Disclosure: Tech Daily is reader-supported. If you make a purchase through our links, we may earn a commission (at no cost to you).
Learn more.
Choosing the best web hosting provider definitely requires some due diligence and research before settling on a choice.
There are hundreds of hosting companies out there, and all of them promise you that they offer the best option for hosting your website – So, who do you choose?
Choosing the right host for your business is especially critical and has different considerations compared to hosting for a personal blog.
Downtime for a small business can equate to the loss of customers and revenue, so you need to find a reliable web host to partner with.
Here are the 4 top small business hosting providers.
1. WHC – Best in Class Cheap and Reliable Hosting
Highlights
- Canadian business privately owned and operated
- Canadian data centers
- 130,000+ websites hosted
- 24 x 7 Support in English and French – Phone / Email / Live Chat
- In business since 2003
- Based in Montreal, Quebec
WHC Reviews and Rating
WHC has an amazing rating on Google of 4.9 / 5 by over 2,000 clients.
WHC Features
- Easy Website Drag and Drop Builder
- cPanel control panel
- 9% uptime guarantee
- 30 day money back guarantee
WHC Cheapest Plan
Starter Plan – Introductory Offer
- 1 website
- Unlimited storage and bandwidth
- Starter email included with unlimited mailboxes
- Free Cloudflare CDN
- One-click install for 300+ apps
- $100 Google Ads credit
- cPanel control panel
- Free site migration
$3.89 CAD per month (36 month term)
Renewal prices may vary.
See Full Plan and Price List
WHC Data Centers
Web Hosting Canada covers the country with 2 data centers, one on the East Coast and one on the West Coast, providing great coverage coast to coast.
- Montreal, Quebec
- Vancouver, British Columbia
Summary
Web Hosting Canada, also known as WHC, has a strong introductory offer that gets you their Starter web hosting plan for only $3.89 pre month.
If you’re looking for a solid Canadian host, with Canadian data centers, look no further.
WHC has been around since 2003 and is one of the most reliable Canadian web hosts.
With data centers on both coasts and a 24 x 7 support team that speaks both English and French, WHC is a great partner to choose for your next online endeavour.
Current Promo: Up to 50% off your first term. See full details on their website.
Learn more at WHC.ca
2. Kinsta – Best in Class managed WordPress Hosting
Highlights
- Premium Managed WordPress Hosting Provider – ONLY offers WordPress hosting
- Leverages the Google Cloud Platform with global data centers including Montreal
- Proprietary software built to offer blazing fast WordPress implementations
- Expert 24 x 7 Support from WordPress developers through Online Messaging system
- In business since 2013
- Headquartered in California
Kinsta Reviews and Rating
Check out our Kinsta review for more details on what we think about the platform.
Rated 4.8 out of 5 on G2 with over 200 reviews. They also continuously win various awards from G2.
Kinsta WordPress Hosting Features
- Fully managed service
- MyKinsta – Proprietary dashboard built specifically to manage WordPress websites
- No Fixed term contracts – Instant prorated refunds
- Easily upgrade or downgrade based on your needs
- Free migrations
Kinsta offers 10 different hosting plans in the tiers of Starter, Pro, Business and Enterprise.
We’ll focus on the Starter and Pro tiers in this article.
| Kinsta Starter | Kinsta Pro |
|
|---|---|---|
| Number of Sites | 1 | 2 |
| SSD Storage | 10GB | 20GB |
| Monthly Visitors | Up to 25,000 | Up to 50,000 |
| SSL | Yes | Yes |
| CDN | Yes | Yes |
| Staging Environment | Yes | Yes |
Kinsta WordPress Hosting Prices in USD
Starter:
$30 per month
2 Free Months if you pay annually becoming the equivalent of $25 per month
Pro:
$60 per month
2 Free Months if you pay annually becoming the equivalent of $50 per month
See Full Plan and Price List
Kinsta Data Centers
Kinsta leverages the Google Cloud Platform instead of maintaining their own physical hardware, allowing them to offer clients automatic scalability in an isolated environment, made possible by their proprietary software.
They have 24 data center locations globally, including a Canadian one, which is in Montreal.
Summary
Kinsta focuses on WordPress hosting only for sites of all sizes, which makes them ideal for smaller and medium sized businesses as well as entrepreneurs starting on their journey who want to pair up with a provider that will easily scale as their business grows.
As many websites are started on WordPress, having a web host that specializes in the particular platform is helpful.
Tech Daily uses Kinsta!
As far as WordPress hosting goes, Kinsta makes for a great option for anyone who wants WordPress experts at their fingertips, from both a hardware and software point of view.
The usage of containers and a strong engineering team affords Kinsta the ability to guarantee a 99.9% uptime.
Kinsta offers users an easy way to scale their solutions and their managed WordPress offering is one of the best in the industry.
Kinsta offers premium 24/7/365 customer support so whether you are an advanced user or someone just starting out, you can rest assured that there is someone also available to discuss your needs, any time, any day.
