Discovering a number to your ecommerce website brings up all types of questions. Can the host help surges in site visitors, particularly through the holidays? Can you immediately configure a WordPress/WooCommerce website that will get saved on the host’s servers? What about electronic mail addresses, website backups, and the continuing prices? These are all legitimate questions contemplating an ecommerce store requires particular care and even a bit of downtime may imply vital losses in gross sales.
Fairly a number of internet hosting firms supply shared internet hosting plans, whereas others cater to people who need managed WordPress or ecommerce internet hosting. We have discovered that SiteGround gives a stable interface, pricing construction, and one-click managed WooCommerce set up that makes for a dependable, simple internet hosting setting. Due to the good potential, we completely examined the host and put collectively an in-depth SiteGround evaluate so that you can perceive the way it may enhance your ecommerce retailer.
Along with pricing and options, we cowl buyer help choices, ease-of-use, and extra. So preserve studying our SiteGround evaluate to see what the interface seems to be like and which options could make it easier to in boosting your confidence in your host at present.
SiteGround Evaluate: The Standout Options and Choices
Excessive-quality ecommerce internet hosting all begins with the choices supplied to you in your internet hosting bundle. Typically you must pay for options to safe your web site. Different occasions it is required to pay for components like content material supply networks or cloud backups. These are all unlucky obstacles contemplating you are already paying for the internet hosting service, so why not embrace all of it throughout the pricing bundle?
The excellent news is that SiteGround appears to agree with us on that, seeing as the way it presents a large number of free options and providers like electronic mail addresses, SSL certificates, and a content material supply community. They even throw in every day backups and WordPress migration instruments to make sure your ecommerce retailer is safe and moved over within the correct means.
Advertisment ⓘ
Beneath we’ll speak in-depth about our favourite choices from SiteGround and description what makes every of them particular. Ensure you create an inventory of options you completely want from a number and verify off that record as you go.
Go to high
A One-click WordPress and WordPress Set up Course of
Putting in WordPress on a number server used to take technical expertise and an FTP shopper. You possibly can nonetheless undergo that course of, however it’s far simpler to make the most of the one-click set up options from SiteGround.
Briefly, our SiteGround evaluate confirmed us you possibly can both migrate a WordPress website to their shared or devoted servers or make a totally new web site on WordPress.
You possibly can decide to solely set up WordPress or have the WooCommerce plugin added as properly. Then, you possibly can select your username and password for logging into your WordPress dashboard. SiteGround takes care of the remainder.
The method takes no quite a lot of minutes. After which, you are able to go along with a contemporary WordPress set up. The one different step that takes a bit of technical data is to level the DNS to your area title. Fortunately, SiteGround additionally has assets and a buyer help crew to assist with that. It is unclear if it is an in-house crew, however we might assume it isn’t.
Go to high
Free Safety Instruments like SSL Certificates and Every day Backups
In terms of safety with an ecommerce website, you do not need to take any probabilities. A bunch with no free SSL certificates or computerized updates should not make your lower it doesn’t matter what. That is why it is nice to see that SiteGround appears to cowl nearly each facet of safety for you, particularly with the managed WooCommerce internet hosting plans.
To begin, you obtain a free SSL certificates via Let’s Encrypt and Wildcard SSL. These certificates lock down information going via your web site, specifically transactional and call info out of your clients. The certificates not solely lets folks know that your website is safe within the browser, however it follows via by making certain your buyer information would not get stolen by thieves on-line.
We additionally benefit from the computerized backups, which occur every day, to make sure you have a model of your web site in case it crashes or one thing goes unsuitable in some unspecified time in the future (despite the fact that the SiteGround uptime is near 100%). Human error continues to be a chance along with your website information, so we suggest having an automatic backup system for a web-based retailer. In spite of everything, you are far much less prone to run backups to your website for those who plan on doing them manually. SiteGround takes the reins for you by storing quite a few backups that you could return to and restore. To not point out, they assist with the restoration as properly.
Along with these safety measures, you possibly can anticipate an AI (synthetic intelligence) anti-bot system to run always, blocking bots from infiltrating your website. It’s also possible to decide to improve to the Sitescanner app that tracks your web site for malware. There’s additionally an internet app firewall to catch any further issues that come via.
Most of those safety features are free based mostly on what we have seen on this SiteGround evaluate. Opponents typically cost for computerized backups or do not have them in any respect. The identical might be mentioned for internet app firewalls and anti-bot methods. That is all a giant thumbs up for SiteGround.
