Choosing The Right Website: Web Hosting, Ecommerce Platform Reviews & More

SiteGround Hosting is an independent web hosting company founded in 2004. They are based in Bulgaria but serve hosting markets globally. SiteGround positions themselves as a company offering high-quality, “well-crafted” hosting solutions.

They offer a spectrum of hosting solutions ranging from shared Linux hosting (the affordable, versatile kind used by most websites) all the way to Cloud and Dedicated server solutions for large, growing websites.

They are one of the fastest growing independent (ie, not a brand owned by a larger corporate holding company) hosting companies. I heard about them via their growing event involvement in the WordPress, Drupal, Joomla and marketing communities.

Like my experiment with Web Hosting Hub, I recently had a couple small sites that needed their own hosting accounts, so I wanted to give SiteGround Hosting a try based on high praise from people I respect in the industry.

Get SiteGround’s 60% off discount here.

Here’s my SiteGround Hosting review – structured with pros & cons based on my experience as a customer.[Continue Reading]

WP Engine is a Managed WordPress Hosting service based in Austin, TX. They were one of the (if not the) first companies to provide managed hosting services specifically for WordPress.

While they have plenty of competition in both the general hosting and managed WordPress hosting verticals, they are still the market leader in many ways -and they have broad name recognition and cutting-edge features.

You can check out WP Engine’s current plans & pricing here.

Skip to the Conclusion & Next Steps

With the growth of both self-hosted WordPress and website builders, the hosting industry has become a super-confusing place.

Several of the bigger brands such as GoDaddy, Bluehost, HostGator, InMotion and SiteGround all now offer various flavors of “WordPress Hosting.”

I wrote a whole post about WordPress Hosting vs. Web Hosting. But here’s the short version: They all vary in services provided. Some simply have WordPress-trained tech support. Some offer services such as server-side features and staging for WordPress.

And then there’s a separate level of managed WordPress Hosting where you are not really buying hosting per se – but rather services to keep your WordPress install live. Basically, a Managed WordPress Hosting service offers a menu of services tailored to WordPress at a higher price point, so that the website owner can focus less on speed + security and more on the website content + functionality.

Every competitor in the Managed WordPress Hosting has a different offering. And there is no standardized “menu” of options, but as a whole, they all compete with traditional shared Linux hosting offerings and customized WordPress hosting options.

Either way – that’s the field where WP Engine plays. It’s confusing, yes, but it’s important to understand before making apples to oranges comparisons.

There are a lot of WP Engine reviews online – usually with user-generated reviews based on anecdotes and personal experience. That’s fine but I take a different approach. This review will look at the pros + cons of WP Engine in the context of all web hosting options to see who it is a “best fit” for.

I’ve used WP Engine for various projects since 2012. I don’t use them for my primary sites right now (see conclusion), but I do have a current client on WP Engine who absolutely loves them. Here’s my WP Engine review structured as pros and cons.

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GoDaddy has the brand, pricing, and mind-share in the website industry. Bluehost is one of the oldest and most reputable shared hosting companies on the Internet. Here’s my comparison of Bluehost vs. GoDaddy for best choice in web hosting – with a specific focus on WordPress hosting.

A few quick notes before diving in (or skip to the conclusion).

First, this entire Bluehost / GoDaddy review (originally published July 16, 2013) has been updated several times (now for February 2018) to account for both GoDaddy’s and Bluehost’s rebrand, new tiers and various other changes. Also, a disclosure: although everything here is based on my experience as a paying customer or consultant to a paying customer, I do receive referral fees from any companies mentioned in this post.

Second, GoDaddy provides a ton of services beyond hosting. They were originally founded as a domain registrar, but now provide a huge range of business services. I’ve also written how their domain services compare to NameCheap and how their hosting compares to InMotion and SiteGround. But it’s important to “weight” your desire for convenience across a range of business products in addition to your desire for the best web hosting choice.

I’ve also had some questions about whether I recommend Bluehost overall – especially because I recommend their sister brand HostGator elsewhere on the site. So, point of clarification: HostGator and BlueHost are different brands of the same holding company. They are kind of like Coke and Sprite.

