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SiteGround

SiteGround Reviews

SiteGround is one of the most popular and highest rated hosting provider in the WordPress community. They provide unique in-house WordPress speed and security solutions to make your site as fast and secure as possible. They are known for the best 24/7 support in the industry which is why they’re an official ‘WordPress’ recommended hosting provider. SiteGround features include automatic upgrades, built-in WP caching, CDN, one-click staging and GIT version control. They are also one of the few companies offering location specific hosting with 3 data centers in USA, Europe, and Asia. On top of all this, they have а special 70% discount for WPBeginner readers.

Last seen 8 hours ago
Reviewed by: Syed Balkhi
Rating:

SiteGround Review from Our Experts

Siteground is one of the most recommended WordPress hosting companies. They are known for their top notch customer support and fast reliable hosting plans. Their WordPress optimized hosting includes everything you’ll need to create and grow a successful blog. Read our complete SiteGround review to find out if SiteGround is the right host for you.

In this detailed SiteGround review, we will put their promises to test. These are the areas we will look into:

  • Performance: Speed is crucial for the success of your website. How fast will your website load with SiteGround?
  • Reliability: Will your website be available 24/7/365 without facing any downtime?
  • Customer Support: Can you count on their customer support?
  • Features: Do they offer all the features and tools you will need to build your website?
  • Pricing: How much it would cost you? Are there any SiteGround deals that can save you money?

Bottom line: Don’t want to read all the details? Let us summarize it for you. We found SiteGround to be noticeably faster and extremely reliable. Their hosting plans are flexible, and their customer support is one of the best in the industry.

That’s why we’ve chosen to recommend SiteGround as one of the best WordPress hosting companies.

Now let’s dive into our detailed SiteGround review, so that you can see how we reached that conclusion and decide for yourself.

About SiteGround

SiteGround was founded in 2004, and since then it has grown into one of the most well known hosting companies.

It is headquartered in Sofia, Bulgaria with offices in 6 locations and data centers in three continents. Today, the company has more than 400 employees and hosts more than 500,000 domains.

Siteground

Pros and Cons of SiteGround

Each hosting company has its own pros and cons. Some advantages can overshadow the disadvantages, but some cons can be a total deal breaker for your individual needs.

Before making a decision, you may want to review these SiteGround pros and cons.

Pros

Here are some of the advantages that make SiteGround one of the top rated hosting companies in the world.

  • Super fast servers: All SiteGround servers are highly optimized for speed. They are equipped with latest hardware like SSD drives and custom software to make sure that your site is super fast.
  • Top Notch Customer Support Their customer support is amazing to say the least. They offer 24/7 phone, live chat, and ticket based support.
  • Free CDN and SSL They offer instant setup of Cloudflare’s free CDN and free SSL certificate from Let’s Encrypt.
  • Multiple Server Locations They have data centers in three continents. You can choose the location you prefer during signup.

Cons

As we mentioned earlier, there are some downsides with every hosting company. These are some disadvantages of choosing SiteGround as your host.

  • Limited Storage: Their plans come with fixed storage. However, this storage is quite large, and if you are just starting out, then you will most likely never need extra storage.
  • Setup fee for monthly billing: There is a $14.95 setup fee if you choose monthly billing. But if you sign up for a longer billing period, then you’ll get bigger discount and no setup fee. They offer a 30 day money back guarantee anyway, so it’s a good idea to choose a longer billing period when you sign up.

SiteGround Performance

While price often plays a significant role when choosing a web host, you cannot compromise on performance.

This is why we decided to run our own tests to thoroughly review SiteGround’s performance.

SiteGround Speed Test Results

Speed is one of the most important performance metric that you should look for. A faster website offers good user experience and boosts your SEO at the same time.

In fact, a single second delay can cause 7% decrease in conversions, 11% fewer page views, and 16% decrease in customer satisfaction.

Website speed study by Strangeloop

We created a WordPress powered test site on SiteGround and filled it with dummy content for theme development with images.

After that, we used Pingdom’s website speed test tool to run our tests. These were the results we got:

SiteGround speed test

As you can see, our test site loaded in less than a second (649 ms to be precise) for a server in Dallas, Texas. That means our site is faster than 95% of tested sites.

This is incredible, but this website had almost no traffic so the Pingdom test alone is not sufficient.

