Find Out the Facts in a SiteGround Hosting Review

SiteGround is one of the best known and most popular web hosting services thanks to its many package types and flexibility to meet the needs of many types of owners. Best suited to those whose websites are small to medium-sized in scope, SiteGround offers a money back guarantee, good customer service support, adequate security and a choice of server locations although some of the technical features are not as advanced as those offered by some other web hosting companies. Find out more in this comprehensive SiteGround review and discover if this could be the right web hosting company to meet your website’s needs.

Where are SiteGround’s Servers Located?

As server location is important to the speed and functionality of your website, you will want to know that your provider’s servers are located close to you. SiteGround offer a choice of three server locations, one in Illinois in the USA, one in Singapore to serve the Asia-Pacific market and one in Amsterdam to cater for the European market. The European server centre is the best choice for anyone who is concerned about the laws relating to data retention and privacy.

SiteGround Shared Hosting Options

If you are looking for a shared web hosting provider, SiteGround shared hosting is available in a wide range of packages to suit the needs of many website owners. As the shared type of SiteGround web hosting is not offered on a month to month basis, users need to sign up to either a one, two or three year contract. There is, however, the option to try their service on a one month trial basis that incurs a one time only setup fee. There are often promotions available that new users can take advantage off, giving discounts on setup fees or premium support services at a lower cost. Plans range from the basic start up plan at under $10 per month which is suited to sites that expect around 10,000 visitors monthly. Offering one website only with 10GB of storage, this should be suited to the needs of anyone running a small personal site, but anyone who is running a small business or expects to develop their site in the future should look at the next package up which allows multiple websites as well as more storage and bandwidth and an SSL certificate. There is also a GoGeek plan aimed at those who have larger websites that are expecting around 100,000 visitors every month. Purchasers can expect 30GB of storage and a free SSL certificate as well as 30 backups and unlimited emails. There are lots of add-ons including basic backups which can be opted into for an extra monthly charge. SiteGround also offer other types of hosting plans including VPS, Dedicated hosting and Managed WordPress hosting.

Security Features of SiteGround Web Hosting

As you know, security is paramount when it comes to running your own website, and SiteGround does not disappoint. As well as offering SSL certificates with the Grow and GoGeek plans, SiteGround also offer an inexpensive add-on to monitor your site for attacks from hackers as well as providing anti-spam tools, IP address blocking and hotlink protection. Their Leech Protect feature prevents any user from publicly giving out their password. Unlike most other providers, SiteGround are integrated with CloudFlare which improves both security and performance. SiteGround web hosting also offers a helpful SiteCheck tool which scans your site for any potential malware.

E-Commerce and Email Options and Customer Service Provided by SiteGround Web Hosting

SiteGround fare well when it comes to customer service. From helpful wizards, tutorials and articles aimed at supporting newcomers to website ownership to a 24/7 telephone helpline, the focus on customer satisfaction is high. SiteGround’s online chat facility is efficient and swift, with staff being knowledgeable, courteous and helpful, even at off-peak times. SiteGround make it easy to create as many emails as your require via a user friendly interface. Their in-built checker for password strength ensures the security of your email. Setting up an online store is simple as the icons are easy to find on the interface and there are more than 30 e-commerce application choices to select from via Softaculus as well as handy apps for billing and invoicing.

Which Users is SiteGround Shared Hosting Best For?

SiteGround do have quite limited features as well as limits placed on bandwidth and storage. This means that SiteGround web hosting is probably best suited to those with small websites, with a focus on small businesses. SiteGround’s e-commerce features show a leaning towards those who are setting up their own online small company that will see only a relatively small amount of traffic through their webpages. Their heightened security features are also especially appealing to small business owners as options like their malware scanner are bonuses for companies who would not usually be able to afford this option themselves when first starting up. Their excellent customer support services are also ideal for anyone who is a newcomer to website ownership, especially their online advice and tutorial section which helps to guide users through the website setting up process. However, as there are quite restrictive limits on storage and bandwidth, SiteGround web hosting is probably not a good choice for anyone with a larger company or requirements for larger amounts of traffic. There is also no Windows server option available which renders SiteGround an unsuitable choice for anyone whose website has essential applications that are not compatible with Linux.