When I was choosing the best web hosting for my website, I searched everywhere, read through all kinds of websites, blogs and reviews, talked to a lot of different people and checked out a lot of different Youtube videos. After spending hours and hours on end, I finally decided on the best web hosing for beginners for me to go with and I couldn’t be happier.
If you are here, you are probably looking for the best web host for your own website. To save you time and energy, I want to give you a complete rundown on the best web hosting services for beginners and how I chose the web host for my website.
Table of Contents
Best Web Hosting Services for Beginners
Remember that the web hostings listed here are for people with one or multiple small to medium-sized websites. If you are running very heavy websites with huge amounts of traffic and a large amount of media such as images, videos and audio files, then this might not be the best review for you.
However, if you are starting out or looking to grow your online business, blog or online portfolio and you need fast and secure hosting, then you are at the right place.
Out of about 20 web hosting companies that I looked into, here are 5 that I think are the best web hosts for beginners, and especially for WordPress websites.
Before we start
Before we dive right in, it’s good to know that there are a few different types of hosting services. I summarised them here to help you understand what you are getting with the particular plan you decide to go with:
- Shared hosting- usually the least expensive option, where your website is hosted on a server along with other websites. Shared hosting is the most common type of hosting. It’s probably the one you should be looking for, unless your site is big or has special technological requirements.
- Virtual Private Server (VPS)- A VPS website has its own dedicated portion of a server, so the performance of your website is not affected by other traffic changes.
- Dedicated Server- Only a single server runs your website, where all the storage space and power are available for your website alone.
- Cloud Hosting- Servers run on a giant public cloud like Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Microsoft Azure, which you can scale up by adding more space without needing to switch hosting providers or reconfiguring.
Different elements of web hosting
Here are the few things that I paid attention to when I was looking for the right web hosting for me and the reasons why I think you should also consider these different factors:
- Speed- Google favours websites that run quickly and no one likes to wait around for a website to load. This is why speed is extremely important in making sure your website will show up on search engines as well as enticing your visitors to stay when they check out your website.
- Security- Having a secured website is very important. Having a web hosting server that is supplied with powerful firewalls, a SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificate and is regularly monitored by the hosting company is important.
- Support- Having good technical support is also important. No matter how tech-savvy you might be, you are bound to run into issues and problems that will need someone on your web hosting team to look over for you. Being not very tech-savvy, this was incredibly important to me when I was searching for a web host.
- Scalability Looking down the line, do you see your website getting more traffic or is there a possibility of you creating more new websites? If so, then you might want to go with a web hosting server that can support you on your journey.
- Price- Price is another important factor, especially for beginners. When you are just starting out, you are probably not ready to spend a lot of money upfront, so finding a web hosting that can offer you an affordable hosting plan is important.
Keep in mind that while the price may be inconvenient, you also get what you pay for. There are many “free” web hosting opportunities out there but there are limitations to those options. If you can get the affordable options rather than the free options, then your website will likely be in better hands.
Let’s dive in and talk about web hosting platforms.
Bluehost web hosting
Bluehost is probably the most well-known web hosting company on the internet. A lot of bloggers and brands recommend Bluehost so I decided to check it out.
Bluehost started in 1996 and is part of the Endurance International Group, which owns other hosting providers including HostGator and iPage. It is also one of the top recommended WordPress providers by WordPress.org. It now powers more than 2 million websites all over the world.
Main Features of Bluehost
Here are some of the main features of Bluehost:
- Free domain(s) with web hosting
- Resource protection that helps defend your website performance
- Unmetered Bandwidth
- SSL certificate to help secure the connection between your website and your visitors
- Get marketing credits for Microsoft advertising and Google ads
- Spam protection
- One-click WordPress installation
Bluehost provides a few different types of hostings and services including shared hosting, WordPress hosting, VPS and dedicated servers.
Bluehost web hosting plans
Here are the standard Bluehost web hosting plans and pricing:
- Basic plan starts at 2.95 per month, then 7.99 after the first year. It is good for you if you have one website and 50 GB of storage is enough.
- Plus plan starts at 5.45 per month, then 10.99 after the first year. You can have as many websites and domains as you want and the storage is unmetered. You also get unlimited email accounts.
- Choice Plus package is 5.45 per month and 14.99 after the first year. You get access to the Plus features, free domain privacy and better backup options.
- Pro tier costs 13.95 per month, then 23.99 after the first year. On top of all the other features, you are put into a server with less users so your website would be faster.
