Looking for the Best Web Hosting for Small Business? – Hostgator Gets My Thumbs Up!

I use Hostgator and have for about three years and not once have I been disappointed with their hosting service. But my journey with finding the best web hosting for my small business hasn’t been an easy one.

I’ve had hosting providers in the past that went down frequently, had little to no customer service; I’ve even had one go out of business on me.  None of those scenarios are fun to deal with.

With Hostgator I currently have 15 domain names on one account and pay less than $10 a month.  It would actually be less than that if I paid for my hosting a year in advance instead of on month to month basis.

Signing up with Hostgator

Being a Hostgator customer and supporter I also promote Hostgator through their affiliate program which I especially like because I can offer my followers a discount.  That means that if you sign up for a Hostgator web hosting account you can enter the coupon code ‘homenotion’ in the ‘coupon’ field and get your first month of hosting free.

Why I Boast Hostgator as the best web hosting for small business:

There are lots of features and services that Hostgator offers but these are where you get the most bang for your buck:

• Reliable Up time
• They will transfer your website over – free of charge
• Fantastico Feature makes it easy to install WordPress & Content management systems
• They host Unlimited domains, sub-domains, blogs and email addresses
• Accounts include website statistics using applications like Awstats and Webalizer
• Free access to Video tutorials and a Getting Started Wizard
• 24/7 Service & Support with online chat and toll free phone number

Like most top web hosts today Hostgator uses the CPanel function. CPanel means control panel and most quality web hosts have it. Cpanel makes navigating your web host easy and logical and it contains easy to use tools that will help you perform essential tasks quickly and reliably.  For example, if sometime down the line you want to install a user forum or a WordPress blog there are scripts that your hosting provider will include in the CPanel that will let you install these types of things with just a few clicks, that’s a huge time saver and a big relief for the technically challenged, like me

Here’s a glimpse of what the Cpanel looks like:

One of the biggest concerns I have with finding a good web host has been with finding good service and support, however I’ve never had any issues with Hostgator; downtime or otherwise.  The problems I have had were things I’ve caused myself, but with a quick phone call or online chat, each of those problems were resolved almost instantly.  Problems were never resolved that quickly with other hosts I’ve used.

Which Hostgator hosting plan to use for your internet small business

I’d recommend starting out with their ‘Baby Plan’ for $7.95 a month, if you pay yearly (it’s 9.95 a month if you pay monthly). You could certainly go with the ‘Hatchling plan’ starting at $4.95 a month but the Baby plan gives you unlimited domains and for just a few dollars more a month you have the flexibility of adding additional domains later on as your small business grows.

See this if your confused on Hostgator pricing

Business tip: Although you many have never considered this, I’d strongly recommend obtaining your domain name and your hosting service from separate companies. The main reason for this is that people using the same company for domain registration and hosting services have had truoble transferring their domain names should they need to switch hosting companies.

I’ve not run into this problem personally as I host my domains with Godaddy but using the same vendor for both has presented its share of problems for users. If you’re just starting out, I recommend getting your domain name first then registering for your hosting account.

Getting Started

Once you’ve got your domain name and you’re ready to get your hosting account, Hostgator offers reliable, easy to use hosting and you can get your first month of hosting free with your ‘homenotion’ coupon code.

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