There’s no doubt that smaller businesses are growing in popularity, and that they need a better web hosting service than the ones currently available. The best way to find out which host is right for your business is to do some customer research. You’ll get a lot of valuable insights here, so it’s important to make sure you have the right tools in place to collect and analyze information.
These Best Web Hosting Services deliver the power and reliability you need to build eye-catching websites for business or personal use.
Best Web Hosting Services
1. Bluehost
- NORMALLY $8.99/MONTH
- FREE DOMAIN AND SSL CERTIFICATE
- RECOMMENDED BY WORDPRESS
- 30-DAY MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE
Bluehost is one of the most popular web hosting companies in the world, especially among people launching their WordPress websites. Bluehost is one of three hosts that is officially recommended by WordPress, and we agree.
They offer great rates and a beginner-friendly platform that makes every aspect of running a WordPress website easy. You can certainly build other types of websites on Bluehost, but it is definitely set up to work best with WordPress.
Most of the time Bluehost will walk you through a task the first time, like setting up a blog or email account on your site.
If you get stuck or have a problem, they have 24/7 support by phone or live chat. They list their support number and live chat options right on their site, so you can reach out for help within two clicks.
Installing WordPress is one click, as are hundreds of other apps available in Bluehost’s deep app marketplace.
Bluehost also offers fantastic analytics and SEO tools to track how well your website is ranking for specific keywords. This gives you a good idea of how you should optimize your site for the best search rankings.
The Basic shared hosting plan is usually $8.99 per month, but there are major discounts if you are a new customer. If you sign up for three years and lock in the price, you can get it at $4.95 per month.
With a 12-month commitment, the price drops to $3.45 per month. Like other hosts, renewal pricing is higher than promotional pricing, so I recommend signing up for a longer contract to lock in the low price.
Quick Sprout readers an even bigger discount on Bluehost. New customers can click here to get a rate of $2.75 per month when you sign up for a new three-year contract.
If your site keeps growing and you want to upgrade, Bluehost gives you lots of options: managed WordPress hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated hosting. When you are ready for more server power and control, you can grow and stick with the same provider.
Bluehost is a very safe play for people who want to build their site with WordPress. If you want to use another content management system besides WordPress, there will probably be a little extra legwork and backend maintenance.
2. HostGator
With 20+ years in the business, HostGator(opens in new tab) has grown into a top-notch web hosting provider with products for every level of user.
Similar to both Bluehost and Hostinger, shared hosting is a highlight for HostGator, with even the cheapest Hatching plan offering unlimited bandwidth and disk space, a free domain for a year, free SSL for the lifetime of your plan, one-click WordPress installation and a bundled website builder. There’s a generous 45-day money-back guarantee, and HostGator will even move a simple website from your existing site to your new space, for free.
Prices are good too, at $2.75 a month on the three-year plan, $3.95 billed annually (both renew at $6.95.)
HostGator’s WordPress plans are a little more expensive, with prices starting from $5.95 a month over three years ($9.95 on renewal), but they also add essential features such as backups and malware protection, which are often paid extras elsewhere.
More demanding users can choose from three VPS and three dedicated hosting plans, and if you’re the ambitious type, you could even start your own hosting business via HostGator’s reseller plans.
Their high-end products aren’t as configurable as we’ve seen elsewhere, and starting prices are relatively high, but specs are good, and you’ll likely have more than enough power for most sites. HostGator also only guarantees 99.9% uptime on cloud hosting plans.
Nevertheless, whatever type of hosting you’re after, the industry-standard cPanel combined with HostGator’s own feature-packed web dashboard, did a good job of helping manage our web space and account. And if you do run into trouble, no problem: HostGator’s phone and live chat support has solved most of our problems within minutes.
3. Hostinger
- STARTS AT JUST $1.99 PER MONTH
- FREE WEEKLY BACKUPS
- FREE SSL CERTIFICATE
- 30-DAY MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE
Hostinger offers dependable web hosting at a great price. Shared hosting plans start at $1.99 per month, which includes free weekly backups and enough bandwidth for 10,000 visitors to your site.