Bluehost Pro’s
- The first year of the Bluehost web hosting plan is very cheap
- Easy to use and clean interface
- Offers a wide range of web hosting options
- Great uptime
- You get one free domain on the basic plan and unlimited domain for the higher plans for the first year
- You get up to 5 email accounts included in your basic plan and unlimited with higher plans
- A large amount of storage
- No limit on bandwidth
- Allows a 30-day money-back-guarantee
Bluehost Con’s
- After the first year, the cost of your web hosting will get quite a lot more expensive
- Bluehost only has US-servers
- The backup option is limited
- If you’re migrating from another web hosting to Bluehost, it will cost you 150USD
- Doesn’t offer cloud hosting
Is Bluehost right for you?
Breaking down the five elements that are important when choosing a web hosting service:
- Speed- The uptime, describing how well the web hosting keeps their systems up and running, is definitely incredible. Regarding the speed of the website, I read through at least 20 websites, watched 10 Youtube videos about Bluehost and some people say the speed is great while others say it’s terrible. Bluehost only has US-servers, so if you or your website visitors are based outside of North America, then your website will likely be very slow
- Security- Bluehost seems to be secure with the standard SSL, SFTP and SSH. They also offer SiteLock at $30 per year for extra security
- Support- I have read mixed reviews about the support at Bluehost but I had a great experience with the support. It was fast probably because I was talking to the sales support soI can not say if the technical support is equally quick
- Scalability there are multiple different plans for you so it is possible to stay with Bluehost and grow your online business with Bluehost. However, Bluehost doesn’t offer Cloud hosting, in case that’s something you might need.
- Price- Bluehost is very affordable for the first year, covering the cost of your domain and up to 5 email addresses within the price of the hosting. However, from the second year, the price gets quite expensive.
Bluehost is definitely a great option for beginners, since for the first year the price is low and it offers a free domain, free email addresses. Bluehost is especially good if you and your target audience is mainly based in North America. However, if you have a big website or are based out of the US, you might consider another option.
Siteground Web Hosting
Siteground is another web hosting company that is recommended by WordPress.org. It is known for being web hosting with the best support. It is also the recommended partner for my favourite WordPress theme builder, Divi. You can find out more about Divi over here.
Siteground has been running since 2004 and is currently powering over 2,000,000 domains. SiteGround is a holding of companies registered in the USA, UK, Bulgaria, and Spain with four offices and several datacenter locations around the world, including US, UK, Netherlands, Germany, Singapore and Australia.
Siteground offers web hosting, WordPress hosting, WooCommerce Hosting, Reseller hosting, cloud hosting and enterprise hosting.
Main Features of Siteground
Here are some of the main features offered by Siteground:
- The best support available 24/7
- Incredibly user-friendly interface
- Hassle-free website migration with the installation of a plugin
- One-click WordPress installation
- Daily backup
- Their own caching system
- Free SSL and CDN
- Add multiple collaborators
- Includes a speed optimisation plugin for WordPress
- Unmetered Traffic and Unlimited Databases
- Siteground hosting platform is built on Google Cloud and uses its ultra-fast network and SSD persistent storage
- Easily manage your domain and create an unlimited number of email accounts with your own domain
Siteground web hosting plans
- StartUp plan starts from 6.99 per month for the first year, 14.99 per month after the first year. It is best for users that have one small-to-medium-sized website and don’t need more than 10 GB of space. Some advanced features aren’t part of this package.
- GrowBig plan costs 9.99 per month and 24.99 per month after the first year. This plan offers unlimited websites, with 20 GB of space. You’ll have access to the on-demand backups system with advance caching features.
- GoGeek plan cost 14.99 per month, then 39.99 per month after the first year. It gives you more space, better-performing servers and a lot more.
SiteGround Pro’s
- Great uptime
- High-speed hosting
- User-friendly and great interface
- Fantastic support
- Unlimited traffic
- Allow collaborators to join
- Great backup options
- 30-day Money back guarantee
SiteGround Con’s
- It can get quite pricey, especially after the first year
Is SiteGround Right for you?
Breaking down the five elements that are important when choosing a web hosting service:
- Speed- The uptime is great and the speed is also incredible. Since they have data centres in multiple locations around the world, you will be able to get decent speed no matter which continent you or your visitors are on.
- Security- A lot of extra security features to make sure your website is secure and run smoothly. Even if you have more than one website, your websites are separate so you don’t have to worry about your websites affecting each other. They also backup your website once a day with regular security reports.
