Best Web Hosting For Small Businesses

Web hosting is an essential part of establishing your small business’s online presence. It can determine how your website functions and ensure your content, data and assets are secure.

There are numerous web hosting providers, making it difficult to choose the right one. With that in mind, we've compiled a list of the best web hosting services for small businesses.

Read on for web hosting reviews and information on choosing the best service.

Our Top Picks for the Best Web Hosting for Small Businesses

• Best Pricing: DreamHost
• Best Storage Space Options: HostGator
• Best for New Businesses: Hostinger
• Best for Customer Service: Namecheap
• Best for WordPress Websites: Bluehost
• Best Uptime: IONOS
• Best for Ease of Use: GoDaddy

Best Web Hosting for Small Businesses Reviews

Why we chose it: DreamHost offers hosting plans with introductory pricing and affordable renewal rates.

Building a website is straightforward with DreamHost. You can easily install WordPress, manage SSL certificates, set up your email and use one of two website builders.

You can choose a monthly, yearly or three-year plan at a discounted price for the first three months or the first year. These plans also feature affordable renewal rates. Shared hosting plans renew for as little as $6.99 per month while DreamPress plans renew at $19.99 per month.

Different plans are available for each hosting option, so companies can choose a plan based on their number of websites and monthly visitors, email availability, storage needs and other features.

Most plans come with unlimited traffic and unmetered bandwidth, unlimited email and a large amount of storage. A plan with unmetered bandwidth means your host won’t measure how much data is uploaded or downloaded on your site. However, it will still likely limit the data speeds.

DreamHost’s customer service is lacking in some areas. For example, it doesn’t have a customer service phone number, so all issues must be resolved online. Existing customers can log into their accounts and use the Support section to chat or create a ticket. Those without an account must fill out the contact form on the website for help.

Despite these limitations, DreamHost has excellent customer reviews that consistently acknowledge great customer service and website-building assistance.

Why we chose it: We chose HostGator as the best web hosting company for storage because its plans include unlimited storage or disk space and unmetered bandwidth.

For those looking to start an e-commerce store, Gator's website builder includes features such as mobile-optimized templates, free private domain registration and free SSL.

Depending on your plan, you may be able to choose between a one-, six-, twelve- and 36-month billing cycle. HostGator also offers affordable introductory pricing, but after the first term, you'll be billed at the renewal rate. Renewal pricing starts at $7.99 per month for shared hosting and $9.95 for WordPress Hosting.

HostGator provides 24/7 customer support for all of its plans. You can contact customer service through live chat or over the phone at (866) 964-2867. Most customers seem to have a good experience with HostGator’s customer support, although many say that they needed to contact customer service more than once to get their issue resolved.

Why we chose it: Hostinger is the best web hosting company for new businesses because its plans and guided setup are designed for users that lack experience building websites.

While some of Hostinger's plans include unlimited bandwidth and storage, even its more advanced plans have a traffic limit of around 100,000 visitors. This makes Hostinger more suitable for smaller businesses still working on their online presence.

The Hostinger dashboard is very user-friendly and the guided setup makes it extremely easy to get started. Its plans also offer features that can grow with your business. Hostinger's services can be purchased on a monthly, yearly, biannual or quadrennial basis. And all plans except the monthly option offer introductory pricing for the first term.

After the introductory period, Hostinger's basic shared hosting and WordPress hosting plans renew at $3.99 per month. While this is exceptionally affordable, keep in mind lower tier plans may lack some of the features you need or want. For example, they don't include WordPress staging, which allows you to install plugins and change themes without disrupting your site's live version.

All of Hostinger’s plans include 24/7 customer service. However, you must be an existing customer to access the live chat. Otherwise, you'll need to send the company an email or use the helpful articles on its website. Many customers experience fast response times from customer support, and issues seem to be resolved quickly.

Why we chose it: Besides offering 24/7 online support, Namecheap has many articles to help customers with general and product-specific questions.

While most of its plans have storage limits of up to 120 GB SSD, its Stellar Plus shared hosting plan features unmetered SSD, which means Namecheap won’t measure the size of your website files. In addition, some plans include automatic backup and unlimited mailboxes, making it easier to keep your website up and running and giving you several ways to communicate with customers.

While recent customer reviews indicate Namecheap may struggle to keep up with customer service tickets, it generally has quick response times. In addition, it appears to respond to critical customer reviews by looking into issues that customers report and offering resolutions. While it doesn't provide support over the phone, customers can get assistance online 24/7 and access an ample library of helpful resources.

Namecheap offers introductory pricing on many of its plans, so you can pay less during the initial term. Its shared hosting plans have slightly lower-than-average renewal rates starting at $4.48 per month. In addition, Namecheap’s WordPress hosting offers a 30-day free trial.

