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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.

1,845 SiteGround User Reviews

  1. John Garrett says:
    Oct 16, 2018 at 1:05 pm

    I had a Sales chat with someone who knew exactly that they were talking about. A real pleasure.

    Reply
  2. Anna says:
    Oct 15, 2018 at 9:22 pm

    Going for SiteGround was the best decision I ever made with my website. The best customer support!!!

    Reply
  3. belatedthanks.com says:
    Oct 15, 2018 at 5:41 pm

    Great customer service — unlike some of their competitors they are easy to reach and still use support tickets. This means minimal wait time.

    Also, one of the best value for the money hosts I’ve ever come across.

    Reply
  5. Krista says:
    Oct 15, 2018 at 8:59 am

    I’ve worked with customer service agents for multiple host companies before. Siteground’s customer service is 12/10, always going above and beyond; happy to assist; and never condescending!

    Reply
  6. Devranj Designs says:
    Oct 15, 2018 at 5:31 am

    SG’s responsiveness and issue resolution is the very best among all web hosts hands down. That is true “Customer Care” right there. They had me on a live chat and fixed 3 issues within just 5 minutes while also providing excellent guidance on dos and donts. Wow !! Am amazed.

    Reply
  8. Jonas Shaik says:
    Oct 15, 2018 at 3:33 am

    Simply the best support I’ve ever had. Not just with hosting but just in general. I do not want to work with any other hosting provider as their support saves me hours and hours of work. Seriously if you are looking for a hosting provider try them out!

    Reply
  11. Jeremy Storm says:
    Oct 14, 2018 at 2:52 pm

    Support rep was extremely helpful with the info he provided. He answered all my questions quickly and completely. I chose your service based on glowing YouTube reviews, one of which was the amazing service. Thus far, they were right!

    Reply
  12. Kenia says:
    Oct 13, 2018 at 1:36 pm

    Every time I have an issue with really anything, I have a wonderful experience with your customer service!! The people I chat with or respond to my tickets are quick and truly help me! I would recommend SiteGround to anyone! You simply are the best!

    Reply
  13. Rodney Leathers says:
    Oct 12, 2018 at 8:27 pm

    web stuff can very easily get super complicated, customer service is a tough job no matter what field and can be incredibly hard when dealing with tech stuff like a website, even a simple one like mine.
    siteground is pro, i’m not just saying that.
    even tho i mess around with tech stuff, at the end of the day i can be ‘a customer’ also.
    glad i found them.

    Reply
  15. Brinkley says:
    Oct 11, 2018 at 5:41 pm

    Support was great and very informative. As you know, finding the right web Hosting can be a challenge and Pavlin was awesome. Keep up the great job!

    Reply
  16. Katrina Garcia says:
    Oct 11, 2018 at 12:27 pm

    I have used many hosting platforms and must say that Site Ground is not only the easiest, but the most reliable of any other. Plus, their customer service rocks it out of the park every time. Always willing to help resolve any issues we may have. I would highly recommend Site Ground to anyone looking for a stellar hosting platform.

    Reply
  17. bhavin gandhi says:
    Oct 11, 2018 at 8:15 am

    i was struggling to get chat support for more than 2 hours to resolve my DNS setting issue. But i was not getting chat support , i was just getting tutorials. As i was not getting chat support , it tried searching in google .But could not find solution. Then after trying for hour ,i get chat support and he resolve my issue in just 2 mins. So insist chat support fast next time

    Reply
  18. Dan Bidstrup says:
    Oct 10, 2018 at 5:25 pm

    Once the problem was properly set up, the solution from Siteground was spot on. Good work.

    Reply
  20. Jean says:
    Oct 10, 2018 at 9:38 am

    Support was very friendly and helpful, which lives up to siteground’s reputation for great support. that by itself has sold me on signing up. (plus great price!)

    Reply
  21. Brittany Schuver says:
    Oct 9, 2018 at 9:45 pm

    Support was extremely helpful, walking me step by step through completing a very technical process/question. Love the customer service from Siteground! So responsive and helpful!

    Reply
  25. Zargar J says:
    Oct 9, 2018 at 3:23 am

    Perfect Excellent, keep it up.
    2 days i tried with another 4 customer care guys,but they couldn’t help me .i was upset.
    regards,
    JZ

    Reply
  26. Kathryn Borrell says:
    Oct 8, 2018 at 4:51 pm

    Very clear help. And timely. Can’t create my site straight away as I wanted to but I know what I need to do.

    Reply
  29. Carlos Canelon says:
    Oct 8, 2018 at 12:08 pm

    Good chat, fast reply and excellent knowledge of the different products and services.
    All my inquiries where clarified.

    Best,

    Carlos

    Reply
  32. Neill Kramer says:
    Oct 8, 2018 at 2:46 am

    I am having trouble accessing my new wordpress site on your system because my domain hasn’t switched over and the tech support promised to send me a url that I can use to upload my content xml file etc.

    But no email or url arrived

    Reply
    • SiteGround says:
      Oct 9, 2018 at 4:27 am

      Hi Neill,



      Thank you for choosing our service. Please note our team has already sent the temporary url for accessing your website to the administrative email address associated with your account. Our team is available 24/7 if you need further help reach us directly via the Support Center in your client area.



      Regards,

      SiteGround Team

      Reply
  35. Brian says:
    Oct 7, 2018 at 11:16 am

    Siteground Support is some of the best I’ve ever had from a company. Always knowledgeable, available, and ready to help. This has just been my first week with them, but already a far better experience than many other hosting providers I’ve worked with. Highly recommended!

    Reply
  37. David Erdal says:
    Oct 6, 2018 at 3:47 pm

    Obscure email problem; expertly evaluated; patient support; beyond the call of either our contract or of duty.
    very fine support service.

    Reply
  38. David Erdal says:
    Oct 6, 2018 at 3:39 pm

    We had an obscure problem with our email system. Our support person (sorry i did not copy his name) helped us to the very best of his ability, with great patience, even though he did not have to: it was an email client problem, which siteground is not responsible for.
    So I rate him 5*

    Reply
  39. Gyorgy Elias says:
    Oct 6, 2018 at 2:13 pm

    Very pleased with SiteGround 24/7 Live Chat. Always top on customer service provided! My problems (if I had any) was always sorted in just a few minutes.
    Thank you!

    Reply
  42. Marina says:
    Oct 5, 2018 at 11:29 pm

    Support staff was excellent. He really went above and beyond to help me with my domain and email service reset and even sent me a test email at the end to make sure we have accomplished everything.

    Seriously amazing tech support.
    Thank you

    Reply
  46. Lary says:
    Oct 5, 2018 at 2:33 pm

    I appreciate the amount of time it took to get my phone email functional. It all boiled down to me not inputting the correct info.

    I will give him a 10!! for patience.

    Lary Heller

    Reply
  48. Jernej Doles says:
    Oct 3, 2018 at 4:28 pm

    Excellent support, exceptional. Special thanks! Extremely knowledgeable and friendly advice. Thank you

    Reply
  49. Adrian says:
    Oct 3, 2018 at 4:21 pm

    SiteGround always have fantastic customer service and Help Desk both friendly, professional and knowledgeable.

    Highly recommend them

    Reply
  50. Alamgeer Khan says:
    Oct 3, 2018 at 3:37 pm

    Very Very nice and amazing support. I have never seen this type support. I always remember it and very soon i will transfer my domain to siteground. Excellent services.

    Reply

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