Go to high
Free E-mail Addresses with Your Chosen Area Identify
One other important a part of operating a web-based retailer is to look skilled with a enterprise electronic mail handle. As a substitute of getting to pay for the added comfort, SiteGround offers you free electronic mail addresses to your complete group. Every internet hosting plan permits for an infinite variety of emails along with your area after the @ image.
Within the dashboard, you possibly can create any electronic mail handle you need. There are some electronic mail quota limits however these might be expanded if vital.
In addition they supplied choices to configure your electronic mail addresses in different electronic mail shoppers like Thunderbird, Home windows Mail, or Outlook. The Mail Configuration web page presents choices to autoconfigure your electronic mail handle with the most well-liked shoppers and to obtain your incoming emails by yourself cellular units. This manner, you possibly can ship and obtain emails whereas on the go.
Go to high
Velocity-oriented Options like Caching and a Content material Supply Community (CDN)
To hurry up your WordPress retailer you typically want caching plugins, a CDN, and optimization instruments, making for a group of plugins and third-party software program that finally turns into complicated. Though you continue to might want an optimization plugin, SiteGround takes a number of steps in direction of dashing up a web site for you, with its speedy SSD servers that use PHP 7, Opcache, and a supercacher.
The caching performance ensures that the end-user continually sees a latest model of your web site with out having to load each file and asset at any time when they open a webpage in your website.
You additionally acquire entry to a content material supply community (CDN) with the assistance of Cloudflare CDN. A CDN gives a community of a number of server areas across the globe in order that your web site would not should load from one information middle location always. As a substitute, a website customer in California will get your web site served up utilizing a machine someplace round that location. If a WordPress person from Germany, or Asia, or Bulgaria, or Singapore involves your website, the CDN switches to a machine close to them in order that your website would not take a very long time to load (like a machine in Europe for the German person).
Once more, you typically should pay for a lot of of those components (particularly a high-powered CDN) with different internet hosting suppliers. This SiteGround evaluate confirmed that the corporate presents a CDN and caching totally free, and you’ll improve to the premium model of the Cloudflare CDN if you would like.
Go to high
A Protected Staging Space (To Make a Check Web site)
It is not a good suggestion to make reside modifications to your web site. Initially, it’s possible you’ll mess one thing up and crash the entire thing. As well as, viewers may even see the modifications solely midway accomplished and marvel what is going on on. This seems to be each unprofessional and like your website is probably not working.
Subsequently, staging websites come into the image as a method to regulate your designs and add new components with out inflicting any modifications to the reside website. When the staging course of is over, you’ve got the chance to publish the modifications and see them because the reside website.
It is not obtainable in all internet hosting plans however some packages embrace a staging system the place you may make a separate design middle to your web sites. We like this for whenever you’re constructing a brand new on-line store or adjusting design components in a present one.
The dashboard helps you to create an infinite variety of staging websites, and you’ll title the websites to prepare them for future reference. Builders and businesses are sure to benefit from the staging expertise as a result of its ease-of-use, and as a result of the truth that you typically should pay to get one thing like this.
One other profit to the SiteGround staging middle is that it lets you set a password on all staging websites so nobody exterior of your group is ready to entry them. You possibly can try your protected URLs at any time and look via the record of staging websites you run to your shoppers or your self.
From the staging to the CDNs, it is clear from our SiteGround evaluate that the online host has put a deal with making life simpler for on-line retailer house owners, particularly in terms of safety and pace. We notably take pleasure in that the majority of those superior options are free with the internet hosting plans supplied by SiteGround.
Go to high
SiteGround Evaluate: The Pricing and Plans
SiteGround sells a number of forms of internet hosting providers together with the next:
- Website hosting
- Managed WordPress internet hosting
- Managed WooCommerce internet hosting
- Cloud internet hosting
- Reseller internet hosting
We cannot cowl cloud or reseller internet hosting a lot, since reseller internet hosting is for organizations that need to repackage and promote the present internet hosting infrastructure constructed by SiteGround. Cloud internet hosting is an possibility for a lot of on-line shops, however it’s extra widespread to go for a shared internet hosting or managed internet hosting possibility, relying in your sort of web site and its site visitors. Cloud internet hosting, nevertheless, is a superb possibility for those who plan on scaling shortly.
The usual internet hosting is solely shared internet hosting with fewer managed internet hosting components. Subsequently, you are managing extra of the backend internet hosting interface versus counting on automation. WordPress and WooCommerce internet hosting are basically the identical forms of managed internet hosting, however the WooCommerce plan additionally installs the WooCommerce ecommerce plugin in your web site.
