What Is Hostgator and How Is the Service? (Hostgator Reviews)
You may be trying to figure out the question, “What is Hostgator?” Or, perhaps you are looking for some Hostgator reviews to decide if the company is the right choice for you.
We, at AdvisoryHQ, have conducted research on Hostgator reviews and have put together our own review of the Hostgator web hosting service.
These days, there are countless website hosting companies, and Hostgator is one among many service providers offering similar services for similar prices. Web hosting is necessary if you want to have a website.
Without a hosting company, you would have to buy your own server. While some big websites will set up their own hosting centers, for most people and most websites, it makes sense to simply use a company like Hostgator.
Of course, the devil is often in the details. This review has uncovered a good deal of positive information about the web hosting company as well as some that is negative.
Long story short, our Hostgator review concludes that it is a great web hosting company; however, later in this article are a few detractions you should be aware of.
Key Findings
- Hostgator is one of the better affordable web hosting companies.
- Hostgator reviews compliment on customer service.
- Hostgator reviews laud the uptime.
Image Source: What is Hostgator
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So What Is Hostgator, Anyways?
Hostgator is a web hosting service. Behind every website, there is at least one server. This server will act as the website’s own computer, more or less, storing information, executing software programs, such as PHP or JavaScript, and various other things. Of course, servers are expensive, and only the biggest websites (think Yahoo!) need their own dedicated servers.
What web servers are:
- Servers that runs websites
- They are necessary for all websites
- A bad server means a bad website experience
For most people, dedicated servers and all of the technical expertise needed to run these servers are simply unnecessary. Instead, you can sign up for a web hosting program like Hostgator. It will take care of most of the server-side stuff and will host your website as well as give it space on its servers.
When you access a website, your computer will send a request to a server, such as Hostgator’s server. The server will then send packets of data and information to your computer. Your computer will render this data, allowing you to see a website and various other things.
Image Source: What is Web Hosting?
Depending on your needs, you can buy either a shared server, meaning you will share space with other websites, or your own dedicated server. Our Hostgator review has found that the company is good for both options.
So what’s the best web hosting service? There are many options out there, but AdvisoryHQ found that Hostgator is among the best options out there. This is especially true for novice website builders, but we’ll get into that later.
This should answer the question of, “What is Hostgator?” but if you’re still confused, we recommend you take a bit more time learning about web hosting services.
What Professional Hostgator Reviews Have to Say
Key Findings
- One of the best web hosts, according to professional Hostgator reviews
- Professional Hostgator reviews note that customer service is great
- Hostgator is also lauded for having a good mix of affordability and performance
We reviewed numerous professional Hostgator reviews from various websites. All of the professional sites AdvisoryHQ reviewed were trusted professionals recognized in their industry. Their Hostgator reviews must thus be considered closely.
First, let’s look at PC Mag. There are several things that really stood out when we read through PC Mag’s Hostgator review. PC Mag has gone as far as to name the webhosting service as its editor’s pick for both shared and dedicated servers. PC Mag has reviewed and tested numerous web hosting companies, so for it to give Hostgator the top nod is very encouraging.
Its Hostgator review also pointed out that the company offers a free 1-800 number for customers to use. These days, many companies are trying to cut costs by getting rid of things like free customer service.
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Other professional sites have also offered glowing Hostgator reviews. Hostingmanual.com has noted the company’s guaranteed 99.9% uptime. This is a great guarantee and proves that the company will stand behind its service. Meanwhile, Retzdesign.com has lauded Hostgator for its performance and reliability as well as its fantastic support.
Image Source: Hostgator Reviews
Findmyhost.com, one of the most well-regarded web hosting companies, ranked Hostgator number two in its website hosting review. WPHostingReview.com ranked Hostgator number one in its review, and Website Hosting Review also ranked Hostgator as number one in its review.
All of these overwhelmingly positive professional Hostgator reviews are a very good sign. While it’s always possible that a company can use influence or even money to buy a good review, it’s highly unlikely that it would be able to influence every review company out there. The sheer number of positive Host Gator reviews is a very good sign.
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Hostgator WordPress Review
Key Findings
- WordPress is a very popular web development/content management platform.
- Hostgator is optimized for use with WordPress.
These days, many people are choosing to develop their websites with WordPress. This content management and web development platform is very easy to use. With WordPress, just about anyone can develop a website if they are willing to put time into doing it. As such, this review will include a dedicated Hostgator WordPress Review.
One of the best aspects of Hostgator is that it makes using WordPress easy. Hostgator is designed to make installing the software exceptionally easy, with just a few clicks of a button.
