Hostgator Review – Top Notch Web Host?
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ostgator to date hosts more than 8 million domains. According to various Hostgator reviews, this web host has established a good reputation in the web hosting industry. As an evidence that Hostgator is one of the popular choices in web hosting even WPBeginner is hosted on Hostgator server. Hostgator review says that this is just one of the reasons why this web host continues to attract the rest of the well-known brands out there. Founded in 2002 by Brent Oxley, this company can trace its roots in a university dorm room. Later on according to Hostgator reviews this company has moved on to a set of offices in Houston and Austin, Texas in the US. The present domains hosted under this web host constitutes a chunk of the internet’s traffic. To date according to Hostgator reviews the clients of this web host are spread out through 200 countries around the world.
More than 4500 website templates that can help customize the pages and content of their logo
There was a time that it was difficult for companies to keep their business running with such high overhead costs. It is definitely difficult for these businesses to find the right web host that can help them build their own website at a cost within the business budget. Hostgator reviews says that coupon codes are given by this web host to reduce the cost of running their website. There are also cases when this coupon discounts are offered as well for website design. Hostgator provides their clients with a tool that they call as Site Builder. This can help new business owners build their website. This tool gives website owners a multitude number of features and most of the time was included in the web hosting options. More than 4500 website templates that can help customize the pages and content of their logo.
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Hostgator Review
Hostgator review mentions that site building tools allows companies to change or re-design their website in just a matter of minutes instead of hours. These building tools and templates are provided for customers without additional cost. All users have access to the cPanel for website enhancement.
Free web host transfers are available for all hosting services under this web host. This means that all files, emails, domains and databases as well as script can be transferred without incurring additional cost. This makes it easy for website owners to run their site and business thanks to this web host provider. This web host provides four main services. This comes with different levels of service. According to Hostgator review each of these plans comes with unlimited disk space, sub-domains, bandwidth, FTP and email accounts. The three levels of hosting are Hatchling, Baby and Business. All of these plans comes with SSL certification.
One of the reasons why people choose this web host is because of its efficient customer support service. This specific service is available 24/7 in all days of the year. This support team will answer questions and provide technical help. One of the issues that is currently place this web host in the limelight is issues connected to the customer service support team. There are various reactions coming from customers are in reference to their experience about this client support team.
Who is EIG and what role does it play in the change in this web host? Since 2013, users are complaining about their repeated experience about downtime. This provider data center goes offline affecting the hundreds of thousands sites that are hosted under it. Customers were left without service and no customer support to help them. In some cases this can last for a full day. The same thing can be said about other companies like BlueHost and Hostmonster which are actually the same hosting company. This is when users realize that this provider is eaten up by competition under new ownership. It does exists in name only. It is now under EIG or Endurance International Group. Not a lot of people knows about the buyout.
For the past 13 years they acquired other host and to get new customers. When they buy the company they do not divulge that they have bought it, even from the customers. They did not issue any press releases about this. They do not even inform their customers that these customers are now operating under another company because the brand remains the same. To date EIG owns about 50 brands which includes this host. It took a year before folks begin to know of the EIG acquisition.
Hostgator Hosting
Every business needs a website, this can be a full blown eCommerce website or just a simple website. This web host provider can provide any of these kinds of sites. The hosting plans are offered at good prices and has features that will fit any of these needs. Shared hosting packages for instance offers month to month renewable hosting plans however, this web host pushes users to sign up for longer terms starting with six month plans. They do this by offering discounts such as longer terms equates to bigger savings on the part of the users.
During the sign up process the terms are set to default for three years term which new users find a bit much. There is also not a clear distinction between the plans. The Hatchling plans for instant offers almost the same features as the rest of the other packages however this also comes with support for one domain and third party applications like content management system and eCommerce platforms. Customers must upgrade to Baby or Business to avail of unlimited domains though. These two plans add special options like free toll free phone number and dedicated SSL certificates.
Hostgator review offers three levels of hosting like Hatchling, Baby and Business plans. Each of these plans includes SSL certification. The Baby Plan includes unlimited domains. The Business Plan provides unlimited domains, toll free number and private SSL certification as well as an IP address. This comes with lots of discount offers as well. However, the piece de resistance is the Virtual Private Server hosting offered by this web host that might be a bit pricey than the rest of its offers but totally worth it. This is for business and website owners who expects high traffic volumes or have specific requirements that cannot be remedied by using shared hosting resources.
