Top Web Host Providers for Beginners

Those who are a bit less-experienced in website development will appreciate that HostGator includes their in-house website builder for free with the purchase of any of plan. This proprietary software is both exceptionally intuitive and remarkably easy-to-use. It makes the entire process of creating a new website simple and the results are truly professional and sleek. This builder uses a drag and drop interface, has hundreds of pre-built templates, and also includes a number of customizable options to really make the page look and function exactly as you want it to.

Among the many excellent features found on HostGator are the ability to embed HD video clips, accessible quick links to your social media accounts, PayPal payment processing interface, inventory management, and an included eCommerce shopping cart. You can really enhance your website's functionality and traffic using the included SEO tools and results from Google Analytics. And, while nobody anticipates needing a website backup, the fact that HostGator offers them is an excellent feature.

HostGator’s dedicated servers are all located and hosted in a Tier 3 data center located in the USA. Not only does the site offer a solid set of features, they even include a network guarantee that your site is always going to be online. Depending on your needs and plans, HostGator's CodeGuard service is an enhancement that gives you automatic website backups. There's even an embedded feature that lets you to revert your website to a previous version, which comes in very handy if you happen to make a change which does not work out as planned.

iPage features Weebly as its website builder, and this is worth its weight in gold. The easy to use drag-and-drop site builder, is among the very best site builders. You can easily and quickly build an sleek looking page with slideshows, contact forms, social media links, maps, image galleries and more. While there are shorter term plans, the best deals on iPage tend to come from their 3-year plan. The site includes helpful customer service agents 24/7. The site also offers nearly every tool or open-source app anyone could want or need.

The benefits of iPage run beyond the basic, as iPage account holders get unlimited disk space and bandwidth, a free domain name including a 1-year SSL certificate, one-click WorkPress installation as well as an intuitive layout. Beyond just the basic entry-level shared hosting plan, iPage also offers WordPress, VPN, and dedicated web hosting for higher-traffic websites and businesses with specific hosting needs. The server uptime percentages here are quite high, mostly at 99.99%.

iPage is most popular among beginner bloggers looking for affordable and reliable web hosting services, because of its low-priced entry-level plan. But even on a tight budget, there are a few things that you should never compromise on when choosing a web hosting company for your online business. Bandwidth, server uptime, and data security all have the ability to help your website progress to the next level or hold it back as an outdated relic from a time when people didn't secure their transactions.

HostMonster offers a variety of shared, dedicated, and virtual private server (VPS) hosting plans. Though the site does not feature cloud, reseller, and WordPress specific hosting plans, there are a number of excellent features here at very low cost. These technologically advanced servers run on a Linux-based platform for terms of 12-months or longer. You also get a free domain name for as long as you keep with HostMonster, free domain transfer, massive 50GB of storage, unlimited monthly data transfers, 5 email accounts, and the ability to host 1 website on their basic plan. The advanced plans offer massive increases in terms of storage, an included SSL certificate, unlimited site hosting and email.

There are lots of helpful tools here for experienced and new website managers alike. An all-around favorite for website development, HostMonster includes Weebly. The app's drag-and-drop functions make short work of inserting slideshows, contact forms, links to social media pages, and much more. With excellent performance in website uptime, you won't have to worry about the site being down. Many of the HostMonster plans are priced very competitively, giving you an amazing value for the money. The platform supports DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) and Sender Policy Framework (SPF) authentication for your security. You can upgrade to plans with SSL certificates as well as a set of antispam protection services.

HostMonster features the Mojo Marketplace, popular Magento e-commerce application, and selection of email marketing tools including a favorite of many website managers, DaDa Mail. The easy-to-use tools also make it easy to send email-based newsletters to your website's subscriber list. While the total available services may not be needed for some users, it is reassuring to know that your website can easily be up-scaled without having to migrate servers or start from scratch. For those who are new, and do not require too many advanced options, HostMonster can certainly get the job done.