I use HostGator for many of my small projects mainly because of how they structure their pricing & features. You’ll want to check out HostGator with a 60% off discount here as well. I’ve written a focused Bluehost review here. I have clients who love them – and use their email and domain services as well. I’ve found that every brand has tradeoffs – there is no overall “best” – there is only the best for you based on your goals & preferences. For example, this site specifically uses InMotion VPS Hosting – which has a big emphasis on customer service & performance.

But for now, we’ll compare Bluehost vs. GoDaddy specifically on price, usability, support, hosting features, and extra features based on my experience and their own guides.

So let’s dive in and compare GoDaddy vs. Bluehost for best web hosting company for anyone just starting out or running their own website.[Continue Reading]

GoDaddy vs. SiteGround for hosting is a tale of the established, name-brand, corporate giant against the rapidly growing, scrappy, independent company.

While there is no such thing as the “best overall” hosting company, both these companies excel for certain types of projects & certain types of website owners.

In this comparison between GoDaddy and SiteGround, I’ll break down the differences that I’ve found in seven different areas ranging from pricing structure to customer service and market focus so that you can decide which is the best fit for your project.

Also – you can skip to the short version in the conclusion here.

Let’s dive into GoDaddy vs. SiteGround…[Continue Reading]

iPage Hosting is a hosting company targeting the entry-level and budget-conscious end of the market. They’re one of Endurance International’s (a large hosting brand holding company) brands, along with Bluehost, HostGator and others.

You can check out iPage’s plans here.

They’ve been around in some form since 1998, but only recently repositioned themselves as a pure-play hosting company. They specialize in Linux shared hosting (ie, the type of hosting used by most companies who run their site with software like WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, etc), but also offer VPS and Dedicated server plans for higher traffic websites.

After their sister company, Bluehost, changed their pricing, I had a few readers asking what I thought of them. So while shopping for a new budget host for a side project, I decided to sign up and give them a try.

Here’s my iPage Hosting review – structured with pros & cons based on my experience as a customer.

Skip to direct comparisons or skip to the conclusion.[Continue Reading]

Bluehost is one of the most established and well-known hosting brands on the internet. It’s a brand owned by the Endurance corporation. I have written about Bluehost in my comparison between Bluehost vs. GoDaddy, but I have never written a Bluehost review looking at the pros and cons of the brand.

Bluehost has positioned themselves as not only the go-to hosting provider for beginner and starting websites, but also the no-hassle hosting provider for small businesses. I’ve used Bluehost for several projects of my own, and my oldest client has been using Bluehost for almost 10 years.

Get Bluehost’s special discount plans here.

Skip to the Conclusion & Next Steps

There are a lot of Bluehost reviews online – usually with user-generated reviews based on anecdotes and personal experience. That’s totally fine but I take a different approach, looking at both the advantages and disadvantages of a host.

Like I have mentioned in all my hosting reviews, I don’t think there is such a thing as a “best hosting provider”, just like there is no such thing as a best car or a best house. It’s all about finding the right fit for your project given your goals, your resources and your know-how.

Here’s what I found to be the pros, cons, and alternatives in a full Bluehost review based on my experience with personal projects and clients’ projects.[Continue Reading]

HostGator is one of the most well-known brands in the hosting world. They are one of the two flagship brands of Endurance International, the world’s largest web services corporation.

HostGator was the first shared hosting company that I ever used – I signed up back when they were still privately owned. They’ve changed a lot over the years in product focus and lineup. I’ve moved this site and my personal site to a different hosting company (InMotion Hosting, just FYI)

And yet – I’m still a customer after all these years (I have several micro-sites on a single shared hosting account). They are an incredible fit for a certain type of customer. But it pays to know their positives and complaints so that you can find the best host for your specific situation.

So let’s dive into my HostGator review. They aren’t the best fit for everyone, but here’s what I’ve liked/disliked as a customer.[Continue Reading]

GoDaddy is one of the world’s largest “web services” companies. Although they were founded as a domain registrar, they provide a whole range of services from web hosting to website builders accounting to email to digital storage to online security and much more.

Over the years, you’ve probably seen GoDaddy’s Super Bowl commercials, GoDaddy girls all around the internet, and most recently their “Helping Small Business” commercials. They have brand recognition if nothing else.

