HostGator’s reputation has taken a hit over the past year or so as they were plagued by outages and downtime. But, from what I can tell, most of this has been addressed and was happening during a period of transition as they moved their servers from one location to a much larger location in Houstin, TX.
When it comes to outages, I’ve learned to expect them… regardless of which company you’re using. There is technology that is infallible. Among all the web hosting services available out there (and I’ve tried quite a few), HostGator does a pretty good job.
Here’s why:
Ease of use
★★★★
I’ve always said that when you’re out looking for a web hosting service, you should choose one that uses cPanel. HostGator’s cPanel interface is simple and relatively easy to use, with a lot of built-in applications for installing content management software such as WordPress, adding new domains and sub domain, creating email addresses, and managing a database.
A big perk of HostGator’s usability is anchored on how easy it is to use WordPress with it. Because my sites are all on WordPress, handling it on HostGator was made a whole lot easier. HostGator uses a tool called QuickInstall, which you can access from the cPanel that also allows WordPress installation to be simple and quick.
Flexibility
★★★★
To start, HostGator already offers three options —
Typically, you start out using a shared hosting plan. When you receive a certain amount of traffic, HostGator will ask you if need more space and resources—maybe a virtual private server or dedicated server that can accommodate the growth of your traffic.
The great thing about HostGator is how easily you can transition from one service to the next. They can move everything for you and you can rest easy knowing that HostGator has an entire team to attend to all the technical details.
Support
★★★★★
On the rare occasion that I needed to get in touch with HostGator, all I had to do is to pick up the phone, send an email, or go on their live chat option (personally I’m a fan of the “Live Chat” option). I’m particularly impressed with HostGator’s dedicated customer service team, who is not only very willing to assist with any technical problem but can be trusted to give reliable, expert advice as well!
Value for Money
★★★★★
I’m giving this a full five stars. For what you’re paying for, you get access to HostGator’s 300,000 square foot data center, a redundant system (that should cut down on all future outages), UPS battery backup, and power distribution units and generators.
HostGator is also one of the fastest hosting providers available, with processing speeds that are impressive, even for a shared hosting plan.
Dependability
★★★★
As mentioned earlier, HostGator went through a very public and major outage in 2013. Despite this, or maybe because I believe they’ve learned from this, I’m rating HostGator’s dependability four stars.
The thing is, all web hosting services are likely to get outages every now and then. It sucks when it happens, but it happens. And at the end of the day, HostGator is still one of the more reliable web hosting sites that I’ve used. It’s maintained by experienced engineers and has a team of close to a thousand staffers to specifically attend to this very important aspect of the business.
Overall
All in all, if you’re a marketer who’s new to the ins and outs of the industry, I would recommend that you start with HostGator. It’s cheap, it gives you access to a lot of things and, even its entry-level offerings can handle a decent amount of traffic. This is a web hosting service that can support your growth with the kind of back end you will need for a thriving online business.
– Mercer
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