Your choice in web hosting company will determine your website experience overall. The biggest frustrations and pleasures often come from one’s choice of web hosting company, which can range from a great customer service experience through to intermittent website outages and other headaches.
The most important thing to realize about choosing a hosting company is that success or failure is largely determined by your own expectations and point of view. What one person considers a successful experience may leave another feeling bitterly disappointed and asking for their money back, which is why hosting companies often package their products with a money back guarantee or free trial.
There is a near limitless number of hosting companies to choose from nowadays, which can make the act of picking a webhost a confusing process that is filled with pitfalls and other annoyances. The good news is that there is now review and comparison websites that can highlight the best webhosting companies to choose from, as well as those that you should avoid.
Two companies that have been making headlines recently due to their numerous positive reviews are Siteground and Dreamhost. Both of these companies have been featured favourably on review sites, and have garnered many four and five star reviews from their client base.
We will examine the key differences between Siteground and Dreamhost, and leave the final decision in your hands.
Siteground
Siteground has been in the web hosting industry since its inception. Siteground has over 500,000 domains under its control, and is growing at a rapid pace. The most common compliment that Siteground received from its user base is how user friendly and straightforward it is to get your website up and running. Due to the company’s reputation, many webmasters choose to transfer their existing sties and files over to Siteground.
Siteground is also one of the fastest web hosts on the market, which is due to their nimble size and great hosting speeds. In fact, Siteground is largely considered to be one of the fastest web hosting companies in the market today.
Siteground offers a variety of different hosting packages such as the Shared, VPS and Dedicated server options, so we’re sure you’ll find something to suit your needs. The hosting offered by Siteground is flexible and can accommodate any budget.
There are also a variety of bonuses that Siteground offer their users, such as free advertising credits and special deals on analytics and virus scanning software. These bonuses are unlike other hosts on the market, which helps make Siteground an appealing alternative for many people.
Dreamhost
Dreamhost is another significant player in the web hosting industry. The company has been in operation nearly for as long as Siteground, and has a similar number of users. Many people enjoy how simple it is to get started with their web hosting experience through using Dreamhost, as they offer some of the most flexible web hosting packages of all.
Dreamhost was started by a handful of tech entrepreneurs with the goal of making web hosting an affordable and accessible service. Dream host has apparently succeeded in their goal, as they are now one of the fastest-growing webhosting companies to date.
The key advantage that Dreamhost offers its users is that their setup process is one of the easiest of all. Dreamhost uses CPanel in order to install the vital scripts such as WordPress and Joomla, and their one click installation process is second to none.
Dreamhost also offers a variety of bonuses and incentives for their users to come on board, such as discounts on needed items such as SSL certificates and 24/7 malware monitoring. These bonuses are subject to change, and are offered periodically throughout the year, which is dependent on deals they can get through their partner companies.
The Difference Between Siteground and Dreamhost
There are a few important differences between Siteground and Dreamhost, and should be carefully considered before you make a purchase. We will go through each feature individually, and arrive at a conclusion based on what’s the best overall option.
Speed
Web hosting speed is perhaps one of the most important features to look for in a good web hosting company, besides reliability and up-time. Not only does the speed of your website affect user performance, a faster website will also mean that you can get better results in Google and other search engines as well.
The good news is that Siteground and Dreamhost both offer a speedy and reliable service at discount prices. Because both companies are relatively small in size, there are more resources to go around for each customer, which means you can be assured of a fast and professional experience.
Price
Dreamhost is slightly more expensive than Siteground. While both providers offer a good service, the budget-minded consumer could see Dreamhost as being the better option, simply because they are a significantly cheaper.
On the other hand, you get what you pay for. Although Siteground may be the more expensive option, you are also assured of a more reliable service, as well as a dedicated customer support team to answer any questions or complaints if things go wrong.
Web hosting packages
Siteground and Dreamhost both offer similar packages in terms of speed, disk space, and reliability. Each company offers Shared, Dedicated Hosting, Cloud, and VPS server options, so there’s something for everyone regardless of your requirements or budget.
If you are new to web hosting, you may also be eligible for special deals or coupons, such as getting your first month for free, or even a discount on an entire year’s worth of hosting. If you are in the market for the best possible deal, then you should look at both Sitegrounds and Dreamhost’s websites to see what’s on offer.
Extras
Siteground and Dreamhost offer special bonuses for signing up with them, which are subject to change throughout the year. A good practice for ensuring that you can get the best bonuses is by signing up to their newsletters, as they often email limited-time offers when they are running promotions.
Customer service
Overall, Siteground is considered to be the better option for those who are sick of their current providers, and want a more stable web hosting solution. Siteground makes it quick and easy to change from your existing provider over to them, and they take you through each part of the process step by step.
Dreamhost on the other hand, offers 24/7 support via live chat and email, which could be seen as a significant advantage over other companies that only offer intermittent phone and email support. If something goes wrong, you’ll want an answer as soon as possible. Any downtime on your website will result in a reduced user experience, as well as possible penalties from the search engines.
When you should choose Siteground
Siteground has an award-winning customer support team, and also provides a competitive, speedy service at cheap prices. If you are new to web hosting, then Siteground makes an excellent choice for learning the ropes. You’ll be able to install popular scripts and software such as WordPress with the click of a button, which is thanks to their one-click installer. You’ll also get access to bonuses such as free themes and plugins to extend the functionality of your website.
When you should choose Dreamhost
Overall, Dreamhost is a premium-level service provider. You get what you pay for, and Dreamhost is a great example of this. Dreamhost is relative in size to Siteground, and also offers all the bonuses and great customer support that we have come to expect from a world-class hosting company. Due to Dreamhost’s numerous positive reviews, there is enough evidence to suggest that you will be more than happy with your experience from choosing Dreamhost.
Conclusion
Choosing between Siteground and Dreamhost is not an easy option, as your choice of web host will really come down to your own expectations and requirements. You can be rest assured that both Siteground and Dreamhost offer a fantastic service at competitive prices, so choosing between Siteground and Dreamhost is really a win-win decision.
If you are still unsure about what company is right for you, each company’s testimonials can be a great place to start. Not only will you uncover some little-known secrets about each company, you will also get a first-hand feel for each brand, and what special advantages they have to offer.
You are encouraged to review each company’s website for their current promotions, as they are usually subject to change depending on the time of year. You could get a discount off your first months’ worth of hosting, or even get a reduction in cost for the entire year.
Besides the testimonials that can be read on each company’s website, you can also read through each company’s forums or ask them a question through their live chat feature. The customer representatives are trained in answering the most common questions when it comes to web hosting, so that could be a great resource if you have one or two questions that need to be answered before making a decision.