To test how SiteGround servers would respond to increased traffic, we used a tool called LoadImpact.

This tool gradually sends up to 100 users to see how the server would respond to increased traffic from multiple connections.

You can see the results in the chart below:

SiteGround loadimpact test results

The blue line is the number of active virtual users on the site, and the green line is the server load time. SiteGround performed almost consistently except for a spike when there were 50 users on the site. It quickly recovered and page load time remained steadily low even with more users.

This test shows that if you are looking for a really fast website, then SiteGround can be a perfect choice for you.

Typically, websites hosted on shared hosting account slow down a bit during top traffic hours. That’s because your site is sharing resources with other websites on that server.

Most shared hosting companies automatically kill server process if your site is taking too many resources. This causes downtime on your website.

We tested our SiteGround site for the downtime and got 100% uptime result.

SiteGround uptime test results

SiteGround Server Response Time

Your website’s content has a huge impact on page load time. For example, if you have high resolution images on a page, then it will significantly increase the overall page load time.

This means that speed test results may not accurately reflect how fast your hosting server really is.

Instead of analyzing page load time alone, we decided to test the actual server response time as well.

To do this we used a tool called Bitcatcha. It ignores page content, and only tests response time of the server.

Bitcatcha also gives you average loading speed from different global locations. The speed for each location is measured three separate times, and then the results are averaged.

Take a look at the results in the screenshot below.

SiteGround server response time from multiple locations

As you can see, SiteGround is a great choice if your target audience is mostly located in the United States. The server responded in fraction of a second in the United States.

It responded within less than a second for all locations, except Japan. If your target audience is mostly located in Japan, then you can ask SiteGround to move your site to their Asia-Pacific data center.

SiteGround Hosting Plans and Features

SiteGround offers shared hosting, WordPress hosting, cloud hosting, and dedicated hosting plans. If you are just starting out, then their shared hosting plans would be a perfect fit for your needs. However, your site will eventually grow, and you want to make sure that they have other plans that you can upgrade to.

Let’s check out SiteGround’s hosting plans and their features.

  • Shared hosting: Shared hosting is recommended for new websites and beginners. It is suitable for low traffic websites as you will be sharing resources with other websites hosted on the server.
  • WordPress hosting: This plan is WordPress optimized version of their shared hosting plan. It comes with SiteGround’s in-house WordPress optimizations to improve performance of your website.
  • Cloud hosting: Cloud hosting is a flexible upgrade to shared hosting. It allows you to use resources of multiple servers on a cloud architecture. It is suitable for growing websites, popular blogs, or businesses.
  • Dedicated servers: Dedicated servers give you a complete server for your website. It is more expensive but gives you a lot more power. The downside is that you will have to manage the server yourself.
  • Enterprise hosting: This plan is for large businesses and high traffic sites with challenging server requirements. Get in touch with SiteGround team and they will create a tailor-made plan to suit your needs.

Breakdown of SiteGround’s Shared Hosting Plans

SiteGround’s shared hosting is the best way to start a new website. Their shared plans are available in three levels to match different budgets.

  • Startup: This plan is limited to hosting one website. It includes 10 GB disk space and is suitable for hosting a website having 10,000 monthly visitors. You’ll also get all essential features like 1-click WordPress install, free setup, website transfer, daily backups, and more.
  • GrowBig: The GrowBig plan lets you host unlimited websites. It comes with 20 GB disk space and is suitable for hosting websites having 25,000 monthly visitors. You’ll get all the features of the Startup plan, plus you’ll get premium features like Super Cacher, 1-year free wildcard SSL, and more.
  • GoGeek: GoGeek plan is suiteable for small eCommerce websites. It can handle websites having 100,000 monthly visitors. In addition to all GrowBig’s features, you’ll get access to more advanced features like one-click git repo creation, WordPress and Joomla staging, and more.

SiteGround shared plans

SiteGround Support and Customer Service

You will see high praise for SiteGround’s customer support service everywhere. They are remarkably good at offering quick, helpful, and knowledgeable support to their customers.

Their customer support includes 24/7 phone, live chat, and ticket-based email support. Their phone and live chat response times are almost instant. Email’s get first response within less than 10 minutes.

For users who prefer to fix things on their own, SiteGround offers a large collection of knowledge base articles with screenshots, videos, tutorials, and guides.