Why we chose it: Bluehost is one of the oldest and most reliable web hosting companies in the market. It's recommended by WordPress, and all of its WordPress and shared hosting plans include great features such as a free domain, a free content delivery network (CDN) to help speed up your site's loading time and a free Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate for at least the first year.

Bluehost’s storage limits go up to 100 GB SSD, which should be sufficient for a small- to medium-sized business. It also offers 24/7 live chat and phone support and has a large library of guides and video tutorials.

Most of Bluehost's plans are billed annually or every three years and offer introductory pricing for the first term. However, plans renew at higher-than-average prices, especially for the more advanced plans. Renewal rates for shared hosting and WordPress hosting start at $9.99 per month.

Customer feedback for Bluehost varies. Some customers report issues obtaining timely resolutions while others say they obtained help quickly. Other customers cite downtime and loading issues and excessive marketing materials urging them to purchase upgrades, which can be a nuisance.

Why we chose it: We chose IONOS as the best web hosting company for reliable service because it tends to live up to its 99.99% uptime guarantee and offers great customer support.

IONOS offers most types of hosting, with the exception of reseller hosting. While its basic plan only includes 10 GB of storage, its more advanced plans offer unlimited storage, websites and databases. All plans also include a free domain for the first year, as well as a free SSL certificate and email.

IONOS reportedly has very good uptimes and fast loading speeds, which makes for responsive and reliable websites. According to two uptime monitoring companies (Uptime Robot and HetrixTools), IONOS maintained at least a 99.9% uptime rate in 2021.

IONOS has excellent introductory pricing on some of its hosting plans. You can buy a hosting plan on either a monthly or yearly basis, but the introductory pricing will only last for the first term. Its renewal prices are average compared to other web hosting companies starting at $6 per month for shared hosting and $4 per month for WordPress hosting.

Another feature that differentiates IONOS is its dedicated 24/7 customer support line, which can be reached via phone, email or chat.

That being said, your customer experience may depend on the service representative that receives your request. Users report both positive and negative experiences when trying to get help.

Why we chose it: GoDaddy is the best web hosting company for ease of use because it offers features that make it extremely easy to set up an account and start designing your website.

While all of Go-Daddy's shared hosting plans have unmetered bandwidth, you can only receive up to 100 GB SSD. Nevertheless, most plans come with free SSL, email and other features for at least the first year, depending on the plan term.

Setting up your website with GoDaddy is easy. You can choose your domain name, select a data center closest to you and install WordPress within a few minutes. GoDaddy also offers templates to further simplify the website design process.

GoDaddy’s hosting plans come with great introductory pricing but its renewal rates, which start at $9.99 per month for shared and WordPress hosting, are about average. And while customers can choose between several billing plans (monthly, annually, every two years or every three years), one-year plan terms and above come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

GoDaddy offers 24/7 customer service via live chat, text or over the phone. While it has a relatively good reputation, several online customer reviews highlight issues with unauthorized charges and refunds. The customer experience seems to rely heavily on which representative handles your requests.

Other web hosting providers we considered

Along with the companies listed above, we also considered the following for the best web hosting and email for small businesses.

Cloudways

Cloudways is a growing cloud hosting company that could be a good choice for new business owners and individuals without much technical experience. While it doesn't offer introductory prices, it only charges for what you use and offers a free three-day trial (no credit card details required).

iPage

iPage tries to simplify web hosting by offering a choice of one shared hosting plan or two WordPress hosting plans. It offers one-, two- or three-year plan options, but renewal rates are slightly higher than average. Plans start with the most basic features but can be customized through add-ons.

Web Hosting for Small Businesses Guide

If you’re looking to find the best web hosting service for your small business —or are interested in starting a blog or making money from home — having a basic understanding of how web hosting works can help you make a better-informed decision.

The guide below covers basic information on how web hosting works.

What is web hosting?

All websites need to have a hosting service provider in order for online users to view the site. When a company hosts websites, it stores website files such as code and images on its servers.

Web hosting helps create a stronger web presence for your business since hosts typically provide backup services and security features to protect your website and content.

How does web hosting work?

Web hosting companies use computers called servers to store your website’s files. When someone wants to view those files (by visiting your website), they type your site’s address or domain name into their browser. This triggers a request to the web host’s server, which sends your website’s data directly to the person’s browser and allows them to see your site on their device.

Most web host providers also act as domain registrars and can therefore help verify the availability of your desired domain name and make sure it continues to direct traffic to your website moving forward.

Purchasing a web hosting plan can often grant you access to other features and administrative capabilities. For example, web hosting services may provide Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates to ensure a safe connection between your customer's browser and the host's servers.

You may also be able to maintain backups of your website, change its design or set up email accounts for your business.

Large businesses may choose to invest in servers and other technology to host their websites themselves. However, this is not a feasible option for most small or medium-sized businesses, and a web hosting service is often more cost-effective.

