One of the things people ask me all of the time is where to buy web hosting for their new blogs. In a massive sea of web hosting companies, how do you choose the right one?
I have been developing websites since 2001 when I was still in college. Back then, I used a company called MyHosting, which I believe still exists. I switched to SiteGround and was a loyal customer of theirs for about 3 years until I realized that their prices were crazy high (since then, they have reduced costs).
The list of web hosts below is comprised of both US and UK based web hosts, as some of my clients are located in the UK and I’ve had much experience dealing with different companies located there.
I’ve left some details out intentionally, such as disk space or unlimited domains, because most of the web hosts these days are so similar in terms of what they are offering that the only real difference is customer service. How they treat you as a customer or webmaster is essential. Don’t overlook it.
This list reflects my personal opinion only, and that these are not paid reviews although for a couple I have used affiliate tracking links.
BizChickBlogs’ Recommended Web Hosting Companies
#1 HostGator
Customer Service: 5 Stars
Control Panel: 5 Stars (cPanel)
Cost: 5 Stars
Reputation: High
WordPress Setup Wizard: Yes
I have flip-flopped many times on HostGator, and used their shared hosting service as well as their virtual private server service. As for customer service for shared hosting, I truly believe they cannot be beat. Their reps are thorough, kind, and never condescending.
At the current moment, cost for hosting with them is $7.95/month for the baby plan, which is the one I would recommend. You need to pay upfront for the year (like many hosting plans).
Find out more about HostGator. Use coupon code “BizChickBlogs” at signup and receive $9.94 off the price of your package!!
#2 BlueHost
Customer Service: 3 Stars
Control Panel: 5 Stars (cPanel)
Cost: 5 Stars
Reputation: Medium-High
Uptime: Getting Better
WordPress Setup Wizard: Yes
6 months ago, I would have ranked BlueHost above HostGator for customer service, but ever since they blew up in popularity, they have been going down the slippery slope of “I’m the king of web hosts now, and don’t have time to address your measely issue. Use the Knowledge Base.”
I have referred a number of clients to them and wish to keep them as my personal host, but the ice is getting very thin. Right now, their customer service is a major FAIL and needs to be improved. When I first joined BlueHost, they were the best deal out there, but now that the other companies are offering essentially the same packages, BlueHost will need to work on improving customer service and give us a reason to stay.
Their affiliate program’s customer service program, on the other hand, is top-notch, and if you ever have a problem they actually have a real guy you can call to get it sorted. Very cool.
A few months ago, they had several issues with sites being down due to server upgrades. Looks like they have resolved that and it’s back to being the supreme technical host it always was.
Cost is low, at $6.95/month if you sign up for the entire year.
#3 TsoHost (United Kingdom)
Customer Service: 5 Stars (more like 10 stars)
Control Panel: 5 Stars (Proprietary)
Cost: 4 Stars for traditional shared hosting
Reputation: High
Uptime: Always Up
WordPress Setup Wizard: No
My experience with TsoHost is limited to their very cool clustered, load-balanced shared hosting, or “cloud hosting” as they call it. Although the control panel is not cPanel as many of us are used to, it is incredibly easy to use. Think about what you use in cPanel – maybe 4 things? Maybe 3? TsoHost’s control panel just simplifies things so that you can get to where you want: domains, email, FTP, and databases.
Although they don’t have a WordPress setup wizard, setting up WordPress is easy. But if you need help, let me know.
Their customer service is top-notch. When you call, you get to talk to a real person (gasp!) and they won’t make you go through hoops to get an easy answer. This is a must for me since I do so much technical support for clients and am not always ready to answer security questions like, “what did you have for breakfast yesterday?”
If you are located in the UK and need to host a .co.uk site, use TsoHost.
#4 WestHost
Customer Service: 5 Stars (more like 10 stars)
Control Panel: 5 Stars (cPanel)
Cost: 5 stars
Reputation: Not as well known as BlueHost or HostGator
Uptime: Always Up
WordPress Setup Wizard: Yes
WestHost is a very cool company (and they will interact with you on Twitter, too). My experience with WestHost is limited to WordPress blogs, and the experience was some time ago, so this review will be a little lighter than the others.
When you’re building blogs for others, customer service is key. Often times, people forget passwords, don’t have FTP information, or have had a catastrophe of some kind. I was impressed with WestHost to the point that I still remember it almost 2 years later. Good for them. 
Preferred Hosting with them is $8/month and if you were a client, that’s the plan I would suggest for you. They do have a plan at $4/month but you can only host one domain on it. That’s fine if you only ever plan to have one website.
More Recommendations?
As always, I’d love to hear from you and I’m sure other people would, too. If you have experience with any of the above web hosting companies, please leave a reply detailing it! Also, if you have other hosts that you like and recommend, let us know about them. Thanks!
About Tia Peterson
