You know when you find one of those hole-in-the-wall restaurants that’s both affordable and really freaking good?
And you kinda worry about everyone else finding out about it and ruining it?
Well, that’s how I’m feeling about SiteGround (affiliate link) right now.
Problem is, it’s quite possibly the best web host out there for beginning bloggers, so I don’t feel right about keeping it a secret from our readers. When I find a great tool or service, it’s my responsibility to tell you about it.
So, by God, that’s what I’m gonna do! Here are 11 reasons why you should think about hosting all your sites on SiteGround:
WordPress Support
Got a problem with WordPress?
Most hosts don’t care. Their responsibility is to keep the server running, but if you screw up your own website, that’s your problem.
Not so with SiteGround. Most of their technical support team are thoroughly familiar with WordPress, and they’re happy to help you with a quick fix or word of advice.
Of course, it’s not limitless. If you have a really complicated problem you caused yourself, they won’t work around the clock to fix it for you.
But when you’re new to all this stuff, it’s really nice to know you’re not alone for the little things. Most of the time, all you need is someone to point you in the right direction, and they’ll do that for you.
Built-In WordPress Caching
When your site starts getting some serious traffic, caching is a must. No host can handle a spike without it. Doesn’t matter how good they are.
The problem is, caching can be kind of complicated to set up correctly. Some WordPress plug-ins make it easier than others, but what if you didn’t have to use a plug-in at all?
Well, look at this:
That’s a screenshot of the SiteGround (affiliate link) caching options. They explain everything; you click a button or two, and voilà, your site can handle tons more traffic.
Pretty sweet.
And if you’re scared of tinkering with it?
Well, just call support. They’ll do it for you.
Again, pretty sweet.
Built-In CDN Integration
A Content Delivery Network (CDN) is a lifesaver when you’re getting a lot of traffic. It can also speed up your site on just normal traffic days.
But setting it up can be a technical headache.
The good news:
SiteGround will do this for you too. You just head over to the control panel and click this button:
Or if you don’t want to handle it? Again, just call support.
Now granted, CloudFlare isn’t a top-of-the-line CDN, but you don’t need top-of-the-line in the beginning. CloudFlare is just fine until you’re around 100,000 visitors a month or so.
And SiteGround makes it easy to set up. Much easier than most hosts.
Phone Support
Oh, did I mention they offer phone support?
Yeah. You can call a number and talk to a human (or use instant web chat if you prefer).
That’s pretty rare with shared hosts. Most of them offer a ticketing system where you have to submit a ticket and then wait for a response whenever you have a problem.
And that’s fine for small stuff, but what about when you install the wrong plug-in, your site goes down, and everyone is making fun of you on Twitter?
Pick up the phone, call them, and they will fix it — 24 hours a day.
Daily Backups
This one is also becoming more rare.
Once upon a time, pretty much all shared hosts offered daily backups. It was standard.
Nowadays though, it’s getting reduced to every other day or even once a week. So, if anything happens to your site, and you can’t fix it, you might have to go back an entire week and lose everything you’ve done in the meantime.
Not with SiteGround (affiliate link). Worse case, you lose everything you did since the backup yesterday.
For me, daily backups have been a lifesaver. I’ve only had to use them once or twice, but when I needed them, holy cow, I was grateful not to be losing an entire week.
Free Domain Name
Need a new domain name?
Or hell, looking for an excuse to buy a domain you don’t really need but kind of want?
SiteGround has you covered. They offer a free domain name with every purchase.
Perfect for us domain name junkies. 🙂
Free Site Transfer
Transferring from a different host and worried about the process of switching over?
SiteGround will do it for you.
And just to be clear, they don’t just move over the files. That’s what most hosts do, but if it’s WordPress, SiteGround will also do the necessary tweaks to make sure everything is working for you after the move.
Some hosting companies charge hundreds of dollars for that, but it’s all included with SiteGround (affiliate link).
Growth Options
And if you’re ready to grow beyond shared hosting?
They have cloud and dedicated server plans too.
At Smart Blogger, we’re in the process of switching to one of their cloud plans now. I like it because you can upgrade and downgrade your resources as necessary without rebooting. That’s pretty unique.
But I also have shared plans for some of my smaller sites. When they get bigger, I’ll upgrade them to cloud plans too.
Personally, I’m not a fan of having multiple big sites on the same hosting account. Better to keep them separate. Many times, it’s cheaper too.
Regardless though, SiteGround can grow with you. You’ll never have to switch hosts if you don’t want to.
Great Referral Program
Most people don’t care about this, but SiteGround also has a great referral program. You can get either free hosting or a commission for every person you refer.
That’s one of the reasons why I’m writing this. In the end, this little review will probably make us thousands of dollars.
Granted, that’s not the ONLY reason why I’m writing it. I would actually recommend them even if we earned nothing at all.
If you don’t believe me, go sign up for their service WITHOUT clicking on our referral link. We won’t receive a dime, you’ll find out how good they are, and the world will be a better place. That’s enough for me.
But this is about you. If you like them, and you want to refer your friends, you can, and they will reward you for it.
Ridiculously Affordable Price
Last but not least, let’s talk about the price.
SiteGround is amazingly affordable. Right now, they are running a special discount where you can get an account for up to 62% off. With the basic plan, that’s only $6.99 a month!
Like I said, the service they offer is an amazing deal for that price. Hopefully the entire world doesn’t sign up and ruin it. 🙂
Until then, I’m a big fan. I use them myself, I recommend them to friends and family, and I’m happy to put my credibility in their hands.
Click here to browse the plans
You can thank me later. 😉
Best regards,
Jon Morrow
CEO
SmartBlogger.com