Learn more at Kinsta.com
3. Cloudways – Best in Class Cloud Host
Highlights
- Managed cloud hosting provider
- 250,000 managed websites globally
- Access to 60+ global data centers
- 24 x 7 x 365 Support – Phone / Email / Live Chat / Slack
- Privately held European company founded in 2009 based in Malta
Cloudways Hosting Reviews and Rating
Strong reviews and ratings across the board with a 4.8 out of 5 from G2 and multiple awards.
4.7 out of 5 on Trustpilot from over 500 reviews.
Further reviews and testimonials are available on their website from real people which you can fact check easily.
Cloudways Hosting Features
- Managed cloud hosting platform – FREE TRIAL
- 1-click scaling of resources such as CPU, RAM and storage without affecting any customizations
- Choose your preferred cloud host – DigitalOcean, Linode, Vultr, Amazon Web Services of Google Cloud
- Pay hourly or monthly only for the resources you use
- No contracts
Cloudways offers various tiers of service for each of the 5 cloud hosts that they work with.
Choose your cloud host provider and then choose from monthly or hourly billing.
Cloudways Prices in USD
Starting from:
DigitalOcean: $10 per month
Linode: $12 per month
Vultr: $11 per month
Amazon Web Services: $36.51 per month
Google Cloud: $33.63 per month
See Full Plan and Price List
Cloudways Data Centers
Cloudways provides you access to 60+ global data centers from your cloud hosting provider of choice. A full list is available on their website.
In terms of Canadian data centers:
- Toronto, Ontario – DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode
- Montreal, Quebec – Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud
- Fermont, Quebec – Linode
Summary
Cloudways offers individuals, small businesses and agencies an exciting opportunity to leverage the power of the world’s best cloud hosts in a simple, intuitive managed platform.
Essentially, Cloudways provides a platform that helps manage your hosting service, regardless of which cloud host you choose.
They also make it simply to scale up or down in mere clicks.
So while you can go and sign up for DigitalOcean directly, it would be an unmanaged service, meaning you would need to have the technical knowledge or resources on your side to set up, maintain and support the server.
With Cloudways, you can choose your cloud host – DigitalOcean, Linode, Vultr, Amazon Web Services or Google Cloud – along with the data center you want to use – and Cloudways will take care of setting up, maintaining, supporting and helping you scale as necessary.
A very innovative company and a different approach to the cloud hosting model.
They’ve been around since 2009 and are European based with rave reviews from customers all around the globe.
They also offer a Free Trial for the first 2 tiers in their DigitalOcean, Linode and Vultr, so you can get in there and check the platform out before you truly commit.
Learn more at Cloudways.com
4. Liquid Web – Best in Class Dedicated Hosting
Highlights
- 45,000 customers in over 150 countries
- 500,000 sites under management
- Over 500 team members on-site
- 10 Global Data Centers
- 24 x 7 x 365 Support – Phone / Email / Live Chat
- Privately held US company founded in 1997 based in Michigan
Liquid Web Reviews and Rating
Liquid Web focuses on and tracks their Net Promoter Score (NPS) which was last known to be 64.
This score is a customer loyalty metric with a focus on how likely customers are to recommend Liquid Web to their friends, family and colleagues.
A score of 64 is seen as Excellent and higher than the industry average of 56.
From TrustPilot, Liquid Web has a ranking of 4.5 out of 5, based on over 400 reviews.
Liquid Web Dedicated Hosting Features
Liquid Web offers a tailored solution to help you get the right dedicated hosting solution for your needs.
- Fully customizable dedicated servers including Storage, Security, Performance, Software and more
- Standard secondary backup drive on all servers
- 30 minute faulty hardware replacement SLA
- 100% Network and Power Uptime SLAs
- Level 3 Support technicians on site
Liquid Web has 3 different dedicated hosting servers available:
- Intel Xeon 1230v6
- Intel Xeon Gold 6226R – Single
- Intel Xeon Gold 6226R – Dual
| Liquid Web Intel Xeon 1230v6 | Liquid Web Intel Xeon Gold 6226R - Single | Liquid Web Intel Xeon Gold 6226R - Dual |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU Cores | 4 | 16 | 32 |
| Memory (RAM) | 16 | 32 | 64 |
| Storage | Primary: 2 x 240GB SSD Backup: 1 x 1TB SATA | Primary: 2 x 480GB SSD Backup: 1 x 2TB SATA | Primary: 2 x 480GB SSD Backup: 1 x 2TB SATA |
| Bandwidth | 5TB | 8TB | 8TB |
Liquid Web Dedicated Hosting Prices in USD
Intel Xeon 1230v6:
$155.79 per month – Annual payment
Sale: $123.99 per month (Regularly $163.99 per month) – No commitment
Intel Xeon Gold 6226R – Single:
$250.79 per month – Annual payment
Sale: $163.99 per month (Regularly $263.99 per month) – No commitment
Intel Xeon Gold 6226R – Dual:
$469.29 per month – Annual payment
Sale: $353.99 per month (Regularly $493.99 per month) – No commitment
Renewal prices may vary.
