A great web hosting for your business website…
…should have stable uptime / speed performance, reasonable pricing, and features (built-in POS, email host, etc) that ease up or help your business to grow. At the top of my list – A2 Hosting, is the best web host for most small business owners.
Compare Small Business Web Hosting
In this article, We will compare some popular business hosting services in the following table and review the top 5 small business hosting.
Notes
Host Email: You can host your own email accounts ([email protected]) if “Yes”.Extra Cheap: Ultra low price entry plans available if “Yes” – these extra cheap plans may not be suitable for developed businesses but great for new startups. Free SSL: Company supports free and easy to install SSL certificate if “Yes”.Site Migration: Provider provide “white-glove” site migration service if “Free”; self-help migration with CMS plugin if “With Plugin”.Eco-Friendly: Platform powered by renewable energy or offset with green energy certificate if “Yes”.POS System: Built-in Point of Sales system included if “Yes”.Payment Gateway: Built-in payment gateway available if “Yes” – useful if you wish to receive payment from your International customers directly from your website.
Finding the best web hosting for small business is quite straightforward.
The best approach to this is to find the best match for what you want.
Business websites can be unique in many ways and you do not always need the best of everything.
What another website owner may find to complain about, you may discover to be an ideal fit for your needs.
Some web hosts might be good in certain areas – such as speed and latest technology; while others might focus on providing a stable server and cheaper rate.
Why a Good Business Web Hosting Matters?
As a business owner myself – I truly understand why businesses are often cautious and picky about their web host. You need to stick with the right service at the right price and right quality.
The “best” web host may not be the best choice.
Best Small Business Hosting Reviewed
Let’s dig in to some top business hosting solutions in market. To make my reviews relevant and helpful, I will only look into 5 and put in extra focus on features that are important to business.
1. A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting – Great support / All-rounder business hosting
A2 Hosting has been in the business for a long time – since 2001, to be exact. Unlike many others who have swayed over the years, the company remains privately owned. This steadfastness has resulted in some impressive results.
While A2 Hosting offers a complete range of web hosting plans are impressively feature-packed and powerful. The end result is much better potential for those wanting to host business websites. Even shared hosting here is robust and comes with a good range of developer-friendly features.
A2 Hosting service is backed up by all three methods of support (live chat, phone and email ticket). Contacting via phone call is the quickest way to get your problem solved professionally.
A2 Hosting Review
Solid server performance Big first-time discount on shared hosting plans – save up to 81%Supports a wide range of CRMUltra-competitive reseller hostingMultiple developer-friendly featuresSSD and NVMe storage for faster website load timeFree website migration – good for busy business ownersServer locations in USA, Holland, and Singapore
Increasing prices Expensive VPS plans Hosting price increases after first term
Plans & Pricing *
Startup Plan – $1.99/mo (81% off)Drive Plan – $3.99/mo (69% off)Turbo Boost Plan – $4.99/mo (76% off)Turbo Max Plan – $9.99/mo (61% off)
Get more details in my in-depth A2Hosting review.
Which A2 Hosting plan to choose for business?
A2 Hosting sells on more than just plan types and this is good news for business users. It has very specific plans that suit a diversity of corporate needs, from those offering CRM support to WHCMS license-packed plans. Their plans are also eco-friendly, fulfilling Zero Carbon needs.
For simple business websites – I recommend Startup ($1.99/mo) or Drive Plans ($3.99/mo) – the main different between the two are domain and storage capacity. For eCommerce or advanced business websites – TurboBoost Plan ($4.99/mo) offers the new NVMe storage and loads 20x faster. For resellers or agencies – A2’s Turbo Kickstart Reseller Plan ($29.99/mo) includes WHMCS for free and offers the option to add WHMCS licenses at competitive prices (add 1,000 clients for $20/mo).
Similar solutions
In case A2 is not right for your business, you can check out: InMotion Hosting, GreenGeeks, TMD Hosting.
2. Hostinger
Hostinger – Value for Money, start at $1.39 per month
Hostinger is relative new but it has the cheapest hosting services on our list. Start at as low as $1.39/month, Hostinger Single allows users to host one website and one email account with 100 GB bandwidth. and upgrade to higher plans (known as “Premium” and “Business”) later.
Hostinger premium plan – “Business” is cheaper than the market average (signup at $3.99/mo) and comes with various premium features including MariaDB (for a secured database), SSH Access (for better security), free SSL, auto daily backup, and pre-optimized servers for site speed.
