Best Web Hosting Services of 2024

What is web hosting and which one is right for you?

Web hosting is basically an online space where your store’s website interface should be saved. There are different types of hosting services, such as GoDaddy, that cater to different types of businesses. Depending on your business model and size, you will be able to choose a hosting company based on the factors outlined below.

How to choose the best web hosting company?

Before you can set up a website and choose a web hosting company, you should use a service like GoDaddy Domain Name search to see what names are available for purchase. Once that’s done, it’s time to consider the following points when deciding on a web hosting company:

1. Bandwidth

If your site has a lot of graphics, dozens of pages, and a lot of traffic, you will need adequate bandwidth and disk space. But don’t worry, it’s easy, as unlimited plans are available.

2. Compatibility

Make sure your web hosting provider is compatible with the type of operating systems you are using.

3. Reliability

The best web hosting companies offer availability rates of 98 and 99 percent, often referred to as “uptime.” It’s easy to make such claims, so make sure you know which companies are real and who deliver on their promises.

4. Security

Choosing a web hosting provider without knowing what security features they offer is a big mistake. Services like firewalls, daily backups, and user authentication should be included. It’s also a good idea to receive notifications whenever changes are made as they can alert you to any suspicious activity.

Hosting Packages and What They Mean to You

The larger or more complex your website is, the more comprehensive the configuration package it will need. The most important ones are broken down as follows:

1. Shared

Shared web hosting is the basic package offered by these services. Your website will be hosted on the same server as many other websites, so you share the server and any other resources, such as memory or CPU. These resources are essential for basic website needs like sending email, sharing files, and basic e-commerce sites. Shared hosting is the cheapest option and therefore the smartest choice for small businesses or startups.

2. VPS (Virtual Private Server)

A virtual private server is dedicated to your immediate purposes, rather than a shared server. You may still share a physical server, but the service will create a virtual server of your own. This means that all the resources are allocated to you alone, from memory storage to processing power and beyond. It is a more secure and reliable option that keeps your website separate from others, but at the same time it is affordable.

3. Dedicated

Dedicated hosting is really another level of service. In addition to having a dedicated server, dedicated hosting gives you complete control over that server. This means you have full administrative access and the ability to set up services and resources the way you want. This type of package comes with a great set of features, but may not be necessary for all types of businesses.

4. Wordpress

WordPress is a shared hosting service that caters to the needs of more specialized clients. The servers themselves are optimized differently, and they have features that are particularly attractive for WordPress performance, such as faster loading times, pre-installation, and security features that work specifically with WordPress and its updates. This is a useful service for businesses that build their websites on the WordPress platform.

Some of the most important features when it comes to the best hosting quality

The quality of hosting is affected by many factors that are important to take into account during the decision-making process. Here are some of the most important ones:

1. Uptime Guarantee

We’ll cover this in more detail below, because it’s really one of the most important factors to consider, so don’t try to skimp on this essential option. HostGator has one of the best uptime guarantees at 99.98%.

2. Load Time

Load time is also really important. Recent studies show that the average attention span has shrunk over the years to less than that of a goldfish! So if your website is taking too long to load a page, your work is literally done before it even begins. But to get around this, make sure you use a hosting service that has fast loading times. For example, GoDaddy has industry-leading page loading times, making it a hosting service worth checking out.

3. Customer Support

Since there’s no taking your website down, you want to make sure that customer service is available, knowledgeable, and easy to deal with. We’ll talk more about this below.

4. Location

The number of servers and location play a big role in how fast your website loads and serves you. Obviously, the more servers you have, the faster the service will be, but please note that where these servers are located around the world will also affect the quality. So, look for servers in major locations close to you, such as the UK, US, or Israel, depending on your location. 

5. Low Uptime (Downtime)

If you’re looking into web hosting, you’ll hear the term uptime guarantee a lot. It makes sense since it’s one of the most important factors when choosing a service. However, many companies will guarantee uptime, which is the percentage of time that a hosting service is up and running, at certain uptime percentages. This doesn’t mean that these companies will definitely be down by those percentages, but they can say that their uptime will never be lower than those percentages.

