Hostgator is the # 1 choice on the
Worlds Best Online Business Resources Top 10 Hosting Reviews List.
Founded in 2002, Hostgator with its recognizable Alligator logo is easily one of the most recognized providers of quality web hosting service packages. Based in Houston, Texas, this web hosting service provider has grown from its roots as a small provider with 3 servers into a top ten web site hosting service with over 5000 servers and a customer base that ranges from individuals to Fortune 500 companies.
Due to their size and wide ranging customer base, Hostgator offers customers a choice of three hosting packages to suit each need and hosting budget. Packages offered are the Hatchling, Baby and Business packages. We will be reviewing Hostgator's introductory Hatchling package today as part of our Worlds Best Web Hosting Reviews.
The Hatchling package, with its single domain support is designed for the individual or small business working with a single domain and is Hostgator's most affordable web hosting package. While only a single domain is included, that domain is allowed unlimited sub-domains.
This particular package would not be suitable for an affiliate business which would be making use of multiple domain names for the products they sell. Affiliate type businesses would require Hostgator's Baby package.
We would be remiss if we failed to mention that Hostgator leads the way in the area of environmental responsibility and Green Web Hosting. Their efforts to neutralize their environmental impact include the replacement of old servers with highly efficient models and the use of Renewable Energy Credits to power and cool their servers. All of their servers are 130% wind powered. Hostgator's environmental commitment, along with their ability to meet the extensive needs of the consumer, easily places them on our best rated web hosting providers list.
Price Value
To meet the hosting budget needs of the individual and small business, Hostgator provides their Hatchling package at the regular price of $4.95 per month. As an added incentive, those looking for a web site host with a focus on protecting the environment, will be drawn to Hostgator.
The Hatchling package is a slimmed down version of Hostgator's Baby package and supplies the basic softwares and features required by its target consumer. If you are shopping for a web site host, it will be important to identify first whether you will be able to work with the one domain requirement of this package. If this requirement is too restrictive, you would be wiser to use the Baby package instead when making your web site hosting provider comparisons. The Baby package is regularly priced at $7.95 per month.
All of Hostgator's web hosting services are provided on a non-contract basis with no hidden fees and come with a 45-Day Money Back Guarantee.
In addition to their 3 web hosting packages which range in price from $4.95 to 12.95 per month, Hostgator is also able to meet the needs of those looking for a reseller or dedicated server solution. They provide 5 reseller packages ranging in price from $24.95 to $99.95 per month and 4 dedicated server packages which range in price from $174.00 to $374.00 per month. As an added note, at the time of this review, Hostgator is in the process of adding Window Server services to their line up.
Server Reliability
To meet their commitment of a 99.9% Uptime Guarantee, Hostgator houses their server operations in four of The Planet's Dallas, Texas-area datacenters. Top of the line technology is used in these world class datacenters to ensure all systems remain at top efficiency and are adequately cooled. Redundant power systems, HVAC and fire detection systems, along with 24/7 monitoring by both Hostgator and The Planet's network operations center ensure that problems are quickly identified and corrected.
Hostgator's fully redundant and meshed Cisco Certified network architecture features 10 backbone and fiber providers to ensure the web sites hosted on their quality web hosting service are always available.
Control Panel
Hostgator uses the highly popular and widely used CPanel as the control panel for their offerings. Cpanel is considered to be one of the best rated web hosting control panels available and is known for its user-friendly and easy to use features.
Supported Software:
Software: CGI-BIN, Fast CGI, Server Side Includes, Frontpage, PHP 5, MySQL Databases, Perl, Python, Ruby on Rails, SSH, Cron, Curl, GD, Image Magick, Joomla, WordPress Friendly!. Receives the recommendation of several WordPress experts.
Pre-configured scripts include Fantastico, Soholaunch, Instant Blogs, Instant Portals, Instant PHPnuke, Instand Forums, Instant Guestbook, Instant Counter and Instant FormMail.
Site Builder, Templates, and Web File Manager.
Web reports and statistics are made available by AWStats, Webalizer, Raw Log Manager, Referrer Logs and Error Logs.
Available settings options include Customizable Error Pages.
Email: POP3 Accounts, IMAP Support, Email Alias, Autoresponders, Webmail, Mailing Lists, Catch Alls, SMTP, Mail Forwarding and Spam Assassin Protection.
Multimedia: Streaming Video, Streaming Audio.
E-commerce: Shared SSL, OS Commerce Shopping Cart, Agora Cart, Zen Cart, Cube Cart, Password Protected Directories, Hot Link Protection, Redirect URL and IP Deny Manager.
Site Promotion: $25 Google Adwords Credit
Customer Service
Hostgator's 2008 customer satisfaction survey returned a reported 90% customer satisfaction rate. Hostgator provides a choice of support options to meet the needs of their customers including both local and toll free Phone support, Live Online Chat and a Support Ticket System via their Support Page.
We welcome your comments on this web hosting provider.
Please visit our Contact Page to leave your feedback.
MATERIAL CONNECTION DISCLOSURE:
You should assume that the authors of information provided on this site have an affiliate relationship and/or another material connection to the providers of goods and services mentioned in this information and may be compensated should you decide to purchase from one of these providers. You should always perform due diligence before buying goods or services from anyone via the Internet or offline.
|
