5 Best Hosting for Small Websites

In the current business environment, every business should have a website. However, getting the right hosting provider isn’t always straightforward. So, if you are running a small business, it is crucial to find a reliable web host that suits to your needs. Pick a second-rate host provider and you will get in trouble. It will affect your site speed, revenue, and sometimes, the server can go down, which is even more troubling. In this article, we will review 5 best hosting providers for small websites and how to choose the right hosting package.

5 Best Hosting Providers for Small Websites

	Company	From
# 1		$1.99 / mo	Start Here »
# 2		$2.75 / mo	Start Here »
# 3		$3.99 / mo	Start Here »
# 4		$3.95 / mo	Start Here »
# 5		$2.95 / mo	Start Here »

Now lets take a look to each hosting company in more details and see what they offer. Here are the short reviews of all above enumerated web hosting providers:

1. iPage

This web host has one of the best hosting packages for small businesses. It was acquired by Endurance International Group (the same company that owns Bluehost) in 2010. Originally founded in 1998, the company hosts over a million websites on its two US-based data centers, and it has presences in six locations across the world.

One of the most outstanding features of iPage hosting packages is the low price. It is probably the cheapest reliable host available for small businesses. Its shared package starts at $1.99 per month. The best thing is that iPage does not use this rate on long-term plants, but it also applies it on its 1-year plan. So, you don’t have to be locked for a longer period to enjoy the discount. You will give credit iPage for its upfront, honest pricing.

Besides inexpensive packages, iPage offers satisfactory security to its customers. All plans have a built-in backup and SiteLock security features. SiteLock is useful for scanning for malware to prevent security breaches. Despite being cheaper than most hosting companies, iPage guarantees 99.98 uptime, and it has decent customer support. It is also an EPA Green Power Partner. So, if you are concerned about conserving the environment, probably this provider will appeal to you.

2. HostGator

This company has been around for more than a decade, so it has a long history as one of the leading hosting providers. With over 12000 servers that runs millions of websites, HostGator is one of the biggest hosting brands.

If you are looking for a balance between price and performance, then you will most likely go the HostGator way. HostGator hosting bundles come with nice features and are easy to work with. Its price-to performance perks cut across nearly all its hosting plans, which include shared hosting plans, dedicated servers, VPS, and reseller hosting options.

HostGator’s customer builder has over 4500 drag-and-drop responsive templates making it easy for you to launch your site, e-commerce store or blog on a user-friendly cPanel. Customers find it easy to manage their emails, databases, domains, and one-click installations. Like most host companies, HostGator offers both Linux and Windows hosting. It also has seamless upgrade options, which include VPS hosting, cloud hosting, dedicated server and managed WordPress.

The main drawback is that the company does not offer email support, so you will are forced to stick to phone, live chat or use its self-service knowledge base.

3. InMotion Hosting

If you are looking for an all-rounder web host, you may find InMotion Hosting a perfect match. This provider has several hosting plans served by two US-based servers. It also prioritizes custom server catching, fast load times, rigorous security protocols and PHP 7.

What you may love most of the company is the level of customer support. It has a unique online resource center that has thousands of FAQs, articles, and forums, so you have plenty of options to solve those stressing technical issues. Beside this, it has several workers to offer human support, so if you cannot solve any problem or if you have a burning question, you can reach US-based customer service team who is available 24/7 for phone, email and chat support.

The basic package or the Launch starts at 3.99 per month. Renewal price for this plan is $7.99 per month. With this package, you can host up to two sites. It also supports email and comes with unlimited bandwidth. This package includes a free SSL certificate and a free domain.

If you are looking for more CPU resources for your website, then InMotion also provides dedicated server hosting and Cloud VPS besides the SSD-based shared business hosting solutions.

4. Bluehost

This is another popular web site host provider for small businesses from the same company that runs HostGator. Bluehost is hugely popular for WordPress web hosting. In fact, it has a package that is dedicated to WordPress hosting.