- Support- Absolutely fantastic. Probably the best support I have ever received on the internet. Period. You can open a ticket and expect them to respond within minutes. The support is friendly and eager to help.
- Scalability There are many different hosting plans available and you can upgrade as you grow
- Price- Siteground is more expensive than other budget web hosting options, but you truly get what you pay for and more. Pricing-wise, Siteground is sitting at the middle-high part of the scale but the quality is comparably one of the best out of all of the web hosting.
Siteground is the platform I use. It is an amazing web hosting option, with additional features such as daily backups and collaborators that other web hostings might not offer. The support is by far the best not just within the web hosting realm, but the best I have ever encountered on the internet. It definitely helps since as a beginner or even an expert, you will likely have questions or run into issues. Knowing that support is just one button away can truly ease your mind.
Siteground is more expensive, especially after the first year, but the features and support definitely justify the price. If you are thinking about getting Siteground, you can start with the plan for the first year and also protected by the 30-day money-back guarantee and test out the web hosting for yourself.
Hostinger Web Hosting
I recently discovered Hostinger. I am blown away by Hostinger and I want to introduce this web hosting here.
Hostinger is an affordable option for people looking for reliable and secure shared hosting services. You can get all the necessary features to get started with your own website. Hostinger started in 2004 and they provide website hosting to over 29 million users in 178 countries.
Hostinger Features
- Servers in 7 regions, including UK, US, Brazil, Netherlands, Singapore, Indonesia and Lithuania (coming soon)
- All data on servers is protected by multiple levels of fail-safes, RAID-10, daily or weekly backups.
- Multi-tier cache that can dramatically decrease loading times for static and dynamic content.
- One-click WordPress installation
- Enhanced Security features
- Light speed server
Hostinger Web Hosting plans
I have heard that the pricing of Hostinger has been increasing slowly but here are the pricings as of September, 2020. It’s also important to note that the displayed monthly price is for a subscription of two years. After the two years, you will be charged the new plan renewal fee.
- Single Shared Hosting plan starts at 0.99/month then 2.15/month and it includes everything you need to get started with your website
- Premium Shared Hosting plan starts at 2.89/month then 3.49/month and it allows unlimited websites, email accounts and bandwidth.
- Business shared hosting plan starts at 3.99/month then 7.95/month and it comes with daily backups and additional allocated resources
- Cloud hosting starts at 9.99/month then 15.90/month with even more resources.
Hostinger Pro’s
- Very affordable shared hosting plans
- Incredible speed
- Amazing uptime
- Custom dashboard that is easy to use, even for beginners
- Unmetered bandwidth and SSD space
- Free domain, email
- 1-click WordPress installation
- 30-day Money back guarantee
Hostinger Con’s
- To get access to live chat support, you need to pay an additional fee
- There are some hidden fees for additional features
- Live chat support needs to purchased separately
Hostinger seems to be one of the cheapest web hosting services, yet still providing incredible speed, uptime along with free domain and even free email. Even just getting the basic plan comes with everything you would need to start your website.
Although the initial pricing is a little deceiving, since the price is for a two-year commitment and there are additional features and some hidden costs, such as live chat, it is still cheaper than most web hosting companies. The features are also comparable with other popular and well-known web hosting companies.
I personally like that the base plan is cheap and you can purchase additional features on top to customise your plan. I am actually considering changing to Hostinger once my current subscription with Siteground expires.
Other Web Hosting Companies
Beside Bluehost, Siteground and Hostinger, I want to also briefly mention Kinsta and WP Engine. These two hosting platforms are more expensive than the other platforms but they definitely have the fastest speed out of all of the web hosting companies.
I have used Kinsta for over 2 years and it has a simple and easy-to-use interface. It is very reliable, detects any problems your website might have and sends you instant reports. Kindsta can get pricey especially since none of their plans support unlimited websites and the cheapest plan starts at 30USD a month.
WP Engine is another very popular web hosting. It offers fast, reliable secure hosting for WordPress websites. It is especially popular among web developers, people with heavy websites with a lot of files, data and traffic or people with a large number of websites.
As a beginner, I would not recommend these two web hostings, since they are pricer and you probably don’t need the advanced features. However if your website is going to have a lot of traffic with a lot of technical features, then you might consider these two web hosting platforms.
Conclusion
Choosing the web hosting to go with can take a long time and deciding on which one to go with will likely delay your process of making your website public. Don’t let this step stop you. Consider the tips and these different web hosting companies that are introduced here and make a decision. Getting your web hosting is going to take you one step closer to bringing your online business in front of the world.
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