As WordPress developers and SEO Consultants, my dedicated team at Premazon Inc. and I inevitably get every question under the sun about plans and products related to building customer websites and the right web hosting plan. A common question is what small business web hosting software is the best to use when building a site, where to web host it, and how to make a website rank excellent in Google, etc. I decided I wanted a page to exist so I could just send a hosting plans link with answers and recommendations to any of these common shared hosting questions. The information below discusses the best shared hosting service and hosting plans that will guarantee the best results and chance to support your business and allow it to grow.
Finding the best small business web hosting plan that is dedicated to offering the most for your business can be a challenge because there are so many options for small businesses to use. For instance, if you are in need of an eCommerce website, you will need a specific hosting plan to meet your needs. Some top web hosts might be good in certain areas – such as speed and latest technology; while others might be based on providing a stable server and cheaper rate. There are also shared hosting plans that offer a free domain name in their plan, which may be a really great option for your company’s web hosting.
Using WordPress for Your Website
If you own a small business and need a free website, one of the best solutions is WordPress. It’s a free software plan that you can install on almost any hosting provider. Once set up it’s very simple to get a site up and running (Not so simple to optimize and challenge your competitors on the web, but that’s why you have people like us!) The simplicity of the platform is a double edged sword. Because it is free and very easy to run, there are literally thousands of hosts out there offering anywhere from “free” hosting plans to a super cheap sub $5 managed wordpress hosting plan with “unlimited” sites and email, etc, etc, etc.
A common myth about wordpress is that it is just a space for blogging, but that is far from the truth. The great thing about WordPress is that it is relatively easy to use and can be adjusted for any type of website, which offers a lot of flexibility. In some sense, it offers unlimited plan options for any type of company or business. If you are needing dedicated support and customer service help with developing your website, our top SEO marketing team at Premazon Inc. is happy to support and help you with this process.
The Best Web Hosting for Your Small Business WordPress Site
Simple Answer = WP Engine
One of our number one questions is where to host WordPress websites. We get this question almost once a week during the month from friends, potential clients, and dedicated peeps on social media. While there are all sorts of custom setups these days that may require specific options, one of our favorite places that we recommend for wordpress hosting is WP Engine. Although it may seem like there are unlimited options, the other platforms that we recommend for web hosting include Bluehost and Liquid Web. The goal of this post is not to be an in depth review of their service, but simply a reference for why we suggest them, and why it makes sense for any site owner or developer to utilize their service as well. We don’t guarantee that one particular hosting will be the end all, be all, but we do provide advice based on our years of experience with web hosting.
How to Choose Your Domain
Often, small businesses have a difficult time choosing the best domain name. A domain name is important for a small business because it is the name that everyone will refer to you by, and you want it to be good! A unique, memorable domain name is more likely to stick with visitors and encourage them to come back. The domain name for your small business also gives people an idea of what your services are.
So how do you choose the best domain for your small business? Here are some steps you can use when creating a domain name:
- Search for relevant keywords based on your business and industry
- Browse the best, free names with a domain name autogenerator. The options are unlimited!
- Select a basic name by being concise and clear
- Register your new domain name!
Liquid Web for Small Businesses
Liquid Web is a leader in managed wordpress hosting products and solutions for mission critical websites & apps for small businesses. This hosting service provides efficient setup and hosting management with great customer service. We use liquid web for our clients because it offers some of the best, top notch services and web hosting.
Bluehost
Another web hosting company that comes highly recommended by us is Bluehost for small businesses. Bluehost is officially recommended by WordPress as one of the best hosting options for small businesses that develop their website with them. Bluehost is a great option for your business because it is user-friendly and for beginners it is relatively easy to use and manage. They offer a wide variety of hosting options, including shared, WordPress, VPS, and dedicated hosting servers.
GoDaddy
We are currently not providing hosting through any GoDaddy plans at this time. While GoDaddy plans do offer shared hosting plans and other domain name products, they are not a provider that we are working with. Some web hosting companies will have hidden fees in their plans, or offer you a free domain name, but then will charge for other hosting products that other hosting plans offer on their own. At Premazon Inc. we have done our research on the best web hosting plans, and we believe that GoDaddy does not offer the same products and plans that other superior companies do.
Key Factors in Finding Hosting
When looking for the best hosting options you will want to take into consideration some key factors that the software offers. Below are some common things that a small business should consider before deciding on the best web hosting plans.