Moreover the truth that just about all of these kinds of internet hosting are equally priced, we’ll primarily take a look at the WooCommerce managed internet hosting bundle, seeing as how that is the best method to launch a web-based store with SiteGround and guarantee it stays safe and backed up always.
The WooCommerce Managed Internet hosting plans from our SiteGround evaluate are available in three completely different packages:
- StartUp Plan – $14.99 per 30 days (with a promotional worth of $3.99 per 30 days) for one web site, 10GB of disk house, 10k month-to-month visits, a free WP set up or migration, computerized WordPress updates, a free SSL certificates, every day backups, a free CDN (content material supply community), electronic mail addresses, caching, limitless databases, and extra.
- GrowBig Plan – $24.99 per 30 days ($6.69 per 30 days promotional pricing) for limitless web sites, 20GB of internet house, 25k visits per 30 days, every thing from the earlier plan, on-demand backup copies, ultrafast PHP, a staging interface, and the choice so as to add collaborators.
- GoGeek Plan – $39.99 per 30 days (with a promotional worth of $10.69 per 30 days) for limitless web sites, 40GB of internet house, 100k visits per 30 days, every thing from the earlier plans, staging with Git, collaboration, and the flexibility to make white-label web sites for shoppers. You additionally obtain precedence buyer help and the very best tier of server assets when in comparison with the opposite plans. Primarily, that is the way you get the quickest website potential with managed WooCommerce internet hosting via SiteGround.
As you possibly can see, promotional pricing is connected to every plan, that means you possibly can join an extended time frame (like 12 or 36 months) and unlock cheaper month-to-month costs. Subsequently, the bottom costs listed above are for for those who had been to enroll in SiteGround on a month-to-month fee foundation. It goes all the best way right down to the most cost effective promotional pricing the longer your plan.
It’s also possible to go for cloud internet hosting for those who run a quickly rising ecommerce website that wants a number of CPU cores, boosted RAM, and elevated SSD house. You possibly can go as much as 33 CPU cores, 130GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD house for round $2,000. The bottom cloud internet hosting plan, with 4 cores, 11GB of RAM, and 40GB of SSD house prices round $127 per 30 days.
Go to high
Different pricing concerns from our SiteGround evaluate:
- They provide preset cloud internet hosting plans that can assist you select what number of CPU cores you want, together with the RAM and SSD house. For example, the Small Enterprise Cloud Internet hosting plan has a preset configuration for 12 cores, 16GB RAM, and 120GB of SSD house.
- You solely unlock on-demand backup copies, the ultrafast PHP, staging, and collaboration by choosing the GrowBig or GoGeek plans.
- You solely unlock Git, white-label shoppers, precedence help, and the very best tier of assets by going with the GoGeek plan.
- SiteGround makes use of the Google Cloud for its internet hosting, with a 100% renewable vitality match.
- There is a 30-day moneyback assure on all SiteGround internet hosting plans, supplying you with time to check out the interface and see if it is the best host to your retailer.
Go to high
How’s the Interface?
Many on-line retailer house owners hardly ever look into their internet hosting dashboard (or Cpanel) as a result of it is both too intimidating or they have no want till one thing horrible occurs.
That is unlucky since many internet hosting dashboards present unbelievable website instruments for managing issues like backups, databases, and electronic mail addresses. Up to now, internet hosting dashboards regarded clunky and outdated, however SiteGround has reworked its backend interface to make sure you really feel comfy with creating an electronic mail handle, transferring a website, or restoring a latest backup file.
Throughout our evaluate of the SiteGround dashboard, we observed that the interface seems to be user-friendly, has a fast menu on the high to seek out all a very powerful instruments, and gives a beautiful getting began information that walks you thru a very powerful steps to launching and managing your web site.
The walkthrough features a step-by-step information on migrating your web site, putting in WordPress, pointing to your area, and utilizing short-term URLs to your website. You possibly can then go into find out how to switch your area and way more.
Every step presents a button to really full the method talked about. For example, it’s possible you’ll need to set up a brand new WordPress website as a substitute of migrating an outdated website to SiteGround. In that case, you merely click on on the Set up WordPress button to get began.
Every numbered level exhibits an vital step in configuring your website. It even goes into creating electronic mail accounts along with your internet hosting account, altering your area title, and establishing your electronic mail on a cellphone or pill.
