Web hosting is a service where you can ‘rent’ a space on the internet. This is so you can publish your website and content to be viewed by online users. Most web hosting providers require you to own a domain name, but if you don’t have it yet, they usually help you purchase one too.

Creating your own web hosting is possible but using third-party hosting provider can help you concentrate on building and growing your website. But looking for the best one for your business can be tough. Remember that your hosting provider plays a big role to fully unleash your site’s performance.

What are the qualities of a good web hosting service?

Reliable

You cannot afford to have your site down even for a short period of time. If you lose your visitors, you lose your customers as well. Make sure that the hosting provider has proper supplies and backup so if there’s a power outage, your website will still be up and running without any problem.

Speed

The loading time of your site can determine if your visitors will stick to reading your content or go somewhere else instead. Your website’s speed is greatly affected by the type of hosting you avail. If their server is overloaded, the site speed of their clients (including yours) tends to slow down.

Security

If your website goes down because of hackers and viruses you are going to lose money and customers. Also, be careful of some unethical providers that use your email for spamming. Find a hosting company with a good reputation and will keep fraud away from all your data.

Great Support

If you need help about something, it’s a big deal if the provider responds to you in a timely fashion. It’s also convenient that their support is available in different formats like live chat, email, and call. Test and find out if they have a good customer service before you decide which company you will pursue.

Plans and Pricing

Usually, hosting plans are available for a yearly contract. Of course, just like with any service, you will get what you pay for. Beware of the companies that give you a low price on the front but in reality, they will require you to avail some other features once you subscribed. Also, don’t get tied up to services that offer five-year plans for a cheaper price unless they offer a money back guarantee.

Now that you know what to look for in a hosting service, we’ll go ahead and look at some of the popular web hosting providers and see if you can choose the one that’s right for you.

SiteGround

Established in 2004, SiteGround has a ton of great features and supports open-source software. They have a custom hosting plan for WordPress, Joomla, Drupal and other well-known programs. They now have over 250,000 clients worldwide and has established themselves to be one of the best hosting providers on the internet.

Cost: $3.95/mo

HostGator

HostGator is a huge web hosting provider established in 2002 and now has over 400,000 clients around the globe. Aside from hosting, they also have domains and website builder tools that comes with unlimited email address, storage, and bandwidth.

Cost: $4.95/mo

InMotion

InMotion offers shared hosting plans which already include unlimited email, storage, and data transfers. Plus, it also comes with free SSL certificate for your ecommerce needs. If you are looking for a reasonably priced hosting plan, then InMotion could be right for you.

Cost: $5.995/mo

WP Engine

If you’re using WordPress as your CMS, then WP Engine could be the hosting service you are looking for. It is created specifically with WordPress users in mind. They offer automatic security updates and caching, regular backups, and top-tier security. And because they are a team of WordPress experts, you are sure to get quality support for your site.

Cost: $29/mo

A2 Hosting

A2 Hosting is not as popular as SiteGround and HostGator, but it claims to have a speed of up to 20x faster. They’ve already won multiple awards for being the fastest hosting provider. A2 offers affordable shared hosting, reseller, and dedicated server packages depending on your needs

Cost: $3.92/mo

Don’t confuse high prices to better service. It’s always good to read customer reviews to gauge whether the hosting provider you’re eyeing stays true to its word. Know that your hosting provider is critical because you will need your website to be fully operational at all times.

Hopefully, you can find in this post which hosting provider suits your needs the most. Good luck searching!