Before you launch your website, the inevitable first step is securing web hosting. HostGator offers small businesses a solid hosting experience, with server options to fit a variety of needs and budgets, as well as built-in baseline security measures. It has a user interface that’s easy to navigate and should not deter even newbie site hosters.

The pricing plans are, at a glance, very affordable. Still, it’s important to remember that it hikes up monthly pricing after an introductory period and that many of its helpful features are available only at additional costs.

You can build out your hosting needs as you want, but most features cost extra. Image source: Author

Who is HostGator for?

With servers based only in America, HostGator is best if you are launching and building a small…

WP Engine is WordPress-centric web hosting, exceptionally well-optimized for WordPress created sites and pages. While that gives WordPress CMS users a good edge, it comes at a cost, more than many other server options. The cost of WP Engine offsets the theoretically “free” nature of WordPress.

It makes creating WordPress pages easy as you don’t need to install WordPress since WordPress comes pre-installed separately. This saves you time since you don’t need to spend additional effort setting up and registering emails, logins, etc. individually.

Content creation is easy, as WP Engine mimics WordPress, enabling you to set up pages, posts, and other items quickly. When it comes to managing your website, as noted, WP Engine has excellent uptime and fast page loading speeds.

While…

What The Ascent looks for in a great web hosting software

As we take a look at different web hosting services, there are a few essential qualifications that each entry must meet to be considered one of our picks for the best. Not only should they have some key features (security and SSL, file storage, etc.), but they should also have strong showings in the following three categories.

Easy to use

Of course, you want every tool in your business arsenal to be relatively hassle-free, but that is especially true for your website host. As a small business, you likely won’t be doing too many crazy customizations on your server, so you don’t need anything super complex.

You also know that keeping your website up and running is paramount, so getting that basic function done should be as…

In the age of burgeoning mobile internet usage and global internet penetration rates, a business without a website practically doesn’t exist.

Then again, there are legitimate reasons for not needing a website, such as:

• You have way more customers than you can handle
• Your business is making tons of money even without an internet presence
• Your customers don’t use the internet
• You don’t want your business to be found

But if none of the above applies to you, you probably need a website for your business.

For a small business owner with limited technical skills, building a website from scratch can be intimidating. Sure, you can always…