Types of web hosting

Besides self-hosting, web hosting providers offer many other types of hosting:

• Shared hosting: Shared hosting is when a provider hosts multiple websites on one server. This cheaper option is best suited to simple websites with low-to-medium traffic.

• Dedicated hosting: Dedicated hosting is when a provider allows you to use a whole private server. This is more expensive than shared hosting but is suitable for large websites with a lot of traffic and owners who want more technical control.

• VPS hosting: With this option, websites are stored together on one server, but customers have a dedicated portion (think of it as a partition) called a virtual private server (VPS).

• Cloud hosting: Cloud hosting uses interconnected physical and virtual servers to provide infinite data storage and scalability. The risk of downtime due to hardware failures is also lower. These reasons make cloud hosting more expensive than other options.

• Reseller hosting: Reseller hosting allows customers to use a specified amount of space to host multiple other websites for other parties. For example, this option would be ideal for an agency that manages customer websites.

How to pick a web hosting site for small businesses

Choosing the right web hosting options can be essential to your online success, especially if you’re starting a business. Consider the factors listed below to choose the best web hosting service.

Determine your budget

Most web hosting companies offer different plan options that allow for flexibility and cost savings. For example, you can choose a longer-term plan for a lower monthly rate or a shorter-term plan with a higher monthly rate but with the option to cancel anytime.

Web hosts also generally offer introductory rates, so consider renewal rates and budget for a price increase — which can sometimes be two times higher than the introductory rate.

Some web hosting companies also offer money-back guarantees. Read the host's refund policy before you sign up, as this can help you speed up the process if you decide the service is not a good fit for your business.

Consider your business needs

All businesses have unique website needs. If your website has a lot of video content, for example, you may need more storage space than a business with more text content. In such a case, you would be better off with a hosting service that provides different content delivery network options for increased loading speeds.

In addition to standard hosting plans, some web hosts offer plans and tools designed for e-commerce businesses. These could include website builder tools, inventory management capabilities, calculators and one-click installation of various third-party apps.

Finally, you may want to choose a web host that is specifically designed to work with your content management system (CMS). Most web hosting providers offer WordPress-specific hosting, as that tends to be the most popular platform.

Choose how much storage your website needs

The files that make up your website are stored in the web host's servers. If you don't have enough storage, your website could take longer to load and may not display content properly.

Bandwidth also plays a role in your site's loading speed and user-friendliness. If you don’t have enough bandwidth, your website will slow down when your traffic approaches bandwidth limits.

While small businesses typically require less storage and bandwidth than larger ones, having more bandwidth and storage can allow you to add other features and different types of content to your web pages.

Compare site features

To get the best deal for the features you need, compare different web hosting plans.

The features you need will depend on the type of business you own and how you set up your site. Start by ensuring you have enough storage and bandwidth, then consider add-on features.

Common add-ons include:

• Free domain registration: You can choose a domain name without purchasing it through a domain registrar. However, you may need to pay a renewal fee.

• SSL encryption: This lets you secure your website and ensure your files and customers’ information are safe.

• Email hosting: You may be able to set up one or more email accounts for your business.

If you have plans of scaling in the near future, consider a provider that offers several plan options and add-ons that can grow with your business.

Your web hosting service should also provide features to keep your website safe. For example, you might choose a plan with automatic backups and SSL certificates.

How to transfer web hosting from one company to another

Transferring your web content from one host to another is relatively simple, as many companies provide free migration services. In such cases, you can use the guided setup to transfer your website. You may also be able to contact the company’s customer support team for help.

If your host doesn't provide free migration services, you'll likely have to pay for it or complete it yourself. You can start the transfer process by buying a hosting plan with a new provider. Then, you should back up your website’s files and databases, which can be uploaded to your new host account.

You must also point your domain to the new server. Many hosts provide guided tutorials for this process.

How We Chose the Best Web Hosting for Small Businesses

We used the following factors to choose the best web hosting for small businesses:

• Pricing and plan availability: When choosing the web hosting providers listed above, we considered the various web hosting options they offered. Access to multiple plan options can help businesses find the right service for their needs. We also considered pricing, including introductory and renewal rates, and refund policies.

• Features: We preferred web hosting companies that offer a variety of features that allow for flexibility and customization, such as unlimited bandwidth and storage, free domain registration and SSL encryption.

• User experience: We checked customer review sites to understand user sentiment with regard to web hosting services. We also looked for companies with intuitive platforms that make it easy for customers to manage their sites.

• Customer support: We evaluated each company based on customer support features and preferred companies that offer 24/7 customer service through email, live chat or web forms.

Summary of Money’s Best Web Hosting for Small Businesses

• Best Pricing: DreamHost
• Best Storage Space Options: HostGator
• Best for New Businesses: Hostinger
• Best for Customer Service: Namecheap
• Best for WordPress Websites: Bluehost
• Best Uptime: IONOS
• Best for Ease of Use: GoDaddy