What is Web Hosting?
Web hosting is the core of what it means to create an online presence. It is a service which allows individuals and organizations to post their website on the internet. They store your information, media, and content that comprises your website.
A web hosting service provider, like the ones we will talk about later, supply the technology and services necessary for a website to run. Hosting services use special computers, called servers, to house these websites. When an internet user wants to view a particular website, all they need to do is type in the domain name (also called a “web address“), and their device will be connected to the server of the hosting service provider.
Table Of Content
- Best Web Hosting Services Featured 2020
- Do You Require the Services of a Web Host?
- What Is Shared Web Hosting?
- What is VPS Web Hosting?
- What Is Dedicated Web Hosting?
- What is Cloud Hosting?
- What is WordPress Web Hosting?
- Best Web Hosting Features You Need
- Which Web Hosting Should I Choose?
- Final Note
Best Web Hosting Services Featured 2020
All reviews are done by Bizopzone, but we may earn affiliate commissions from buying links on this page. Terms and conditions.
Hostinger Web Hosting Review
Positive
- High-speed Processing
- Excellent custom dashboard
- Localized & Responsive Support Team
- Free Domain
- Great Introductory Price.
- Unlimited features
Negative
- No Free SSL
- No Daily Backup
Bottom Line: Hostinger is a top choice for beginners, small businesses, and entrepreneurs who want to take advantage of the worldwide high speeds, low prices, and customizable dashboard.
GoDaddy Web Hosting Review
Positive
- Unmetered Bandwidth
- 100 GB Storage
- Free Domain (with annual plans)
- Free Business Email (first year only)
- Free SSL
- 24/7 Phone Support
- Frequent Price Deals
Negative
- Limited live chat support.
- Many upsells at checkout.
- Advertised discounts only come with long-term plans.
Bottom Line: GoDaddy is an industry brand name that has stood the test of time. They provide hosting packages that meet the needs and budgets for every individual and business. If you are looking for a long-term hosting partner, then GoDaddy is an excellent choice.
Ipage Web Hosting Review
Positive
- Beginner Friendly
- Flexible Pricing
- Free, Extra Features Offered
- Unlimited Domains, Databases, & Disk Space
- 24/7 Support Across All Channels
Negative
- High Renewal Rates
- No Monthly Plans
- Many Poor Upsells at Checkout
- Slow Speed
- Confusing Control Panel
Bottom Line: iPage is a solid option for those just beginning the web hosting game who are concerned with startup costs. However, for those looking for a long-term logically based web hosting service, iPage will hinder you in the long run.
Dreamhost Web Hosting Review
Positive
- Clear Plans & Pricing
- Quality Feature & Services
- 24/7 Live Chat, Email, and Twitter Support
- High Performance Speed
- Independent & Employee Owned
- Free SSL
Negative
- No Phone Support
- Limited Plans
- Confusing Control Panel
- Limited Apps Lacking Auto-Installs
Bottom Line: Dreamhost is one of the largest and well-established web hosting services on the market. If you are looking for independence and simplicity, then Dreamhost is right for you. However, if you are looking for cheapest price then there are other options available.
HostGator Web Hosting Review
Positive
- Beginner Friendly
- 99.8% Uptime
- Unmetered Bandwidth
- cPanel Control Panel
- 24/7 Phone, Email, & Live Chat Supportv
- Free SSL
- Free Site & cPanel Migrations
Negative
- Slow Page Loading Time
- Upsells at Checkout
- Long Commitment for Discounted Pricing
- High Renewal Rates
Bottom Line: Hostgator is an excellent service for beginners with its user-friendly features. They offer simple site-building tools that allow for quick business development. However, for long term websites, the renewal prices and hidden costs will become expensive overtime compared to other services.
GreenGeeks Web Hosting Review
Positive
- 99.95% Uptime
- Rapid Page Loading Speed
- Quality Customer Support
- Domain Name & Website Migration
- Free CDN
- Environmentally Friendly and a Green Power Partner
Negative
- Long Commitment for Discount Pricing
- High Renewal Rates
- Hidden Costs on Refunds
Bottom Line: If you are looking for long-term web hosting that provides solid speed and quality customer support, GreenGeeks is a good choice. If you are wary of commitment and may like an refund, you will likely be faced with complications.