Our review also found that the web hosting company has optimized its servers and services from the ground up to maximize usage with WordPress. This is very important and will help ensure optimal performance.
Besides easy installation, there are daily updates that will make backing up your WordPress website easy. There is also unlimited storage and email.
WP Hosting Review, which specializes in WordPress solutions, ranked Hostgator #1 in its WordPress hosting review in 2012. Its Hostgator WordPress review considered speed/uptime as well as customer support, features, and price. Given that it considers WordPress specifically, this is a very good sign. Hostgator is one of only two web hosting providers to receive five stars in its reviews.
The expert review by Who Is Hosting This generally found Hostgator to be a reliable and affordable option for WordPress users. Its expert was especially satisfied with the customer service experience, especially as far as lower-cost companies go.
Positive Hostgator Reviews by Customers
Key Findings
- More positive Hostgator reviews than negative
- Customers love the high uptime and easy-to-use interface
There are many positive Hostgator reviews to be found on the web. One of the most common things in positive Hostgator reviews is the affordability of its service. Hostgator accounts can be acquired for only a few dollars a month, often less than $10 dollars.
Image Source: Hostgator reviews
Another thing we saw in a lot of Host Gator reviews was the ease of use. Numerous people complimented on how easy it was to use Hostgator’s system to quickly set up a website.
Many people also mentioned that the company offers services that are comparable to more expensive server companies. Several Hostgator reviews complimented the company’s great uptime and fast download speeds. This means that when people visit your website, your website will be fast and responsive. This is absolutely vital.
Several customers also pointed out in their reviews that the company offers great 24/7 customer service. Recently, many companies have begun to cut costs, and one of the things most frequently cut is customer service. Therefore, it’s uplifting to see so many Hostgator reviews complimenting the company’s customer service. This is absolutely something you should consider, especially if you’re a web novice.
Most importantly, Hostgator appears to have excellent uptime. Numerous customers’ Hostgator reviews have stated that their websites are always up and have never gone down, not even for a moment. This is very important for a website since if there are disruptions in “uptime,” your website could fail, even if everything else is right.
This review also found that many customers who left positive Hostgator reviews had been customers for several years. This is a good sign. It’s easy to be a good web hosting company for six months, but much harder to be a good website company for several years; however, many a Hostgator review claimed just this.
Image Source: Hostgator Reviews
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Negative Hostgator Reviews by Customers
Key Findings:
- Many customer Hostgator reviews complained about customer service.
- Cancelling can be difficult and mischarges can happen.
By and large, consumer reviews for Hostgator are quite positive. However, as with just about any company, Hostgator complaints can also be found.
Hostgator is BBB accredited and has scored an A+ score on the website.
Most of the complaints filed on the Better Business Bureau; fell into one of two categories: either products with billing and collections or products and service. It’s important to remember, however, that most people who log onto the BBB’s website do so precisely to make a complaint.
That being said, Hostgator complaints shouldn’t be ignored. That’s why we dug through so many Hostgator reviews, paying extra attention to negative ones. We found that many people complained about the cancellation process. Many web hosting companies actually make it difficult to cancel.
Cancelling is, of course, possible for Hostgator and other companies. In order to do so, however, you may have to take several steps, such as calling its customer service department. Please see this Hostgator support page if you are having trouble cancelling your Hostgator account.
Other popular Hostgator complaints include incorrect billings. In some cases, Hostgator renewed a customer’s account without making it clear that it was doing so. In other cases, unexplained charges appeared on customers’ accounts. While our Hostgator review was very positive, we encourage you to still watch your account closely.
Further, although this review found that the company offers better customer service than many competitors, we did find people who complained of slow customer service response times. Still, our biggest concern is that Hostgator response times may be becoming slower.
It should be noted, however, that even negative Hostgator reviews gave the company high scores for uptime. Given that this is perhaps the most important thing for any web hosting company, that’s certainly a good sign.
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Our Hostgator Review: One of the Better Web Hosting Companies
Our Hostgator review is in line with most of the other professional reviews. Hostgator offers great web hosting services at an affordable price. Despite offering one of the industry’s best customer service experiences, however, you may find the service to be slow. What you probably won’t have to worry about is a lot of down time. Numerous Hostgator reviews complimented on uptime.
Ultimately, if you are looking for a cheap web hosting service, then Hostgator is definitely worth a look. AdvisoryHQ’s Hostgator review also found that more premium services, such as dedicated servers, were also quite good. Hopefully, this article has provided you with the necessary information to decide if Hostgator is the best option for you.
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