Hostinger Review
Solid server performance – Good uptime (>99.95%) and response time (< 600ms)Extremely cheap to start off, Single Shared Hosting Plan starts at $1.39/mo for new users best for small businesses looking for great dealsDrag-and-drop website builder (developed in-house) to create a website easilyExtra security features, free domain name, and automated daily backup for Premium and Business plansFree website migration – good for busy business ownersFlexible VPS hosting plans (6 different levels)Top-level data backups for VPS hosting accounts
Single plan is cheap but rather basic – only suitable for those who need a simple static websiteHosting price increases after first term
Hostinger Plans & Pricing *
Single Plan – $1.39/moPremium Plan – $2.59/moBusiness Plan – $3.99/mo
Get more details about Hostinger in my review.
Which Hostinger hosting plan to go with?
If all you need is a simple static website to showcase your business (a flyer website), then look no further – Hostinger is your answer. The $1.39/mo Single Plan is the cheapest (but reliable) business hosting solution you can ever get.
Bear in mind, however, that you get what you pay for – some useful features, such as daily backups, unlimited cron job, and SSH access, are available only in Premium or Business plans. I would recommend you to go (or upgrade later) with Hostinger Business if you are serious about your business.
For business websites running on WordPress, Hostinger also offers optimized WordPress solutions at $1.99/mo – which is good value for money.
Similar solutions
It’s hard to find business hosting with similar quality at such a cheap price but in case you want alternatives, check out: GreenGeeks, Hostens, TMD Hosting.
3. AltusHost
AltusHost – Best Europe-based business hosting solutions
Established in 2008, AltusHost has been one of the popular names among Europe hosting users for almost two decades. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company provides topnotch customer support and server locations in Bulgaria, the Netherlands, and Sweden.
With numerous hosting plans (VPS, Reseller, Colocation) available and business hosting as low as €5.95 per month, AltusHost offers an affordable and highly scalable solution for businesses who are looking for premium hosting based outside of the United States.
AltusHost Review
No overselling policy – Hosting performance guaranteed Free data backup included in all business hosting plansFlexible billing methods – PayPal, Bank Wire, Bitcoin, etc. Affordable SSL certificate by European SSL Authority Europe-centric colocation hosting service Long business track record and reputable
Limited email accounts for Biz 20 and Biz 50Server location in Europe only
Price
Biz 20 starts at €5.95/monthBiz 50 starts at €11.98/monthBiz 100 starts at €23.98/month
Learn more in our AltusHost review.
Which Altushost biz hosting plan?
AltusHost Biz 20 plans feature 20 GB SSD storage, 2 GB RAM, free daily backup, free Let’s Encrypt SSL, and a premium website builder – which I believe is good enough for any new small business website.
For upgrades and larger business websites – their KVM based VPS hosting plans are powerful and reasonable priced.
Similar solutions
For other Europe-based hosting providers with wide product range and great performance, check out Hostens, Scala Hosting, SiteGround
4. InterServer
Interserver – Flexible plans with great after-sales support
Founded by Michael Lavrik and John Quaglieri, InterServer is a New Jersey-based company that’s been in the game since 1999.
Initially launching as a virtual hosting account re-seller, the hosting provider has grown over the past 17 years and now operates two data centers in New Jersey and is in the process of expanding to additional locations.
The best thing about InterServer is their solid server performance, guaranteed email delivery, and locked-in signup price. The company pledge that they will never increase their price during renewal and keep their server usage under 50% utilization for sudden traffic spikes. Also, the new Guaranteed Email Delivery feature ensure important business emails you sent will not be trapped in recipients’ junk box.
Interserver Review
Good hosting uptime (>99.97%) and excellent server response time (<220ms)Special discount: For new purchases, use promo code WHSRPENNY to try Interserver at $0.01/mo (first month only).Flat price on all shared and VPS hosting plans (no increase at renewals)Free website migration – good for busy business owners
Weekly backup onlyServer location in USA only
Price
All-in-one shared hosting starts at $2.50/month
More about InterServer in my review.
Which InterServer plan is right for small-to-medium businesses?
Interserver Standard Shared Hosting Plan is good enough for any new, or small businesses. Priced at $2.50/mo for first year ($7/mo when you renew), you’ll get all essential business hosting features plus automatic virus scanner, machine learning firewall, in-house caching, and guaranteed email delivery.