What FatCow lacks in brand name recognition, it more than makes up for it with cheap to affordable pricing for shared hosting. The customer support team members are very helpful, and this web host has some excellent server uptime performance. Environmentally friendly servers are certainly increasing in popularity, and FatCow gets all of its power needs met with environmentally friendly wind energy. The tools and benefits offered on a number of plans make it easy to create, develop, and enhance your website and get it up and fully function in a matter of hours instead of days.

The surfing speeds offered on FatCow hosted websites are far more than adequate, and are very reliable in terms of server upload percentages. There are a number of website builders here, and customers also get a domain at no extra charge, as well as e-commerce options for retail website management. FatCow site does lack Windows based servers, meaning that those working with Microsoft ASP tech are better served elsewhere, as these are not fully compatible systems. If you have any tech issues, the FatCow team is available 24/7 for you with live chat, phone, and email support.

What is most impressive about the FatCow platform is the sheer diversity of choices and available features on top of a stacked base of benefits including unlimited disk space, emails, and full bandwidth availability. These are easily accessible tools that will help give your website a truly professional feeling, even if you've never created a page before. New website managers looking for an excellent set of included features from their web host at low-cost prices would do well to swing by FatCow. Not only do they give you an excellent website at great prices, they also have room for easy expansion.

One of the often overlooked pieces involved in web hosting is the physical location of the platform's collection of servers. If you believe that most or all of your traffic is likely coming in from the USA, WebHostingPad is certainly an excellent choice. This is due to the fact that when web host servers and website visitors are physically located in the same country, the website surfing speed tends to be at its highest peak. Its easy for even the newest website admins to create a website using the included tools. WebHostingPad was created for an American small to medium size businesses, though it also offers a number of benefits for other types of websites too. 

Beyond the selection of high-value hosting packages, WebHostingPad includes website enhancement tools and eCommerce solutions to help get sites and online marketplaces off the ground. This web host platform tries to offer all of its features free of restrictions and at some very reasonable and competitive prices. The solid base of included features that come with all of the plans and solid server uptime and site speed make this a great recommendation for those who have never before taken an idea and turned it into a website. The smooth and professional look of these Weebly created sites makes it easy to attract visitors.

WebHostingPad customer support team is as positive as the rest of their site, and you can contact them anytime via phone, live chat, and email. You get unlimited hosting space and bandwidth, one free domain registration or transfer, secure webmail, and full compatibility with Weebly, WordPress, Drupal, Joomla and more at budget-friendly prices. With SSL certificates, a variety of plan options, solid site speed, and server upload percentages, WebHostingPad has a great deal to offer new users as well as experienced website developers.

Whether this is your first foray into the world of website design, maintainance, and development, or you're a seasoned veteran with tons of website builds under your belt, BlueHost offers an exceptional level of products. There's basic web hosting plans here, as well as WordPress specific options, as well as VPS and dedicated hosting for those whose needs are considerably greater than average. The SSH functionality you'll find on BlueHost adds an additional protection layer with increased level encryption, letting you and all of your site visitors to conduct any and all purchases with next-to-no anxiety about the security of your site's online shopping feature.

The included cPanel is an excellent addition. Though it may seem a bit basic, the easy-to-use format works really well, and significantly shortens the time needed to take an idea for a website from the idea stage, all the way through to sleek and thriving page. Downtime and page-load speeds are perhaps a bit lower than those of some other web hosts for beginners, but Bluehost does come with a number of flexible options and top-notch features. Those who have tremendous graphics or video-intensive webpages may be better serviced by joining one of the other beginner web host platforms, as this beginner web host isn't among the very fastest.

Yet, for many Bluehost customers, the average to above average site speeds here are more than sufficient. Should you find that it is not the best fit for your website based on speed, space, or expansion options, you're able to get your money back during the first 30 days if you are not satisfied. With a solid selection of 3 core package plans, as well as VPS and dedicated hosting available to those with more substantial and technical hosting needs, Bluehost offers a premium web host experience for beginners, as well as a ton of room to grow for those whose websites pick up tremendous amount of traffic.

With both their corporate headquarters as well as their web host servers located in the USA, NetworkSolutions offers a number of helpful plans for new and experienced website developers. And while NetworkSolutions has provided professional domain name registration for many years, they now provide a complementary selection of web hosting plans as well. New users will appreciate the premium feel of the website, the NetworkSolutions official blog with helpful tips and tricks, as well as a searchable knowledgebase, and customer assistance via support ticket, live chat and telephone 24/7.

