When you’re setting up a website, one of the most crucial things you need to do is ensure that you’ve got the right hosting package. You can put a lot of effort into your website & register a domain name, but if your hosting isn’t good, then you’re going to have problems further down the line.
Fortunately, you can avoid this by signing up for some good quality hosting deals. They don’t have to be super expensive, so don’t worry about that – many companies offer great sin up rates. So, let’s look at some of the best web hosting deals you can get.
Best Web Hosting
| Product | Verdict | Price |
|---|---|---|
 | Best Overall Hosting | From £19.99 |
 | Best Overall Hosting | From £5.99 |
 | Expensive But High Quality | From £17.99 |
 | Cheap | From £2 |
 | A Good Cheap Domain Reseller | From £14 |
 | Very Cheap Renewals | From £0.99 |
 | Cheap but Lower Quality | From £1.50 |
WPX
If you’re looking for the best web hosting company, then I’m going to have to say that it’s WPX Hosting. In the past, I’ve had websites hosted at all of the companies that are listed here, but over time, I’ve ended up moving them all over to WPX Hosting. Here’s the reasons why.
In terms of speed, they’re the best option on the market. I’ve moved sites from Bluehost, Siteground, GoDaddy and even WP Engine over to WPX and see increases in speed without actually doing anything to the website. There’s a very minimal delay time to access the server.
Yes, they’re pretty expensive when compared to most others on the market. But, this is what you pay for with a premium host: faster speeds, better customer service and overall an easier experience.
They also offer a good migration service which allows you to transfer your website over to them without actually doing anything. So for those after the best quality WordPress hosting, I’d advise that you check out WPX.
WP Engine
If you want the best WordPress hosting and you’re not too fussed about the expense, the WP Engine offer a great service. They’re expensive, but you’ll get a strong company that comes with it.
What’s good about WP Engine? Well, there’s quite a few things that are good about it. Firstly, the UI (user interface) of the site itself is excellent and it’s probably the easiest to navigate our of any of the options here.
It’s super easy to set your website up with Cloudflare, which can help make your website much faster when people visit it. WP Engine also has very good security, which can ensure that your website is safe too.
Of course, WP Engine is for WordPress hosting, which is what they specialize in. So if you have a WordPress website that’s getting some traffic and you want to ensure quick response times and good security, then it’s worth considering WP Engine.
Siteground
Siteground are one of the most well known hosting companies, and they’re built a reputation for being pretty reliable. Their WordPress hosting packages includes an easy to use caching plugin which can help to speed up your website.
Another great thing about Siteground is that you can take advantage of their hosting deals. Often, they’ll let you get the promotional pricing for more than one year – you can get it for two, or even three years.
Yes, I know that this is substantial outlay in the beginning, but the reality is that if you plan to have your website up for years to come, you can save a lot of money by doing this.
So all in all, I’d have to say that Siteground is definitely a good option our there when it comes to hosting websites. But, their recent dramatic increase in prices means that they’re priced similar to WP Engine or WPX, and they’re really not on that level.
Bluehost
For those looking for a budget hosting package, then Bluehost is not a bad option for you to go for. They offer a decent shared hosting deal that’s actually pretty good value for what you’re getting.
One of the best things about Bluehost is the interface – it’s very easy to navigate, and it’s designed with beginners in mind. If you’re just getting started with a WordPress website, then this would be a great place to start.
Other good things about Bluehost is that if you find the right package, you can get a free SSL certificate for your domain, and sometimes even a free domain name too.
Like most other hosting companies, Bluehost will plow you with requests to add stuff to your basket during the checkout process. Make sure that you don’t do this, as the majority of stuff they suggest can be bought cheaper elsewhere. However all in all, Bluehost is a pretty good choice for those looking for their first hosting package.
Hostinger
If you’re happy to sign up for a long term contract, then Hostinger might be worth checking out. They usually have some great deals on long term hosting, so if you’re happy to sign up to a 3 or 4 year deal, then you’ll want to go and check what offers they have on.
If you’re looking for shared hosting, then Hostinger offer a good package. They’re fast and have 99.9% uptime, so you know that your website is going to be accessible the majority of the time.
Like some other hosting options, they have an in built cache manager which can help to serve your content faster. Plus, their shared hosting plans are optimized for WordPress. They have a good support system, and with some packages you’ll get a free domain name, too.
One of the downsides of Hostinger is that you don’t get a regular cPanel, but you get the custom Hostinger panel instead. Whilst you can still do everything you need to with the Hostinger panel, it does take a while to get used to if you’re used to using cPanel. However aside from this, Hostinger is definitely another good option worth considering.
Hostgator
HostGator would never be my first choice when looking to get a hosting package, but it would be unfair to say they’re bad. There are some good things about HostGator, most notably the cheap price when you’re looking at some of their smaller package deals.
Like Bluehost, they’re a good choice if you’re looking for WordPress hostings, as their user panel is designed with this in mind.
HostGator do have a variety of other hosting package you can opt for; you can either go for shared hosting, WordPress hosting or if you have a larger website with a lot of traffic, it might be worth looking at a dedicated hosting package.
However, most people will be looking for WordPress or shared hosting, and in my opinion, there are better options available on the market.
iPage
Another option if you’re looking for a budget WordPress option is to look at a hosting like iPage. They tend to have very good introductory offers, from only £1 or £2 a month. This is an okay place to start, however bear in mind that the renewal costs will be a lot more than this!
Generally I wouldn’t opt to use iPage as a hosting provider as they don’t have the best customer service. This means if you have a problem with your website that you need help with, then you don’t really have a team there to support you. If you compare this with everyone else on this list, then there is much better customer service by other providers.
So for those looking for a cheap way to host their website, then iPage offers one of the cheapest options available. However, it’s not good enough to beat some of the others in this list in my opinion.
Common Questions about Domain Hosting
Does it matter where I host my website?
Yes, it definitely matters where you host your website if you’re bothered about its performance or its security! Generally, there are free hosts out there that you can use, however they’re not going to have high amounts of uptime, and they’ll probably take ages to load in comparison to paid hosting. So yes, you definitely want to make sure that you sign up for a good hosting package.
Does hosting affect the speed of my website?
Yes, hosting is one of the main factors you need to consider when it comes to the speed of your website. Other things to consider include which CMS you’re going to use (WordPress etc), how you format and layout your posts on your site, and the amount of traffics that’s visiting it, and whether your site can cope with it.
What is the average cost to host a website?
On average, the cost to host a website is somewhere between £5 and £10 per month. However, if you shop around and look at the different companies available, then most of them offer a good sign up deal that can let you get your first years hosting for a little as £2 or £3 a month.
Shared Hosting vs WordPress Hosting
If you’re not sure which of these you need, then don’t worry too much. Shared hosting is simply one server that is shared by different people, so if you register your site will be on a server with other websites. WordPress hosting is often shared hosting as well, except that it’s specifically designed to be optimized for WordPress websites.
Why web hosting is needed?
Some people don’t really understand why web hosting is even needed, especially as it’s just another outgoing every month/year. However, it’s important to realise what web hosting is – it’s literally the place where you store all of the files for your website. Think of web hosting as the equivalent of a market stall, and you’re the trader going to set up shop!
Conclusion
All in all, there are a few different options out there if you’re looking to get some hosting for your website. Whilst there are many different options out there to choose from, I’d tend to stick with a trusted and reliable name that isn’t too expensive.
For me, Siteground is probably the best example of this. They offer good hosting at a pretty cheap price with awesome customer support, and you can’t really ask for more than that.