Affordability
Obviously, finding an affordable option for your business’ hosting plan may seem like the best option for your web hosting. If you have to pay a large fee per month it will make it less appealing than a free plan that you can use that may be included with building your website. Despite the fact that budget is a concern, it may have to take a back seat to save the reputation of your business and to find the best fit. It may not be easy to find free plans that will provide the necessary components for your hosting.
Server Performance: Reliability and Excellent Speed
A key function for your web host is that it consistently is running at a high speed and has a stable server and network. The risk of your hosting going down even for a short period of time, could result in you losing an opportunity with a customer or sale for your business.
The two major qualities to look at for your server performance include the Time-To-First-Byte (TTFB) and speed. A fast server is needed if you want to provide the best user experience to your visitors and improve your overall ranking in search engines.
SSL Certificate
Something important to consider is the security and privacy of your company website and generating trust within your customers when they are entering information on the website. An SSL certificate is a great way to instill security across your website platform, specifically if your customers are inputting data or information that needs to be secure. There are various forms of an SSL certificate and while some companies have offers for a free SSL certificate, others can be more expensive and cost something every month. If you are looking for a free SSL certificate, your best bet is to do some research, and ask around for more information from different shared hosting plans to determine if they offer a free SSL certificate.
Scalability
Your company will grow over time, and your web hosting needs to adjust to that. For example – always start small with an affordable shared hosting and upgrade (ie. to VPS or cloud hosting) when your business takes off. A smaller business generally does not need the best, highest tiered hosting plan right off the bat, but will gradually move up to a higher level plan down the road.
Cloud Vs. VPS
There are so many top options and services when it comes to the best web hosting–there is cloud hosting (cloud), VPS, shared hosting, and many other options to choose from.
What is VPS?
VPS hosting or better known as “virtual private servers” refers to one specific server that is broken up into lots of smaller servers. The natural progression is to move from a shared hosting plan to a VPS server. Each VPS gets a set amount of resources, so you will not run into bottlenecks due to traffic spikes on other sites. A VPS tends to be highly scalable. Depending on your provider, you might be able to upgrade your VPS’s resources when needed (i.e., get more RAM, bandwidth or CPU power if your site continues to grow). Another bonus of a VPS server is that it is not shared and you don’t need to share resources. Because a VPS server is not shared, you have much more bandwidth and you get full control.
VPS hosting is a good option if you are just starting out and your business has not had the potential to grow a lot. You may want to switch from a VPS plan to something different such as cloud hosting (cloud) or a shared hosting service plan down the road when your company gets bigger. In most cases, you will not need a VPS hosting server to meet your needs, but later on you can assess the situation and determine if VPS hosting will be necessary.
What is Cloud Hosting?
Cloud hosting (the cloud) services make applications and websites accessible using cloud services, often with more disk space. Unlike traditional hosting, solutions are not deployed on a single server. Instead, a network of connected virtual and a physical cloud server hosts the application or website, which can result in greater flexibility, disk space, bandwidth and scalability. A dedicated and efficient cloud hosting server can make sure that your business has a site that is functioning at a high quality level, with a larger amount of disk space.
If a website is mission-critical, meaning that the company can not function without it and needs a guarantee, then cloud hosting is a good idea. Cloud hosting is also chosen by many corporate websites, e-commerce stores, high-traffic projects and lead generation sites. This allows the business to have unlimited server options and ensure that their site will not go down, based on the unlimited amount of space and servers.
Security
The security of your site is one of the most important things to consider when finding the right hosting server. For example, an eCommerce site will need excellent security and privacy in the plan. We have done lots of research on many shared hosting servers to determine which is secure, especially in situations of eCommerce to ensure that your information and data remain private.
Customer Support
It is hard work to run a site, it takes a dedicated person who has the right support to help you along the way. A web hosting company that offers services with good customer support can offer your small business more options and help when developing a high-quality, great website. The best plan will offer unlimited customer support throughout the month, especially in the beginning so that you do not feel overwhelmed or bogged down with unanswered questions.
