Web Hosting Comparison
Web hosting can be a hard thing to shop for, it is a very competitive market so the majority of companies will provide the same basic features for approximately the same price. Then it comes down to the additional perks, such as having green web hosting (powered by renewable energy sources), customer service, ease of use, expandability, etc.
There are many web hosting reviews on this website, as well as a few other business to business reviews. People always do research online by reading reviews to try to find “the best” web hosting company, but there is no one company that does everything perfectly. Each company has some sort of competitive edge, and you need to determine what it is that you are looking for with your web host. Some companies are better at dealing with database entries (WordPress and forums generate many entries), others are good at serving static pages or web sites, and others simply provide more support for new web masters.
I have come up with specific criteria for web hosting comparison for my readers so that you will have more guidance with which company to choose.
Web Hosting Reviews:
- WordPress Hosting
- Dedicated Hosting
- Green Web Hosting
- E-Commerce Solutions
- Cloud Hosting
- Best Overall Web Hosting Company
WordPress Hosting Reviews
One of the fastest growing sectors of the web hosting industry is individuals looking to get cheap reliable web hosting for WordPress or other easy to use blogging platforms. There are many companies that provide scripts to make it easy to install WordPress, so much of it comes down to the customer support offered by the companies and the price point. To learn more about starting a blog I would recommend checking out my page dedicated to it. This site is a WordPress blog hosted by BlueHost, and while I would recommend them I would have to say that the best WordPress hosting company at the moment is FatCow due to the extra features they offer. Read more about their company: FatCow Reviews
Dedicated Hosting Comparison
For those of you that are looking for significantly more power than you will find from a shared web hosting company, you will want to go with a dedicated server. If you have a large amount of traffic or require a lot of space you will want your own server rather than receiving a small slice of the processing time, bandwidth, and RAM as you would with a shared web hosting service. There are a couple big names in dedicated server hosting, but for those looking for power at a reasonable price I feel that The Planet is the best company to go with. They are widely recognized as one of the premier dedicated server providers and they offer a variety of pricing plans.
Green Hosting
Green web hosting is a new trend that is quickly being picked up by many of the major players. With many companies “going green”, many web hosting companies are doing the same so that organizations can state that they are carbon neutral. One company, HostGator, has actually taken this to a whole new extreme by powering their servers with 130% wind energy. This means that they have actually purchased energy credits that not only cover their operations but pay for a 30% surplus to help green energy companies continue to expand and reduce green house gas emissions. They also provide great web hosting services, I currently have 8 of my own websites hosted on their servers.
E-Commerce Solutions
If you are creating a website specifically to sell products, for instance you own a camping supply store and want to sell tents and knives online, you would need some sort of e-commerce solution. Unless you are willing to pay many thousands of dollars for a custom made solution, you would be better off using a hosted e-commerce platform like Core Commerce, Big Commerce, or Volusion. These services not only provide web hosting, but they also allow you accept credit cards, track your inventory, setup online shopping carts, print shipping labels, etc. all under one plan.
They provide highly customizable templates that you can use for designs. If you plan to sell products online, you will want an e-commerce plan, I would recommend all 3 companies listed above but from my experience while reviewing their products I liked Core Commerce the most.
Cloud Hosting Comparison
Cloud hosting is a new trend in web hosting, it allows you to take advantage of large networks of servers to use as little or as much server resources as necessary. Rather than having fixed pricing and fixed limitations, you are given your own “cloud” which stores all of your files and expands and contracts based on your need and you are charged for what resources you use. For sites that often see large traffic spikes this is a great option as it allows you to handle unlimited amounts of simultaneous traffic. It also makes it so that you don’t need to pay for huge system resources all the time that are only in part-time use.
If you are looking for flexibility and power, I would highly recommend the new service from The Planet – The Planet Cloud Hosting.
Guru Reviews – Overall Top Web Host 2010
As I stated at the top of this page, there is no such thing as a single host which can cover the needs of everyone. For the majority of people, a shared hosting plan will be more than adequate for your needs – unless you consider yourself a medium-large sized business or have very special server requirements. The vast majority of websites are hosted on shared web hosting plans, and the moment I feel that FatCow provides the best value for a shared web hosting company.
For about $50 a year you can have a domain name, unlimited websites, a good amount of system resources and a large package of extras such as a $50 Facebook advertising credit, a free YellowPages.com listing, one-click WordPress installation, and $75 in search engine advertising credits ($50 Google $25 Yahoo). They offer a good service, with many additional features at a very reasonable price.
Business Essentials
This website features more than just web hosting reviews, it also reviews a few other business related products, such as ink & toner cartridges, online printing companies, graphic designer services, and email marketing services. You can find more information about these on services – email marketing services and business products or you can read reviews of some of my favorite business-to-business companies. Many of the reviews also include coupons to save even more on the products and services that you need for your business.
Business Reviews:
- Aweber Review
- iContact Review
- 123Inkjets.com Review
- 123Print.com Review
- Overnight Prints Review
- PsPrint Review
- Constant Contact Review
- 99Designs Review
