).
These are configured as DNS records in your cPanel and mean that recipients can see that the email was authenticated by your organization and is not the result of a fraudster impersonating you.
Easy Update Manager: Streamlining Software Updates
If your small business is using some popular web-hosted scripts such as the WordPress Content Management System (CMS), then you should know that you’re wide open to any vulnerabilities in the code base. Because of how widely these systems are deployed, they’re lucrative targets for hackers.
A one-click script installation and manager means that you can ensure that any such cloud-hosted programs are updated automatically and at regular intervals—without having to ask your IT staff for help.
How to Choose the Best Web Hosting Company?
Without the best web hosting, your ability to run a successful website is going to be seriously hindered. There is a dizzying array of web hosting providers competing for your business.
How can you pinpoint the best one? Start by keeping the following points in mind:
1. Bandwidth
The first thing you need to do when shopping for a web host is to evaluate your disk space and bandwidth needs. If your site features lots of graphics, dozens of pages, and large amounts of traffic, you’re going to need unmetered bandwidth and disk space. Unlimited plans are available, and they make life easier. If your site is going to be simple and not generate a huge amount of traffic, you should be able to get away with less disk space and bandwidth.
2. Compatibility
Keep compatibility in mind, too. In the excitement of looking for a website hosting provider, you might overlook one critical thing: the type of operating systems that are supported. You’re not going to want to switch operating systems, so double-check this point before settling for a provider.
3. Reliability
Reliability and availability are critical characteristics to consider when shopping around for web hosting. The best web hosting companies offer availability rates of 98 and 99%, frequently referred to as “Uptime.” It’s easy to make such claims, though, so make sure to see if they make good on their promises.
4. Security
Security is also an essential concern. Choosing a web hosting provider without learning about its available security features is a big mistake. Things like firewalls, daily backups, free SSL certificates and user authentication should all be included and easily accessed in the control panel. It’s also nice to receive notifications whenever changes are made because they can alert you to suspicious activity.
Take a look at how we choose the best web hosting sites in the industry in order to make a better decision about which is right for you.
Exploring Additional Offerings Beyond Web Hosting
While providing the basics like bandwidth and disk space are a given, good web hosting plans will also have at least a few extras.
If you’re running an online store, keep an eye out for providers that supply Ecommerce solutions. If you want to be able to implement quick and easy updates, find a provider that offers content management systems. Make sure that they’ll give you access to statistics about your site, as well.
Another feature you may want to pay attention to is how eco-friendly a web host is. Data centers use intense amounts of electricity. There are a few web hosts today that run their platforms using green technology.
Website Builders: Simplifying Website Creation
Beyond just hosting your site’s free domain, you need to actually have a website. Website builders help get all the visuals and info up on the internet without no coding needed. They provide users with hundreds of templates that are easy to play with and edit. You can straightforwardly drag and drop content into the templates, and adjust your site according to your industry.
If you have little-to-no background in site design, website builders can let you design your dream site with ease.
Assessing Customer Service and Support from Hosting Providers
Even if you’re a natural at setting up websites, it’s nice to know that help is available if you need it. Confirm that the web hosting provider you choose has 24/7 support and make sure that there are several ways in which to get support, preferably including phone support.
The most reliable providers will provide support through email, phone, and online chat, giving you the choice of convenience.
The best support plan includes customer freedom. Review the providers’ policies to ensure that there is a clear, money-back guarantee if you’re not satisfied with the product.
After narrowing down the search to just a few candidates, search for online reviews about each of them. Ideally, the reviews should come from actual customers on review sites and not a list of published testimonials on the web hosting providers’ own websites.
It should be pretty easy to get a feel for how a web hosting provider treats its customers from the word on the street.
Conclusion: Making an Informed Decision for Your Web Hosting Needs
Our picks for the top 10 best web hosting services are Bluehost, IONOS, HostGator, Hostinger, DreamHost, A2 Hosting, Web.com, Network Solutions, rocket.net and Namecheap.
As tempting as it may be to choose a web hosting provider quickly and just get on with your life, it’s undeniably better to take your time. In doing so, you’ll be able to find a provider you can stick with for the long haul.
