Siteground Review 2018 (Fast, Reliable & Customer Focused Hosting)
Review of: SiteGround
Use: Hosting For Your Website
Siteground is the hosting company we use here at eLifeTools and on the majority of our sites.
We love it and find it superior to other alternatives and absolutely the best choice for hosting newbies, but it's not perfect.
In this review today we'll show you the good, the bad and the ugly.
(Plans start at $3.95/month)
Effectiveness
Price
Ease Of Use
Support
We Like
We Don't Like
When you decide to get started with developing a website the first thing you do is go looking for a domain name.
But here's the thing:
Once you get the name you are looking for, you quickly realize that buying a domain name and getting hosting for that domain are two completely different things.
Sometimes you can buy the domain name from the same hosting company but it's sometimes not always the case.
I went through the same above issues myself when first starting and wish I had reviews like the one I am completing below to help guide me.
Who Is Siteground?
With all of their offerings you would never know that Siteground is only 14 years old, but don’t let that young age fool you.
They were founded by a few university friends that built it into one of the leading web hosting service providers.
They went from a few people working in a dorm to more than 400 employees, amassed over 800,000 domain names and host over 1,000,000 domains.
On top of that, they are officially recommended by WordPress.
How Are They Different? (The Handcraft Philosophy)
Siteground goes with what they call the Handcraft Philosophy; this philosophy has helped shape Siteground into one of the best hosting companies around.
The philosophy is applied to everything they do from how they choose their equipment to how much attention to detail that goes into their server architecture.
Their five principles of philosophy are:
Craftsmanship: This philosophy allows them to go above the standard restrictions of server management and create their technologies in the fields of server security, uptime, and speed.
Quality: The philosophy of quality has allowed Siteground to spend months testing their new solutions and create in-house systems that can be continually improved by the same people that operate them.
Passion: Siteground has the right people with the right passion for each area of their business. They have focused on a people-centric company full of people who enjoy coming to work every day which gives them their excellent customer service reputation.
Integrity: They never outsource their services because they don’t believe in templated answers or responses, they want to build more fulfilling and lasting relationships.
Fun: Where would any business be without any Fun? Siteground focuses on having happy employees so that they can give excellent service. Their employees are the crown jewel of their business which makes the customer experience great.
These principles are very important, and throughout this review, you will get a better understanding of how they work together to build one of the best and most reliable hosting companies.
Siteground Review Video | Starting A Blog
Below we show you how to start a WordPress blog using Siteground in less than 10 minutes:
What Do You Get With Siteground?
Siteground has three different traditional hosting plans, we will break down each plan below; however, all of the plans will come with:
24 HOUR SUPER FAST SUPPORT
Siteground overstaffs all of their shifts so that there is always someone to pick up the phone or do online chat to help avoid waiting times.
They also evaluate each employee’s speed and team performance as a whole on a regular basis.
Getting support fast is very important when it comes to issues with your site because if it goes down or you have an issue, it can cost you loads of money or relationships if you can’t get it back up and running as fast as possible.
Check out some recent customer reviews:
TOP DATA CENTERS
The most powerful hardware has been chosen to make sure that your website’s speed and stability are dependable.
The location of a hosting data center is a huge factor in the speed of your overall site and Siteground doesn’t disappoint; they work with only the best facilities in the world.
Highest Security
Siteground is focused on keeping your site and blog safe, they did testing with real accounts on 12 of the most popular web hosts:
They tested a WordPress and Joomla related vulnerability announced publicly and on all 12 tested hosts, both vulnerabilities were still exploitable with no problem.
At SiteGround both were patched on server level at SiteGround in up to 48 hours after their public announcement.
SiteGround was the pioneer in applying effective account isolation mechanisms to the shared hosting environment.
Nowadays, most of the shared hosts apply similar techniques but it is still possible to see an environment that is not properly isolated.
OUTSTANDING SPEED
Siteground's focus is on everything fast.
From hardware, networks and software, if there is something that will make your site faster, they want to bring it to you first.
This includes:
Amazing Uptime (99.99%)
Siteground is a pioneer in creating their own advanced web hosting security solutions. These solutions have minimized the downtime risk levels that other companies depending on mass solutions could never achieve.
Some of the tools used to achieve this up-time are:
Siteground Hosting Plans
Siteground Has Some Amazing Options When It Comes To Hosting Plans.
They allow for a fast setup with it taking only around 3 clicks to get a site initially setup and they can call you to guide you through it.
These plans also have easy website creation built into them with a drag and drop website builder.
If you have a site already, Siteground will assist you with migrating that site over.
Below is a detailed breakdown of each plan:
SITEGROUND STARTUP PLAN REVIEW
The startup plan is going to be the best option for anyone that is just getting started with their website or that already has an average sized blog.
This plan will come with the lowest amount of web storage at 10GB.
If you have only one site and are getting less than 10,000 visits to your site per month, then this plan is for you.
The Siteground StartUp Plan comes with:
SITEGROUND GROWBIG PLAN REVIEW
The Siteground GrowBig Plan is best for people who are getting less than 25,000 visits to their site per month or want to host more than one site in one account.
This plan is best for either a site with more heavy traffic or multiple sites with average traffic.
The GrowBig Plan will come with everything from the StartUp Plan and also include:
SITEGROUND GOGEEK
PlAN REVIEW
This plan is for people who get up to 100,000 visitors per month to their site or an average-sized e-commerce website.