Still this web host packs some interesting packages like its Dedicated Server hosting. This web host offers this without the need to pay for dedicated server configuration unlike some other similar services offered in the web hosting market today. This provider offers a more affordable solution. When set side by side with other hosting services when it comes to operating system options this provider wins hands down. This is because of the dedicated servers that come in Linux and Windows. This provider is the only one of the few web hosts that score well in both operating systems. This is also the reason why their operating systems are given an Editor’s Choice award by well-known web hosting review sites.
Hostgator Services
Hostgator review says that site builder provides a lot of functional drag and drop designs to help start customers website. Some of the pre-sets functional modules that includes blogs and image galleries in it. Other pre-sets includes design templates, pages and page sets. According to Hostgator review, these site builder tools uses BaseKit which is a very easy tool that provides a way for clients to build websites. This specific site builder tool allows the use of multiple languages. Other functions of this tool is to allow adding and editing HTML and CSS coding. PSD designs can be imported into the program to allow more customization to a website.
This Hostgator styling tools allows building an interesting site even for inexperienced individual or site owner. All hosting plans includes free shopping carts, blogs, forums and web based file managers. These are but just some of the additional options for website. Businesses can grow and have a great looking website thanks to these additional options. It is indicated on this web provider TOS that starting August 14, 2014 under Section 8 that “Gator reserves the right to migrate the customer’s account from one data center to another in order to comply with applicable data center”. This covers the agreement between this host and their customer or customers whichever the case maybe. Whether they like it or not these are the new terms and that if in case customers will not agree with these terms they are not authorized to use this web host services nor have access to it.
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Hostgator VPS Review
Hostgator review says that this web host Virtual Private Server or VPS. This is a virtual machine. VPS is a great option for someone who needs more resources to be able to handle the huge traffic to their website. VPS has its own separate resources. The account can run independently since it runs on a separate server in the web. VPS is a cross between shared and dedicated hosting plan. The server is not solely for the VPS plan holder use but their server runs separate from other accounts and are offered at a more affordable price.
Here are some of the great benefits of having a VPS server. Customers can have their own IP address. They will get root access and freedom to reboot their VPS anytime that the need arises. Those who avail of this kind of server can change services like internet, emails, panels, domains and even their databases. In other words, they will have the freedom that they need and in addition to this these are offered at a cheaper price than dedicated servers.
Each of the Hostgator VPS package includes a lot of unlimited services like unlimited domains, sub domains, email accounts, MySQL database, and FTP accounts. This is not all, this package also includes weekly off site backups. This package comes with free site builder software, Private name serve, VIRTUOZZO power panel, fully managed cPanel/Plesk and full root access. This package also comes with 24/7 support. Why is there a need to use VPS instead of shared or reseller package? It all boils down to needs that can no longer be met through shared or reseller hosting plans. This happens when the website is receiving a good amount of traffic.
The Hosting tab is where the actual control panel for the site building tools are located.
Hostgator SSL
Hostgator allows its clients to purchase SSL certification from others however, these clients must need to fill out a form to generate what this web host refers to as CSR or Certificate Signing Request. Once this CSR form is signed clients must take this to their SSL issuer so that they will re-issue the SSL in order for it to work on this web host servers. Clients are required to send an email to whoever is handling installation so that this web host can install it for these clients who are using SSL issued by other companies. An additional admin fees will be collected depending on the amount of domains that needs reconfiguring. Emails are encourage to be send to this web host through salesforms@hostgator.com if there is a need to install Wildcard or Multi domain.
Current clients of Hostgator are reminded that SSL installations for managed dedicated server owners are free. According to Hostgator reviews, for those who want to avail of this freebie these comes with Business and Enterprise Plans but must be requested. This provider suggest for those who are availing of a Baby Plan to pay an extra $39.95/year to get their private SSL certificate. Another alternative according to Hostgator review is for those who has availed of the Hatchling plan to Business plan so that they can get private SSL hosting without incurring an additional fee for the certificate. These are some of the suggestions given with regards to SSL certification without the need for Hostgator coupon code to avail of discounts.
