Are you looking at setting up your very first website? Most beginners will quickly discover that if so you will need 2 different things. 1# a Domain and 2# Web Hosting. For domains you can buy from either GoDaddy, NameCheap or a few other places but which is better Siteground or Bluehost – Who Wins?
I’ve used both Bluehost, Namecheap and Hostgator in the past for hosting. I didn’t really have a great experience with any of them. However, Siteground I think maybe the better option hands down. Even though I’ve never used it still from my research this is the one that really stands out for me.
In fact, if I wasn’t already more than happy with my current hosting plan this probably would be my second choice. Bluehost I am not knocking I think it would probably do just fine. It is just that I think Siteground is a better value.
Both thought I would recommend for people that know what they are doing. Specifically, when it comes to writing articles and maintaining a website. If you do not know how to do this – don’t worry – I will make another suggestion towards the end of this post that you can try instead.
Then you can decide if this is really something you want to get into…
but first of all, let’s explore this first question a bit further… Siteground or WordPress which is better?
Siteground or Bluehost WordPress Hosting?
Which One Wins?
If you are looking for hosting for a WordPress website two options you might discover are Bluehost and Siteground. Both are pretty much the same prices for their cheapest shared hosting plans. Pricewise there is not much difference but for me, Siteground is the better one of the two. This is because Siteground has so much more on offer. Including various tools available that will help boost your websites for better performance, and extra features for more advanced security.
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Now, let’s begin with looking at maybe the better known hosting service out of the two. Which surely is Bluehost.
Bluehost Hosting for WordPress
– What You Should Know
Now, I said above that I believed that Bluehost is more popular. Well, what I didn’t mention is Bluehost is actually recommended by WordPress. If you visit WordPress.org it will ask you to add a domain and hosting. For the domain, they also recommend Bluehost but for my main point for hosting they recommend… You guessed it! BlueHost. Hence why so many people use it. It is literally what WordPress themselves tell you what to use. It really is no wonder.
I mean Bluehost is very good on the face of it – $2.95 a month to get started with the basic shared plan. Which, is very affordable surely but before you take advantage of this amazing deal let’s consider a few more things.
1.) This is Only an Introductory Offer
The $2.95 price is only available if you commit to a 3-year plan and with that, you must pay a total of $106.20.
Then after these first 3 years are up if you want to keep using this basic plan the price auto-renews to $5.45 a month. I’m not sure if you have to pay for another 3 years all in one go or not but just be aware of this. You can also select a 12-month term as well but again once this time is up your hosting will renew at $7.18 per month. OK, for beginners I guess.
But…
2.) This is Only a Very Basic Package
If you want a better experience with your new website, things such as SEO tools, code guard, SSL, and Sitelock security you better add on another $150 to your bill. This is not ‘the half of it’ either because this is only for the basic shared package. Which only allows you to host one website and 50GB storage of data. It is OK for those just getting started but seriously as your website develops and you have more plugins etc. This simply will not do.
I would probably suggest starting off with the Choice Plus plan. However…
3.) Sooner or Later – You Will Need More Resources!
Many beginners will not be aware of this. That is as you develop your website or websites more it is likely that you will need more resources. For instance, you will want more plugins, better speed optimization and probably more data. I think that the Pro Plan for £405.00 all in for 3 years is pretty good but then is this better than SiteGround that is the question?
So… Now,
What Is SiteGround?
OK, so If you have never heard of SiteGround this is not some new website platform that is only just making a name for itself. It has actually been around since 2004. It came out 2 years after Bluehost in 2002.
The company was founded by 3 University Students in Sofia, Bulgaria. These include current SEO Tenko Nikolov.
As of 2021 according to Wikipedia Siteground provides hosting to around 2 Million websites. (R)
It employs roughly 600 people on its team and its biggest claim is that it is built on customer care and advanced hosting technology. But how does this measure up to the more well-known Bluehost platform? Like…
Is SiteGround Expensive?
