SiteGround Web Hosting – Review 2020
There are various variables to contemplate if you’re choosing a web hosting service. For instance, there are options that attraction to a common buyer base (akin to pricing and storage), in addition to options which might be extra enterprise centered (akin to e-commerce and server location). SiteGround addresses all of those points, and does so nicely. It provides an honest variety of hosting varieties, a lot of efficiency-enhancing instruments, and glorious customer support at an affordable value. Though SiteGround lacks VPS, devoted, and Home windows servers, it is a high quality web hosting service for each people and small companies.
Table of Contents
In the event you’re excited about low-value web hosting, shared hosting is the tier you need to examine. With shared hosting, a number of web sites bunk collectively on a single server, thus decreasing the general value. That stated, the a number of websites actually share the server’s computing energy, which suggests your web site’s efficiency might be negatively impacted if one other bunk-mate has an enormous visitors surge from a Reddit hit.
SiteGround, like just a few different web hosts, permits you to select which knowledge middle you need to host your web site: United States (Chicago), Europe (Amsterdam, Milan, Germany), Asia-Pacific (Singapore), United Kingdom (London), and Australia (Sydney). If you’re involved about knowledge privateness or retention legal guidelines, you possibly can select a European knowledge middle. If lots of your customers are primarily based in Asia, you possibly can select to make use of an Asia-Pacific knowledge middle. Or you possibly can simply default to a US server. I can not think about a whole lot of companies will want this characteristic, nevertheless it’s a surprisingly superior choice for such a beginner-centered supplier.
Every SiteGround plan has a comparatively excessive month-to-month value, however you possibly can drive the fee down utilizing introductory offers and annual signal-ups. Here is how they give the impression of being.
The StartUp plan (beginning at $14.99 per thirty days) consists of one web site, 10GB of storage, community visitors appropriate for roughly 10,000 guests a month, a one-12 months free Safe Socket Layer (SSL) certificates, day by day knowledge backups, limitless e mail, and assist for CloudFlare (extra on this later) and managed WordPress.
The GrowBig plan (beginning at $24.99 per thirty days) builds upon the bottom plan. It has all the pieces included in that tier, plus assist for limitless web sites, limitless databases, 20GB of storage, web site staging, and community visitors appropriate for roughly 25,000 visits a month.
The GoGeek plan (beginning at $39.99 per thirty days) plan is meant for nonetheless-bigger websites. It takes GrowBig to the following degree by together with 40GB of storage, community visitors “appropriate” for roughly 100,000 visits a month, precedence assist, white-label assist, and a Git repository.
Be aware that SiteGround reductions StartUp, GrowBig, and GoGeek to $6.99 per thirty days, $9.99 per thirty days, and $14.99 per thirty days, respectively, for folks signing up for brand spanking new annual plans. As well as, SiteGround states that it may deal with extra guests than the listed limits, however solely as one-time occurrences (akin to when your weblog lands a Reddit hit) per thirty days. I give props to SiteGround for its limitation transparency; most web hosts, even those that boast “limitless” guests and/or knowledge, have some visitors restrictions buried of their phrases of service.
SiteGround has stable shared hosting plans, however they are not as sturdy as HostGators’ choices. The Editors’ Selection for shared web providers matches SiteGround’s specs, plus has the choice for customers to pick a Home windows-primarily based server (SiteGround solely provides Linux-primarily based shared servers). Corporations which might be deeply invested in Microsoft’s web ecosystem will discover HostGator’s Home windows servers enticing.
Cloud, not VPS
SiteGround now not has VPS hosting, however boasts cloud hosting. The Linux-primarily based platform, which attracts assets from a number of servers, is designed to auto-scale with visitors surges, in order that your web site will not go down on account of a scarcity of energy.
The 4 Cloud Hosting plans begin at $80 per thirty days for 4GB of RAM, 40GB of storage, and 5TB of month-to-month knowledge transfers, and max out at $240 per thirty days for 10GB of RAM, 120GB of storage, and 5TB of month-to-month knowledge transfers. There’s a lot of room for development. You too can customise your Cloud Hosting plan do you have to want extra energy. Additionally they embrace a free, one-12 months SSL certificates. SiteGround’s cloud hosting plans, in addition to its shared GrowBog and GoGeek packages, have a cool Collaborator characteristic that lets customers who do not want entry to a web site’s administration instruments (assume freelancers) to add and create content material.
Nonetheless, DreamHost stays our co-Editors’ selection for cloud hosting service, together with the enterprise-pleasant 1&1 Ionos . DreamHost’s Linux-or-Home windows-primarily based packages begin at $4.50 per thirty days (for 512MB of RAM, 100GB of storage, and limitless month-to-month knowledge transfers) and prime out at $48 per thirty days (for 4 CPU cores, 8GB of RAM, 100GB of storage, and limitless month-to-month knowledge transfers). Ionos, alternatively, has prorated plans, customized hosting packages, and large specs for large companies.