Normally you have to back up your site yourself, or pay extra, but you get that peace of mind for free with Hostinger.
The most popular option is Premium Shared Hosting plan which costs $2.59 per month. This lets you create up to 100 websites and host 25,000 visitors. You’ll also get a free domain for one year and a free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate to secure your website.
The Premium Shared Hosting plan provides 100 GB SSD storage, which is enough for various website content. Should you need more space, upgrade to one of their VPS or cloud hosting plans.
Hostinger uses its own control panel called hPanel. Thanks to the eye-catching and well-organized navigation icons, it’s user-friendly and easy to navigate. It also comes with an auto installer that lets you set up WordPress or other content management systems using only a few clicks.
Another great feature is their dedicated WordPress dashboard on hPanel.
You can manage several tasks, such as updating the core WordPress version, activating or deactivating plugins, and enabling maintenance mode from the hPanel. A navigation button lets you access your WordPress dashboard via hPanel with a single click.
LiteSpeed Cache for WordPress (LSCWP) is automatically installed when you set up WordPress. Its server-level cache and other optimization features help you accelerate the website for a better user experience.
Hostinger ensures your maximum online presence with their 99.9% uptime guarantee. Their quick-response 24/7 live chat support will also assist you whenever you need help.
4. GreenGeeks
Founded in California back in 2008, GreenGeeks(opens in new tab) proudly claims to be the ‘world’s #1 green energy web hosting provider’, and this isn’t just marketing speak: the company takes real action to back it up.
This doesn’t just involve designing its platform to be as energy-efficient as possible; GreenGeeks also promises that for every amperage it uses, it invests three times that in renewable energy, helping to reduce future carbon emissions.
GreenGeeks’ star products are its powerful shared hosting plans. Even the cheapest offers unmetered bandwidth, a free domain for a year, nightly backups, 50 email accounts, multi-user access, and free SSL for the lifetime of the account. Prices start low at $2.95 a month on the three-year plan, although they jump to an above-average $10.95 on renewal.
GreenGeeks’ VPS and dedicated server plans are available for high traffic sites. These look a little more expensive than most providers, but that’s largely because they don’t have any ‘70% off for the first year’-type introductory offer. But they’re well specified – even the baseline $39.95 a month 2GB plan includes 10TB of monthly traffic – and deliver far better performance than the shared offerings. Similar to GoDaddy, we also experienced delayed responses when testing GreenGeeks.
During our test, we found that GreenGeeks didn’t quite match the top hosting providers in every area. There are multiple data centers, for instance, but only in North America and Europe. Phone support is limited to 9am-12am EST Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm at weekends. But on balance this is a likable service which shows that green hosting isn’t just about making eco-friendly gestures: you can find some capable products, too.
5. DreamHost
- UNLIMITED TRAFFIC AND FREE SITE MIGRATION
- MONTH-TO-MONTH PRICING STARTS AT $1.99
- RECOMMENDED BY WORDPRESS
- FREE SSL CERTIFICATE
DreamHost offers huge savings for their month-to-month pricing along with very solid hosting performance.
In fact, their month-to-month plans start at $1.99/month. This plan includes one website with unlimited traffic, unmetered bandwidth, and a free SSL Certificate—a great deal.
This is just the promotional pricing though. This price goes up after the first month. You’ll then be paying the current monthly rate, which is $7.99 per month. That’s still a lot lower than you’d be paying month-to-month compared to other top web hosting providers.
Of course, DreamHost also offers one-year and three-year contracts that start as low as $2.95 per month which allows you to save more money in the long run. Even though it’s not the lowest on this list (check out Hostinger for the lowest contract hosting plans), it’s still a good deal.
