The web host I recommend for beginners
Web Hosting Hub
If you want to make a website and are starting out as a beginner or intermediate, then I recommend Web Hosting Hub. It is a brand that is specifically targeted towards beginners and Site Beginner visitors also get a lower price of $3.99 per month if you buy 3 years of hosting up front.
This means you pay just $143.64 and your site is paid up for three years. Many hosts charge $10-20 per month, which is more than double the price.
With one-click installation of over 280 applications, an easy to use interface and extensive customer support 24/7, they provide everything a beginner needs to succeed online. You'll even get a free domain and $150 in advertising vouchers for Google to get you started. Here's a full list of what you get:
- Unlimited disk space
- Unlimited number of domains
- Unlimited bandwidth
- 1-Click WordPress installation (and other CMS too)
- $150 free advertising vouchers for Google.
- FREE domain for all new customers.
- 24/7 top U.S. based technical support.
- Full 90 day money back guarantee.
- Unlimited databases.
- 280+ free applications available to install.
- SSH, PHP, PERL, SSI and Python for geeks.
- Lots, lots more!
Web Hosting Hub is the perfect choice for a complete beginner. Sign up for the Site Beginner special price of $3.99 per month, get a free domain name and you'll have a site online with them in as little as 5 minutes.
Note: Web Hosting Hub is owned by InMotion Hosting – The company which Site Beginner is hosted with. They offer the same high quality hosting and support, but at a slightly more affordable rate for beginners or first-time website owners.
One of the most common questions I get asked is which web hosting company I use. And why.
It's a valid question because with so many different web host providers out there it can get a bit confusing as to which one to choose. This article will be updated over time to accurately reflect my thoughts on web hosting and which ones you should choose as a beginner or intermediate.
Note: It is important that you know exactly what to look for in a web host. I can suggest hosting to you based on experience but there is nothing like having the knowledge to accurately choose a web host based on your own specific requirements. For a checklist of things to look for, see How to Choose a Web Host.
Which web host do I use for Site Beginner?
Site Beginner is currently hosted with InMotion Hosting, based in both Los Angeles and Virginia Beach and I've used them since this site first launched. I get quite a lot of traffic so I use one of their VPS packages (Virtual Private Server) which is able to handle the larger volume of visitors to the site.
What I particularly like about InMotion Hosting is that their customer service is excellent. They are quick to respond, knowledgable and are willing to go above and beyond to help you. This is the level of service that all web hosts should strive for.
I like that I get SSH access (secure shell account) which basically means having access to the command line. It's a little geeky, and I'm no expert, but making changes to a big site with lots of files is so much easy from the command line.
If you are a beginner though, or even somebody who just doesn't want or need that functionality, then you have access to a control panel with a simple-to-operate GUI (graphical user interface).
From this control panel you can manage email addresses, databases, additional websites you own and much more as well. However, I do not recommend InMotion Hosting for most people who are starting a website for the first time…
If you already have a website or websites online, and you are looking for a faster, more reliable web host with competent support staff that can fix any issues you might have quickly, then I recommend you use InMotion Hosting. I'm currently on their entry level VPS server which costs $29.95 a month and it could easily handle traffic of 10,000+ visitors per day. They have hosting packages that start from just $5.95 and are one of the best hosts I have ever worked with since I started online in 2006.
InMotion Hosting launched the Web Hosting Hub brand to help first-timers and beginners to get online quickly and easily. This is why I recommend them. From one-click installation and a jargon-free help centre to a domain concierge server that will transfer in your domains registered at another registrar (How to Register a Domain Name) and an affordable web design service, Web Hosting Hub have everything a beginner needs to be successful.
Cheaper web hosting packages
People are always looking for cheaper web hosting. Maybe it's the competitive nature of the web hosting market that encourages the “cheaper is better” mindset. If you really want the cheapest web hosting, then GoDaddy can do it for $1.99 on their basic Economy package.
Be warned though, the plan is restrictive in some areas and for the sake of less than $2 extra per month, Web Hosting Hub will give you the ability to host more than one site, an easy-to-use admin panel (GoDaddy's is quite difficult) and knowledgeable support that you can rely on. For a full breakdown of cheap hosts you might want to read the latest list: Budget Web Hosting Reviews.
The right price for web hosting
I currently have 7 different web hosting packages with multiple hosting companies ranging in price from $3.95 a month up to $50 a month. Price is always a factor you have to consider when you buy web hosting but it shouldn't be the only factor.
An inexpensive host might be perfectly fine for site with traffic of less than 1,000 visitors per day. Just like a test or experiment site might be okay on these commercial, shared hosting packages. I know that Web Hosting Hub can handle it.
For sites with 5,000-15,000 visitors a day, then you would need to spend more money on upgrading your package to handle the increase. Without upgrading you might find that the site is slow loading, crashes, has long periods of downtime (when it's not available to view online) and longer response times from support tickets as they struggle to find the cause.
In these cases, you need to pay accordingly to ensure your site is as good as it can be. If you are a business and the hosting is for your business site then it is even more important that you don't sacrifice speed, performance and support in the pursuit of cheap.
There is a balance you need to strike so that you get excellent quality hosting at an affordable price. Hopefully choosing hosting like this will help you to avoid downtime, email problems, or software issues and will keep your site up to make more sales and serve more visitors. The result could be a saving of thousands of dollars compared to what might happen if you choose a really cheap hosting that isn't suitable for your website.
For more info on this, see: How Much Does It Cost to Setup a Website?
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