In this article, I’ll tell you what I believe to be the best web hosting sites for bloggers this year.
If you’re looking to start a blog in order to make money online, the most important thing your blog needs is hosting. This is where all the blog posts and data in your blog will be stored on the World Wide Web.
Now you may be in this article because there are many hosting providers out there and you’re not sure which one to choose. Or maybe you are familiar with some of these hosting sites, but you’d like in-depth information about them and want to know what to expect out of each of them.
This is why I will show you nine hosting websites that I think are very good for new blogs. I will go over what they are, how they work, and what you can expect out of each of them. And, of course, I will be transparent and mention each site’s pros and cons.
So, with that said, let’s see what they are.
1. Bluehost
Bluehost leads this list for a number of good reasons. Not only have they been around for nearly two decades, but they have really amazing plans compared to other hosting providers out there. For this reason, I would consider Bluehost before any other provider.
Do you want another reason to choose Bluehost? It is the top recommendation by WordPress, the site builder that powers one-third of the World Wide Web!
When you buy a basic hosting plan with Bluehost, you are basically paying a cup of coffee a month for hosting. Not only that, but you also get a free domain, free WordPress, and free SSL! If you ask me, that’s one of the most affordable hosting plans out there. In fact, this WebCents Blog is hosted with Bluehost.
Here’s the link if you’d like to check out Bluehost for yourself.
Now, if you’d like an in-depth article on our favorite hosting website, Bluehost, I’ve put together a tutorial and review article on Bluehost which you can check out. There, I provide all the pros and cons of using Bluehost and what you can expect inside of Bluehost.
2. iPage
If any site could serve as a good alternative to Bluehost, that would be iPage. With iPage, you get pretty much the same benefits you get with Bluehost: a hosting with free domain and free SSL. They even have a drag-and-drop website builder, so it doesn’t get any easier to create a good-looking website.
Their standard price is between $5 and $10 for hosting and all the free benefits that come with it. You also obtain all sorts of helpful features such as security plugins, a traffic report, and more.
If you’re ready to check out iPage for yourself, click here.
Here’s a list of some of the great benefits you can receive with iPage before we move on to the next hosting site.
iPage offers these and many other features:
- A free online store that can be integrated with your site
- A website builder that can make your site mobile-friendly
- Analysis on the traffic that is coming to your site
- Helpful customer support with step-by-step tutorials
- A security suite for your site worth $100
If you don’t think these make iPage good enough, I don’t know what will.
3. Hostinger
There’s more professionalism to be found in Hostinger. Unless they are doing a promo, their plans typically start at $8 a month and can go up to $16 a month. Be warned that some of their plans offer free domain and/or free SSL and some don’t, so make sure you compare their plans before selecting one.
Unlike the other two hosting sites we mentioned so far, Hostinger is different because it offers reliable hosting speed, website backup, and other various site features that are ideal for businesses and professional websites.
I would only recommend Hostinger if you’re interested in taking a website you already have to a much higher level. Hostinger is also good if you’re looking to own multiple professional websites that simply stand out on the Internet.
But if you really don’t need any of these classy website features, you may want to consider the other hosting sites provided in this article.
You can check out what Hostinger has to offer here. Sometimes, they do promo deals that could save you literally a lump sum of money on any of their hosting plans, so it never hurts to check!
For example, during a promo, their basic hosting could go as low as only $1 a month! If you ask me, that’s an unbeatable deal!
4. A2 Hosting
What makes A2 Hosting a good hosting provider? Speed! A2 Hosting seems to be the hosting site that offers ridiculously fast speed for your website–up to 20 times the speed of an average site!
And on top of that, they have a commitment to ensure their servers are ultra-reliable and highly dependable, meaning your site will virtually always be up and online.
The thing is, of course, it does come with a price. For around $10 a month, you could be owning one of the fastest websites out there on the Internet. If speed isn’t a major factor for you, then like most other hosting sites, their basic hosting is around $4 or $5 a month.
A2 Hosting does offer a drag-and-drop website builder to make your work easier. So, with such wicked fast servers and convenient features, A2 Hosting seems to offer a good bang for your buck.
Head over to A2 Hosting now and have a look at their various hosting plans.