Similar solutions
In case Interserver is not suitable for your business, consider hosting solutions by GreenGeeks, Scala Hosting, TMD Hosting.
5. Shopify
Shopify – Great for eCommerce but expensive
Although Shopify functions as a website builder it is technically more inclined towards those seeking to build an online store. This makes it very much in-sync with many businesses today which are competing in the digital space.
The ease of use that a website builder can bring towards building an eCommerce store cannot be underestimated. Most small businesses would not have the in-house competency to do this and outsourcing it would likely cost much more than what you could achieve with Shopify.
Aside from that you can also integrate your Shopify site with your retail POS system and make use of add-ons to manage inventory. This will let you move past the physical versus retail divide and provide a truly integrated experience to customers
Shopify Review
In retrospect, Shopify might not be right for everyone but there is no denying that it has a specific focus – and that is to help you sell. To me it seems the ideal partner for many businesses, especially since all their plans include eCommerce functionality.
Pros
Plenty of add-on tools availableSimple and powerful integrated payments – work with 100+ external payment gatewaysHighly customizable stores with 70+ professional designed themesFree SSL certificate and abandoned cart recovery for all plansPOS Integration available – Promote and sell on multiple channels (Amazon, Facebook, Instagram, etc) within Shopify
Cons
Cost is a little prohibitive unless you’re a dedicated e-TailerLosing profit margin – Shopify charges 0.5 – 2% transaction feesSome add-ons cost extraLimited access to some website SEO features
Pricing
Basic Shopify – $29/moShopify – $79/moAdvanced Shopify – $299/mo
Learn more about Shopify in Timothy’s review.
Is Shopify right for you?
Shopify Basic is a good starting for most small-to-medium businesses.
Shopify is, to be honest, pricier than most other site builders in the market. However it is also very much dedicated to the eCommerce scene and that can be a big plus for businesses, especially given their POS integration feature. The pricing structure is simple though and you just need to align your business needs to the right one.
Similar solutions
Great alternatives to Shopify include BigCommerce, Weebly, Wix
How to Choose a Business Hosting? Critical Factors to Know
So there you have it, the best hosting solutions that we think will perfectly suit the needs of any small-to-medium business owners for their website.
In case you were choosing a web host for the first time – let’s get to know some of the must-have features in a good business hosting.
1. Reasonable Pricing
Budget is always a big issue for small businesses. So, most owners will consider the overall cost of building a website (which include web hosting cost) in the first place.
However, because of the importance for business reputation, pricing may have to take a back seat to other factors when it comes to web hosting.
2. Server Performance: Hosting Uptime & Speed
A basic fundamental for a web host is to have good server reliability. It’s important that your business website consistently has a fast and stable server and network.
Hosting Uptime
If your website goes down even for a minute, you might lose out on customers and potential sales for your business. Hosting uptime rates are a good indication of how reliable a server is in keeping your website online. Generally, a 99.95% uptime rate is considered the minimum nowadays and it’s recommended to avoid any web hosts that provide less than that.
Server & Network Speed
There are certain qualities that you need to check when looking at server performance. The two major ones are the Time-To-First-Byte (TTFB) and speed. A fast server is needed if you want to provide the best user experience to your visitors and improve your overall ranking in search engines.
Note: Your website performance is also affected by the types of hosting you are using – typically a dedicated hosting offers best speed performance; followed by VPS and Shared Hosting.
3. Scalability
Your business will grow, so your web host must be able to cope with it. For starters – always start small with an affordable shared hosting and upgrade (ie. to VPS or cloud hosting) when your business takes off.
Businesses that start off (especially small businesses) seldom need to pay for expensive top-of-the-line hosting right off the bat. It would be far more prudent to move from plan to plan progressively as your needs evolve.
4. SSL Certificate
There are multiple factors that can generate trust for online websites. An SSL certificate is one of them and has become an increasingly important factor today.
This is important to take note of because there are various types of SSL and some of them can be quite expensive. SSL certificates are especially important to business sites that deal with customer data or financial information.
Also read – Best sites to purchase your SSL certificates.
5. Server Backup Service
It will be definitely hard to sleep if you have a good amount of money at stake. Automated backup services will ensure you that whatever happens, you won’t lose your website.
Different hosts have different backup capabilities and processes so this is something important to take note of. Most hosts will offer basic backups for free, but for a business site I would recommend investing in additional capabilities and also keeping an updated copy offline as well!