All of this web host shared servers has a pre-installed SSL certificate. For those who might not be aware of this free shared SSL they must first know their server name, cPanel user name and server’s secure name. Another way of knowing the server name is to check the confirmation or welcome email send when signing up with this web host for an account. This welcome email contains the server name for their website. Another option is to check the left pane of the cPanel which is almost near the bottom. Another alternative is to ask for technical support services step by step instructions.
Hostgator SSH
Hostgator offers secure shell access better known as Hostgator SSH. By default this is enabled in all hosting accounts. Hostgator reviews shares that depending on the specific account clients can access their Hostgator SSH. For shared web hosting this web host offers what they call as jailed SSH. This is specifically for this type of account only. The instructions are posted on the Hostgator support pages. For those who are availing of the Reseller web hosting, jailed SSH is offered for free to the primary domain in the account. However, if these resellers would like to activate SSH on their sub-account panel and will be charged $10 for these. Hostgator review says that request for its activation must be made via the online form. For resellers who have multiple cPanels that needs SSH, they need to fill out one form for each account.
For those who belong to Dedicated Server and VPS hosting plans have root SSH access automatically that allows them to change anything on their server. If in case these Dedicated Server and VPS hosting plans subscribers have multiple cPanels that might need SSH, they can activate these within root WHM. Instructions are again provided for in the support page of this web host. SEO Hosting plan holders must contact SEO Hosting through live chat on the Hostgator website for this request of enabling jailed SSH on their SEO Hosting account. For those who are under this account who have multiple cPanels that need SSH can send an email to support@seohosting.com with the list of the domains.
Hostgator Coupon Code
Hostgator reviews shares that the biggest possible Hostgator coupon code which will depend on the size of order. If the account or services availed of is greater than $33 they can use their 30 percent off. In some cases, 25 percent discounts are offered as well. In some cases, according to Hostgator review that users can save even up to $599.70 which will of course depend on the plan and billing cycle. Dollar off coupons can result to a $10 off discount. However, for those whose order is less than $33 using one of the coupon codes can help them save at least from less than 1 cent or $9.94.
For those who are under Hatchling and Baby Hosting plans this means they will get a first month of service for one penny. Hostgator makes it possible for clients to avail of inexpensive rates to begin with. Then comes these coupon discount codes in addition to this packages. This will keep the cost of running their business. After choosing the specific plan, sign up and enter the discount code. VPS hosting discount is offered for as much as 50 percent, however this is the only good for the first month.
Hostgator Customer Support
One of the main issues that this web host points has dropped for users is because of tis slow customer support. True, that the support staff is still knowledgeable and friendly however it will take 20 to 30 minutes before customers can reach them. This record refers to the live chat system. Some other web host takes less than 15 minutes to get a reply and even less than 5 minutes for the top web host like this one. The long waiting period is one of the biggest turn offs for customers who patronize their service. This happened after another company took over the old one. In the past the technical support used to be that good. The live chat was even in the same footing as the technical team but, this is all in the past. Even issues of hacking was dealt with in an instant.
After the technical team notice the hacking they will immediately call the site owners to advise them of what happen and come to their rescue. This describes instant response in the past. The same thing can be said about changing primary domain which will be resolve by simply sending the live chat this question in a matter of a few minutes. Suffice it to say that “Live” support seems to be growing worse than good in this web host provider. Feedbacks was saying that only about a few percent of the tech support can still offer good service but the rest has no clue on what is going around them.
Hostgator Pros
The Gator is home to Fortune 500 companies and freelancers. This shows its versatility in being able to cater to everyone’s needs be it small or big. No wonder it remains to have a customer base expanding more than 200 countries. Back in 2008, Gator was recognize and voted as the fastest growing private companies and second fastest growing company in the business sector. Primarily it was known for its flexible hosting plans. This web host is a certified eco-friendly host. According to reliable sources from this provider their operation is run by wind energy which must be the reason how they can offer cheaper alternatives to hosting. This means that for unit of energy used, this web host will restore an estimated of 1.3 unit of clean energy back into the grid. This is possible by buying certified Renewable Energy credits. This company offers no restriction on bandwidth and disk space. Some hosting plans can make it easy for businesses in case they need to expand in the future.