Conclusion: Is SiteGround the Right Choice for You?

After reading our detailed SiteGround review, you might be wondering if SiteGround is the right choice for your website?

If you want fast and reliable web hosting service with great customer support, then SiteGround is perfect for you. They have hosting plans for every budget and each plan comes with great set of features.

All their shared hosting plans include SSD storage, easy setup of Let’s Encrypt free SSL and Cloudflare CDN service, 1-click WordPress installer, and free migration.

If you are just starting a website for the first time, then you will certainly appreciate SiteGround’s customer support.

Ready to get started with SiteGround? Click here to choose your hosting plan today.

SiteGround Coupon

WPBeginner users get an exclusive 70% off discount and free SSL with our SiteGround coupon code.

All you have to do is click on this link to purchase. The discount will be applied automatically.

2,690 SiteGround User Reviews

  1. Anirudh Muley says:
    May 22, 2019 at 12:15 am

    I just had a chat with Mariya T and these guys know their stuff. Even though the chat was longer, I actually got a resolution at the end of it. In this day of AHTs and TATs, this aspect of service seems to be lost. Kudos and more power to you Mariya!

    Reply
  2. Andrew says:
    May 21, 2019 at 8:35 pm

    SiteGround are Brilliant! Best customer service I’ve had yet. They are so helpful compared to other hosting companies i’ve used. They are super friendly and you feel like they are trying their best for you ever time you need support.

    Keep up the good work guys. :)

    Reply
  4. Farriq says:
    May 21, 2019 at 1:54 pm

    Awesome customer service!

    Dude know the product with more technical explanation.

    Thumbs up to Ivelin!

    Reply
  5. Merideth Bisiker says:
    May 21, 2019 at 1:07 pm

    Just wanted to make a quick comment that I had to step away from my laptop as I was chatting and the gentlemen still proceeded to quickly finding a solution to my problem and let me know. I’m super impressed!

    Reply
  7. Todor Demirov says:
    May 21, 2019 at 3:55 am

    Amazing customer service, quick responses and very polite staff. Would recommend to anyone. I had to set up my iPhone email and I took about 10min the most, all guidance and help very clear and to the point. Will continue using SiteGround for as long as I am running my web site.

    Reply
  8. Steven B Jackson says:
    May 20, 2019 at 8:50 pm

    This is the 2nd time I’ve needed assistance.. and the amazingly professional team at siteground has made my experience pleasant as they continue to address all my concerns clearly and respond immediately and professionally making my overall experience GREAT!!!! Iam very happy to be a siteground client.. thanks alot again

    Reply
  9. Tilek says:
    May 20, 2019 at 5:37 pm

    What I should write? The siteground support team is Awesome. Is worth every cent I pay. Keep going like that.

    Reply
  10. Nikola Stajic says:
    May 20, 2019 at 10:34 am

    Maybe the best customer service I ever experienced. My website was down and they helped me restore it in no time…

    Reply
  12. Jae Blain says:
    May 19, 2019 at 8:56 pm

    I am always impressed with sitegrounds support. The issue is resolved first time and with ease. I would highly recommend siteground to anyone who requires hosting. 100% uptime, 100% support. Thank you!

    Reply
  13. Lucie says:
    May 18, 2019 at 6:11 pm

    Martin was incredibly patient with my request. I was on the phone to GoDaddy to clear up a query as I chatted with Martin and he was sensitive to this.

    Great service. Thanks, Martin!

    Reply
  15. David Dobson says:
    May 18, 2019 at 8:57 am

    Toni was very helpful, polite and patient. She answered all my questions clearly. Based on the quality of support I’m confident to go ahead the SiteGround hosting.

    Reply
  16. Katja Schulte says:
    May 17, 2019 at 12:52 pm

    The service was fantastic. My problem was solved in a few minutes. Thank you very much. All the best Katja

    Reply
  17. Manish Khaware says:
    May 17, 2019 at 12:30 pm

    Received prompt response from support staff and got the issues resolved in matter of minutes

    Reply
  18. Dan Bousho says:
    May 17, 2019 at 12:29 pm

    I have been working with wordpress for many years. I’m a plug and play person who takes advantage of all the wordpress tools. I am not a server expert though. Creating installs for other companies i not something I really sell, but I have had occasion to help some fellow businessmen out.