6. Ease of Use – Website Builder, Site Migration Support, etc
Web hosting is basically space and the capacity to allow traffic to reach your website. It’s like the plot of land that you build your hose on. However, there are hosts that can help make your life much easier in your quest to build and manage a website.
Most small businesses won’t have dedicated IT staff and having to outsource web management work can get expensive. Today, many web hosts are including website builders and basic IT support into their packages so customers can operate their business websites more easily.
7. eCommerce Viability
Again, this goes back to what additional functionality you need for your site. Being able to sell online can be a big plus for businesses.
If you’re looking to build a site that has eCommerce capabilities, you need to take into consideration other factors such as inventory management, payment processing, shipping processing, flexible shipping and tax rates, customer segmenting, dropshipping integrations, and much more.
8. Customer Support
Running a website is hard work and odds are you’re going to face some troubles down the road. When that happens, you’re going to have to revert to customer support to help you out.
A web hosting company with great customer support should have fast response times when it comes to handling customer inquiries. They should also have a number of technical experts on hand to handle any problems or situations that a customer might face.
Having multiple support channel is also a good sign of a comprehensive customer support. Be sure to check if the web host offers contact via live chat, Skype, email, and phone call.
9. Web Hosting Security
Security should be a top concern for most businesses, especially those that are running an eCommerce website. Most reputable website hosts are PCI/DSS compliant, have sFTP access and protection against DDoS attacks.
Other security features that are great to have include: Auto malware scanning, built-in network monitoring tools, firewalls, and in-house security expert support.
Also read – Essential cyber security guide for small business
10. Other Special Features
Last but not lease – smaller business websites tend to have peculiar needs. Identifying these needs will go a long in choosing the perfect web host for you.
Questions to ask
What are the software you need for your business? Pick a business hosting plan that allow you to auto-install those software.Where is your customers located at? Pick a website hosting that has servers close to your audience / customers.What is your business growth plan? Look for a host with VPS and dedicated upgrade options – so it allows you to grow with minimum hassles.
The more you understand your business (website) and its needs, the better and easier it will be to choose the right web host.
It’s all about finding the right balance of good features in a web host while still fulfilling the needs of your website.
Web Hosting Recommendations for Different Types of Business
Case Study #1: Hosting for Static Business Website
Dave has a locksmith business and set up a website to expand his customer base. Since he is only looking to increase his client base, it is likely that a simple digital presence can be all he needs to start off with.
These basic requirements will only require that he has a domain name and web hosting. Ideally, a simple site done up form a template would be good, but even the most basic shared plan would do.
A site like this could cost as little as a few dollars a month to maintain.
Case Study #2: Web Hosting for Blog + Business Website
Julie Cortana started an organic superfood dog treat online store to offer users a chance a giving their pets a special something. Selling her treats online required that she be able to list and make sales through her site.
To do this she turned to Wix. The sitebuilder allowed her to build Bone Zappetit with little technical skill while the App Market helped power the blog and other eCommerce features she needed to market her site.
The cost involved in starting something like Bone Zappetit could range from as low as $12.50 per month and scale up as the business grows.
Case Study #3: Hosting for Complex / High Volume Business Website
Covering many aspects of web hosting and related industries, BitCatcha is a good example of a small business with a high traffic volume website. In order to meet resource demands it is hosting with SiteGround, one of the best in the business.
Update:
SiteGround revised their pricing structure in 2020 and stopped offering their service in India, Bangladesh, Egypt, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and a whole lot of other countries (yes they don’t sell if your business is in these locations!).
For cheaper and better alternatives – I strongly recommend A2 Hosting.
A2 offers a good spread of hosting plans ranging from shared all the way to powerful and scalable reseller hosting options. It is a good example of a web host which offers solid features and performance to those who rely on them for their livelihood.
Example #4: Hosting Solution for eCommerce / Online Store
A very recent addition to the circle of Shopify online stores, Japan Objects STORE was intended to showcase Japanese culture, arts and design. However, it also has traditional clothing items for sale, such as Kimonos, Yukatas and Obi Belts.
That the site is new might not be surprising, but it can give you a good idea of how great a site (plus eCommerce store) you can build with Shopify. Beautifully elegant and with good use of a combination of imagery set in a minimalistic layout, Japan Objects STORE is clean and crisp.
How Much to Pay for a Business Web Host?
By this point you probably already know that there is a vast range of web hosting that you can buy into for your business site. Knowing that and your own business are two of the key factors to getting your first site up.
