Which type of web hosting is right for your website?

When it comes to choosing a quality web host for your site, it is important to understand that the numerous features that hosting companies advertise, aside from the hosting cost.

Determine what you want to spend your money on: Is it the bandwidth, the support, additional domains, or maybe storage space?

On the other hand, determine what is NOT worth it for you to spend your money on. If you don’t need dedicated support, pick a package that gives you the flexibility and permission to do all the work!

Let’s explore the important factors for choosing a good hosting service, so you don’t run into any issues when you start to create your website:

Server Location and Speed

The geographic location of the server matters, because the closer the server is to you, the less distance and the fewer hoops the information will have to go through to get to you and those using your site. In the past, the further the server was from your visitors, the slower your site loaded for those visitors.

These days though, you can solve this issue quite easily by enabling a CDN or Content Distribution Network. A CDN is a distributed network of servers around the world, these servers or nodes can serve a cached version of your site from the node that is closest to the visitor trying to access the site. So you can have your site hosted in the US, with visitors from Asia still being able to load your site quite fast.

Cloudflare is one of those CDNs, and it’s free! Most web hosts even have an easy one-click installer for Cloudflare, so definitely look out for that.

Disk Space

Disk space is the space to store your files on the backend (things like HTML files, email, images, and scripts). Essentially, storage is the filing cabinet for the site. You’ll want to be aware of available storage space before signing up for a hosting service because once the filing cabinet is full, that’s it (although you can, of course, upgrade if needed).

Make sure there’s enough space for you now and in the future, and try and use a host that uses SSD storage, as they’re a lot faster than traditional ones.

Also, while most hosts allow for multiple email accounts/email addresses under one hosting account, emails can fill up your disk space quite fast, so consider using something like Gmail to handle your emails.

SSL Certificates

Security is a big deal these days, with hackers trying to brute force their way into any site they can. Even Google has integrated the use of SSL certificates in how they rank sites in their results, with secure websites having a slight edge over non-secure websites. SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer, it is a security technology for creating an encrypted connection between a server and a client or visitor, keeping the data that’s being transferred secure from bad actors.

It used to be the case that only sites that accept credit cards or payment details had to have a valid SSL certificate, but these days it’s a must for pretty much every site. Luckily for us, companies like Let’s Encrypt provide SSL certificates for free. Most of the best web hosts out there also have a one-click installer to make your site secure by installing a certificate.

Uptime

Wondering how reliable your host will be? Uptime is a fantastic way to measure that! Website uptime is a percentage that shows how good a provider is at keeping everything successfully running.

If a host claims a 99% uptime guarantee, that may seem perfect! But consider the 1%. One per cent over a year can mean a couple of days of downtime for your site. Days of downtime equal loss of access, thus loss of revenue, yet you’re still paying for the service. So the negative space of an uptime percentage is kind of like what it will cost you when the server is down. We started tracking both overall uptime and response times for the biggest web hosting companies on our hosting status page.

Look for the highest percentage you can find, and make sure they stick with their uptime guarantee and can deliver.

Support

This is one of the more important factors we considered in our web hosting comparison.

Consider: How much you know about designing a website, maintaining it, and updating it. How much you’ll need to rely on a support team to do such things as designing, maintaining, and updating your site.

Chances are, you fall on one end of the spectrum or the other.

If you don’t need much support and can handle the responsibility on your own, you can probably cut costs by choosing an option that doesn’t offer much support. If you’ll need that done for you, however, look for a reliable support team that can handle everything you’ll need it to. (And prepare to pay for the support.)

Backups

Check out what kind of backup options your host of choice offers. A good backup will happen regularly, and they should be stored in different locations in case one area has a malfunction.

Not regularly and safely backing up your information could mean a really bad day and a lot of lost data. Don’t risk it. Daily backups are obviously best.

