So, you're ready to build a website! You've decided what kind of site you want to build, registered the perfect domain name, and now you're trying to decide where to host your website. The good news is that there are many options for hosting your website in 2017. On the flip side, it can seem like a daunting task to choose between the many options for web hosting, especially when they all tout themselves as the biggest and best platforms. How can you decide where to host your website, and which hosting plan should you choose?
The important thing to remember is that you need to choose your hosting provider based on the type of website you plan to build, as well as the volume of traffic you expect to receive. Some hosting platforms are tailored for specific frameworks, such as Rails or WordPress. Others will work for many types of platforms, and may even offer their own visual website builders and other unique features. You will need to do some research to decide which hosting platform best suits your needs. With that said, here are some of the top hosting platforms of 2017:
- Host Gator This hosting platform is perhaps the most popular service on the web. Having been around for many years, Host Gator offers traditional and scalable hosting packages along with excellent customer support. Like many hosting providers, they offer a backend hosted by cPanel where you can manage your domains and email accounts, as well as set up SSL for your site. You can also choose to host your site in the cloud.
- SiteGround A personal favorite, SiteGround offers inexpensive hosting packages that don't compromise on flexibility. If you are planning on hosting multiple websites on the same server, SiteGround may be a good option for you - you can easily manage all of your domains in the backend, and only have to upgrade your hosting package when you exceed your traffic limit. SiteGround has great customer support, and offers free SSL certificates through Let's Encrypt.
- GoDaddy Famous for its edgy TV advertisements, GoDaddy is nonetheless one of the best hosting platforms out there. At first only a domain provider, they have since expanded their services to offer hosting packages that rival the best of them. They've also recently introduced their own website builder called GoCentral, which boasts that anyone can build a website in under an hour - even those with no programming experience. While this should be taken with a grain of salt, you can expect that GoDaddy will help you get your website up and running very quickly. Their domain and hosting management backend is more easily understood by beginners than almost any other service.
- 1&1 This may be the most inexpensive hosting package out there, with plans starting at just 99 cents per month. If you want to get online quickly and with little expense, 1&1 may be a good option for you. However, if you often rely on customer support to get your website up and running, you may wish to consider another provider in this list. 1&1 is not particularly known for excellent customer service or uptime. However, they offer similar backend features to other top 5 hosting providers, so this may be a good option if you are starting a personal website or blog.
WP Engine This provider is quite different from others in this list, since they only offer dedicated hosting for WordPress sites. However, with WordPress being the most popular content management system on the web, WP Engine is certainly worth mention. In short, WP Engine is the Tesla Motors of WordPress hosting. Since they are a dedicated WordPress host, their backend framework is extremely easy to understand. You will have no trouble setting up your domain or MultiSite, and their customer service is unrivaled.