For your WordPress website installation you need some kind of web-hosting and a domain name (if you don’t have one already).
Choose your Hosting with care, you need fast and reliable hosting with adequate space and bandwidth resources and not to expensive :-).
WordPress hosting is not for every web hosting service out there. WordPress requires high standards from the web hosting provider.
This site is hosted on JustHost but I also use three other affordable hosting providers, GreenGeeks, BleuHost and HostGator.
GreenGeeks
I did some testing with a new account from GreenGeeks and although I was pretty skeptical at first they really impressed me, and that is not so easy to do anymore. Like I mentioned before on this page I use several Hosting Packages for my own sites and I have seen a fair share of others from customers websites.
What was most impressive to me was not that they are 300% Green powered, Not the space offered and not the bandwidth and not even the free domain and unlimited MySql databases. What did impress me was the speed of their server and most off all, and I don’t think they even know how great this is, the Scriptalicious WordPress Installation script!
On all the other Hosting Providers on this page you can do a five minute or less WordPress installation scripts like Fantastico. I stopped using those installations for a long time because they give me not enough control over the installation and they create potential security holes. Scriptalicious does give you full control over EVERY aspect of your installation and you still can have it done in less then 5 minutes!
I will do an articles on it soon, although it is very easy to use.
So if you get your hosting from GreenGeeks.com make sure you look in your Cpanel for the Scriptalicious WordPress Installation.
The service of GreenGeeks is that good that I am even considering moving this website to their servers. If you are thinking about getting your own WordPress website up and running on their servers, use this Code ecogreen30 on checkout so you get 30 dollar off.
The Last Hosting Plan You’ll Ever Need, that is the slogan JustHost use in their advertising. This website is hosted on their servers and I never have seen that is was not reachable. The response time for this site is also great, although I do make sure I use a caching plugin to even improve their response time.
They do have the same 1-Click installation scripts like Hostgator and Bleuhost, but I don’t use them anymore because I want full control over my installations. They do however work very easy and if you are not interested in the different technologies behind your site than these scripts are for you! Just run the WordPress installation script from your cpanel and start working on your site.
JustHost has two version of their hosting package, JustPlan en JustPlan premium. The biggest difference between the two is that with the Premium package you get 3 domains free and with the standard JustPlan only 1. I use JustPlan and buy extra domains that I pay for per year, for me that is the most flexible solution.
Help-desk and Support is great, you can even have a live-chat with them if you ever need it. Last year I didn’t need any support from them as my sites ran fast and without any problems. The total cost are pretty much the same as with Bleuhost.
Bluehost delivers fast service, fast installation scripts and good support, they only offer one hosting package, but that contains all you need for you hosting wishes. Unlimited disc space and bandwidth just like the others, but be aware that there is a Fair-Use-Policy in place.
The help-desk is outstanding and fast responding if you ever need it (I only needed th contact them once last year!) Their Knowledge base contains enough information the get you started.
They also have the Fantastico scripts for fast and easy deployment of your WordPress Blog or Website.
Hostgator has several hosting plans Hatchling, Baby en Business. If you really only want just 1 domain then the Hatchling plan is enough ( $ 4.95 /P/M) but once you started your first website with WordPress, the second one isn’t far away… That is why my advice it to opt for the Baby Plan so you can move ahead.
The Business Plan is targeted to companies that are really into creating large websites in the USA (800- numbers etc) and is really overkill for “normal” usage. You can consider this plan if you want to start a large web-shop focused on the American market.
HostGator is one of the largest US based hosting providers just like Bleuhost.
After you placed an order you will receive two emails, one with your account details and one in which they ask you to call them.
Attention! You really need to call HostGator to get your account activated! Don’t worry, you can call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
And Yes, you will talk to a real person that will activate your account if your payment is verified.
Its also a good test to see how responsive they are, and that was impressive (even from The Netherlands).
WordPress Hosting Plans I use Compared (3 years contracts)
| Name | Package | Disc Space | Traffic Bandwidth | MySQL Database | Price P/M |
| GreenGeeks | EcoSite | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | $ 4.95 P/M |
| JustHost | JustPlan | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | $ 6.95 P/M |
| Bleuhost | Standard | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | $ 6.95 P/M |
| HostGator | Baby Plan | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | $ 7.95 P/M |
* Always read the fine print (Term of Service) before you decide which one is right for you!
Why did I choose these different hosting providers?
They all offer pretty much the same options for about the same amount of money!
The main reason for me to have different hosting provides is that I like to spread my risks, if one providers goes down for any reason at all, I still have other websites running. And if there is a mayor problem with on of them I can move my domains to another provider without big problems as I already know how they work.
One last note, the links in this article and across the site are affiliate links, which means that I get financial compensation if you order via those links (but you already knew that, didn’t you :-)). Those compensations will help me pay for my hosting.
I do use these hosting package myself and I am really satisfied with them otherwise I wouldn’t promote them.
I still have other packages with different providers but you won’t find their links on this site because their cpanel is to complicated or I am not satisfied by their performance. The sites that are hosted on those packages will move to either GreenGeeks, JustHost, HostGator of Bleuhost once those contracts expire…