Hostwinds Web Hosting Review
Positive
- Simple Plan Structure
- Unlimited Bandwidth & Disk Space
- 24/7 Email, Tickets, Chat, & Phone Support
Negative
- Lack of Credibility
- Hidden Costs
- Limited Data Servers
- Mediocre Speeds
Bottom Line: Hostwinds’s simple plan structure, unlimited storage, and excellent customer service provides a decent hosting experience. If you are concerned with credibility, speed, and cost, Hostwinds is mediocre at best.
A2hosting Web Hosting Review
Positive
- Rapid Loading Speed
- Free Hackscan & Site Migration
- Quality Customer Support
- Free SSL
- Frequent Price Deals
- Anytime Money-Back Guarantee
- Green Web Hosting
Negative
- 99.92% Uptime
- High Renewal Rates
- Restrictions on Low-Cost Plans
- Turbo Servers Available Only for High-Cost Plans
Bottom Line: Apart from the prices and dip in uptime, A2 Hosting provides quality services and an environmentally-friendly business style. They are an excellent choice for beginners and small websites looking to scale up their services.
Bluehost Web Hosting Review
Positive
- Free SSL
- 50 GB SSD Storage
- Unmetered Bandwidth
- Enhanced cPanel
- Extensive Support Resources
- Phone, Chat, & Social Media Customer Support
Negative
- Probable Security & Downtime Incidents
- Mediocre Speed & Performance Rates
- Overlapping, Competing Products Offered
- Upsells at Checkout
Bottom Line: BlueHost is a large, brand name company that is the top choice for those looking for a simple, long-term host. They work well for starter and small websites looking for high quality and ease. On the other hand, if you are looking for an independent company with friendly features, Bluehost is not for you.
1&1 ionos Web Hosting Review
Positive
- Affordable Plans & Renewal Rates
- High Quantity of Memory
- Scalable Tools for Growing Businesses
- Variety of Hosting Options
- Quick Customer Service
Negative
- Confusing Site Configuration
- Complex Installation Processes
- Ineffective Hosting Panel
- Untrained Customer Service Representatives
Bottom Line: 1&1 IONOS is a web builder for professionals, not beginners. Their complicated backend and unintuitive features will be difficult for someone just learning. However, if you are experienced in website building, their numerous features help new and small businesses grow their online presence.
Do You Require the Services of a Web Host?
In the business world today, it is vital to have an online component if you want to obtain a global customer base. Customers will discover your website using search engines, advertisements links, and other forms of distribution. If you do not expand into the global marketplace by creating a website, you are limiting your discoverability.
Web hosting is not just for businesses alone; you can also use it for personal websites like blogs. Individuals can share their passions, ideas, and stories with a global audience in a way that they could never have before.
What Is Shared Web Hosting?
Shared web hosting is the most popular hosting package amongst website owners today. A shared hosting plan allows for multiple websites to host on a single server where you share CPU, memory, and disk space. This plan reduces the cost of hosting them all individually, creating an inexpensive way to create multiple websites for multiple owners.
However, there is a downside. Due to the shared resources, all of those websites being on one server, you can have an issue with traffic. It is possible that if one site goes down due to some error or overuse of resources, it could take all the other websites sharing that server down with it.
Shared web hosting is usually the best option for beginners, and those looking to start small and grow their website over time.
What is VPS Web Hosting?
VPS web hosting is the middle ground between shared web hosting and dedicated web hosting. As shared web hosting, VPS hosting houses multiple websites on a server, but that’s it. Each site has its dedicated resources and typically features better overall performance, flexibility, and security.
While VPS web hosting is a better choice than shared hosting, it does come with some downsides. For one, running a VPS style website is more complex and usually requires a specific system administrator to keep the server running correctly. Besides, it is also more expensive.
For those who are just starting, this wouldn’t be a wise choice. If you are expecting immediate substantial growth and have web hosting experience, VPS web hosting is a good option.
What Is Dedicated Web Hosting?
Dedicated web hosting is the next step up from VPS hosting. This type of web hosting package intended for users who require large amounts of resources due to high traffic on their websites.
While shared hosting and VPS hosting have a substantial amount of resources available, they do not come close to the amount provided by dedicated hosting servers.
Dedicated web hosting is the next step up from VPS hosting. This type of web hosting package intended for users who require large amounts of resources due to high traffic on their websites.
While shared hosting and VPS hosting have a substantial amount of resources available, they do not come close to the amount provided by dedicated hosting servers.
What is Cloud Hosting?