We have examined fairly a number of internet hosting dashboards, and it is uncommon to see such a clear, well-thought-out launch expertise. You’ll usually should fend for your self when migrating a website or linking the WordPress website to your area. That is not the case with SiteGround and its trendy, up to date dashboard.
A favourite characteristic of ours from the SiteGround evaluate is the one-click WordPress set up course of. Inside the dashboard, you possibly can select to both begin a brand new web site or migrate one you already personal on a special host.
On this occasion, we’ll begin a brand new web site and select from one of many many one-click set up buttons.
You can decide to put in a brand new WordPress website or embrace a WooCommerce set up as properly, that’s for those who’re making an attempt to run a web-based retailer.
In addition they have an possibility to enter the Weebly Web site Builder which gives ecommerce instruments as properly.
Each facet of the WooCommerce web site configuration course of takes place within the SiteGround dashboard. You set your electronic mail handle login, password, and area title, then anticipate SiteGround to put in a brand new model of WordPress on its servers.
Transferring ahead, you obtain a web page that asks you to level your area on the new host servers. You possibly can then handle your website with all types of options for making electronic mail addresses, operating backups, and opening the WordPress dashboard along with your new login credentials.
After the set up, you’ve got direct entry to the first SiteGround dashboard, with pinned instruments for managing WordPress, establishing electronic mail accounts, and managing your information. You possibly can even run the SiteScanner software to detect malware and schedule experiences despatched to your electronic mail to trace the general well being of your retailer.
The principle menu sits on the left aspect of the display. It incorporates buttons to handle your Web site, Safety, Velocity, and extra. You possibly can click on on the WordPress button for direct entry to our WordPress web site, or verify in on the E-mail or Statistics buttons.
The principle web page of the dashboard relays details about your disk utilization, the IP and Identify servers, and fast statistics to know how many individuals are coming to your web site.
Beneath the Safety tab, they’ve all types of safety instruments just like the SSL Supervisor, an HTTPS Implement characteristic, and an space to dam sure URLs. We additionally benefit from the web page that shops your website backups, because it lets you seek for backup names and scroll via an inventory of all backups based mostly on date.
SiteGround helps you to restore a previous backup at any time, making it straightforward to resolve any points along with your website by merely switching to a model of your website from the previous.
The Velocity part of the dashboard presents hyperlinks to the caching options and the content material supply community (nice to enhance load occasions), provided via Cloudflare. Each of those labored properly through the SiteGround evaluate since they run within the background however you possibly can go into the settings and both flip them off, configure the settings, or swap caching strategies.
Beneath the E-mail tab, you may discover an space to create an electronic mail handle along with your area as a substitute of one thing like @gmail.com or @yahoo.com.
Create account names for all workers and configure passwords that may be reset at a later date. As talked about within the pricing part, you obtain an infinite variety of emails to your internet hosting plan. You possibly can even arrange components like autoresponders, filters, and authentication.
SiteGround has a superb walkthrough tutorial within the dashboard for linking your SiteGround electronic mail addresses to different electronic mail software program or in your cellphone.
Lastly, the Statistics part improves upon your oversight of the web site, because it delivers statistics for site visitors, viewers, and sources, together with conduct and know-how. You possibly can try web page views and the error log in case one thing wants fixing in your web site.
From an ease-of-use perspective, our SiteGround evaluate discovered that the host takes one thing as difficult as internet hosting and turns it right into a user-friendly, stress-free expertise. Freshmen could discover internet hosting intimidating basically, however with the guides, buyer help, and smooth dashboard, it should not take lengthy to make your self comfy.
Advertisment ⓘ
Go to high
SiteGround Evaluate: The Buyer Service
We are able to break down SiteGround help into two classes: direct human help and on-line assets.
The direct buyer help comes into play when you’ve got the necessity to converse with somebody on the cellphone, via electronic mail, or reside chat. Direct help workers helps out whenever you want an issue mounted proper now, and would quite not spend 20 minutes, or extra, sifting via knowledgebase articles and movies. That is notably true for on-line retailer house owners, seeing as how you do not have a lot time to waste in case your website goes down or you could full a backup restoration. Each minute means gross sales disappearing, particularly for fast-growing companies.
Fortunately, SiteGround handles direct buyer help quite properly, offering 24/7 buyer help and even a precedence tech help possibility for these utilizing the GoGeek pricing plan.
Though most inquiries undergo the e-mail ticketing system, you’ve got the choice to attach via the entire following channels:
- A reside chatbox.
