Why I chose SiteGround to host all my sites
In 2018, I migrated all my sites to SiteGround hosting after a long deliberation. I had hosted with the previous host for 10 years before making the switch.
Now it is almost a year on and I must I am very happy with SiteGround as my hosting company. If you are considering a hosting plan for your new site, I encourage you to try give SiteGround hosting a try. Don’t go for cheap or unreliable host because it may cause problems to your site which would be much more difficult to fix later.
Here are the reasons that made me migrate to SiteGround from my previous host:
1. Free SSL encryption that can be set up with a few clicks
If you host your sites with SiteGround, you can convert your site from http to https at no additional charges. That is a huge bonus for me because my previous host requires me to pay a premium fee for SSL certification.
2. Faster site loading speed
I was paying USD20 per month with my previous host but when I check my site, the loading speed was constantly slow. A slow loading speed will cause your visitors to leave your site immediately. After migrating to SiteGround, my site’s loading speed has improved dramatically.
3. Great customer service and support
I love their support. Once of the biggest thing that held me back all these years from migrating my hosts is that I lack the technical knowledge to perform site migration. The tutorials in YouTube and knowledgebase articles are too technical for me to understand. Furthermore I have some high traffic sites that would cost me dearly if the migration did not go through as expected.
In total, I request website transfer of 4 sites. The first site is free of charge. The subsequent sites is charged at USD30 per site to migrate 3 of my most important sites from my previous host to SiteGround. The staff did a wonderful job.
As for the rest of my smaller sites, I did it myself using the SiteGround Migrator Plugin which is free of charge.
In between I raised tickets and also chatted with their support real time. They were able to solve my queries to my satisfaction.
How to sign up with SiteGround Hosting
If you sign up through my affiliate link, you would be able to enjoy a discount during your sign up. To sign up, please visit https://blog.yinteing.com/siteground-hosting and follow the steps below:
Step 1: Choose your hosting plan
SiteGround has three plans and one can sign for any of the plans with a great discount through my affiliate link https://blog.yinteing.com/siteground-hosting.
- The StartUp plan is perfect for people with one website that are starting now
- The GrowBig plan is a great value for money offer, including the option for multiple websites and the SuperCacher that greatly improves a WordPress and Joomla website speed
- The GoGeek plan is perfect for people with e-commerce and larger sites, or more geeky development needs like staging and GIT integration
Note: Personally I am on their GrowBig plan as I have multiple websites that I am hosting.
Step 2. Choosing Domain
You may choose to purchase a new domain (if you are starting out a site) or sign up with an existing domain.
For me, I already have existing domain names which I originally parked under my previous host. Instead of migrating to SiteGround, I migrated my domain names to NameCheap.com. Reason being is NameCheap provide me with the option to keep my WhoIs data private without additional charges. Also, it would be easier to coordinate my domain name at one single site.
Transferring the content of your website
If you do not have a website, you can set up a wordpress site quickly using the tools in their site. But if you are like me who already have existing sites, if you sign up under the GrowBig and GoGeek plans, you are eligible for one FREE website transfer. Meaning the staff would help to do the transfer from the previous host to SiteGround.
Step 3: Review and Complete
The discount applies based on the number of years you have selected. For example, you may sign up the GrowBig for 1 year at the discounted rate of USD5.95 per month. However for me, I have selected 3 years where I am able to enjoy the discounted rate of USD5.95. From the 4th year onwards, my plan would renew at the normal rate of USD19.95 per month. Hence the longer you allow yourself to commit to the plan, the longer you are able to enjoy the discount.
If I have not migrated from my previous host, I would still be paying USD20 per month. I utilized the savings I have received through switching host to pay for my website transfer fee. It is still well worth it. However if you are starting a new site, well, you would be able to enjoy the discount rate ….and perhaps you may use the savings to purchase a premium theme or plugins that can help your site.
For my site, I am using Thesis WordPress theme, a theme that I had bought many years ago. The theme came with free lifetime upgrade. I am not an expert in web design….I place a lot of emphasize on simple but functional design. At the moment I am still using this theme and very happy with it. Investing in a premium theme that you like is worth it.
All the best in building your own site 🙂
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