Table of Contents
SiteGround Review: Background Information
SiteGround came into being in 2004 and has its headquarters located in Europe. With data centers present worldwide, the web host is close to managing nearly 1.9 million domains. SiteGround made a name for itself quite quickly for its responsive and multilingual customer support and its focus on providing top-notch hosting services with advanced security at an affordable price.
Recommended by WordPress.org
SiteGround has been recommended by WordPress primarily because of its customer support. In fact, it is quite famous among WP users and gives special discounts to beginners, too. Hosting WordPress sites with SiteGround is very easy. With features like one-click installation, WP staging, git integration, W-Cli, and managed updates, getting started is a breeze.
You can also get recent technologies like NGINX-based caching, SSD drives, PHP 7, and HTTP/2 to ensure excellent loading times and site protection. All of these features make it a great option for managing an eye-catching WordPress site.
Website Hosted Stats & TLDs
With 11 hosting plans, the site currently hosts 1,050,064 domains. Out of these, over 900,000 domains are .com TLDs. Other TLDs include .org, .biz, .us, and .info.
Performance, Uptime & Load Time
When choosing a host, you must look at different performance metrics like load time and uptime of the host. Such metrics affect both the user experience and the WordPress SEO ranking.
Performance Test (Pingdom)
It’s no secret that for a fast site, you need a fast web host. To make sure SiteGround is suited for the purpose, we checked the speed. In order to do so, we created a dummy site following a default theme with dummy text and images to make a fake test site. Then we used Pingdom to test the speed.
The results show that the load time is below a second, which is pretty decent.
Server Uptime & Load Time (UptimeRobot)
The next test we did was to check the host’s downtime and response time, both of which help determine the overall availability. As you can see from the results, SiteGround has been up for more than a month. Plus, it has an uptime of 99.9%, which is nothing short of impressive.
Server Response Time (Bitcatcha)
Bitcatcha is another tool that gives a more accurate picture of the response time and allows you to test the host without loading data. When put through Bitcatcha, SiteGround showed impressive results. Servers across the world performed well, with the response times being less than even half a second everywhere.
Hosting Plans and Features
SiteGround provides a number of hosting plans, including shared, reseller, managed WordPress, and dedicated hosting.
| Type of Hosting | #1 Package | #2 Package | #3 Package | #4 Package |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shared (Basic) | $6.99 / mo | $9.99 / mo | $14.99 / mo | – |
| WordPress | $6.99 / mo | $9.99 / mo | $14.99 / mo | – |
| Cloud | $100 / mo | $200 / mo | $300 / mo | $400 / mo |
Shared Web Hosting
Created for intermediate users, shared hosting is for those who want basic services at a low cost to start their own website. With shared hosting, your website will have to share its resources with other accounts present on the same server.
WordPress Web Hosting
WordPress hosting is quite similar to shared hosting and, as the name suggests, is mainly for WordPress sites. This kind of hosting usually includes additional features and tools that help improve site security and performance.
Cloud Web Hosting
This kind of hosting can be considered an upgrade to shared hosting. With cloud hosting, you have to share the resources with other servers on the cloud, making it easy to manage traffic to your site.
SiteGround Basic (Shared Plan) in Detail
SiteGround’s basic shared hosting plan is known as StartUp and includes features that most hosting users want. Since it is optimized for web hosting and is a famous plan, the website allows you to directly sign up for this plan.
StartUp: This basic plan costs $6.99/month and allows you to host one site. With this plan, you get 10,000 monthly visits, 10GB of webspace, and other features like daily backups, email accounts, free SSL, unlimited MySQL, 24/7 support, and a web builder.
GrowBig: Starting at $9.99/month, this plan also lets you host unlimited websites, and you get 20GB of web space along with 25,000 monthly visits. Other features in this plan include better speed, free backup restores and site transfers, and technical support.
GoGeek: With prices as low as $14.99/month, the GoGeek plan also lets you host unlimited websites. When you opt for this plan, you will get 40GB of web space along with 100,000 monthly visits. Other premium features you get include one-click Git repository creation, PCI-compliant servers, and WordPress and Joomla staging.
| Main Features | StartUp | GrowBig | GoGeek |
|---|---|---|---|
| Special Price | $6.99 / mo | $9.99 / mo | $14.99 / mo |
| Normal price | $14.99 / mo | $24.99 / mo | $39.99 / mo |
| Websites Hosted | 1 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| RAM | 10 GB | 20 GB | 40 GB |
| Traffic Volume | ~ 10,000 Visits Monthly | ~ 25,000 Visits Monthly | ~ 100,000 Visits Monthly |
| Webspace | Unmetered | Unmetered | Unmetered |
| Server Resources | Essential | Premium | Geeky |
| Free SSL Certificate | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Daily backup | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Easy 1-Click installation | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Free CDN | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Free Email | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Out-of-the-box Caching | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Unlimited Databases | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 24/7 customer service | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 30 day money back guarantee | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Starting Prices
Unlike other hosts, there are no special prices for long-term contracts, but you can get discounted prices on occasions.
