SiteGround Review
This SiteGround review portrays the pros and cons of the web host founded in 2004 by a group of university friends in Sofia, Bulgaria.
SiteGround has expanded considerably and now has a presence in various nations, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Spain, and Australia.
In this SiteGround review, we have conducted extensive tests on its hosting plans to determine if it fits your requirements correctly.
SiteGround Highlights
SiteGround provides a small but adequate selection of web hosting services that cater to most users’ needs. Its hosting packages are highly regarded for their affordability, which makes them a compelling choice in the industry.
SiteGround offers shared web hosting plans along with WordPress hosting and WooCommerce hosting, which are ideal for websites with an online store with support for online payments and configurable shipping options. While VPS solutions aren’t available, they do offer cloud hosting and Reseller services as an alternative.
It’s important to mention that the hosting solutions provided by SiteGround don’t come with free domain names, meaning that you need to shell out additional money during the checkout process. The common .com domain name extension, for example, starts at $17.99 USD per year.
SiteGround strongly emphasises customer support and strives to achieve high levels of satisfaction, as evidenced by the positive reviews it has received on platforms such as Trustpilot. Users can expect reliable assistance from the knowledgeable support team, which has contributed to SiteGround’s positive reputation.
It has data centres located in four parts of the world, making it an excellent option for web hosting virtually anywhere.
Pros
- Data centres in four continents
- The control panel is easy to work with
- Extensive services, even on lower-tier plans
- Good value for money
Cons
- High hosting plan renewal costs
- Fewer hosting plan options
- No free domain names
- Low storage options
Quick Info
WooCommerce Hosting | Yes |
Website builder based on Weebly | Yes |
Fast server setup | Yes |
Ready to try SiteGround?
SiteGround has been in the market for years, and through its competitive pricing and plentiful web hosting options, it aims to gain more ground in the industry. Try it for yourself!
Starting from $2.99/mo
SiteGround's General Performance
3.4/5
One of the standout features of SiteGround is its strategic use of local data centres. SiteGround offers data centres in four parts of the world, so that no matter where you live, you can be sure to experience good website loading speeds.
This localized approach ensures that all visitors experience quick and uninterrupted website access.
Apart from that, SiteGround has a global presence with multiple Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) distributed worldwide. This network allows the hosting provider to serve your website’s content from the nearest location to your visitors, reducing latency and offering better loading speeds.
In our SiteGround hosting review, we measured the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), a crucial metric indicating the time taken for the main content of a web page to load.
The LCP we observed fell between the range of 700 to 800 ms. This indicates that SiteGround’s servers are speedy and efficient, allowing your website’s visitors to access your content swiftly.
SiteGround's Uptime Report
3.5/5
SiteGround’s uptime is a strong selling point of this web host.
SiteGround backs up its web hosting with a 99.9% guarantee for every user, and during our testing, the average uptime we measured was between the guaranteed time.
Regarding competitors, we found out that SiteGround offers a satisfactory guarantee for buyers wanting to get their site up and running. This is more true for those relying on online sales who need to have an always-on website.
SiteGround's Support Service
3.9/5
Support plays a crucial role in a smooth hosting experience for users.
In our SiteGround review, we saw that its support was very attentive, and the staff could address any issues and answer our questions.
Our experience with its support was generally good, with fast responses and precise answers. However, on some occasions, we did have to wait a little longer before being connected to another rep. Additionally, its highly informative knowledge base makes SiteGround a great option for first-time users.
These were the average support wait/response times encountered during our SiteGround hosting review:
Live Chat | 0m 32s |
Phone | 0m 17s |
19m |
SiteGround’s Ease of Use
3.8/5
Having an easy-to-use control panel that is intuitive for users is crucial when it comes to managing your website and dealing with any problems that may arise on the backend.
SiteGround offers a control panel specifically designed for its WordPress hosting plan users. While it’s different from the industry-standard cPanel, SiteGround’s proprietary control panel provides plenty of options for updating and tweaking your website settings.
But, it’s important to note that SiteGround’s control panel differs heavily from the widely used cPanel. The alternative solution used in place of cPanel is proprietary, and it may take some time to become fully familiar with it.
Users who know cPanel may find it different and may require some adjustment to get used to the new interface.
Despite that, SiteGround’s control panel provides ample functionality to update and edit your website.
SiteGround’s Pricing
4.4/5
Pricing can often be a decisive metric for purchasing a web hosting plan. SiteGround offers simple yet effective hosting plans with competitive pricing, although there are a few factors to consider when evaluating its pricing.
SiteGround’s standard web hosting plans start at $2.99/mo USD. These plans come in three tiers, offering 10GB, 20GB, and 40GB of storage space, respectively. The allocated storage space might be lower than other hosting providers in the market.
SiteGround offers a 30-day money-back guarantee to give customers peace of mind and the chance to try its hosting solutions without a long-term commitment.
While SiteGround’s promotional pricing starts at $2.99/mo, it’s essential to know that renewal pricing differs. In some cases, the renewal pricing for SiteGround’s plans can be higher than other web hosting companies.
These shared hosting prices SiteGround offers to its customers:
- StartUp: This plan costs $2.99/mo USD and includes one website, 10GB of storage, 10,000 monthly visits, free CDN, free email, and unmetered traffic.
- GrowBig: For $4.99/mo USD, this plan offers everything in StartUp, plus unlimited websites, 20GB of storage, 100,000 monthly visits, on-demand backup copies, 30% faster PHP and website staging.
- GoGeek: For enhanced security and performance, GoGeek is on sale for $9.99/mo USD. In addition to everything that comes with GrowBig, it also has 40GB storage space, 400,000 monthly visits, white-label client accounts, free private DNS, more server resources than typical shared hosting, and priority support.
Ready to try SiteGround?
SiteGround has been in the market for years, and through its competitive pricing and plentiful web hosting options, it aims to gain more ground in the industry. Try it for yourself!
Starting from $2.99/mo
Our Verdict
3.8/5
From our testing in this SiteGround hosting review, it’s a compelling choice for individuals seeking outstanding performance and reliable support from their web host.
In this SiteGround review, we’ve explored the key aspects that make the web host a noteworthy option for hosting your website. Performance lies at the heart of SiteGround’s offerings.
Widely acclaimed for its fast and reliable hosting services, SiteGround’s data centres in multiple parts of the world ensure accelerated visitor response times. Also, its expansive network of CDNs around the world guarantees optimal loading times.
We tested its customer support and discovered that SiteGround’s team is professional and highly experienced. If you’re new to SiteGround and require additional information, its knowledge base is the best resource to use.
In our opinion, while the control panel is not the same as cPanel, it’s still easy to use it after a while. In terms of pricing, the initial promotional one is appealing. But, it’s worth noting that the renewal pricing is higher than many other web hosting providers.
After thorough analysis, we conclude that SiteGround is a great option for beginners or advanced users ready to build their websites. Its hosting plans are versatile and can accommodate various unique needs, from fledgling enterprises to well-established eCommerce online stores. However, obtaining a free domain name on their hosting solutions will require additional expenses, which may be a deciding factor, along with the higher-than-normal renewal prices.
Scoring
When determining the best web hosting providers, we take into account multiple factors like user reviews, the web host performance, value for money and customer support.
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