Cloud hosting is a server configuration different than the ones listed above. Unlike shared hosting, VPS hosting, or dedicated hosting where you use a single server, cloud hosting uses a network of servers. This network of virtual servers moves into an underlying network of physical servers in order to properly utilize the available resources, depending on the requirements at any specific moment in time.
Essentially, this type of network relies on a cluster of servers, frequently referred to as “the cloud,” working in tandem. This greatly reduces the chance of malfunctions or downtime due to insufficient resources, since there are many servers available to pull from.
Reliability is what makes cloud hosting a fantastic option, but the prices haven’t reached an acceptable level for most businesses. Usually, only high-profile websites with lots of traffic can afford cloud hosting. The price of cloud hosting has dropped the past few years substantially, but it still has a ways to go before it becomes accessible for the average person or business.
What is WordPress Web Hosting?
WordPress hosting is a hosting plan for people who want their websites built on WordPress content manager (CMS) from WordPress.org. It provides the best web-building functionalities for a self-hosted site. Using an optimized plan, WordPress hosting handles backend affairs, updates, the CMS, plug-ins, and features automatic backups. All of this comes pre-installed on the server, providing the user with a simple and efficient website construction experience.
This open-source, site-building platform is perfect for beginners looking to get started in web hosting.
Best Web Hosting Features You Need
For many web hosts, starter packages have limited features that improve with higher-tier plans. Here are some features that should be taken into consideration:
- Site Builders
A few web hosting plans feature site builder applications as a separate add-on, but many come with it integrated into their service. Although website builders are inexpensive, it is recommended to purchase a web hosting plan that includes them for free. - Server Uptime
Server uptime is one of the most essential characteristics to be considered when purchasing a web hosting plan. No matter how fantastic other features and bonuses may appear, if your site is site is consistently down, then you are losing customers.
Web hosts who have consistent issues with uptime reviewed without mercy, and it is easy to spot a lousy service. Don’t merely trust them when their website guarantees a 99.99% uptime; look into uptime reports to see how well they truly function. - Email Hosting
With the expansion into a web presence comes the need for an email service. This allows customers a convenient way to reach clients for information and questions. The majority of web hosts include email services within the price of their hosting plans, with either an unlimited or restricted amount of service. There are a few companies that do not offer email services, forcing you to seek email services from a separate entity.
This can be positive in case there was unexpected downtime, as you would still have email accessibility and functionality. However, it can add extra levels of work and communication into an otherwise simple process. - E-Commerce and Marketing
If you are looking to sell something directly through your website, then e-commerce and marketing tools will be very beneficial. It is important to dig into what is available in each web hosting plan to see in-depth what services they provide. Some plans also provide security tools like anti-spam and anti-malware. - Customer Support
Customer support may seem like a trivial detail, but regardless of skill level, most people will need it at one point or another. Some companies provide 24/7 customer support with various forms of communication, some offer customer service within business hours, and some provide zero customer service. We suggest checking a web hosting site’s customer support reviews and levels of availability prior to purchasing a plan.
Which Web Hosting Should I Choose?
Now you are ready to begin building your online presence. You know that you need to find a web hosting service that can provide the proper balance of server capability, space, and speed. You have considered which services you need, such as site builders, email services, storage, web platforms, e-commerce, and more.
For beginners and for website owners with low traffic, it is usually advised to start small. As stated above, shared web hosting is probably the best way to proceed until your website needs to be upgraded to VPS hosting or dedicated hosting.
However, before choosing a hosting site, it is important to consider the future prospects of your website as well as your long-term and short-term goals. Hosting sites offer a variety of packages, and usually, they will offer lower prices paired with long-term contracts. You don’t want to get stuck with a hosting plan that doesn’t meet your growing needs or your price range. Therefore, it is important to do your homework to determine the best overall plan for you.
For many, web hosting has taken their business to the next level or provided a wonderful outlet for their personal passions. Many individuals and organizations have been successful with web hosting because they chose the correct plan for their short-term and long-term goals.
With the information provided here paired with some careful research and forethought, you should easily be able to find the best hosting plan for you.
Final Note
Web hosting for so many has turned out to be something enjoyable as they got their money’s worth from purchasing the hosting plan from whatever companies they happened to stumble upon. For others, not so much as they got exactly what they did not bargain for.
With the information provided here as well as a little research, regarding what you want to achieve, you should not only get the best hosting plan for you, but also the best hosting package.