Bandwidth

Bandwidth is the level of traffic and data transfer that your site can handle at one point in time. If a hosting site offers a high level of bandwidth, it will probably be pretty good quality. If they are only offering a bit, you may not want to rely on them. If your business scales, as will your site, you want the bandwidth to be able to quickly adjust to such a flux.

Keeping track of your site traffic for a couple of months is a good way to determine the bandwidth you’ll need. Using that number as a baseline, leave room for your site to grow. This will save you stress in the future if you see an uptick in traffic.

Number of Allowed Domains/Sites

If you plan to create more than one site, make sure that will be possible through the host you choose. If you’re signing up for a one-site deal, then you’ll have to sign up for more if you ever want to create a new or additional site.

If you know multiple sites will be on the horizon soon, or if you need a few domains right off the bat, you can go ahead and eliminate hosting options that limit you to one. Look for an account option that allows more domains instead.

WordPress Hosting

If the world of content management systems (CMS) was a kingdom, WordPress would be the king of it. Such is its popularity. And deservedly so. Absolutely anyone – an individual, SMB, or large enterprise – can make use of it.

If you are one of those and looking for a quality WordPress hosting, these are the things you should consider:

WordPress-specific things: One-click WordPress install, WordPress auto-updates, and specialized technical support

One-click WordPress install, WordPress auto-updates, and specialized technical support Hosting-specific things: A reputation for providing top-notch speed, uptime, response time, security, and UI/UX.

Best WordPress hosting providers:

For more information, have a look at our page comparing the best WordPress hosting providers.

Free Web Hosting

Many people read our hosting reviews and take our advice on what’s best for them (hosting-wise). Every once in a while, we get a mail asking for a “free hosting” recommendation. And our response is:

If you are okay with a subdomain, go with WordPress, Blogger, Wix, or something. However, if you want to host your domain, we advise you not to opt for free hosting because

It’s slow,

It goes down frequently,

Security isn’t a priority of theirs,

Server resources are very, very limited,

And overall, it’s a giant scheme to upsell you into buying a premium hosting.

Best free hosting providers:

For more information, have a look at our page comparing the best free hosting providers.

Cheap Web Hosting

Let’s continue the previous section here. If the person ⁠- who asked for “free hosting” ⁠- is a bit flexible and can manage some budget for a web hosting, we recommend the following cheap yet incredibly valuable hosts.

All three are well-known hosts with their bars set high. All three use high-performance hardware, provide ample resources for the cost, are almost always up, have a great network of servers, and have incredible customer support.

Best cheap hosting services:

For more information, have a look at our page comparing the best cheap web hosting providers.

Small Business Web Hosting

Most of our readers (like you) are small business owners, so we one hundred percent know what’s suitable for them.

In most cases, a reliable shared hosting or a low-end VPS gets the job done. These are the kind with decent hardware specifications, good speed, almost perfect uptime, excellent customer support, amazing user-friendliness, and (for most) nearby datacenters. On top of that, none of them break the bank.

Best web hosts for small businesses:

For more information, have a look at our page comparing the best small business hosting providers.

Web Hosting for Ecommerce

The figures of the e-commerce industry at a global stage are in trillions. And with the recent pandemic, more businesses have started realizing the value of e-commerce.

If yours is one such business or you simply want to start an online store, remember one thing: web hosting is absolutely crucial. Good hosting is all about fast speed and being online.

Being online: If the host goes down, it’s equivalent to closing a brick & mortar store. Thus, ideally, one needs hosting with 100% uptime.

If the host goes down, it’s equivalent to closing a brick & mortar store. Thus, ideally, one needs hosting with 100% uptime. Fast speed: Stats show that a 1 second delay in loading time decreases customer satisfaction by 16%. That’s a huge number, especially when translated to its effect on revenue. There are many such statistics that display the importance of choosing the fastest hosting possible. Therefore, when looking at web hosting options for your e-commerce store, look for VPS plans or Cloud plans, high-performance SSDs & other server resources, and datacenter location near the target customer.