The Siteground GoGeek Plan is hosted on instances, this is where fewer users share the server.
This plan is going to come with everything that is in the Grow Big Plan as well as:
SITEGROUND Pricing
Siteground has about industry standard pricing and the pricing is the same for both their standard "Shared Hosting" and their "Wordpress Hosting" plans.
However, when you compare the rates along with what is offered with each product, the rates for Siteground become immediately the best bang for your buck.
StartUp Plan | GrowBig Plan | GoGeek Plan |
|---|---|---|
$3.95/month | $5.95/month | $11.95/month |
*There is a one time $14.95 Setup Fee if you plan to pay monthly. Paying annually will give you the lowest overall pricing. | ||
siteground Enrollment Is Easy
Getting Enrolled is very simple as well, when you click through you will see this page:
Once you choose the plan you would like, your next step is registering a domain or putting in your current domain name.
From there, all you have to do is put in your payment info and you are all set, it's just 3 simple steps as you can see.
Quick Siteground WordPress Review
If you are looking for hosting for only your WordPress site then you are in luck.
Siteground has hosting that is specific to WordPress sites and is even recommended by WordPress.org as one of the best and brightest WordPress hosting providers.
These plans will come with all of the great benefits you get with traditional hosting, and the plan names and pricing actually stay the same.
The major difference is that the plans focus on WordPress Specific features that are needed to have the best experience starting a WordPress site.
SITEGROUND
WordPress STARTUP REVIEW
This plan is going to be the best option for anyone that is just getting started with their WordPress blog or that already has an average sized blog but are looking for better up-times.
This plan will come with the lowest amount of web storage at 10GB.
If you have only one site and are getting less than 10,000 visits to your site per month, then this plan is for you.
The Siteground WordPress StartUp Plan comes with all the features of the standard "StartUp" hosting plan, and also includes WordPress specific features such as:
SITEGROUND
WordPress GROWBIG
REVIEW
This hosting option is best for people who are getting less than 25,000 visits to their site per month or want to host more than one site in one account.
This plan is best for either a blog with more heavy traffic or multiple WordPress blogs with average traffic.
The Siteground WordPress GrowBig Plan comes with all the features of the "Wordpress StartUp" plan, and also includes:
SITEGROUND
WordPress GoGeek
REVIEW
This plan is for people who get up to 100,000 visitors per month to their blog or an average-sized e-commerce website.
The Siteground GoGeek Plan is hosted on instances, this is where fewer users share the same server.
The Siteground WordPress GoGeek Plan comes with all the features of the "Wordpress GrowBig" plan, and also includes:
Siteground vs Godaddy
I am sure you are very familiar with the crazy superbowl commercials that Godaddy is responsible for.
That level of popularity might make you ready to pull the trigger without even considering the facts and what the product actually offers.
I want to go over the differences between the two to help you understand why Siteground is a much better option overall.
PRICING
Siteground (Winner)
Godaddy
When it comes to pricing it looks like Godaddy is the clear winner as far as their most popular plans.
However, Siteground has a Free CDN and Free SSL so it comes out on top.
For Pricing Siteground is the Clear Winner!
FEATURES
Siteground (Winner)
Godaddy
When it comes to included features Siteground really crushes the competition.
For Features Siteground is the Clear Winner!
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, at the most basic level, Siteground is the obvious choice when it comes to pricing and features.
If you are looking for the best price with the most features, great up time and super 24hr support then Siteground is the only answer.
Siteground vs Bluehost
Bluehost is one of the largest hosting companies around and plenty of personal finance bloggers and podcasters swear by them.
However, this doesn't mean they are the best hosting company for you.
I want to go over the differences between the two to help you understand why Siteground is still a much better deal than Bluehost.
PRICING
Siteground (Winner)
Bluehost
When it comes to pricing it looks like it's a Tie between Siteground & Bluehost.
They both offer a Free CDN as well as Free SSL.
However, Siteground offers Free email and Free Daily backup which isn't offered by Bluehost for free.
For Pricing Siteground is the Clear Winner!
FEATURES
Siteground (Winner)
Bluehost
When it comes to included features Siteground really crushes the competition.
For Features Siteground is the Clear Winner!
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, at the most basic level, Siteground is the obvious choice when it comes to pricing and features.
If you are looking for the best price with the most features, great up time and super 24hr support then Siteground is your best option.
What Could Make Siteground Better?
My only real issues with Siteground is the fee that is charged for paying monthly payments and the low storage space limits.
I am not sure why there is a $14.95 setup fee for paying monthly, they aren't really clear about it.
However, you can avoid this setup fee by just paying annually which will give you the best savings.
As you grow the amount of blog space will be important so I am not of fan of the low disk space but if you are starting and you grow with this plan they you will be in good shape for a long time.
Siteground Return Policy
Siteground gives you a 30 day money back guarantee.
If for some reason their hosting plan doesn’t work out for you, they will refund your money 100% within the first 30 days.
It's a really straight forward policy.
Taking Action
I know this review is super long; however it's super important that you know what you are paying for when you decide to purchase any type of hosting plan.
With their affordable pricing starting at $3.95/month and solid offerings like my favorite (Free CDN & Free SSL), you can't go wrong.
When you consider that they have a 30 day money back guarantee, there is no reason you shouldn't have your blog up and running today.
Click below to get things started.
