REVIEW HOSTGATOR DEDICATED HOSTING
Since 2002, HostGator has developed a good reputation for steady reliability. Recently proclaimed the 21st fastest growing company in the U.S., HostGator is committed to making web hosting easy, accessible and affordable. HostGator reviews speak volumes about their service and their credibility. With clients in over 200 countries across the globe, the company offers hosting packages and products for personal and business needs, alike. I took a trip to the gator swamp to see if these claims had any teeth.
Ideal For
At first glance, HostGator looks to be ideal for anyone on a budget. The company’s prices are highly competitive. Looking past price, though, there are quite a few things that make it an attractive option to a number of different demographics.
Users who demand control will appreciate features like HostGator DNS that let them manage their domain. Those that are concerned about uptime (perhaps during an unexpected traffic spike) benefit from HostGator network status updates. Individuals creating their first website will find the site builder and control panels very intuitive and simple to use. Finally, every customer will find the HostGator forum incredibly beneficial when it comes to finding help from the user community.
Hosting Features
The sheer variety of plans is one of HostGator’s stand out features. From three basic shared hosting plans, to WordPress-specific packages, five VPS options, and eight Windows and Linux dedicated hosting options, there is a lot of range here for users of all shapes, sizes, requirements, and expertise.
Shared hosting plans,-- most appropriate for individual users and small businesses, include a very low cost Hatchling plan, which you can use to dip your toe in the water or run a small site or blog with limited traffic. Upgrading to the Baby or Business plan will give you more room for your online enterprises to blossom thanks to unlimited HostGator transfer domains, bandwidth, and email accounts. The easy-to-use control panel and HostGator FTP accounts make it a snap for anyone in your office to manage the site, freeing you up to run other aspects of your business. If you're looking for more substantial hosting, customizable VPS plans will take you from .5 core CPU and 500GB bandwidth, all the way up to 4 CPU cores and 3TB of bandwidth, helping you handle everything from big traffic spikes, to sprawling systems with total control. If you need to integrate your social media into your site from HostGator, Twitter, Facebook, and other widgets are available.
Ideal for big organizations with substantial technical needs, HostGator's dedicated hosting plans offer “the ultimate in power, performance, and control,” and these servers are available with both Linux and Windows. I really like the HostGator live chat support for dedicated hosting. More control can sometimes lead to more questions. Being able to have a dedicated HostGator contact walk you through an issue can be very beneficial.
Hosting Technology
The diversity of HostGator's service calls for some serious firepower behind the scenes. Many hosts offer only Linux or Windows hosting; HostGator offers both. The company’s technology allows it to provide most services a Web hosting customer from any background might need, all at competitive-prices. HostGator SSL certifications provide peace of mind for Ecommerce users. Personally, I would not enter my credit card information on any site that was not SSL certified. Developers will also like that HostGator nameserver software gives them the ability to control the hierarchy of all of the subdomains contained on their site. Couple that with HostGator SSH access and anyone on your tech team could have a secure gateway to the control panel.
Although power-intensive, HostGator also has green credentials, investing in wind energy to offset server emissions and purchasing Renewable Energy Credits (REC) to minimize the environmental impact of their hosting services.