Ease of Use
Your web hosting is essentially a platform for you to allow traffic and engagement to reach your website. You will also want to consider the bandwidth of the hosting. Bandwidth space is based upon the amount of data you are allowed to transfer to and from your web server per month. Bandwidth depends on your web page size, as well as the number of visitors every month to your website and the number of pages they visit.
eCommerse Viability
If you are a business that offers eCommerce or you sell products, then it is important to have eCommerse viability. Being able to sell your product online (eCommerce) is a large functionality of your website. If you are needing ecommerce capabilities for your website you will need to consider other factors such as shipping costs, payment processing and inventory management.
WordPress and WP Engine for Your Business
Well we all know nothing is really free. Sorry to be a bummer, but you get exactly what you pay for. This web host can seem awesome at first, but oftentimes you will end up running into issues where your site is slow, things break, and getting support is a headache to say the least. While almost any host will allow you to install a WordPress site, WP Engine provides what’s called “Managed Hosting” – meaning, they don’t just let you use WordPress, they fine tune every feature of their hosting to make it run the best, and give you the tools to utilize the platform.
Why We Love WP Engine for WordPress Hosting
But why is managed hosting better for website owners? Well, at least for us, most website owners are really business owners that need a site as their hub on the web. They need to put a site up that has all the relevant info for their business and then most importantly NOT WORRY ABOUT THAT SITE EVERY DAY. They need to be focused on running their business, not website uptime, backups, site speed, updates, security… Simply put, WP Engine handles all the finer details of hosting a WordPress website so you don’t have to:
- They do daily backups
- They monitor security
- They have built in caching for super fast sites
- They automatically push major updates
Finally, one of the main reasons I recommend them to website owners is their customer service. They are never hard to get a hold of, and will walk you through almost any issue you have. In my opinion, I’ve seen them walk people through issues with something that is not inside the scope of their service, but they know it so well they support you anyway. They offer a safe space for you to ask questions that they are highly qualified to answer. You’re not just getting a support agent, you’re usually talking with some true WordPress nerds.
What is Shared Hosting?
For someone who is building their first website, a shared hosting company is an excellent plan. Shared hosting allows multiple websites to be hosted on one server. Most often, you will have no idea who you are sharing a server with, and what other websites are on your particular server space plan. Each website will usually have an unlimited amount of server resources they can use, but this will be defined by your hosting plan.
Choosing the Best Managed Web Hosting Spot for Developers
OK, now developers can be a finicky bunch who like what they like and anything else is just wrong – so I’m sure I’ll get some push back from some developers out there. However, as a business who develops, manages, or just oversees many accounts business sites – we straight up love WP Engine. To keep it simple, we maintain many of our projects on WP Engine, and generally start with WP Engine or move our clients onto their hosting.
My development team can build a fully functional development site and then “transfer” ownership to a client if they sign off. From there WP Engine sets up their account so they have ownership of their hosting and we can still access it in order to do our work. WP Engine handles all the billing and account stuff. Time is money, and I don’t need my guys spending their time on billing and accounts when they can be rolling out butt kicking sites. In full transparency, some of our links are affiliate links – meaning we get a little commission if you do choose to purchase hosting through our links. However, I don’t think there is a better recommendation than just using a service ourselves. That’s why this site, and many of our other projects are hosted at WP Engine. Hit us up if you have any questions in regards to the best web hosting.
Premazon Inc. Support in Adding WordPress Hosting with WP Engine
Our SEO marketing team has helped small businesses build thousands of websites since 2008 along with providing web hosting services. We have worked with managed wordpress hosting, shared hosting and work with web hosting companies such as Liquid Web, Bluehost, WP Engine and many more. Although we typically do not work with GoDaddy, there are many other options that you can choose for good web hosting. Despite not working with GoDaddy, some of our favorite web hosting companies are Bluehost, Liquid Web and WP Engine, and we frequently use them for our choice of shared hosting. They offer the most bandwidth for your website and many additional services, sometimes including a free domain name.
We love what we do, and we enjoy working with any type of business, big or little, which is why we are so dedicated to the success of all small businesses and large corporations. We offer unlimited recommendations and advice when it comes to your small business and web hosting needs. We support all of our client accounts through the entire process from building your website to setting up your web hosting, and finally developing a good plan and strategy for your marketing. We do our best to guarantee the most dedicated, reliable and quality web design and web hosting services for you and your small business or large corporation.
If you are needing help with website design, developing and/or web hosting options, contact the SEO Experts at Premazon at (877) 273-4224. We are dedicated to creating a hosting plan that is the best fit your business’ needs.