| Prices | StartUp | GrowBig | GoGeek |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 months | $19.99/mo | $29.99/mo | $44.99/mo |
| 12 months | $6.99/mo | $9.99/mo | $14.99/mo |
| 24 months | $9.99/mo | $14.99/mo | $24.99/mo |
| 36 months | $10.49/mo | $17.49/mo | $27.99/mo |
Main Features in Detail
Domain Name & Email (Free or Not)
The shared hosting plans don’t include a free domain name. However, all packages do include unlimited email accounts.Web Space & Bandwidth
While the traffic is unmetered in all plans, the webspace is limited. The StartUp plan includes 10GB, the GrowBig plan comes with 20GB, and the GoGeek plan comes with 40GB of webspace.WordPress 1 Click
All shared hosting plans come with one-click installation for WordPress. However, if you want to have a WordPress website, then WordPress hosting is the better option since you get more features such as migration, auto-updates, and free SSL.Migration Service
It will take just 24 hours to transfer your site to SiteGround; however, the migration service is only available for the expensive shared hosting packages. All WordPress packages come with free site migration, though.Website Builder
All packages include an easy-to-use website builder that provides a mixture of templates.Other Features
When you opt for SiteGround, other features you can expect are free site transfers, Joomla staging, and PCI-compliant servers. However, some of these features are only available for top-tier hosting plans.Reliability (Security Options)
Domain Privacy Protection
You can get domain privacy protection for $12/year if you want to avoid your details getting into the wrong hands. You can find it in the User Area.Backups
All packages include daily backups for free; however, the expensive ones also include on-demand backups.SSL Certificate (Free)
All SiteGround hosting plans come with free SSL certificates, so keeping your website running won’t be an issue.Dedicated IP
Only some packages include a dedicated IP; however, you can order one from the User Area. It costs $2.50/month and is billed yearly. Your new IP will be activated within two days, and setting it up will take just a few hours.Server Location
SiteGround has five server locations, including Iowa, London, Singapore, Amsterdam, and Chicago.
Ease of Sign-up
Making an account on SiteGround is easy. Plus, you can easily choose the plan you need and enter the details. The process is quite straightforward and only takes a few minutes.
Payment Methods
SiteGround currently accepts a bunch of payment options, including American Express, MasterCard, Visa, and Discover. Unluckily, it doesn’t accept PayPal.
Account Activation
Your shared servers will be activated instantly, but cloud servers take a few minutes. Meanwhile, for dedicated servers, you will have to wait roughly 12 hours.
Control Panel and Dashboard Experience
All hosting packages including an easy-to-use cPanel. Since it is quite intuitive, it is easy to complete various tasks, like managing domains, creating email accounts, etc.
Customer Service (Support)
Live Chat
SiteGround offers decent live chat services. It only takes a few seconds to get your turn. Plus, all agents are professionals, so they can solve problems quickly.Tickets
The ticketing system is also quite good. You can get an answer within 24 hours. There are reminders, too.Phone
Phone services are pretty satisfactory, too. You don’t have to wait for long, plus the agents are knowledgeable and friendly.Knowledge Base
SiteGround has quite an extensive knowledge base available on the website, which includes how-to guides and eBooks. Resources also include pictures that make it easier to understand hosting. An FAQ section is also available to answer further queries.Money-Back Guarantee (Refund Policy)
If you opt for shared hosting, you get a 30-day money-back guarantee, while cloud hosting plans come with a 15-day money-back guarantee. However, not everything can be refunded, like renewal orders and domain name fees.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is SiteGround any good?
SiteGround is unbeatable in many aspects and is great for serious projects. Plus, you can easily upgrade to a premium hosting plan if need be later on.
Who owns SiteGround hosting?
Founder Ivo Tzenov owns SiteGround. According to stats updated in January 2020, the company hosts roughly 200,000 domains across the globe. Its services include email, shared, and cloud hosting, domain registration, and enterprise solutions.
Can I pay SiteGround monthly?
Yes, monthly billing is available for all hosting plans. You can choose your desired billing plan from the Renewal Settings.
Which is better: SiteGround or Bluehost?
When it comes to cloud, shared, or WordPress sites, SiteGround is the better option. Bluehost promises lower rates, but the speed, reliability, and performance of SiteGround are much better.
Who is SiteGround Best For?
Considering its features, SiteGround seems to be the best option for:
- Beginners since the exceptional customer support can help them out with all problems.
- WordPress sites because WordPress hosting comes with a number of great features.
- E-commerce businesses and online stores because of the third-party app that make it easy to get started.
Pros & Cons
Do we Recommend SiteGround?
Yes.
SiteGround is a great choice if you want to have a professional website. With reliable speed, good uptime, and ease of use, you cannot go wrong with it. You also get some features like a free Cloudflare CDN account and free SSLs. Plus, the agents will take care of site migrations for you, too!
If you’ve ever used SiteGround before, consider leaving a review below! Your experience might help someone make a better choice. Thanks for the support!