    Not being really savvy, it is always nice to know that the siteground support staff is there to patiently, and knowledgeably, answer questions and help me out when I’m confused. If you are on the fence about what provider to use for your wordpress hosting, I can’t recommend siteground enough.

    High tech, but customer focused. Excellent.

    Dan Bousho

    Reply
  19. Rich Crouse says:
    May 17, 2019 at 11:25 am

    The chat rep who helped me was excellent. He held my hand through the entire procedure and answered every question I hit him with in a thorough and easy to understand manner. I was completely confident in choosing to sign up for Siteguard and began the migration request for all 31 of my sites presently hosted by Hostgator.

    Reply
  21. Geza says:
    May 17, 2019 at 7:22 am

    Instant service was good but finding the chat box is mission impossible.
    There is definitely room for improvement.

    Reply
  28. Kelly Pangman says:
    May 16, 2019 at 9:25 am

    Nikolay was great to work with- we worked together and I was able to get my issue resolved! Very professional.

    Reply
  29. Sherpal says:
    May 16, 2019 at 4:40 am

    Stoyan G. was both patient and helpful with my email-related challenged. Thank you sincerely. Sherpal.

    Reply
  30. Joshua Carmichael says:
    May 15, 2019 at 2:21 pm

    Dimitar was very helpful and resolved my issue very quickly. As always, SiteGround always impresses me with the caliber of support available. Great job! I would recommend SiteGround to anyone.

    Reply
  33. Cristian Doolan says:
    May 15, 2019 at 8:09 am

    Excellent customer service chat…. all my questions were answered fast and in clear language for non geek

    Reply
  34. Elena says:
    May 14, 2019 at 1:48 pm

    amazed with the quality of the support. Pre-sale question answered and the test passed ;) Thank you

    Reply
  35. Cheryl Avrich says:
    May 14, 2019 at 11:47 am

    Prompt and professional. Answered all my questions and took care of the upgrade I asked for. Very helpful.

    Reply
  36. dave barber says:
    May 14, 2019 at 1:58 am

    Knew the issue straight away, solution in less than 2-3 mins.

    Siteground and support are the best. I think I have finally found my only host to consider. 11/10

    Reply
  38. Paul says:
    May 13, 2019 at 6:22 pm

    Viktor was great. He’s helped me before and is always easy to understand and he almost knows what I’m going to ask before I ask.

    Reply
  41. Simon Herring says:
    May 13, 2019 at 4:09 am

    I was assisted today by Julian J.

    Julian was really friendly, professional and helpful. The issue was resolved very quickly and while I was informed that it would take up to 24hours to completely resolve (or for the fixed issue to show up as back to normal) I was given a url to access the site so I could go about doing what I had originally planned to do.

    Brilliant stuff.

    Reply
  42. Guilherme says:
    May 13, 2019 at 1:19 am

    Best support ever. Very kind and efficient, always helpful and supportive in all ways! Grateful for this service and dedication.

    Reply
  43. Gary says:
    May 12, 2019 at 8:34 pm

    Iliya was very knowledgeable and very patient in walking me through something that documentation was really non-existent for. Thanks.

    Reply
  44. Alberto says:
    May 12, 2019 at 6:33 pm

    I love SiteGround because of the amazing Customer Support team they have. Always supper efficient and solving 100% of my issues. You guys rock!

    Reply
  45. John says:
    May 12, 2019 at 12:37 pm

    I have been with Site ground for years now and find them the best hosting and service 2nd to none, fantastic
    HIGHLY recommend

    Reply
  48. Paula says:
    May 11, 2019 at 8:41 am

    Thank you so much for your friendly help. I am always so pleased with SiteGround’s ability to quickly find a solution to any problem, and they do so with such positivity. Thank you, again!

    Reply
  49. Mariam says:
    May 11, 2019 at 7:17 am

    Another brilliant service from Siteground.
    Daniel was quick, efficient, and most helpful.
    He dealt with my questions promptly and with ease. Explained what I needed to know in simple terms. He is an asset to Siteground.
    I am definitely recommending Siteground to my friends and family.
    Thank you Daniel and Siteground

    Reply
  50. PS says:
    May 10, 2019 at 6:12 pm

    Great help, the guys really know their stuff and respond very quickly. Really happy with the support.

    Reply

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