See Full Plan and Price List
Liquid Web Data Centers
Liquid Web has 10 data centers strategically placed around the world.
From what’s officially published, Liquid Web has data centers in locations noted below, there may be multiple data centers in each city or other locations that are not published.
Customers can choose which data center they would like to host in at time of purchase, with prices slightly higher if hosting in Netherlands.
- Lansing, Michigan – Main data center with a capacity of 33,000 servers
- Phoenix, Arizona
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
Summary
With a strong focus on small and medium sized businesses as well as their designers, developers and agencies, Liquid Web is a very strong player in the dedicated hosting market.
With privately owned and operated core data centers, with their main data center in Lansing, Michigan having a whopping capacity of 33,000 servers and level 3 technicians on-site 24 x 7 x 365, Liquid Web is as concerned with your success as you are, which is not something you get from budget hosting providers.
The meticulous focus on Support has also led them to coin the term Most Helpful Humans in Hosting® which largely comes from their unwavering support of their customers and dedication to serving you:
Phone Support: 59 second initial response guarantee
Chat Support: 59 second initial response guarantee
Helpdesk: 59 minute initial response guarantee
It’s clear how they value your time and business.
Current Promos: Introductory Offer on Intel Xeon 1230v6 and 25% off 2nd Generation Intel Xeon Gold 6226R Processors
Learn more at LiquidWeb.com
Here are some critical factors to consider when choosing a web hosting company for your small business.
1. Availability and Reliability
Unreliable uptime is a nightmare for your business and will cost you money in the long term, especially if your service provider experiences frequent issues with its servers.
Make sure you stick with service providers offering a minimum of 99% uptime and that they guarantee that in the service-level agreement.
And while most hosts these days offer 99% or 99.9% uptime guarantees, you’ll want to look at things such as where they’re located, what sort of contact options they offer (some don’t offer telephone support) and what type of clients they currently service.
If they are happily servicing existing small or medium sized businesses, your needs will probably be met.
Ask your prospective hosts to provide references you can reach out to, as ‘trying’ a host is not a simple task.
2. Scalability
When starting online, many companies have to bootstrap their business due to constraints on their finances.
Therefore, you might begin with a shared hosting solution for your web store.
However, as your business grows and you start posting larger traffic figures each month, you’re probably going to need / or want to upgrade to a VPS or dedicated hosting solution.
Your provider should grow with your business, allowing you to easily scale.
Look for a host that’s knowledgeable with different types of hosting, not just entry level.
3. Offer
When assessing the best web hosting provider for your site, look at the company’s value offering.
Price isn’t always the best determination of value.
The service provider’s features and functionality are your top concern when selecting your hosting.
While assessing the disk space, bandwidth, and support from the host, make sure you also look at other features included in your package.
Some providers have drag-and-drop web builder platforms and other advantageous features like easy email set up using a custom domain name.
Other interesting features include 1 click installation of various web applications to like WordPress and if you’re in eCommerce, look for providers that have direct access to eCommerce tools like Magento and OpenCart.
4. Privacy and Security
Make sure that your hosting provider is transparent about their security.
Understand what they’re doing to protect the privacy of your customers and what they’re doing to keep their network secure.
This should be a combination of physical hardware related protocols as well as the implementation of policies.
Most hosting providers include firewalls and network monitoring options, ensuring that no harmful traffic enters your web apps, which is a great start.
You’ll also want to think about where the company is headquartered and where the data center is located to ensure you’re aligned with the applicable privacy laws.
5. Support
Customer support is an essential part of the solution you choose.
When things go wrong, you need a competent support agent on the other line.
Check for the methods of communication offered by the customer service team.
You want a hosting solution offering 24/7 live chat support, as well as email and phone support for your site.
Never sign up with providers where an email address is the only form of support contact.
These providers could leave you hanging for days without getting back to you, causing harm to your business.
6. Pricing
Pricing should never really be the deciding factor on your checklist.
While it’s an important consideration, it’s also important to note that the cheapest option isn’t always the best hosting solution.
When reviewing hosting providers, understand your requirements, and look to pair yourself up with the provider that can best service your requirements.
Now look at price – as long as it’s reasonable compared to others in the market, you should be in a good spot.
7. Site and Data Backups
A top-quality service provider should offer you automatic backups of your site and give you the functionality to make local manual backups at any time.
If the hard disk fails or gets corrupted, make sure the hosting provider has a policy in place for restoring your site.
8. Self Service Control Panel
All hosting providers have a control panel allowing you to self service when it comes to things like setting up your domain, new email accounts and other administrative tasks.
You’ll want to ensure the control panel they’re offering is robust enough that you can complete minor tasks easily and quickly yourself vs having to submit a support ticket.
Make sure that the service provider offers you with a user-friendly interface. Popular options include Plesk and cPanel, which work on Linux OS solutions.
