Best Web Hosting for Small Business at a Glance

Introduction

Affordable web hosting services play a crucial role in the success of small businesses. A web host provides the server space where your e-commerce website and its files, like text and photos, are stored. It also hosts your domain’s email addresses. Choosing the right web host is essential as it determines the speed of your website, handles unexpected surges in website traffic, and thwarts hacking attempts.

Many e-commerce website builders offer web hosting as part of their subscription packages, along with assistance in acquiring a domain name. It is advisable to choose built-in web hosting if it’s available, especially if you have limited digital skills. However, if you are using an open-source online store builder or your provider’s built-in offering doesn’t meet your needs, you will have to find your own web hosting. In this article, we will discuss some of the best web hosting options for small businesses.

Best Web Hosting for Small Business at a Glance

Here are our top choices for affordable web hosting services for small businesses:

| Hosting Platform | Best for | Price | Bandwidth | Storage | Customer Support |
| — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Bluehost | WordPress hosting | Starts at $9.95 per month | Unmetered bandwidth | Starts at 100GB | 24/7 phone and live chat support |
| iPage | Cheap web hosting | Starts at $1.99 per month | No set bandwidth limits | Unlimited storage | 24/7 live chat support |
| Namecheap | Drag-and-drop website building | Starts at $4.98 per month | Unmetered bandwidth | Starts at 50GB | 24/7 live chat support |
| InMotion | VPS hosting | VPS hosting starts at $14.99 per month | VPS plans include 2TB or unmetered bandwidth | VPS plans start at 90GB of storage | 24/7 phone and live chat support |
| HostGator | Dedicated server hosting | Dedicated servers start at $89.98 per month | Unmetered bandwidth | Dedicated servers start at 1TB of storage | 24/7 phone and live chat support |
| Cloudways | Cloud hosting | Starts at $14 per month | Bandwidth starts at 1TB on DigitalOcean plans and 2GB on AWS and Google Cloud plans | Starts at 20GB | 24/7 live chat support |

Bluehost: Best Web Hosting Service for WooCommerce Users

Bluehost is an excellent choice for small businesses using WooCommerce, an open-source online store builder that runs on WordPress. Bluehost offers affordable web hosting solutions and even provides a free domain name when signing up for some of its one-year plans. They also offer dedicated e-commerce web hosting plans specifically designed to support features like online payments, gift cards, appointment booking, and product wishlists.

Bluehost’s starting plans for small e-commerce businesses include:

• Online store: Starts at $9.99 per month. This hosting plan supports WooCommerce on WordPress and comes with 100GB of storage, one year of a free domain, a free SSL certificate, malware scanning, and daily website backups.
• Email: Starts at $3 per month per address. Access to Google Workspace includes Google Drive, Google Meet videoconferencing, and Google Calendar.

iPage: Cheapest Small Business Web Hosting

iPage offers unlimited file storage and unlimited bandwidth on all its plans, making it an affordable option for small businesses. Their plans start at $1.99 per month and include a free domain name for a year, unlimited email addresses, and an SSL certificate.

iPage’s options for small business web hosting include:

• Web hosting: Starts at $1.99 per month. This shared hosting plan includes no limits on storage or bandwidth, although iPage may intervene if your website uses an excessive amount of either. It also includes a free SSL certificate, free domain for a year, and email hosting.
• Email: Unlimited addresses included in all plans. You can upgrade to Google Workspace starting at $7.20 per month.

Namecheap: Best for Drag-and-Drop Website Building

Namecheap is a cost-effective web hosting and domain name provider. Their plans start at less than $5 per month and include a free domain name for the first year. Namecheap also offers a drag-and-drop website builder, making it easy for small businesses to create their websites.

Namecheap’s starting plans for e-commerce businesses include:

• Stellar Business: $4.98 per month. Provides 50GB of storage, unmetered bandwidth, a free SSL certificate, and one year of a free domain name. Backups run automatically, with formal backups twice a week. Users have access to a drag-and-drop website builder as well.
• Email: Starts at $1.24 per month per email address. The Starter plan includes one mailbox and up to 5GB of storage. For more addresses or mobile support, you’ll need to upgrade.

InMotion: Best for VPS Hosting

VPS hosting, which stands for “virtual private server,” offers dedicated space on a host’s server for your website. This ensures better performance and security compared to shared hosting. InMotion is a reliable web hosting provider that offers a range of VPS hosting plans.

InMotion’s VPS hosting plans include built-in redundancies to keep your website online, protection against DDoS attacks, servers optimized for PCI compliance, and free SSL certificates. Their plans range from $14.99 per month to $74.99 per month, with more expensive plans offering unlimited bandwidth, additional storage and memory, phone support, and extra dedicated IP addresses.

HostGator: Best for Dedicated Server Hosting

Dedicated server hosting provides the highest level of control, performance, and security for your website. HostGator is a reputable web hosting provider offering dedicated hosting plans that are suitable for businesses with high traffic, large storage requirements, or specific security concerns.

HostGator’s dedicated hosting plans start at $89.98 per month and include 1TB of storage space, 8GB of RAM, and unmetered bandwidth. All plans come with DDoS protection, scheduled and manual backups, and a fully redundant network. You can also add Google Workspace, including email, to a HostGator plan for an additional fee.

Cloudways: Best for Cloud-Based Web Hosting

Cloud hosting offers scalability, reliability, and flexibility by storing your website’s data across a network of multiple servers. Cloudways is a popular choice for cloud-based web hosting, offering plans with leading cloud providers like DigitalOcean, AWS, and Google Cloud.

Cloudways plans start at $14 per month and include 24/7 support, free SSL certificates, free migration, unlimited application installation, dedicated firewalls, automated backups, regular security patching, and real-time monitoring. The bandwidth and storage options vary depending on the chosen cloud server provider.

How to Choose the Best Web Hosting for Your Small Business

Choosing the best web hosting for your small business can be overwhelming, especially if you lack technical knowledge. Here are some factors to consider when selecting a web hosting service:

1. Consider your built-in option: If your e-commerce platform offers web hosting with SSL certificates and a free domain name, it may be sufficient for your business.
2. Evaluate your storage and bandwidth needs: Determine how much server space you require based on the size and content of your website.
3. Weigh your security options: Ensure the web hosting service provides SSL or TLS certificates for secure communication and protection against DDoS attacks.
4. Decide on the type of hosting you need: Shared hosting is suitable for most small businesses, but VPS or dedicated server hosting may be necessary for enhanced performance and security.
5. Note the cost of email accounts: Consider the pricing for additional email addresses if you have a large team.
6. Consider your future growth: Choose a web hosting company with multiple service tiers to accommodate future expansion.

By considering these factors, you can select the best web hosting service that meets the specific needs of your small business.

In conclusion, affordable web hosting services are essential for small businesses to establish and maintain an online presence. It’s crucial to choose a reliable web hosting provider that offers the necessary features, storage, bandwidth, and security options for your e-commerce website. With the right web hosting service, you can ensure fast website loading speeds, handle traffic surges, and protect against hacking attempts.