Best eCommerce web hosts:

For more information, have a look at our page reviewing the best eCommerce hosting providers.

Web Hosting for Resellers

If you are in the web agency business, reseller hosting can make your life more productive. Just thinking about the idea of being able to manage all clients’ hosts from a single panel can make you smile, in fact.

Aside from that, you can also do what the name suggests ⁠- resell!

For reselling:

Know how many customers you can have and handle. Know the combined requirements of all the customers. Make sure of the quality of the host (speed, uptime, and support). And server resources (storage, memory, and CPU)- are they sufficient to serve all the customers or not? Also, check if it has a white labeling feature. It will let you sell with your branding. Check the scalability flexibility of the host.

Best Reseller Hosts:

For more information, have a look at our page detailing the best reseller hosting providers.

Web Hosting for Beginners

As a beginner, all you need is a value-centric shared hosting. The reason? Initially, your site size and resource requirement won’t be much and the traffic potential is limited. (If you are working on a giant project, of course, you will need a VPS or dedicated plan).

A quality value-centric shared hosting is the one that provides great speed, helpful support, ideal uptime, needed server resources, and useful features (e.g., one-click WordPress installation). All of these, while keeping the budget in mind!

Best web hosts for beginners:

Web Hosting for High Traffic Sites

High traffic = More server resources. More server resources (generally) ≠ Shared hosting.

For high traffic sites, you either need a solid VPS plan, a dedicated server, or a scalable cloud plan. High traffic = More money ⁠— so, quality rather than cost is the priority.

A quality hosting is the one that is fundamentally strong, i.e., the server locations are global, speed is great, the software is optimized, uptime is equal to or nearly 100%, and technical support is quick & helpful. On top of that comes the server resources- disk space, memory, CPU threads, and CPU cores.

Best web hosts for high traffic sites:

Web Hosting for Bloggers

Blogging is a huge industry, and different bloggers operate on a different scale. Therefore, generalizing the needed hosting will be an unwise decision.

If you are a beginner blogger, shared hosting may do the job. But, if you handle high-traffic blogs and are looking for a hosting change, you will need a VPS, cloud, or even a dedicated server plan.

All in all, the best thing to do here would be to suggest top-notch hosting providers that excel at all types of hosting.

Best hosting providers for bloggers:

Web Hosting with a website builder

A website builder can make your job a lot easier if you have to create your website and don’t have any technical know-how. Essentially, a website builder is DIY (Do It Yourself), WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) drag & drop tool that lets you build your website with ready-made templates/blocks.

There are many paid services to get one, but some web hosting providers include it in its packages. And the ones that do all the “hosting things” and offer a free website builder as a part of the deal are the ones we are targeting in this section.

Best hosting providers with a website builder:

Drupal Hosting

With a 5% market share, Drupal is the third most popular CMS in the market. It’s used in all major industries, including retail, fintech, sports, travel & tourism, e-commerce, education, government, media & publishing, and more. So, if you are choosing Drupal CMS, it’s certainly a good choice.

When scrolling through your hosting options, just make sure to check whether or not the provider has a one-click Drupal installation option, an option to migrate a Drupal site, and a technically-sound support team.

Best Drupal hosts:

For more information, have a look at our page detailing the best Drupal hosting providers.

Joomla Hosting

By CMS market share, WordPress is no.1, and Drupal is no.3. Joomla is the silver medalist. People use it for its simplicity & flexibility, active community, and the numerous themes and extensions.

For hosting, a solid shared plan would do — but, again, the type of plan depends on the site’s requirements. However, one thing it must have is Joomla optimization, i.e., one-click installs, auto-updates, specialized support, and site migration.

Best Joomla hosting providers:

For more information, have a look at our page detailing the best Joomla hosting providers.

HTML Web Hosting

HTML is the standard markup language in the market. If you see any webpage, it’s guaranteed HTML is underneath that page. Meaning, a web hosting for HTML is a web hosting for a website in general.

