Dreamhost web hosting is a versatile choice that aims to meet the needs of many different website types. With a range of packages at different levels, Dreamhost also offer an outstanding money back guarantee which gives purchasers peace of mind in case the product does not meet their needs. Adopting a user friendly interface and a host of advanced features, Dreamhost offers good value for money, with access to a broad spectrum of third party applications like Joomla, WordPress and Textpattern. There are some drawbacks however, not least in the fact that Dreamhost do not offer an integrated website builder. This Dreamhost review will help you to discover all the features of this web hosting provider and enable you to make an informed decision as to whether it could be the ideal supplier to suit your website’s needs.
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Dreamhost Shared Hosting Packages
Dreamhost shared hosting is especially attractive as it offers unlimited domains, unlike many of its competitors. Only the first is provided as part of your package fee however, any extras will incur a registration fee. Dreamhost shared hosting is only available on one package, however it is incredibly comprehensive, with unlimited disk storage, bandwidth, emails and data transfers offered for a monthly fee of just $10.95 per month, or even less when you take out a one year contract. Dreamhost also offer VPS, Cloud hosting and Dedicated server options for anyone whose website is likely to expand beyond the capabilities of shared web hosting. They only have servers that operate on the Linux operating system however, with no Windows operating system servers available. This could prove to be an issue if your website is running essential components that are not compatable with Linux operating systems.
Dreamhost Web Hosting E-Commerce and Email Options
Dreamhost web hosting gives the user the advantage of having as many email accounts as they need without restrictions. As long as they are not used for spamming purposes, users can create multiple email accounts linked with their domain name very easily through the control panel. Dreamhost also offer effective antispam protection on their emails.
When you buy a package with Dreamhost you can also take advantage of a discounted subscription to CafeCommerce, which allows you to build your own online store which can feature unlimited numbers of pages and unlimited products. You can also use this tool to manage your inventory and your orders, customise your templates and make your own coupon codes. Alternatively, if you would prefer a free option, you can download ZenCart using the 1 click installer.
Dreamhost offer some marketing tools as part of your package, with credit of $100 for Google AdWords and access to ChartBeat to track your website traffic.
Customer Service and Security with Dreamhost Web Hosting
While Dreamhose web hosting fall down a little by not offering anti-malware protection on their email accounts, they do well at other areas of security. For instance, it is possible to block spiders, to modify your .htaccess file to restrict access to your site and to monitor any processes on your site. On the other hand, they do not provide SSL certification, so you would need to arrange this yourself. Advanced users can take advantage of Subversion, which allows management of source code files.
Dreamhost’s customer support is not the most accessible in the market as they do not have a dedicated phone line, however they do offer email support and also a convenient online chat facility which is professional and well informed, able to offer good quality help whenever required, however wait times to communicate with a representative can be long, which is not ideal.
Dreamhost Shared Hosting Advantages and Disadvantages
Dreamhost shared hosting has several advantages for the experienced user. Possibly their best feature is the extremely generous 97 day money back guarantee, which is one of the longest periods in the industry. This allows you to take your time to experience all that the provider has to offer before making a final commitment to the supplier.
This provider also offers a great range of features and tools for managing your domain, some of which like Subversion are generally not found elsewhere. With their shared hosting plan offering unlimited bandwidth, data storage and emails as well as multiple domains, it is easy to see how Dreamhost web hosting represents excellent value for money.
Should shared web hosting prove to no longer meet your website’s needs should it expand beyond the capabilities of a shared hosting, Dreamhost have a range of other suitable options for upgrade like VPS and dedicated servers.
There are however some disadvantages to choosing Dreamhost shared hosting. One of its biggest problems is that it offers no in-built site builder. This can be a problem for anyone who requires extra support when it comes to creating their own website from scratch. Many other web hosting companies have the edge in this case as they offer user friendly website building programmes like Weebly as standard. This aspect of Dreamhost web hosting may make it unsuitable for anyone is a novice to creating their own website. This provider is therefore more suited to those who are experienced and comfortable with building a website using their own tools. Dreamhost also offers no Windows operating system servers, so if your website runs applications which are essential and are incompatible with the Linux operating system run servers you should look elsewhere for your web hosting provider.