Top Web Hosting Services to Use for My Small Business

When it comes to web hosting, not all services are created equally.

When your small business launches its website you might feel like your business is officially open. One of the biggest decisions you must make is who will host your website. This choice impacts not only cost, but quality of service.

HostGator

HostGator not only offers prices that can’t be beat. It also offers arguably the best customer service in the business. You can chat with a customer service representative live via the Internet, 24-7-365. The customer service professionals are happy not only to answer your questions regarding your web hosting. They will also answer questions about common blogging and forum platforms such as phpBB or WordPress. Other attractive features include unlimited disk space and bandwidth, as well as a site builder, unlimited domains and no contract required.

FatCow

Part of the trend toward “green” hosting, FatCow claims to be a carbon-neutral hosting service. For under five dollars a month you get unlimited disk space and bandwidth. Other features offered by FatCow include site builders with a very simple user interface, easy-to-use online store tools and $75 in search engine ad credits for new users. If you are running a green or ecologically friendly business, having a carbon-neutral hosting service like FatCow is almost a must.

InMotion

InMotion is one of the pricier web-hosting services on the list -- to the tune of $5.95 per month. The services comes with the requisite unlimited disk space and bandwidth that all quality services have. Customers with InMotion also get a new domain free when they sign up, as well as round-the-clock customer service over the phone. Note that the free domain basically pays for your first two or three months of the service.

JustHost

JustHost is another service offering a few domains for new customers. The site hosts an unlimited number of domains and offers round-the-clock customer tech support over the phone. It does all this for a very respectable price point, under five dollars per month for the most basic plan.

StartLogic

StartLogic is in the bargain basement of web-hosting services, with packages starting at $3.95. Unlimited disk space and bandwidth are pretty standard these days. What’s special is a $50 credit for Google AdWords, a $25 Yahoo Search marketing credit and a 30-day money-back guarantee. The latter is virtually unheard of in the world of web hosting. The guarantee isn’t so much useful for getting your money back as it’s a decent guarantee that you’ll be satisfied with services rendered by StartLogic.

LunarPages

For $3.95 you get a free domain name when you sign up, 24-7-365 live customer service and a 30-day money-back guarantee. This makes LunarPages a standard, solid and reliable web-hosting service at a price that you just can’t beat.

BlueHost

BlueHost is another reasonably priced web-hosting service that throws free marketing deals at you to sign up. Not only do you get unlimited storage and bandwidth, customers with BlueHost also get unlimited domains. To sweeten the deal even further, the company provides new customers with $50 worth of Google AdWords credits and $25 worth of Yahoo search marketing credits when they sign up.

The Right Hosting Service For You

It’s difficult to say that any of the above web-hosting sites are “better” than the next. Rather, each web-hosting service has its own pros and cons. It’s up to you to decide which of the perks offered will do the most for your business. Customer service is perhaps the most important feature, particularly for small business owners who are not technologically inclined. Whichever of these you choose, you will almost certainly be satisfied with the service provided.