With the popularity of using WordPress for setting up websites, GoDaddy has made a big product push for their “WordPress Hosting” product.

Like any product, there will be tradeoffs, advantages and disadvantages – depending on your particular goals, preferences, and resources. However, this product not only competes with other competitors but also with GoDaddy’s own regular web hosting product.

So. Here are GoDaddy’s WordPress Hosting pros, cons, and how it compares to “regular” web hosting.

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“InMotion Hosting vs. SiteGround vs. Bluehost?” is a common question for anyone shopping for web hosting, especially for anyone planning on using WordPress.

InMotion, SiteGround, and Bluehost are all –

• Established, well-known brands in the hosting industry, particularly in the WordPress hosting industry
• Provide a similar menu of products that revolve around shared Linux hosting
• Provide a full spectrum of hosting needs with advanced features
• Provide pricing & hosting products that focus on small to midsize companies
• Are either endorsed by the WordPress Foundation or are ever-present at WordCamps
• Have marquee clients with plenty of endorsements or testimonials

And yet – they are very different companies with different brands and different focuses.

Unlike most reviews, I do not think there is such a thing as a “best” host. There is only the best fit for you based on your goals, expertise, resources, and preferences.

I have current clients who use (and love) Bluehost. Although this specific site runs on InMotion Hosting – I also have several projects that have run on SiteGround for years. I’ve been happy with them.

In this comparison between InMotion, SiteGround, and Bluehost, I’ll try to break down the differences that I’ve found in several different areas ranging from pricing structure to customer service and market focus so that you can decide which is the best fit for your project.

Also – you can skip to the short version in the conclusion here (or take my Buzzfeed-style shared hosting quiz here).

Let’s dive into InMotion Hosting vs. SiteGround vs. Bluehost…[Continue Reading]

I did a full review of InMotion Hosting, which you can read here. However, I wanted to specifically look at InMotion Hosting vs. HostGator. I use an InMotion VPS server to host this website, which used to be hosted on a HostGator server. I also use HostGator as my primary side-project company due to their pricing.  In other words, I use both and want to compare them head to head to highlight the best fit for new customers.

HostGator has been one of the fastest growing web hosts since 2002. They’ve built their reputation on good pricing, fast servers, and great service. They were acquired by Endurance International (a holding company for several other popular hosting brands including Bluehost & Just Host) in 2012. I’ve been a HostGator customer for quite a while, and I currently run most of my development and personal projects on a HostGator shared hosting plan.

And InMotion is a rapidly growing, but still independent hosting company out of Los Angeles that has recently generated a good bit of press and won several awards for their hosting services. ShivarWeb.com currently lives on an InMotion VPS server.

Like I’ve said in all my hosting reviews and hosting quizzes – there is no such thing as a “best overall host” – there’s only the right host for you given your priorities, resources, and expertise. I’m a long time customer of both companies – and I even use each depending on the demands of each project. I’ve decided to compare InMotion with HostGator across 6+ considerations that hopefully will help you find the right fit for you.

Skip to the conclusion here.

That said – let’s dive in and look at InMotion Hosting vs. HostGator Web Hosting.[Continue Reading]

Web Hosting Hub is a hosting company founded in 2010 by InMotion Hosting – it’s older, more well-known parent company.

According to InMotion’s comparison page, Web Hosting Hub was founded to attract “more of the start-up, and professional blogger market.” In practical language, that means Web Hosting Hub offers one product – shared linux hosting (ie, hosting that can run the most common types of websites and apps, such as WordPress without having to sustain large amounts of sustained traffic).

Check out Web Hosting Hub’s current plans & pricing here.

As many more well-known brands change pricing and get bought up by large corporations (ie, Bluehost, 1&1 and GoDaddy), there’s been an increased interest in independent companies with clear features, simple setups, and affordable pricing.

Web Hosting Hub claims to be that provider. Some of my personal projects run on HostGator right now. But since this site runs on a VPS server with InMotion, I thought I’d try Web Hosting Hub with a hobby site that needed its own shared space. Since I’ve had that site there for more than a year – I decided to update this Web Hosting Hub review.[Continue Reading]