I’ve used a number of different web hosting providers for my sites. Some have been good, while others have been downright horrible! For over a year now I’ve been using Hostgator, and I have to admit I’ve been very impressed. Hostgator’s performance, service, and support have never let me down. If you are looking to get hosting for your web site, and you’re wondering if Hostgator is a good choice, here are some of my experiences and thoughts about them. Hopefully, this information will be helpful to you in making your decision.

Hostgator uses the cPanel web hosting interface—which I prefer. However, they further customize the interface to add even more helpful information and options.

First off, Hostgator has a cPanel area for their billing system, trouble ticket system, and their live chat support. These may seem like no brainers, but believe me I’ve had hosting from other companies where there isn’t even access to your billing information readily available.

When you launch the Hostgator cPanel, you’ll also notice some extremely useful information on the left hand side bar sections. You can easily see website traffic information, backup statuses, and your account statistics—without having to launch any other icon application. I find this really handy and beneficial.

Many web hosting companies boast of their uptime guarantees and server speed. These claims may or may not be true. In the past with some providers, I have had speed issues with sites as well as having to endure some server down time. This has not been the case with my sites on Hostgator. My sites have been loading quickly and I’ve not had to deal with any server outages. In fact, you can see from the screen shot below, I’ve not had any site/server errors to deal with:

On those occasions when I’ve contacted the Hostgator Support Department, the support staff has been very helpful and have resolved any issues or questions I have had. I prefer to use the live chat support option, and the response time is great. I’ve never had to wait online very long before a tech support individual gets online to help me out. Here is an actual transcript from one of my sessions:

I really like all the options available to me with my Hostgator web hosting package. In addition to WordPress (which I use), you also can use other content management systems such as Joomla, Drupal, and phpWebSite. And if you need an ecommerce site, you have OS Commerce, Zen Cart, and CubeCart at your disposal. One of the best features you get with Hostgator is a suite of free search engine optimization (SEO) tools. Everyone wants to rank high on search engine results pages. Well, these free tools can help you with getting your site into Google, increasing your website traffic, link building, and getting Facebook traffic.

Hostgator has worked out great for me. I think you’ll be very pleased having your web site(s) hosted by them. Through a special arrangement, I’ve been allowed to offer a discount coupon code for you to save even more. Just click the link below and enter the code TOPWEBHOST25 to get 25% off on your web hosting package.

Click here to try out a website hosting package from Hostgator.

Guide: Buy Domain Names and Web Hosting
With so many different web hosting companies to choose from, selecting the company that’s right for you can be a frustrating experience.  However, you can now use our site to find the very best hosting deals to suit your needs. 

Shared vs Dedicated vs VPS Hosting
The three basic types of website hosting are Shared, VPS, and Dedicated.  Shared hosting is sufficient and the most cost effective for personal and even most small business use.  For larger businesses, you definitely want to go with dedicated hosting.  VPS is a nice compromise between Shared and Dedicated and is a great choice for an ecommerce site. 

Business or Personal Web Hosting
Before choosing which hosting company to go with, consider these basic factors:
At one time, server disk space and bandwidth was a pricey luxury. Fortunately, that is no longer the case. When choosing web hosting these days, always make sure your hosting plan includes unlimited data storage and data transfer. You really want to select a hosting plan that gives you the opportunity to grow your web presence in the future. That being the case, we recommend you also get a hosting plan that includes unlimited email accounts as well as the ability to host an unlimited number of domains. Also, look for a hosting provider that offers a high server uptime guarantee and preferably also a money back guarantee should you decide to switch hosts.

Buying Domain Names and Web Hosting
When you sign up for web hosting, you will first have to choose and purchase a domain name. Many of the names you might want are already taken but you can often find one that suits your needs– especially if you get creative with it.  You can purchase a domain name through your web hosting company, or you can purchase it through a private domain name retailer.  You can purchase a domain name for a year at a time, or for several years, depending on how much you want to invest from the get-go.  These days, most hosting companies will provide you with a free domain for the first year.  And some companies even offer a free domain for as long as you have their hosting plan.

Once you have a domain name, you can create a website to put on the Internet.  If you just want a blog, WordPress is one of the best options out there.  There are many do-it-yourself web design programs that are fairly user friendly.  Software like FrontPage makes web design a cut and paste, fill in the blank soft of affair.  For an even more professional look, you can use programs like Dreamweaver or Image Ready to build your sites.  There are always freelance web designers looking for work who are ready to take on your cause if you don’t want to do it yourself.

Web hosting companies give passwords to allow access your space on their servers.  You can upload files and pages using their own interface programs, or you can utilize the upload tools built in to your web design program.  Once you upload a page, it is important to make sure it looks correct on a variety of different web browsers.  Since each browser interprets information differently, you may run into trouble if you build a site while only previewing it in Internet Explorer.  There are often compatibility issues between Safari and Mozilla browsers that distort site tables and images.

Find the Best Cheap Web Hosting
These days, there are many options when choosing web hosting.  But if you keep these factors in mind while doing a little research online, you will be ready to select just the right website hosting provider for your site.  Then, you’ll be well on your way to a successful presence on the web!


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