There are fewer plans to choose from on NetworkSolutions than on many of the best web hosts for beginners, and while more choices would be appreciated, the available selection will be sufficient for most. There are intuitive and user-friendly cloud-based plans as well as more focused WordPress-optimized plans. It's also easy to get email services with these plans, as NetworkSolutions uses a helpful user interface. While some of the web development apps available are not the absolute latest versions offered, they are perfectly sufficient for nearly all users. Given that these plans are among the cheapest anywhere, working with a slightly outdated version of some app is hardly a deal-breaker.

Network Solutions also gives you 1-click access to many of the most popular website development apps including WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, and more. You can also choose from the available e-commerce features and use the drag-and-drop optimized website builder. The speeds measured here are above satisfactory, though not the fastest of all web host providers. There are a delightful array of flexible billing cycles to choose from here, running from just a month to 10-years. All of these packages include unlimited bandwidth, and though storage spaces on the entry-level plans is a bit tight, there are unlimited storage options available, as well as SSL certificates, and much more.

Beyond have some of the cheapest web hosting plans in existence, IONOS, formerly known as 1&1 brings you a sweet selection of value packed packages with many excellent features included. In addition, the platform takes pride in having excellent page loading speed, top-notch server uptime, WordPress specific plan offerings, and security features including encrypted websites with SSL certificates. New website managers will appreciate the diversity of cool pre-installed plugins, option for automated updates, and a number of other in-demand features. While more experienced users will appreciate the options for growth and expansion.

Curiously, Ionos is available in only a selection of countries around the world. Yet, with a strong customer service support team that can be reached 24/7 via phone, email, and live chat, excellent server uptime percentages, and up to 2GB of RAM, IONOS is certainly worth considering if you're lucky enough to find yourself in a location where its available. The premium resources that you find here are among the best of any web host platforms, not simply those that are best for beginners. The pages hosted on Ionos load swiftly and display clearly. There's also plenty of tools available to help you develop and enhance your page to boost your online performance.

For those who are looking to open an e-commerce shop, IONOS has you well-covered with an included Wildcard SSL, as well as SiteLock malware scanning. These state-of-the-art features enhance your website's professionalism, and make your visitors feel totally at ease in inputting their personal information for credit card and other financial transactions. Even the most frugal-minded customers will be pleased with one or more of the cheap plans with value-packed options. You can snag a better deal on your monthly bill if you sign up for a longer term plan of 12-months or longer. With a free domain and other desirable traits, beginners and pros alike will be well served by IONOS.

Even those who have never created a website have likely heard of GoDaddy, and while much of that is due to their massive advertising campaigns as an easy-to-use domain registrar, the platform also provides a number of web hosting plans for many budget levels. The GoDaddy servers are very rarely down at all, and the site loading speed here is among the very fastest anywhere. If you're in the USA, these websites hosted here load instantly, and are a breeze to navigate. Those new to the world of website development will enjoy many of the more than 125 integration options for your new website. Even experienced pros will find a lot to enjoy here, given the diversity of options, plans, and features available here at competitive pricing.

There's dedicated WordPress, Cloud, Reseller and VPS server plans, as well as shared hosting options. Many users will be perfectly served with the value-packed entry level plans in each category. It's easy to get signed up and to activate your account, and there's a sweet 30-day money back guarantee, as all of the services here are fully supported by the GoDaddy tech team. You can reach the customer support via live chat, phone, or email at any time of day or night. Though migration of websites is available, it is not included as part of the plan packages.

GoDaddy's user interface feels fully premium from top to bottom, the included cPanel frame is easy to use, and the WordPress admin layout is a delight to use. You can install any of the available templates or themes and quickly design and create a professional and polished website. If you'd like the ability to adjust or enhance your website without taking your laptop with you wherever you may go, these included templates are fully responsive and adaptive on mobile devices. There are a number of categories and industries to choose from, and new users will have no problem quickly getting a responsive and sleek website.