If you run a nonprofit, I highly recommend DreamHost. They offer one free unlimited shared hosting plan for 501(c)(3) organizations. That’s a deal you cannot beat.
It’s also a great option for WordPress hosting. DreamHost is one of three web hosts that is officially recommended by WordPress, and they also offer managed WordPress hosting called DreamPress. That is one of the most hassle-free ways to run a WordPress site.
Customer service is a little less traditional: email support is available 24/7, but live chat is only on during business hours. If you want technical support over the phone, you have to pay an additional $9.95.
However, if you spring for either the DreamPress Plus or Pro-managed WordPress plans, phone support is included along with other premium features.
Sign up with DreamHost today for the lowest price in hosting without a long-term commitment. DreamHost has an industry-leading free trial period — a full 97-day money-back guarantee.
Best Web Hosting For Small Business
What is a Small Business?
A small business is a business that does not have more than five employees. Small businesses are typically organized as companies, LLCs, or other types of limited liability corporations.
What are the Benefits of using a Web Hosting Service
The benefits of using a web hosting service for a small business include increased stability and security, faster loading times, and less space needed on your computer. When choosing a web hosting service, it is important to consider the size and type of business you are running. Some great options for smaller businesses include Bluehost, WP Engine, and HostGator.
How to Choose the Right Web Hosting Service for Your Business
When you are looking for a web hosting service, it is important to choose one that offers good customer service and has an extensive range of options for pricing plans and services. You should also be sure to check out the company’s financial stability before signing up for any services.
Best Web Hosting For Small Business
1. Bluehost: Best for beginners
Bluehost is a perennial favorite for personal and business web hosting because of how easy it is to set up and use the company’s services. Like Namecheap, Bluehost offers very affordable web hosting solutions for small businesses that need simple sites and complex e-commerce outfits alike. You can even get a free domain when signing up for some of their one-year plans.
Bluehost offers the following hosting packages:
- Shared: The most commonly used option by individuals and small-business owners alike. Includes e-commerce compatibility, WordPress integration and dedicated customer service for $7.99 per month.
- VPS: Upgrades from the Shared tier to provide a virtual private server, which adds a level of security and access for businesses that need more flexibility with how they use their server space. Costs $29.99 per month.
- Dedicated: Provides the utmost level of security and support for high-traffic websites. This is one of the best web hosting options for small businesses with robust e-commerce websites that need as much bandwidth and security as possible. Costs $119.99 per month.
2. InMotion: Best for unlimited bandwidth on a budget
Few web hosting companies provide unlimited bandwidth as part of their low-cost hosting options — this isn’t the case with InMotion, however.
InMotion’s hosting options include free SSL certificates too, which is a boon for businesses that want to explore e-commerce options while giving their customers a sense of security. This is a great suite of services at a reasonable price, which makes InMotion a strong contender as the best web hosting site for most small-business owners.
InMotion offers the following business-oriented products:
- Launch: Comes with a free domain, two free websites, 50 gigabytes of disk space and unlimited bandwidth, as well as 10 email accounts for $10.99 per month.
- Power: One free domain; 50 websites; 100 gigabytes of disk space, unlimited bandwidth and 50 email accounts; as well as other marketing and security tools, all for $14.99 per month.
- Pro: Free domain; 100 websites, 200 gigabytes disk space, unlimited bandwidth and email accounts; faster performance; pro-level support; and more for $23.99 per month.
3. Namecheap: Best for technical support
If you’re a newcomer to managing your website, the best web hosting for your small business might be the one that provides you with round-the-clock technical support, and is willing to go the extra mile to make sure your site is up and running just the way you want it.
Namecheap goes above and beyond in this department, offering 24/7 support through chat — no question is too big or too small for Namecheap’s team of technical support specialists, who are even willing to step in and make changes for their customers if they don’t have the technical savvy to do it themselves. And as the name implies, their web hosting prices are pretty competitive as well.