- A cellphone help system the place you get an choice to name an skilled operator.
- Helpdesk ticketing that sends a reply inside quarter-hour.
What’s extra is that these contact strategies can be found contained in the SiteGround dashboard, chopping out any looking you will need to full to get ahold of somebody at SiteGround.
It’s normal to see issues like electronic mail help and reside chat containers out of your internet hosting supplier, however it’s quite uncommon to get a cellphone quantity to name your host. Subsequently, SiteGround checks all of the containers for direct buyer help and takes it up a notch by supplying you with that help anytime all through the day, 12 months of the 12 months.
They even have skilled migration specialists that information you thru the method of shifting a website to the SiteGround servers, which is normally an advanced course of. We additionally like that lots of the SiteGround on-line assets are automated that can assist you discover options in a matter of seconds, together with an fascinating sensible AI chat field that seems to ship you info based mostly on the key phrases typed in.
Now let’s check out the net assets. SiteGround has no scarcity of movies, articles, and knowledgebase tutorials to make you’re feeling at house along with your internet hosting plan.
To start, SiteGround presents featured movies and weblog posts frequently, masking all types of matters like cleansing your database, operating backups, and launching a brand new WordPress website on the host. You’ll find these in your dashboard, on the SiteGround web site, or by going to among the social media pages like on YouTube or Fb.
Talking of the dashboard, a Fast Assist button sits within the higher right-hand nook of the display. Click on on that to disclose a dropdown portal with hyperlinks to the most typical help requests. It’s also possible to sort in a key phrase to see different matters like for managing your account, putting in WordPress, and dealing with the fee course of via WooCommerce.
The total knowledgebase has a superb organizational construction, with classes for areas like E-mail, WordPress, and Staging. This whole part is powered by a synthetic intelligence software to make sure you’re not spending an excessive amount of of your valuable time looking for a subject.
If all else fails, or for those who merely need to keep up a correspondence with the SiteGround firm to see new options and tutorials, you possibly can observe SiteGround on social networks like Fb, Twitter, and Instagram. It even has a YouTube web page that you could subscribe to for in-depth coaching movies.
As of proper now, it seems SiteGround would not have a person discussion board for discussing points with different customers. We might wish to see that sooner or later, however nearly each different facet of a superb help infrastructure is in place. The one downside is that generally you need to name somebody however the AI knowledgebase bot tries to ship you to articles in regards to the situation. Generally, we might choose a listed cellphone quantity as a substitute of that cellphone line serving because the final resort when a scenario cannot resolve itself via on-line assets and emails.
Total, we really feel SiteGround handles buyer help with fast response occasions and an onslaught of on-line assets, enabling you, the net retailer proprietor, to raised perceive how your web site will get hosted.
Go to high
Is SiteGround the Proper Internet hosting Plan for Your On-line Retailer?
Deciding on a internet hosting supplier is tough as a result of the truth that some folks don’t know how internet hosting works, and since you typically get caught with a nasty host after you join a fee plan. It is typically tough to switch your complete web site elsewhere (like from Bluehost or Hostgator to a different host) after you join, so some folks merely follow what they’ve.
We like SiteGround as a result of it makes these website migrations straightforward to know, and far of the method is dealt with for you.
In case you’re nonetheless questioning if SiteGround is the best internet host to your on-line retailer, think about our following ideas:
- Think about SiteGround for those who plan on operating a WooCommerce/WordPress retailer and wish a fast method to set up WordPress in your servers. It additionally works nice for bloggers.
- Take into consideration SiteGround if you would like to maintain prices low however nonetheless scale up your organization with the correct amount of holiday makers and server house.
- SiteGround works properly for businesses and builders who require staging instruments and white-labeling choices. These are all obtainable in among the higher-priced SiteGround plans.
- Go along with SiteGround for those who’d quite not pay for options like automated backups, SSL certificates, and a content material supply community. These are all provided totally free with SiteGround.
- We particularly take pleasure in SiteGround for individuals who need to make an infinite variety of electronic mail addresses for you and your employees. Far too typically we see hosts attempt to nickel and dime their clients by charging for electronic mail addresses. That is not the case with SiteGround.
Please tell us within the feedback under if in case you have any questions or issues about this SiteGround evaluate. Share your ideas for those who’ve used SiteGround for internet hosting a web-based retailer up to now and for those who’ve discovered any explicit pricing plan to work out finest for that scenario.