Hostgator coupons are great money savers as a result of these discounts. This will help elevate the users experience to another level. This web host provider has even generously distributed discount codes on their behalf. The good news is that these are given all year round. This web host has even given seasonal codes that can be availed at specific times of the year. For those who want to save on cash, this would be a great way to minimize the cost of running a website or building a website from scratch. Even if this is a nice way to save, check on the legitimacy of the site that offers these discounts. These should come from respected suppliers. New customers can ask their friends or check other websites with real user reviews to know which ones are legit.
Gator boost of its control panel which is located on its dash board. Here is where the website is manage and run. Dozens of tasks can be run through this control panel. Users who might not be familiar with how it works can simply learn one function at a time. Users must need to familiarize themselves with the entire system because it is not hard to do so. First of all there is the video tutorials that serves as guide. This control panel makes it easy to manage the website. It might look overwhelming at first especially for first timers or new to owning a site. For those who are familiar with using control panel will only need a little time to learn how this system works.
In Hostgator’s terms of service they assure their customer 99.9 percent uptime. This comes with a guarantee that if this falls short the customer will receive a month’s credit in his account. However, this uptime guarantee does not cover planned maintenance. There is also that condition that says credit approval will depend on the discretion of this web host. This includes any justification that it can come up with. This shows that there is a lot of room to grow with this provider. There is no issue about outgrowing this web host in the future since it continues to evolve. Which is also the reason why this provider remains WPBeginner users’ choice when it comes to web hosting services. The data center has advanced cooling systems and has power backup.
Hostgator Cons
Some of the Hostgator reviews did mention that this company has forget what made it great. The Hostgator reviews that once was mostly filled with good feedbacks are now evolving into not so good ones. Yes, in the previous years that Hostgator VPS has been hosting different websites they offer excellent Hostgator support and waiting takes just a couple of short period of time. Now, Hostgator support has gone haywire that former loyal Hostgator VPS users no longer want to do anything with this web host even if they are given coupon Hostgator as a form of token to pacify them.
Uptime guarantee is somehow too conditional. The physical downtime must be justified in order to get the 1 month credit on the users’ account. Somehow this does not sound that sincere because of the need for extra measures to justify that this event really took down the site for a certain period of time. In fairness, to this web provider servers there are only a few outages. Some of the complaints were even erased from forums or magically disappear. This makes the Gator amateurish since they cannot handle negative feedbacks well.
The introductory email has direct link on how to set up the control panel but it looks different from what users see on the Hosting tab. This makes the experience quite jarring for some who are surprise about the different between the two. In this specific part they need to make changes so that there would be great coordination. Users’ needs to get the same experience that they have from both of these: control panel and hosting tab.
Conclusion
Hostgator reviews are filled with disappointment over this former great web host. True that Hostgator VPS hosting and other plans remains cheap and that they remain to offer coupon Hostgator for discounts. However, former loyal subscribers to discount coupon hostgator offers are no longer satisfied with the service. According to most Hostgator reviews ever since Hostgator server has migrated to another owner out comes the very thing that has made it one of the most favorite web host in this industry. This Hostgator review serves as a wake- up call to the present Hostgator administrators do start implementing changes because if not pretty soon the 8 million domains hosted with this company might slowly migrate away from Hostgator server into a new one. One way of clearing some of the misunderstanding is to be clear when sending out emails regarding migration issues.
If subscribers will wants to have their Hostgator SSL installed they must remind these users that IP change happens since the computer that they are using will remember the old IP. This Hostgator SSL migration will go away after a few hours and will undeniably affect the users’ website. Emailed instructions will be send to Hostgator support so that whoever is handling Hostgator SSL migration will give these instructions on how to refresh Windows internal cache of DNS entries and speed things up in the process. Since Hostgator has been faithfully providing its subscribers with materials and articles that they can use to solve their technical and similar problems. However, this will not help any of their customers who do not find time to consult these instructions. Subscribers might be too busy to read these instructions and must be reminded that these exists. With the takeover/buyout from EIG who knows what new changes will take place with this web hosting provider. Those who are about to make a decision on subscribing to this provider must think twice. Unless the issues mentioned are resolve they cannot expect that they will still get the same great service that Gator is known for. EIG might come up with a brilliant option for those who are still hoping for the best.
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