There are several Namecheap hosting tiers:
- Stellar Business: Provides unmetered bandwidth so your site never slows down during high-traffic periods. Comes with free automatic backups as well, and is PCI compliant and e-commerce friendly. Costs $4.44 per month for the first year, then goes up to $8.88 per month.
- EasyWP Turbo: Inexpensive hosting for WordPress sites with up to 250,000 visitors per month and 50 gigabytes of storage included. Costs $7.88 per month, with the first month for $2.
- Qasar: Full VPS hosting with Linux-based servers, allowing companies that need a total command of their networks the flexibility to run their digital presence as they see fit. Costs $24.88 per month, with a new signup promotion of $19.88 per month.
- Xeon E3-1240 v3: A physical server solution for businesses that need to go the extra mile for their websites and digital environments. Costs $74.88 per month, with the first month for $36.88.
How to Configure Your Web Hosting Service.
Setting up your web hosting service can be a lot like setting up your own computer. You need to choose the right provider, set up your website, and configure everything from your domain name to your security settings.
In order to get started, you’ll first need to set up your website. To do this, you’ll need to create an account on one of the many web hosting services available. Once you have an account and have set up your website, it’s time to configure your service. Configure all of the settings that will affect how your website looks and operates.
One of the most important configurable settings is your domain name. You can use this setting to specify the name of your website (or any other site). If you want people in other countries to find and access your site, you’ll need to use a domain name that internationalizes well.
Configuring DNS settings is another important configurable setting on a web hosting service. This determines how easily people can find and connect to Your Site from around the world. By chosen correctly, this will save you time on customer support calls and help keep datasecure on our servers.
Once you’ve configured everything else related to your website, it’s time for fun! In order for users who visit Your Site to be able to access it properly (and without errors), they must first login with their username and password. This is usually done through a web browser window or by clicking a link inside the hostingsite’s main page. After logging in, users must then set up their browsers’ security settings so that they’re not allowedto view pages that don’t match their IP address or cookies (which are used by Google Analytics).
After completing these basic steps, visitors should now be able to access Your Site by visiting its URL in a web browser window or by clicking on a link on the hostingsite’s main page.
How to Use Your Web Hosting Service.
If you’re a small business looking to start or grow your online presence, selecting the right web hosting service is key. To get started, check out our blog post on how to set up your blog. Once you have an idea of your website’s basics in place, we recommend setting up a Facebook page and setting up a WordPress blog. For more comprehensive advice on using your web hosting service for small businesses, read our guide on how to set up wordpress for small businesses. Finally, if you want to get started with YouTube, check out our guide on setting up youtube for small businesses.
Set Up Your Facebook Page
When it comes to creating a successful online presence for your business, social media is essential. To create and maintain a following among your customers and followers, set up a Facebook page and populate it with useful information about your business and its products or services. You can also join forces with other small business owners in order to create an online community that can support growth and marketing efforts. In addition, consider joining any relevant online groups so that you have access to resources and support from fellow entrepreneurs. As always, make sure you keep all of your social media pages updated with current news and events so that your customers know what’s happening with your business!
Set Up Your WordPress Blog
WordPress is one of the most popular blogging platforms available today (and has been for many years). When starting out as a small business owner, it’s important to follow the guidelines provided by WordPress when setting up your website or blog – this will help ensure high quality content that visitors will be interested in reading along with (and potentially even contributing back). Additionally, once you have an established website or blog following, it can be helpful to update regularly with new content and updates – this way readers won’t feel left behind while they wait for an older piece of content to come back online (or experience some weird issue while visiting!). Finally, make sure to add any necessary plugins/tools such as Google Analytics or Social Tables into order to track reader engagement data effectively!
Conclusion
Configuring, using, and monitoring your web hosting service can help you create a successful small business. By setting up your website and / or blog, configuring your web hosting service, and using your host’s features to run your business, you can easily reach a wider audience. Additionally, by using social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), online video channels (YouTube), and other marketing channels, you can promote your business to a larger audience.