Like many things related to technology, choosing the perfect web host can be a frustrating decision; this is especially true for people who aren’t sure about what they need. With a myriad of companies promising low prices, guaranteed uptime and unlimited resources, shopping for hosting is often an exasperating process. It is important to choose a reputable hosting company; fortunately, we have cut through all the jargon and promises for you. After reading this guide, you will be able to decide which hosting company is best suited for your needs. In our opinion, the best hosting companies of 2014
Blue Host
www.bluehost.com Founded in 1996, Bluehost offers packages starting at $6.95 per month. Although they were originally marketed towards small and medium businesses, Bluehost’s prices and ease of use forced them to expand into a bigger market. Today, they are known as one of the most reputable and affordable hosting companies in the world. Bluehost’s packages offer customers:
- Unlimited Domains
- Unlimited Space
- Unlimited Email Accounts
- Free Access To A Site Builder (With Templates)
- Secure SSL Access
- Free $100 Google Advertising Coupon
Bluehost also offers a variety of VPS and Dedicated Hosting plans. Bluehost makes installing software a cinch; they offer one-click script installations for programs like WordPress, Joomla and Drupal through SimpleScripts.
Host Gator
www.hostgator.com web hosting company that comes packed with many features; the service earns the title of “best hosting of 2014” because of their unlimited services, low prices and unrestricted bandwidth. People love that they can pay one low price for their service and host unlimited domains. HostGator provides the following with their unlimited packages:
- Site Builder
- Easy To Install Shopping Carts
- One Click Installs
- Unlimited Email Accounts
- Mail Forwarding
- Mailing Lists
HostGator plans start as low as $3.96 per month when you buy a three-year package. If you aren’t sure if you need your site for that long, you can buy packages by the month; these usually run around $7.96 for the unlimited hosting option. HostGator does their best to prevent spam; they give all their customers access to Spam Assassin. The program does wonders to keep unwanted spam and junk mail out of your inbox. Combined, all these features make HostGator one of the best hosting sites of 2014.
Fat Cow
www.fatcow.com has been providing web hosting services since 1998. FatCow has a dedicated team of experts who believe that web hosting should be simple; they designed FatCow to provide simple and affordable hosting plans for everyone. FatCow is one of the best hosting services because of their reliability and simplicity. Their packages start as low as $49 per year. All of their packages include:
- Unlimited Space
- Unlimited Domains
- Unlimited Email
- Free Shopping Carts
- Free Website Builder
FatCow likes to keep it simple; they offer straightforward plans that never have any hidden costs. If you need to spread the word about your website, then FatCow offers free marketing credits on Yahoo, Google and Facebook. When hosting your sites with FatCow, you never have to worry about installing your favorite blog programs, apps and plugins; they have a special script that can install them all for you. This simple one-click script makes installation a snap.
WP Engine
www.wpengine.com Recently, WordPress has exploded in popularity; if you are one of the many people with a WordPress blog, then WP Engine is the best hosting provider in 2014. Starting at $29 per month, WP Engine is geared towards people who need fast hosting for their WordPress installations. WP Engine isn’t the cheapest host out there, but you definitely get what you pay for when you decide to go with their service. They offer many tools to help you speed up your WordPress installs; they are highly recommended for serious website owners who need to take their blog to the next level. When you sign up with WP Engine, you are guaranteed to get top-notch support, speed and security; it is just like letting experts take care of your blog for you. If your blog ever gets hacked or damaged, the professionals at WP Engine will fix it for free. For WordPress, Wp Engine is the best hosting service of 2014.
Host Monster
www.hostmonster.com is a great place to host a website particularly for beginners. HostMonster excels with their clean and easy to use navigation and quality customer service. Their hosting packages start at $5.95 per month and come with Facebook and Google advertising credits. Visit HostMonster and you can even take a trial of their CPanel.
Dream Host
www.dreamhost.com has been around since 1996; the company is presently owned by New Dream Network, LLC. DreamHost’s packages start at $8.95 per month. They offer the following:
- Unlimited Storage
- Unlimited Bandwidth
- Unlimited Domains
- Unlimited Email
- Unlimited MySQL Databases
The company also offers a variety of VPS and Dedicated Server options. Currently, DreamHost has data centers in California and Virginia. Installing WordPress is simple with DreamHost; login to your control panel and click on the Goodies button. After you do this, you should see One-Click Installs; this will instantly install WordPress for you.
Every WordPress installation comes with Akismet, WP Super Cache and JetPack. DreamHost offers the best guarantee in the hosting business. If you aren’t satisfied with their service, you have 97 days to get a refund. If you wait longer than 97 days, your refund gets pro-rated.
Summary
Make sure to buy your service with a credit card or with Google Checkout; if you don’t, they may not honor the guarantee. There are tons of web hosting companies out there; if you choose one from the best hosting websites of 2014 list, you are guaranteed to get something worthwhile. Remember, choosing the wrong company can cause huge headaches and hassles. If you stick to our list, you can get the features you need at a reasonable price.