First Impressions

I’ve been using web hosting services for a long time now. Not only have I used them to show my pages to the world, but I have also used web hosting to go online with customers’ websites. This experience has shown me what is useful, what is practical, what is ideal, and what isn’t that effective.

Web hosting services have come a long way since their beginnings. I used Hostmonster for many years. But, by exposing myself to the world of digital marketing and avoiding vendor lock-in, I heard about SiteGround.

My first impression was all about quality. You can’t expect the same performance from a shared hosting account as a hosting that specializes in WordPress. At a point, I believed that if I wanted to invest in quality, which equates to a better experience for my audience, I should use SiteGround or a similar company.

My experiences with the product

So, after I decided to use SiteGround, I saw an ad that the company was providing 3 free months to help people affected by COVID and those that felt a bit of uncertainty at that time but who wanted to keep going with their projects.

The payment was seamless, and what you would expect with a company with many clients who go through this process every day. I followed instructions and pointed my DNSs to the company’s servers (I purchased my domain name through another company). After a few simple steps, I had my website live.

After a while, I wanted to speed up my website. My surprise was evident when I discovered that SiteGround created a proprietary plugin made just for this purpose. So, with a few clicks of my mouse, I installed a cache plugin (to make my site load faster) and Cloudflare integration. As a result, as I write this review, my site has a GTmetrics grade performance report of A (Performance: 94% Structure:90%). And I can still tweak a few options that could improve these stats even more.

Today, I feel assured I’m not cutting corners to create an experience for my audience where I value their time. I have also found that emails reach their destination and don’t end up in the Spam folder. Although the domain name’s reputation is paramount to achieving this, SiteGround’s infrastructure also takes part since they don’t cram an unholy number of accounts into their servers.

Today, the hosting provider runs smoothly. Their installed versions of PHP allow me to update my WordPress blog without worrying there will be errors when I update the site. (I have experienced them firsthand in shared hosting from other companies)

So far, I feel happy with SiteGround, which powers the site hosting this review page you’re reading. You can judge for yourself.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

  • A plan according to your needs
  • Fast website building
  • Option to transfer your website automatically or through SiteGround experts.
  • Manage WordPress that includes installs, migrations, caching, and plugins for security and optimizations
  • Collaboration tools
  • Powered by Google Cloud
  • Free SSL certificates
  • Backups are done daily
  • Professional email
  • Beginner hand holding
  • Tools for advanced users (SSH, WP-CLI, Git integration, etc.)

Cons:

  • It’s not the cheapest option, especially after the first year
  • I had some minor issues with the internal DNS checking tool when trying to install Cloudflare

Who is SiteGround aimed at?

SiteGround, a website hosting company, provides services for anyone who wants a website. However, the company’s offer shines when it comes to WordPress hosting. As a result, it’s one of the most recommended WordPress hosting companies on the web. Why is this so? First, you will encounter best-in-class support and second-to-none service if you don’t find what you’re looking for in their knowledge base and tutorials.

If you are a blogger who cares about your readers, you don’t want to cut corners, and your budget allows, then SiteGround hosting is a strong contender. So how did I find the company? By a recommendation from a top blogger who uses SiteGround as his choice for hosting. Since I experienced fast and seamless browsing, it was logical I wanted to provide the service myself.

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Quality

SiteGround is a synonym for quality. The welcome process allows you to be online in no time. You will find many proprietary tools in the form of one-click installers, not only for WordPress but also for allowing SSL on your website, enabling CloudFlare, accessing email, etc. I have found everything I needed by clicking a button or checking Siteground’s vast knowledge base.

When you log in to your main dashboard, the features you need the most appear first. This user experience results from a custom, professional process that positions your needs above all else. Everything you need, including add-ons, is within reach.

At the end of the day, the service your readers and users experience is top-notch, which is the final result of doing business with this hosting company. If you configure your website correctly, you can set it up for success.

User-friendliness

You will find SiteGround is on par with other hosting companies regarding user-friendliness. Your dashboard screen is modern, and you will often find that implementing a feature is just a click away. This includes setting up WordPress for the first time. You had to install WordPress as a standard PHP/MySQL application not so long ago. Installing it this way meant that handling databases and PHP code were second nature to you. Costs were higher since you often needed a technical advisor, and quality advice has never been cheap.

Today, you skip many headaches by making a few clicks and filling out critical information about your website. Even if you don’t have previous experience, you can have a working WordPress website in a short period.

Potential pain points

If you are unfamiliar with hosting companies, you may need some time to get acquainted with your control panel. Even if you are a seasoned webmaster, you can find some newer best practices you can implement with SiteGround. This takes time, and not every feature you want can be done instantaneously. Ultimately, you can have a fully modern, functioning website based on a top-of-the-line infrastructure ready for years to come.

Another potential pain point could be a lack of knowledge to make use of all the features SiteGround offers you. But, again, the remedy is continuous learning, checking the knowledge base, and asking for support if needed.

Alternatives

The world of Web Hosting is full of alternatives, some better than others. I’ll show you a list of some of the most popular options next:

  • Hostgator
  • Bluehost
  • Hostmonster
  • Hostinger

I could have made a list longer, but I have had direct experience with most of these companies. They could be an option, depending on your case. You must know what you want first. That way, you can decide the best choice for you.

Conclusion

This website runs on SiteGround. Answering why is simple: Based on my research and experience, it offers the best service for my readers. I respect your time, preference, and attention. Technically speaking, the tools I’m offering save me time better spent on creating content, marketing, reaching out, and communicating.

An outstanding characteristic of well-developed and maintained websites and blogs is that, apart from a few improvements here and there, they then run on autopilot. If a brand chooses only the best options to serve its customers and audience, then SiteGround should be at the top of the list.