Therefore, suggesting the best HTML hosting is easy, given the fact that we have tested dozens of top-shelf hosts. Any provider that gives the best combination of speed, security, support, ease of use, uptime, features, and value for money is the best HTML web hosting.

Best HTML Hosts:

Magento Hosting

More than a quarter of e-commerce websites on the internet use Magento solutions. Magento is a premium e-commerce platform mainly used by mid to large-sized companies. It is SEO friendly, focuses on user experience, is exceptionally secure, has needed features, and is very flexible.

When choosing a hosting plan for Magento, look for Magento-specific plans based on VPS or cloud technology. One-click install, site transfer assistance, and expert support should be at the top of the consideration factors list.

Best Magento Hosting:

For more information, have a look at our page detailing the best Magento hosting providers.

Linux Hosting

Most hosting providers you have heard of have Linux hosting plans. After all, it’s the most popular web hosting platform. It offers all and every feature most of us need. And to access/manage them all, it comes with cPanel, a GUI.

Just like HTML web hosting, the best Linux web hosting options are the ones that are the best web hosting options in general. You know, the ones that are fundamentally solid- speed, uptime, traffic-handling, support, and features-wise.

Best Linux Hosting Providers:

For more information, have a look at our page detailing the best Linux hosting providers.

Java Hosting

Though its popularity is declining, Java is still one of the most preferred programming languages. It’s a platform-independent language used to create web applications of all shapes and sizes, by millions of developers.

It’s heavy by nature and demands substantial server resources to perform smoothly. Therefore, anything less than a good VPS plan won’t cut it for you. Additionally, most hosting providers do not have java-specific hosting so you’ll have to install it on their servers (VPS or dedicated), which makes considering more server resources even more important.

Best Hosting for Java:

For more information, have a look at our page detailing the best Java hosting providers.

Web Hosting for Node.js

Node.js is continuously rising in popularity for many years now. And why wouldn’t it?! It can be used to create end-to-end applications as well as a part of an application. Moreover, the technology has proved to be more efficient and scalable for real-time apps such as live chat.

For Node.js, you can either choose a managed plan or VPS depending on your expertise and how the host fares at other aspects of hosting (uptime, speed, security, etc.)

Best Hosting for Node.js:

Web Hosting for nonprofits

Nonprofits have to pay for-profit companies for necessary services (and, frankly, a part of incoming funds is for that only). One such service is hosting.

In today’s day and age, your nonprofit is supposed to have a website with all the information on things you do, causes you support, and things you have recently done. Moreover, adding a payment gateway directly on the website attracts more funds ⁠— so, in that sense, purchasing a good web hosting is a great investment.

Depending on the number of donors you can attract, a shared plan or a VPS plan will be sufficient.

Best hosting for nonprofits:

Shared Hosting

With shared hosting, basically, multiple websites are all being hosted by one single server, controlled by a system admin. They usually offer a variety of options like Windows or Linux hosting, Java and PHP hosting. On top of that, you’ll find a lot of them have installers for the major content management systems like WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, etc.

Pros: Shared hosting is the cheapest hosting plan because multiple accounts will all be using the same server, thus splitting the cost. It’s also user-friendly because it doesn’t require lofty knowledge to use it.

Cons: Unfortunately, because of its shared nature, shared hosting can be pretty unreliable. You’re competing for a limited set of resources and features with multiple other accounts, so it may be easier for your site to slow or even get hacked as compared to other hosting options.

Best Shared Hosts:

For more information, have a look at our page reviewing the best shared hosting providers.

VPS Hosting

VPS means Virtual Private Server. Essentially, it’s the middle ground between shared and dedicated server hosting (and works great for game servers, the best Minecraft server hosting are built with a VPS). Think of a shared server host with partitions between accounts that provide extra privacy and features.

Pros: The cost is pretty middle-ground. You pay a bit more than shared hosting, but this grants you extra freedom, flexibility, and security. You still get support from an admin team but have more control than a traditional shared host.

