We’ve tested the best web hosting options around the world
If you’re setting up a website, you will need a capable and reliable web hosting service. It’s as simple as that.
Web hosting services are the foundation on which all websites are built. No matter whether you’re Google, a medium-sized business or a local florist, if you want an online presence then you’re going to want the best web hosting for your needs – and that’s where this guide comes in handy.
As well as explaining what website hosting actually is and the steps you should take before choosing yours, we’ll give you a definitive list of the best web hosting you can get – whether you’re a newbie producing your first website for a growing audience or a seasoned veteran researching providers.
Your web hosting service will give you the tools to help you build the best website possible for your online business or hobby and make it accessible on the internet. The most comprehensive providers will offer a whole range of services: dedicated servers and management, website creator wizards, companion email addresses, hosting for WordPress-built sites and more.
The best web hosting provider right now overall is A2Hosting– we love its wide and useful set of features (not to mention its affordable price points) and it really excels when it comes to WordPress hosting in particular. And, as an added bonus, A2Hostingcurrently has a smasher of a Black Friday deal on, too:
Hostinger is another super all-rounder on the market and is able to service individuals and businesses of all sizes.
In short, you’ve come to the best resource on the web for choosing the best web hosting service. We have you covered with impartial recommendations and expert advice for cheap hosting shared hosting, website builders and WordPress hosting providers.
Need Web Hosting ? You must know our tested and proven tips before you choose your hosting company
We reviewed (and re-reviewed) more than 100 web hosting providers – free and paid – so know what makes the best website hosts. From our experience, we believe that these are the five most important things to remember when selecting yours:
You almost always get what you paid for
If your website is primarily a hobby on the side then that shouldn’t matter. However, as an essential business tool, it is often a false economy to go for the cheapest deal (or a free one) on offer.
Beware of pricing tricks
The overwhelming majority of web hosting vendors offer low prices at the beginning of their contracts but then jack up the pricing after the introductory period ends. That can be 24, 36 or even 60 months after signing up. Always look for the total cost of ownership.
Just how trustworthy is the provider?
Just about anyone can pretend to be a real web host and just be reselling someone else’s products. So, look to see how long they’ve been around, do they have a contact address, who owns them, are they making realistic promises on the website etc. Google is your friend.
Know your limits
How comfortable are you with creating your own website? Do you need external help to understand the numerous ramifications (including legal and commercial ones) that publishing one entails?
Consider website builders
You don’t need web hosting to get online and website builders offer an interesting and compelling alternative. However, you cannot migrate your content easily if you want to leave because of their proprietary nature.
1. A2Hosting (Customer Rating 4/5)
Our #1 favorite best web hosting service
Unmetered bandwidth: Yes | WooCommerce hosting: Yes | Free domain: Yes | 24×7-US-based support: Yes
- User-friendly yet powerful
- Automated setup for WordPress
- Basic website builder included
1. Hostinger (Customer Rating 4/5)
Another fabulous website hosting option
Unmetered bandwidth: Yes | WooCommerce hosting: Yes | Free domain: Yes | 24×7-US-based support: Yes
- Excellent performance
- Great tech support
- cPanel and Softaculous-powered hosting
What is web hosting?
Web hosting is the generic name given to the business of, well, hosting a website for organisations or individuals. But that’s just the beginning: selecting a truly reliable, affordable, scalable web hosting provider is a daunting and overwhelming task as there’s so many choices around.
Many packages include a wealth of features that you may or may not place value upon, including a mailing list, a control panel, the ability to create online stores easily, simple website builder tools and varying levels of support (either on the phone or live chat).
Whether you’re looking to build a website for yourself, a website for your small business now or for the future, a simple online store or just want to save money, moving to a cheaper web hosting provider, we’ve got you covered.
Hosting is very much a horses for courses thing – it’s a question of getting the best and most appropriate solution that you can afford. There’s no need to hamstring yourself financially, though. If you’re just starting out or you’re a relatively small business and you know your way around a server, you might like to consider a Virtual Private Server (VPS), for example – they provide the flexibility of a dedicated server but at a reduced cost.
How to choose the best web hosting service
The hosting services your business can choose from will usually mean making a decision whether a shared, dedicated or cloud based server is right for your business.
Very small businesses will usually opt for a shared or managed service as these are sometimes called. Costs are low, but your business will be sharing its server with several other enterprises. You can always move up to a virtual private network (or VPS) if needed.
A dedicated server as its name suggests is just one server reserved for your business. Dedicated servers are not as expensive as they once were and can make economic sense if you want your business to have its own server platform and not have to worry about other businesses on a shared server impacting your online business if they have problems.
It is important to look closely at the service level (SLA) that will be attached to your dedicated server. Look for any additional costs such as maintenance, or other ‘extras’ that are not covered in the rental cost.
And lastly, try and buy server space that you can expand into. You don’t want to find after a few months that you have outgrown your server and need to move to a new one.
Lastly as the cloud has made a major impact right across the business environment, business web hosting has also been touched by the cloud and now offers an alternative to the traditional hosting methods. The power of cloud hosting is the flexibility it offers. In effect your business can buy just the space and hosting services it needs now and expand at anytime with no disruption to business.
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