The reason this is important is that you don’t want your site to be constantly down or inaccessible to your customers. Otherwise, why even build a website? A high uptime guarantee ensures that your audience will be able to see and interact with your website more often. Top brands like HostGator and Bluehost offer uptime guarantees of over 99%, which is really good for your business.

Top FAQs from our readers

We’ve come across a lot of questions from our readers. Here are some of the most common questions along with quick answers for your reference:

How much does website hosting cost?

The amount you pay will depend on the package and the type of service you get. Prices range anywhere from $2.99 ​​to around $10 per month. For a more detailed answer, see the Pricing and Value section below.

How can I learn more about hosting services?

Review sites have done all the work for you and condensed the information you need into short, concise reviews of each brand. Simply browse through these reviews to get the most data with the least amount of time/effort so you can make an informed decision.

Web Hosting Pricing and Value

Some people choose web hosting providers based solely on price. You should definitely consider pricing, but pricing alone is not the best strategy. The best hosting providers offer plans to fit all budgets, and in some cases, signing up for longer subscriptions will qualify for additional discounts.

Additionally, you should leave some room for growth. Choosing a web hosting plan that meets your current website needs is great. However, over time, your site will grow and expand, and your needs may change. Since switching to a new web hosting provider is a big deal, choose a provider that offers scalable plans. This means you should be able to easily upgrade to another plan if necessary. Low prices are always good, but if the low price comes with a limit on space or bandwidth, you need to make sure the deal is really worth it.

On the same grounds, you may want to pay attention to the number of email accounts offered. Whether or not you think you’ll need dozens of email addresses, it’s a good idea to have the option to create as many email addresses as you want in the future. In most cases, more email addresses are included with more expensive plans. While this feature may not be as important to some, it is important to others.

Research the hosting provider’s customer service and support

Even if you’re used to building websites, it’s good to know that help is available if you need it. Make sure the web hosting provider you choose has 24/7 support and that there are multiple ways to get support as well. The most reliable providers will offer support via email, phone, and online chat, so you can choose the one that works best for you.

The best support includes the freedom to choose the method that works best for you. Review the providers’ policies to make sure they have a clear money-back guarantee if you’re not satisfied with the product. Once you’ve narrowed down your search to a few candidates, look for reviews of each one online. Ideally, the reviews should come from real customers on review sites, not from a list of testimonials posted on the hosting providers’ websites. It should be fairly easy to see how a hosting provider treats its customers based on the comments of its real customers.

What extras are available outside of hosting?

While the basics like bandwidth and disk space are a given, a good hosting plan will also include at least a few extras. If you run an online store, look for providers that offer e-commerce solutions. If you want to be able to implement quick and easy updates, look for a provider that offers content management systems. Make sure your provider gives you access to statistics about your site as well.

Check out some of the top brands in the industry:

1. GoDaddy

In addition to web hosting, you’ll also find that the GoDaddy Domain Finder makes finding a domain name easy and affordable. GoDaddy also integrates with cPanel, so if you need to migrate a site from one host to another, it’s easy to do. Plus, according to GoDaddy’s website, they guarantee 99% uptime for your site. Learn more in our GoDaddy Hosting review.

2. HostGator

Has some of the fastest load times you’ll find. It also has a 99.98% uptime guarantee (often 100% uptime). Not only that, HostGator’s packages are competitively priced, offer great customer support, and provide an overall great user experience. Learn more about HostGator.

3. Bluehost

Bluehost’s cloud service offers a 99.96% uptime guarantee, and it’s only a fraction of a millisecond behind HostGator. If you’re not a computer whiz, you’ll appreciate Bluehost’s easy-to-use layout, which is designed to do just that with a simple interface. Check out our full Bluehost review.

Conclusion

While it can be tempting to quickly pick a web hosting provider and get on with your other tasks, we recommend putting in the time and effort. That way, you’ll be able to find a provider you can stick with for the long haul.