In the event you’re within the hunt for conventional VPS hosting, try Hostwinds, the class’s Editors’ Selection, which provides a superb digital non-public server bundle.
No Devoted Web Hosting
SiteGround additionally lacks a devoted hosting tier. In the event you’re searching for take hosting kind, we propose looking at AccuWeb, PCMag’s Editors’ Selection for devoted web hosting. It not solely has a selection of Linux and Home windows working techniques, but additionally tops out at 512GB of RAM, 2TB of storage, and 20TB of month-to-month knowledge transfers.
WordPress Web Hosting
Like lots of its opponents, SiteGround provides WordPress hosting. In reality, SiteGround oversees your set up with optimized managed WordPress hosting, a service that grants your web site enhanced safety, automated day by day backups, web page caching, staging, and computerized content material administration system updates. It additionally provides one-click on set up and a free account switch. SiteGround now not provides a free area title, nevertheless it provides substantial reductions for registration. The plans are just like the corporate’s shared hosting plans with reference to cost. Your choices are to join one-, two-, or three-12 months contracts.
SiteGround’s base WordPress tier, StartUp ($9.95 per thirty days), provides a skimpy 10GB of storage, a mere 10,000 month-to-month guests, and the power to host only one WordPress web site. GrowBig ($14.95 per thirty days) ups the storage to 20GB and month-to-month guests to 25,000, whereas letting you host limitless WordPress websites. The highest-degree plan, GoGeek ($29.95 per thirty days), builds upon GrowBig with its 30GB of storage and 100,000 month-to-month guests. All plans include limitless e mail and month-to-month knowledge transfers. SiteGround additionally provides quite a few free WordPress themes. SiteGround consists of many helpful in-home instruments for constructing your WordPress web site: WP Migrator, SG Optimizer, and SuperCacher.
However, A2, the Linux-primarily based PCMag Editors’ Selection for WordPress hosting, has no such customer caps. Every of its plans, beginning with the $7.99 per thirty days Lite plan, consists of limitless storage and month-to-month knowledge transfers. The highest-tier Managed plan ($75.48 per thirty days) provides web site staging so you possibly can experiment with web site modifications earlier than they go stay, limitless web sites, and limitless databases.
Siteground provides a handful of WordPress plug-ins that enhance the location-creation expertise. WP Starter walks you thru curated themes and the most typical web site options. It is designed so you possibly can select precisely what you want and launch your web site extra rapidly. WP Migrator, the corporate’s migration device, helps switch knowledge from an previous web site to your new Siteground-powered web site. And SG Optimizer, which works as well as with SuperCacher, enhances your web site’s efficiency by optimizing CSS, pictures, javascript, and different web hosting tech.
When you’re logged into SiteGround’s WordPress setup, you possibly can create posts, pages, and galleries as you’ll with every other self-hosted WordPress web site. If you wish to arrange a non-managed WordPress web site, you are able to do that, too. I clicked on the WordPress icon within the superior management panel to go to the WordPress web page in Softaculous, SiteGround’s third-celebration software library. It launched a wizard that walked me by way of the set up. SiteGround additionally let me allow the Clef plug-in, which provides customers the power to log in to WordPress with their telephones as a substitute of a username and password. I’m shocked and happy to see these superior options right here.
Revamped Reseller Web Hosting
SiteGround now not provides standalone reseller hosting packages. As an alternative, the corporate lets GoGeek and Cloud hosting subscribers give shoppers entry to their web site administration instruments utilizing the Shopper white-label choice. As well as, Cloud plans let customers create customized hosting packages for every shopper relying on the wanted assets. The reseller handles the hosting assist and billing, and costs shoppers.
In the event you’re searching for extra a extra sturdy reseller providing, Hostwinds goes the additional mile with extra beneficiant specs in a wide range of server classes. Because of this, Hostwinds is the Editors’ Selection for reseller hosting.
Setting Up a Web site
SiteGround leverages Weebly as its web site builder of selection. It is a good transfer, as Weebly let me make enticing web pages with out sacrificing a lot of my time. Weebly made it easy so as to add textual content, pictures, and video to my take a look at pages. For extra info on this straightforward web site builder, please learn our Weebly evaluate.
SiteGround additionally provides WordPress Starter, a straightforward-to-use content material administration system that has a curated number of free themes and plug-ins. It is designed to get your private or enterprise web site on-line as rapidly as attainable.