I must mention that there is one downside to this: there doesn’t seem to be a free domain included in any of their hosting plans. So, again, if you’re looking for affordability, you may be better off looking into Bluehost or iPage.
5. DreamHost
I will have to say this for DreamHost: they offer pretty much everything you need to get your site going, including reliable and quick servers, all at a pretty good price. Their plans start around close to $3 a month. This would make it another good alternative to the sites I’ve already mentioned so far.
There is one drawback to DreamHost, though, in spite of all its features: it seems that they are pretty hesitant to offer willing customer support. So you’re pretty much on your own browsing through help sections if you encounter any issues on your site.
Otherwise, DreamHost is a reputable place to have your site hosted, so it’s not a bad option. You just have to be aware that customer support with them is not always easy to find.
6. AccuWeb Hosting
With AccuWeb Hosting, you have a ton of website hosting options, meaning, if you sign up for a hosting plan that you’re not fond of, it’s easy to switch to a better plan while still being a part of this same company. Not to mention they have 24/7 customer support and even a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Here is a breakdown of the many different kinds of hosting they offer:
- Standard shared hosting, which is the most affordable option but your website server may go down on occasion. As low as $3 a month.
- Cloud hosting, meaning your website will be hosted on a cloud, which is a fast, secure, and reliable server option. As low as $5 a month.
- VPS hosting. This means your site will have its own Virtual Private Server, without relying on other servers. As low as $5 a month.
- Windows vs Linux hosting. Your hosting should normally be Linux, especially if you are using WordPress. Only use Windows hosting if you are using Windows technology on your website.
Review AccuWeb Hosting’s available hosting plans here!
If you’re a beginner starting out with a web hosting provider, you may find AccuWeb Hosting to be overwhelming. As a beginner, I highly recommend the first three websites I mentioned earlier: Bluehost, iPage, and Hostinger.
But, if you like flexibility with your website’s hosting, AccuWeb is a great choice.
7. HostGator
HostGator does seem to be more reasonable with their hosting plans which also start at $3 a month. They do offer a free domain and free SSL bundled with their hosting plan. So they may be worth your time.
They seem to be a good alternative to Bluehost and iPage. However, I must add that Bluehost and iPage offer features like visitor analysis and enhanced security that HostGator doesn’t seem to be promoting.
But if all you need on your site are the absolute essentials at a reasonable price, you can definitely let HostGator suit your needs. I personally would rather take advantage of add-ons instead of settle for less.
8. 1&1 (Ionos)
I am not an avid fan of 1&1 simply because their hosting and domain plans just don’t seem reasonable to me. Judging by the way it’s set up, it seems that, with 1&1, you essentially have to pay to put the pieces of your website together.
However, I will admit that they do have a wide selection of hosting plans that cater to both individuals, businesses, and enterprises, so there is always a site available for anyone through 1&1.
Their hosting plan starts at $4 a month and most plans do come with a free domain. You will need to pay more, though, to get SSL on your site.
9. GoDaddy
Chances are, you’ve seen this company too many times through their ads on television or the Internet. They may be the first site on everyone’s mind when it comes to websire building, but it seems as if they’re too overrated!
Hosting plans start at $6 a month. They claim their servers are reliable and, again, they offer a free domain. Just like 1&1, you need to pay more for SSL.
There really is nothing wrong with GoDaddy. I’m just saying that you may want to consider some of the other sites on this list because they offer pretty much everything your site needs, all at a pretty affordable price.
Conclusion
As you may (or may not) have noticed, the first four hosting sites seem to be the best ones featured in this list. That’s because, based on what I could find out about those sites, they seem to offer the greatest benefits to those of you looking to set up a blog (or just a plain old website).
On the other hand, it doesn’t mean that sites 5-9 are terrible. It just means they have some things that could prevent you from achieving the best site-building experience. So you’ve been looking for the best hosting websites to go with. These are the nine I can recommend, but I would definitely lean more toward any of the first four on this list.
Anyway, with that said, I hope this list gave you ideas into good hosting providers as well as insights into what kind of benefits and features they offer for you as a new blogger or site owner.
If you need a recap on how to start your own blog or website, I have compiled an entire article devoted to that. You can read that article right here.