Well, kind of BlueHost is a lot cheaper if you commit to 3-years. Whereas SiteGround does not offer this kind of deal. You can get a reduced price with Siteground for the first year but after that, you must pay full price. So 3-years with BlueHost without the extra features is £76.38 or £173.91 with everything else. Whilst SiteGround is a massive £380.
However, if we compare the reduced yearly plan at SiteGround this is still more. £61.05 for the year compared to £42.72 or £140 with all the upgrades and features. It is kind of expensive definitely but the bottom line is you get what you pay for.
There is a reason why Bluehost is cheaper. It is not as good and for the first year with SiteGround what’s on offer is amazing. For instance, the GoGeek package will be the best £160 you have ever spent but after this, it will cost you £34.99 a month. Maybe cheaper with a 2 or 3-year plan but put it this way after only one year this is quite expensive.
Unless you are actually making money from your websites. Which, brings me to my 3rd hosting idea.
Although before this I will quickly show you the price tables below;
SiteGround or BlueHost – Prices Compared
BlueHost Prices 2021
SiteGround Review: Here’s What They’re Good (And Not So Good) At – Digital.com
Now, Did I Mention That I Host Elsewhere?
So, looking over everything together… I think if you are looking at either Bluehost or Siteground you should know that this can be a very difficult route to go down. Sure you have your main bases covered. Really you could pay for your hosting and domain parking for 2-3 years and not have to worry about paying anything else till much later on.
But then why I say this can be difficult is this. It is one thing owning something but knowing what to do with it is really something else completely. It’s all good having these resources but what you must know is how to use them.
YouTube is good. As is Google. They say everything you could ever want to learn is available from free resources like this but there are problems here that you must understand. If there is no order, or structure to your education. It can be just as much money going to waste not investing in training.
For instance, If you are already paying for something that you don’t know how to use then this is losing money. Whereas if you buy some training that will teach you what to do when everything is good. Which, brings me to my plan for hosting.
Since 2020 I have been hosting my websites and training with a platform called Wealthy Affiliate.
Here is some basic information that you should know;
I will explain a bit more about this below;
BlueHost Vs SiteGround Vs Wealthy Affiliate
This I can tell you from experience. I tried building a website with Bluehost and I can’t of lasted more than a month. The same with Wix and no lie last month I cancelled my $3.88 monthly payments to Namecheap after 3 years and I still am not sure what even happened. To say that it has been one bad experience after another and it wasn’t until I joined Wealthy Affiliate.
From day one I was shown what to do. What pages to set up first. Choosing a niche and how to start writing new posts on a regular basis. I never really quite understood what was on offer back then but over time I see more and more.
Since then through Wealthy Affiliate, I have created 9 different websites. Some I haven’t really done much with at all but the point being is I have been able to host all of these together and park my domains all in one place. The price for hosting is on the high end by comparison. $47 a month compared to £3-4 GBP is quite a lot but if it is the success you’re after…
You are far more likely to do this with Wealthy Affiliate than either of these 2 others. It is perfect for beginners
Maybe try one of these hosting plans but do it after you’ve taken WA’s training when you have the experience you need.
>>>Read My Full Product Review of Wealthy Affiliate Here<<<
In Conclusion
I am looking to save money just as much as the next person but as I said above I’ve been there done that. Got the T-shirt. I would recommend either Blue Host if you are looking at the very cheapest deal but SiteGround if you want the best hosting. Just all I will say is if you are willing to pay for the extra training and tools Wealthy Affiliate is definitely miles better.
Plus you also get free coaching for me. I have made a good few mistakes in my time but honestly, I will do my absolute best to stop this from happening to you. If It is success you are after then let me know.
Any questions please let me know.
Which Is Better Siteground or Bluehost? – Who Wins?
Let me know in the comments;
Many thanks;
Alex B Chivers
iBusinessToday.com