Though popular, the provider is somehow slugging in terms of customer service. Perhaps, it has a huge customer base that strains the available support resources. Nonetheless, the customer service team is available 24/4. Its knowledge base is not good either. It is not user-friendly. The best way to find what you need is to utilize the search bar.

Apart from average customer service, Bluehost have good hosting packages for small businesses. Its shared hosting plan starts at $2.95 per month if you purchase a 3-year plan. The 1-year and 2-year options are slightly higher than this. Most of its packages come with 30-days money-back guarantee, so you can discontinue the service if you are dissatisfied.

If you are looking for a reputable host on a tight budget, then blue hosting shared hosting plan is a good deal. The brand is respected for its excellent hardware configurations. On top of this, the company offers unlimited storage and bandwidth in nearly all its hosting plans.

5. GreenGeeks

As the name may suggest, GreenGeeks is a leader in environmentally friendly hosting. Unlike the above hosting providers, GreenGeeks offer only one plan per hosting type. For instance, Shared hosting and dedicated server options have one plan each.

GreenGeeks is also honest in its offering. It provides both standard and promotional prices on the website. So, small business owners will have an easy time comparing options. Its shared hosting plan starts at $3.95 that can reach $9.95 in the absence of discounts. The company is also a reputable host with solid services. The only drawback is the limited number of options available.

How to Choose Hosting Providers for Small Websites?

How do you know if a web host is good for your business? Do you look at the disk storage and bandwidth features, do you consider technology being, or do you focus on customer service? These are critical questions that most small businesses often grapple with. Generally, there are several factors that can influence the choice of a web host. Here is a summarized walk-through of what you need to focus on.

Understand your hosting needs

The importance of knowing your needs is vital. It may sound obvious, but it is usually tricky. Before you choose any provider, find answers to these questions.

• What type of website are you planning to build
• Are you interested in Windows applications
• Do you need something easy to work with or common like a WordPress blog
• How small or big your website traffic is
• Does your site require special software
• Do you require support for a particular script, for instance, PHP

The above questions are some the fundamental issues you need to clarify, but they could be more other specific issues depending on the type of website you intend to host. A good way to figure out your needs is to imagine how your site will be now, then try to project 12 months ahead. In other words, consider what you may need in the future.

When you know your needs, you will project the resources your website will require. If you are building a small site with a blog, you may not need a dedicated VPS host. However, if you are running a website that carries out e-commerce activities, you will most likely require a dedicated server or VPS for extra reliability.

Understand server types and amount of traffic you expect

There is nothing more stressing than experiencing a server downtime. Your web visitors expect you to be uptime 24/7. For this reason, you need a reliable host with a high uptime score. Even if you are planning to use a shared host, anything less than 99.9% uptime shouldn’t be acceptable. Besides the server reliability, also find out about upgrading options. Who knows, you may experience a surge in web traffic over the next one or two years.

Multiple Domain add-ons

Sometimes, you may need to add domains for your business, for instance, creating an online store or blog separate from the main website. So, check if your web host allows multiple add-on domains. A host that allows at least 10 add-on domains is ideal.

Hosting price

Of course, you have to consider your budget. This is the first things that most people look at before choosing a hosting provider. But for your case, you need to sort out the above first, then scrutinize prices. Sometimes, cheaper packages will serve most of your needs. Other times, you have to spend more to guarantee the stability of the site.

Also, be careful about offers. Hosting deals are usually cheap during sign up, but sometimes hosting companies compensate for this through higher renewal prices. Unless you are planning to change host every two years, you should be ready to pay higher renewal cost.

Wrapping Up

Hopefully, by now you already know how to find the best web host for your website, and maybe you have already identified the best provider for your needs. If you have done so, go ahead and build something great for your business.

Reviewer:

WebHostingListing

Rating:

5

From:$1.99/ month

Best Hosting for Small Websites

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