E-Commerce and SSL
As an alternative of utilizing Weebly, I may have additionally arrange my web site from the get-go along with e-commerce software program, akin to PrestaShop, CS-Cart, or Magento. The management panel has the icons for these platforms below AutoInstallers, making them simple to seek out. You too can go to Softaculous and decide one of many 30 obtainable choices, together with Zen Cart, ShoWare, OpenCart, and Axis, to call just a few.
I used Magento to create a gorgeous retailer utilizing its drag-and-drop retailer builder. In the event you solely want a procuring cart, that is no downside, or if you wish to focus solely on invoicing and billing, there’s an app for that, too.
In the event you plan to promote merchandise on-line, you will need a safe socket-layer (SSL) certificates. The web host consists of them at no cost in all plans above the shared StartUp tier. Siteground additionally provides Wildcard, a premium SSL certificates that secures your prime-degree area, in addition to an infinite variety of subdomains. Wildcard is bundled as a free, one-12 months bonus characteristic if you join the GrowBig or GoGeek packages. In any other case, it is $60 per 12 months.
Safety Options
SiteGround provides a number of safety choices, together with the SG Web site Scanner to let you recognize in case your web site is below assault, antispam instruments SpamAssassin and SpamExperts, hotlink safety, and IP handle blocklists. It scans all of the hyperlinks in your homepage to ensure that they’re clear.
SiteGround additionally provides an fascinating characteristic known as Leech Defend, which lets directors forestall customers from giving out or publicly posting their passwords to parts of the location. I additionally like the very fact SiteGround integrates with the CloudFlare content material supply community (CDN) service for higher efficiency and safety. Whereas any web site proprietor can simply enroll with CloudFlare, the combination (obtainable at no cost!) means extra individuals who had no concept this was an choice are actually in a position to profit.
One other useful device is SiteCheck. This computerized software program scanning device checks your web site to see if there’s any malware within the code or on the location. Working it periodically is a good suggestion, since the very last thing you need to see in your e mail inbox are messages from irate customers saying that visiting your web site contaminated their computer systems. SiteGround additionally has free day by day backups to safeguard your knowledge.
Wonderful Uptime
Web site uptime is likely one of the most vital points of a hosting service. In case your web site is down, shoppers or clients might be unable to seek out you or entry your services or products.
For this testing, I exploit a web site monitoring device to trace my take a look at websites’ uptime over a two-week interval. Each quarter-hour, the device pings my web site and sends me an alert whether it is unable to contact the location for not less than one minute. The info revealed that SiteGround is secure; our take a look at web site did not go down as soon as through the two-week remark interval.
Buyer Service
SiteGround says its most important focus is on customer support, and it exhibits within the service’s many wizards, knowledgebase articles, and tutorials. Buyer assist is offered by way of a ticket-primarily based system, stay chat, and 24/7 phone assist.
I examined SiteGround’s on-line chat and am amazed at how rapidly somebody got here to my support. I used to be linked to a chat consultant in just a few seconds. I requested in regards to the variations between SiteGround’s cloud hosting and devoted hosting, and acquired a immediate and clear response.
I additionally known as the telephone quantity on a weekday morning to ask a consultant about how one can import my WordPress.com setup into SiteGround. The consultant patiently and efficiently walked me by way of the method.
SiteGround lets customers cancel inside 30 days of when their bank card was charged. It is tolerable, however I favor DreamHost’s prolonged, 97-day cash-again assure.
For Inexperienced persons, Companies, and Newbie Companies
SiteGround is clearly positioning itself as a hosting supplier for newbies, and particularly small enterprise newbies. SiteGround’s providers—from its options to assist assets—are designed for the mother-and-pop shops, sole proprietors, and impartial companies that do not have a whole lot of design time or superior web abilities. Moreover, in case you aren’t anticipating a flood of customers to your web site every day, you do not actually care about limitless storage or limitless month-to-month knowledge transfers, so SiteGround’s limitations in these regards won’t trouble you.
Moreover, SiteGround’s stunning variety of safety features additionally signifies that it has small companies in thoughts. Small companies are extremely weak to web site assaults, and likelihood is they don’t seem to be going to spend money on a web site scanner to search for malware or a cloud supplier to guard them from a denial-of-service assault. The truth that SiteGround does it for them makes it a stable good friend for small companies simply beginning out. Nonetheless, in case you want higher storage and bandwidth allotments, or excessive-powered VPS or devoted hosting, think about shifting to Editors’ Selections Dreamhost, HostGator, Hostwinds, or Liquid Web for extra superior options and beefed-up storage.
For extra on getting began on-line, learn our recommendations on how one can create a web site. You may also need to try our story on how one can register a website title to your web site.
