There are many things to consider when choosing a web host. Whether you’re looking for VPS, dedicated, managed, unmanaged, or shared hosting, or just anything that fits the budget. Some users require a large number of resources that can be very costly, whilst others just need the bare minimum to support their website. There is a huge range of factors that influence which web host is best suited to you, including your website size, budget, and level of expertise.
If you’re new to the world of web hosting, then it’s best to keep things basic for now. We understand that getting started with choosing a web host can be very overwhelming, so we’re here to make things simple. We’ve laid out a selection of the top web hosting providers based solely on features that beginners will care about the most. When you’re just starting out, it’s best to choose a web host that makes navigation and management easy, as well as still being feature-rich and affordable. So, without further ado, here are the best web hosting providers for beginners in 2023.
What makes a web hosting provider best for beginners?
A beginner-friendly web host will provide features that are easy to use and make the overall hosting experience streamlined for users. One of the most important factors is having a user-friendly interface. If you’re new to the web hosting world, then you’ll want to be able to quickly navigate through the dashboard to find and control all the settings you need. A web host for beginners should have a clean interface that allows you to perform even advanced actions without needing any technical knowledge.
For all users, but beginners especially, running into issues is inevitable. If you find yourself needing help for any reason, then it’s vital that you promptly receive assistance, so you don’t spend ages waiting around and potentially losing customers while your website is not working correctly. A good web host should have 24/7 customer support available, so you can get all the help you need, regardless of what time it is. An additional bonus is if a website host has a large knowledge base that you can access to resolve common issues yourself without needing to contact customer support.
An ideal web host for beginners will also have as many automatic features as possible. Your host should install WordPress automatically using one-click installation, so you don’t have to worry about doing it correctly. Even better, your host should also be automatically updating WordPress along with other features, giving you one less thing to worry about.
Last but not least, a good web host for beginners should have affordable pricing and clearly laid out plans that show you exactly what features you’ll be getting. Most web hosts can scale alongside your website, so you’ll gradually receive more features and resources as your site grows. So, it’s best to opt for a cheaper plan so you don’t end up spending more money on unnecessary resources and features. Another great addition is if your chosen web host provides a money-back guarantee. If you change your mind or find that your chosen plan doesn’t suit you as well as you thought it would, then you can easily get your money refunded.
Overall, hosting providers for beginners will be trustworthy, reliable, and have plenty of user-friendly features. Hosting a website can be incredibly complicated, but it doesn’t always have to be. Your web host can automate plenty of features, as well as providing you with a straightforward interface that doesn’t need an expert to navigate. And finally, if all else fails, the best web hosts for beginners will have 24/7 customer support that can quickly help you out and get you back on track.
What are the best web hosting providers for beginners?
We’ve gathered a selection of the best web hosting providers for beginners based on the criteria we’ve listed above. Alternatively, you can take a look at the best web hosts for bloggers, small businesses, and eCommerce websites!
Hostgator
Hostgator is a super-cheap web host that still provides top-notch performance and excellent customer support. For beginners, we would highly recommend this hosting provider as it offers plenty of flexibility without becoming overwhelming or overcomplicated.
With Hostgator, you’ll have one-click WordPress installation as well as daily automatic backups and easy recovery options. This web host provides users with a simplified control panel that makes tasks such as scaling resources and managing accounts a breeze. There are also various security measures including automatic malware removal, free CodeGuard (automatic site monitoring), and free SSL certification.
This web host is equipped with cPanel, which is a dashboard that’s renowned for being beginner-friendly and not having a steep learning curve. If you want to accomplish tasks such as organizing files, checking server usage stations, installing new applications, and managing security tools, then cPanel makes it easy and straightforward to do so. With this dashboard you can complete complex tasks with just a few clicks, making the overall management process a whole lot easier.
cPanel is a very popular control panel that is used by a variety of web hosts and is most commonly used across shared hosting plans. With Hostgator’s shared hosting plans, you also receive unlimited bandwidth/disk space, free SSL certification, SEO analytics, and 1-year free domain registration.
All of Hostgator’s hosting plans come with 24/7 support via live chat or phone and there is also a wide range of resources available for users to search and resolve any common queries. To top it all off, Hostgator offers a generous 45’day money-back guarantee, so you can try out any hosting plan for free.
Overall, Hostgator is a fine choice for beginners as it’s cheap, reliable, and easy to use. If you’re looking for a good level of flexibility, security, and performance, but still don’t want to be out of your depth, then Hostgator is another terrific option.
Bluehost
Bluehost is another fantastic choice for beginners due to its affordability and range of user-friendly features. Powering over 2 million websites globally, Bluehost has steadily built up a loyal customer base since its foundation in 2003. This web provider is now one of the largest in the world and is showing no signs of slowing down.
Bluehost provides a one-click installer and a simple setup wizard, so you can quickly get your website up and running without any big obstacles. With WordPress, this web host also completes automatic updates, so you’ll always have the newest available software. Even better, Bluehost has recently launched a new drag-and-drop WordPress website builder that helps users to build websites much faster and easier than ever before.
This new creation tool includes helpful features such as blog post management, SEO features, and provides hundreds of desktop-friendly templates. This tool is useful for unsure users where to begin when creating a WordPress website as it makes the building process simple whilst still allowing almost limitless customization.
Alongside the website builder, Bluehost’s WordPress plans come packed with great features such as custom themes, 1-year free domain registration, advanced security protocols (including 2FA), and plugin support. Bluehost is an official web hosting partner for WordPress, meaning that you can expect highly optimized and dependable servers. Bluehost also has available plans for shared, dedicated, and VPS. Additionally, all available plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can test out the features without needing to commit to a lengthy subscription.
Bluehost also has a very knowledgeable customer support team who are available 24/7 to assist you with any issues. The best part of all is that this web hosting provider is highly affordable, making it ideal for beginners. With a cheap Bluehost plan, you get a large variety of features that are laid out in a simplified and streamlined interface. That’s why you can focus on your website’s content rather than spending time and money worrying about all the ins and outs.
SiteGround
For beginners who want fast speeds and security, SiteGround is the perfect choice. This web host focuses on accessibility and has an exceptional customer support team who are highly knowledgeable when it comes to hosting. SiteGround may be pricer than other options, but its glowing worldwide reputation and loyal customer base prove that this web host is well worth the higher cost.
With SiteGround, WordPress is installed automatically using the helpful setup wizard and any additional updates/backups are also automatic. All plans come with free SSL certification, unmetered bandwidth, and email hosting. SiteGround has built its own dashboard that allows you to easily and quickly manage your website. This web host also offers a variety of WordPress plug-ins that can help improve the overall experience of creating your website. There is also a range of security features, including anti-spam tools such as SpamAssassin and a SiteCheck tool that automatically scans your website for malware.
SiteGround is best known for its outstanding customer support team who are both highly professional and knowledgeable. You can choose between tickets, live chat, or phone support, all of which are available 24/7. If you happen to run into any issues, then you can be sure that someone capable from the SiteGround support team will quickly come and assist you. There is also an extensive knowledge base available on the SiteGround website that is packed full of guides, tutorials, and even podcasts, so you’ll have endless resources available for if you want to resolve any issues yourself.
Although SiteGround is costly, it has top-notch uptime, meaning that your website will rarely have any downtime. This is incredibly important as you can quickly lose customers if your website is regularly down. SiteGround also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for if you happen to change your mind. All in all, even beginners can make use of SiteGround’s range of advanced features to help manage and customize their websites. If you want a first-class web host that still accommodates newbies, then SiteGround is the way to go.