Shared Hosting Plans: $3 – $8 per month
At the beginning we all start small and for web hosting that’s in the budget shared web hosting space. Typically, prices here range between $3 to $8 per month, depending on what you get with the package. Normally, WordPress shared hosting follows this pricing scheme closely, although managed WordPress hosting will cost more.
VPS Hosting Plans: $16 – $100 per month
Once you pass the shared hosting stage then the next logical progression will be VPS or Cloud Hosting.
VPS / cloud hosting offers more power and security than shared hosting plans but will cost more as well. This can be daunting as the technical skills required are usually higher than for shared hosting. Opting for managed VPS hosting can be expensive and range from between $16 to $28 per month.
Remember that these are just rough guidelines, and choosing the best match for your business goes far beyond price alone.
Learn more in our recent web hosting price survey.
Real Life Examples: Hosting Price Checked July 2021
Hostinger Web Hosting: From $1.39 per month
A2 Business Hosting: From $1.99 per month
InterServer VPS Hosting: From $6 per month
Frequent Asked Questions
A2 Hosting is our pick as best hosting for small businesses as it combines excellent performance with many business-oriented features.
Technically, most business websites are not much different from standard websites, but may require more reliable web hosting to avoid downtime doing reputational damage.
GoDaddy may hold the largest market share but it might not be ideal for business hosting. Based on our research, there are other companies with faster and more reliable web hosting available (see list above).
Cheapest and best will not often cross paths in many scenarios, especially in web hosting. This equipment and infrastructure-heavy industry require significant capital to build and operate. As such, it is difficult to offer quality, reliable hosting at rock bottom prices.
Yes, GreenGeeks is a good choice for businesses that wish to be more eco-friendly. In fact, some businesses have mandates on carbon footprint, and these can be satisfied by hosting with GreenGeeks.
Yes, you can. Transferring a website to another web host is an easy process and you can do it by yourself without much downtime. Here’s a step-by-step DIY guide for those who wish to learn. Note that many hosting companies offer free website migration service to their new customers.
The term “web hosting” usually refers to companies that rent out server, as well as other needed infrastructure and services (network switch, backup power generators, server maintenance service, etc), for users who want to host a website.
Generally, there are four kinds of hosting services: shared, dedicated hosting, VPS/ cloud, and bundled hosting. All four types have their own advantages and disadvantages – you can learn more in our Web Hosting Basic Guide.
Most web hosting companies offer reseller plans. Make use of these and combine it with other business elements such as invoicing and your own branding to create a web hosting reseller business.
No. Everything you need to run a functioning website – from hosting to domain registration and shared SSL, are included in Weebly package.
Web hosting refers to companies that rent out their server to users to host their websites. Web publishing commonly refers to publishing content, in the form of texts, graphics and videos, on the Internet. Web publishing can be done on your own website (which then requires you to host a website) or on a third party platforms like Medium and Typepad.
Yes, 000WebHost and AwardSpace offer free hosting services without adverts. 000WebHost free plan comes with 1GB storage and 10GB monthly data transfer. AwardSpace offers 1GB of free storage and 5GB monthly data transfer.
Bear in mind that free hosting comes with various risks that you can avoid by subscribing to a budget web host (less than $5.mo).
A2 Hosting and Interserver are the only two hosting providers that support special development environment (Django, NodeJS, Python, etc) in their shared platform. Also – based on our research, they are extremely reliable and reasonable priced. We highly recommend web developers to check them out.
For simple business websites – I recommend Startup ($1.99/mo) or Drive Plans ($3.99/mo) – the main different between the two are domain and storage capacity. For eCommerce or advanced business websites – TurboBoost Plan ($4.99/mo) offers the new NVMe storage and loads 20x faster.
If all you need is a simple static website to showcase your business (a flyer website), go with Hostinger’s Single Plan – it is the cheapest business hosting solution you can ever get.
AltusHost Biz 20 plans feature 20 GB SSD storage, 2 GB RAM, free daily backup, free Let’s Encrypt SSL, and a premium website builder – which I believe is good enough for any new small business website.
Starting a new business online? You’ll enjoy these articles:
Best places to buy cheap SSL certificateLearn from your competitors: 10 free website analysis toolsHow to grow your business websiteHow to migrate your website to a new web hostHow to switch your website to HTTPS (installing SSL)Real life examples: How to build and flip a website for over $100,000Essential cyber security guide for small businessThe big list of online business ideas to get you started
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