The present-day business world is all about having an online presence. Your potential customers are online and the best way to reach out to them is through a business website.
And to achieve this you need the services of a web host who will give you space on the server. Thus, your website will be accessible by everyone on the web. To decide which web host provides the most efficient services and who meets your business requirements an in-depth review is necessary.
With over 8 million domains and one of the widely known web host, HostGator is a big name in the industry. It was started in the year 2002 and achieved monstrous growth due to its wonderful shared hosting plans, excellent customer service, and reliable hosting.
It has its headquarters in Texas with total employee strength of 850+.
Let us see what features it offers to the users, and also its pros and cons.
Features
When it comes to hosting plans, HostGator has a lot to offer. It gives you an option to choose from shared hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated servers, cloud hosting, and WordPress hosting plans. Each plan has its own set of features and is aimed at catering to the needs of different budgets.
Shared hosting- This is the most basic plan that HostGator offers starting at $2.75/month. If you have a new website with low traffic, this is a very affordable option.
Cloud hosting- If you want a better performing shared hosting plan then cloud hosting is the answer. It offers better speed and reliability and hence is priced at $4.95/month.
Managed WordPress hosting- If you have a WordPress site to host then this is the best way. HostGator allows free migration with a plan price of $5.95/month.
VPS hosting- If you want server resources exclusively for your site and don’t mind spending then VPS hosting is for you. It starts at $29.95/month.
Dedicated hosting- This hosting plan is specifically for large e-commerce businesses. It offers unmatched scalability and power with prices starting at $ 118.99/month.
A web host’s customer service is a big indicator of its performance. HostGator scores pretty well when it comes to providing customer assistance. They have a 24/7 phone and live chat option to assist the users.
One can also seek help from their ticket-based email system. Additionally, HostGator caters to its users through its portal which consists of knowledge-based articles and video tutorials.
•99.98% Uptime
A strong and stable uptime is what keeps a web host on top. HostGator has recorded an uptime of 99.98-100% consistently for quite some time now. And the best part is that HostGator like many others in the industry promises a one-month credit if their uptime drops below 99.90%.
If you are a beginner then HostGator has got you covered rightly. It is tailor-made for beginners, bloggers, and experts alike. On their site, you will find plenty of tutorials and help to walk you through the world of data centers.
If you are a newbie looking to set up a website then HostGator has that too. Their website builder comes with a free hosting and domain name feature. It also offers drag-and-drop feature, customizable templates, and free SSL.
With HostGator, you get a free domain name for the first year. If you want to opt for a .com domain then you can avail of it at $12.95 for the first year. However, for the subsequent renewal, a fee of $17.99 is levied.
If you opt for the Baby and Business plan then you can avail unlimited domain names. All the 3 plans come with unlimited subdomains.
As far as webspace is concerned, HostGator does not place any limitations on the same. However, it only allows you to store web files, emails, and user-generated content.
Another outstanding feature with HostGator is the email marketing software provided by Constant Contact. This valuable feature allows users to reach the audience efficiently through email campaigns and regular newsletters.
Every plan at HostGator is accompanied by a free SSL certificate. In addition to this, it also protects your site from DDoS attacks which occur when a huge volume of fake traffic floats aboard restricting the actual visitors from accessing the site.
HostGator also claims that their physical servers are highly facilitated with restricted access. To have additional security for your site, you can purchase the SiteLock security starting at $ 1.94/month.
The backup feature of this web host is not one of the best in the industry. Though it has well-performing servers that do not malfunction often if you need a large amount of backup you may have to do it all by yourself.
HostGator carries only weekly backups and if you want to restore your site from a backup it asks for additional fees.
Sounds interesting, isn’t it? If you are a nature lover then this can be a big plus point while you lookout for a web host. You’ll be happy to know that HostGator is a green energy company. This means that their business activities do not harm nature.
They buy Green-e certified Renewable Energy Credits and this is one of the most unique selling points.
Pros
•45-day money back
•Shared hosting has several features
•Excellent uptime
•Impressive customer service
•No limitation on bandwidth
•Value for money
•Drag-and-drop website builder
•Flexible billing durations
•Extra charges
•Lacks Windows-based VPS hosting
•No free domain on signing-up
Final Word
After this review, we can say that HostGator is a decent web host out there. Its beginner-friendly approach, impressive uptime, and good customer support make it a good contender. The fact that its shared plan offers several features is a rare sight.
If you are a beginner looking to create a website and host it then HostGator is a good choice.
A2 Hosting is a web hosting provider that has been in operation since 2003.
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