The review of HostGator webhosting that gets to the truth…snappily (and the home of the $0.01 first month web hosting deal)
Years ago back in 2003, I asked a friend for web hosting recommendations and they told me to have a look at Hostgator. It was a fantastic experience back then and one I have repeated many times since which has just become better and better year after year.
HostGator - The Statistics Don’t Lie
In fact, you just have to look at the statistics to see that Host Gator gets the thumbs up from a LOT of people. Check this out, Hostgator:
-Hosts over 700,000 websites. That’s 700,000!
-Has 4 massive data centers
-Has 8 different backbone providers to ensure seamless network connectivity
-Offers incredible plans from $4.95 to $12.95/month
-Answers the phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year!
HostGator - What I Love The Most
You can try out their web hosting services for $0.01! Yep, you read that right. It takes 5 minutes to setup and costs $0.01. If you want to know exactly how to do this and how much of a great host they are, click here to go straight through to further down in the review where I outline exact instructions.
HostGator - More Indepth
They have been in business since 2002, offer the most popular control panel, host 700,000+ sites, and are one of few Web hosts that really do answer the phone and chat 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
I have found HostGator to be one of the best web hosts online today. They offer solid customer support, ease of use, fast response time to questions, competitive pricing, and plenty of features with cPanel.
HostGator - The Hardware
In addition to topnotch support, HostGator offers service delivered with reliable hardware.
When asked about their servers, Brent Oxley, President of HostGator related in a recent interview, “All of our servers, whether they are used for shared or reseller customers, come equipped with Dual Xeon processors rated 2.4, Twin 200 Gigabyte Hard Drives, and RAID 1 disk mirroring. Most are now fitted with 4 Gigabytes of RAM, but those that are not will be upgraded shortly. Customers choosing a dedicated hosting solution may select from a few different hardware packages in order to find what best suits their needs.”
HostGator - SiteStudio
HostGator provides access to the industry-leading SiteStudio website designer, which is an extremely easy program to use to help even the newest “newbie” develop a Website.
My Aunt Della is a painter who developed an online gallery of her work using SiteStudio. Della is 62 and her site gets rave reviews from her customers.
HostGator - Recognised
HostGator has become one of the better known Web hosts in the industry by being true to their market. That is, HostGator actually answers phones, replies to emails, responds to live chat requests, doesn’t rip you off, and provides quality hosting.
HostGator has experienced a large amount of success in recent years, but they have remained true blue to Web businesses. Also priding themselves on customer care and approval, HostGator has received many positive customer reviews and has been recognized by industry leaders as a reliable host with solid customer service. HostGator is listed on numerous sites with Editor’s Choice Awards, which are well deserved, in my opinion.
One of the more refreshing things about HostGator is that they don’t offer marketing ploys or attempt to entrap those signing up for hosting with worthless subscriptions and services. I have talked to friends who have signed up for hosting elsewhere only to be automatically signed up for subscriptions they didn’t want.
One of my friends, Jamie, told me a story about spending at least ten minutes unchecking boxes before they could order the one thing they wanted—monthly hosting for one domain (the hosting company he was trying to sign up with will remain nameless but needless to say, it was not HostGator!).
HostGator - Hosting Made Simple
With HostGator what you see is what you get. HostGator’s terms of service are standard, as is their order process. Marketing isn’t shoved down your throat or sneaked in at every page and billing is simple.
The entire order process takes about 5 minutes and HostGator accepts credit cards, debit cards, and PayPal. Of HostGator’s customer support, Brent Oxley says, “We offer multiple avenues from which our customers may initiate support requests, including Email, Instant Message via AIM, Yahoo!, and MSN, Live Chat, Online Support Forums, and even 24-hour Phone Support. We try to make it as simple as possible for our customers to contact us in their time of need. To further simplify the process, we have implemented a web-based ticket system– a feature our customers have demanded, and we are more than happy to provide.”
HostGator - Committed to It’s Customers!
Recent press regarding HostGator shows its commitment to its customers Brent Oxley hasn’t stopped with simply providing great service. HostGator is so sure that their customers love them that they recently announced introduction of a new tool that allows users to evaluate their Web host. The tool is free and enables visitors to Websites to rate how quickly pages are loading.
“This simple tool gives our hosting customers valuable insight into their website’s performance,” explains Brent Oxley in a recent press release. “We are always looking for ways to add value to each and every hosting account we sell and this is just another example of how we do that.” To install the tool, site owners cut and paste a small amount of HTML code into their Websites.
Once installed, the tool will allow site owners to see how visitors rate the loading times of their Websites. Mr. Oxley goes on to say “This tool also enables our hosting customers to evaluate the performance of HostGator, their web hosting provider. We are absolutely confident in our track record and welcome the chance for our customers to put us to the test.”
HostGator - What are “coupon codes”?
In the past, HostGator offered different coupons for different discount amounts, but in order to reduce fraud and confusion, they have simplified their process. There are a few different coupon codes (such as MUSICA or FREETRIAL) that all give you $9.94 off your total bill and the best thing about this is that it means that you can try out their ‘Baby’ plan for only $0.01 for the first month so you can test drive their great support and hosting features for your self for almost nothing.
If you’d like to try HostGator for $0.01, follow the steps below.
Selecting a Domain Option
1. Click here to go through to HostGator now (it will open in a new window). If you already have a domain, click “I will use my existing domain”; otherwise, you’ll need to Register your domain.
Selecting a Package Type
2. Select the “Baby” plan as your desired plan. Select the “Baby” instead of the “Hatchling” because the “Hatchling” is billed on a yearly basis and to get your first month for $0.01 you want to use the monthly billed “Baby” plan. If you just want $9.94 off your bill and aren’t interested in paying only $0.01 for your first month then you can select whichever plan best suits you.
Entering Your Coupon
3. Once you’ve chosen your desired plan, enter the coupon code FREETRIAL, and click “Calculate Totals.”
Getting Your Discount!
4. Your total should now reflect the new price with your coupon.
Please bear in mind that expiration of HostGator coupons and discounts can occur without notice at any time, so if you are interested act fast. If I have listed any expired HostGator coupon codes, please let me know as they do change. This way I can quickly delete expired or invalid offers.
HostGator - The Verdict
HostGator comes in a very close 2nd next to IX Web Hosting as my favorite webhost. HostGator just make the whole hosting thing so darn easy.
My perfect webhost is someone that seamlessly integrates with my websites and is neither seen nor heard until I have a question. Then when I do they are right there ready to take my call, answer my IM, my live chat request or my email straight away.
This describes HostGator to a T.
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