Cons: An untrustworthy internet service provider could oversell space to make more money and leave accounts stranded without server space. There’s also a bit more maintenance required on your part than with shared hosting.

Best VPS Hosts:

Dedicated Server Hosting

A dedicated server is all yours. You have all rights and responsibilities to it. The freedom comes with a higher monetary cost and labor intensity, however.

Pros: You will never be slowed down or otherwise affected by anyone else because the server’s all yours! And because it’s yours, that means it’s yours to customize however you feel so inclined.

Cons: The responsibility to customize falls on you, so it requires a bit more know-how. Not only does it require the smarts to set it up, but it also comes at a higher price tag.

Best Dedicated Hosts:

Cloud Hosting

Cloud hosting is another option somewhere in between dedicated and shared hosting. Cloud hosting divides its resources up among several servers all connected (like a spider web) and provides them to accounts as needed. This speeds things up and provides security in case one server malfunctions.

Pros: Flexibility to scale is a great benefit that cloud hosting can provide. That means if your business grows rapidly, your server will scale with it. It’s also a product that’s available for you as soon as you need it since it constantly exists in one form or another in the cloud. It’s a reasonable cost and works very well for a low-staffed account.

Cons: Because it’s so centralized in this trusted cloud, if there’s an issue with the cloud, you’re pretty much left helpless. Again, due to the cloud storage component, you can only have access to your files through the internet. If you can’t connect, you can’t get access. The rubber band-like flexibility it offers can also come with a “rubber-band-flexible” bill each month.

Best Cloud Hosts:

Managed WordPress Hosting

This is premium hosting focused on WordPress, with expert WP tech support staff. Managed WP hosts usually have a very well-optimized server stack specifically designed around running WordPress as fast as possible. Pricing is usually calculated around the number of visitors you get per month, rather than disk space like the usual shared web hosts.

Pros: You’ll always be up to date on the latest features and plugins because WordPress is always on the front end of new things in the hosting world. They’ll keep your speed up and protect you if anything crashes. Not only is the team going to keep you updated, but they’ll also protect your information and be there for any issues that may arise.

Cons: The price is usually the first thing that turns someone off. The larger the site and volume of it, the more you’ll be charged. You also have slightly less control over the customization of your site (as managed hosts tend to have a list of disallowed plugins… to maintain optimal performance).

The best managed WordPress hosts:

For more information, have a look at our page detailing the best managed WordPress hosting providers.

Web Hosting by Country

We also have other web hosting comparisons, focused on different countries like:

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most secure web hosting?

The most secure web hosting providers are those with custom-built server-side security systems. These can range from daily malware scans and an integrated WAF, to daily backups and more. SiteGround is very secure.

How do I choose a web hosting provider?

You choose a good web hosting provider by comparing the features of several web hosting companies, our guide above will help you identify what the most important features are and what to pay attention to when searching for a great web host.

Can I host my own website?

Technically yes, you can host your own website locally on your computer, but then the site will go down the moment you turn off your computer. Having a local copy of your site is handy to test new features that you want to implement before pushing it live on a web host.

How can I host my website for free?

Yes, there are free web hosts, but they either come with forced ads and horrible support, or you’ll have to settle with a subdomain of the company you’re hosting with. WordPress.com, for example, has a free plan that can give you a website on a subdomain (yourname.wordpress.com). It’s great if you’re just getting started and want to try it out.

How do I host my website on Google?

You can’t host your website on Google as they are not a web hosting service. They do have a service called Blogger that can provide you with a space to build a basic website on. But keep in mind that your URL won’t be a professional one, the site will be hosted on a subdomain like yourcompany.blogspot.com.

And that’s it, it might seem overwhelming to compare all the points, but just take it one step at a time. Maybe even create a spreadsheet and log all the specs for the best web hosting providers, so you’ve got an easy overview.

OR

Pick a host from our top 5