My short list of web hosts that I have used and I would still recommend to others.
The technical details of web hosting is a topic I am far from an expert on. I have, however, been developing websites for over 10 years and have moved from one host to another countless time; searching for reliable uptime at the best time. My list is short because I haven't used many that I really thought were great. Others I've used offered other services I think are worth mentioning.
Shared Hosting
Shared Hosting is the web hosting most of you will use. I've always hosted multiple websites so every hosting plan I've ever used has a multiple website option plan. If you only have one website, you may want to look for a cheaper plan that meets your needs. If you wish to follow along with our cPanel or Softaculous apps tutorials, these shared hosting services will all meet the requirements.
Hawkhost (Primary Plan): I am currently hosting most of my websites with these guys. I've been with them for over a year. I paid about $50 USD for a 2-year plan and host over a dozen undeveloped sites. My uptime has been amazing in this span. My websites were hacked, at one point, and a bunch of them went down. Support was able to walk me through getting my sites back up, thankfully. This has been the only setback I've had with them and it was quickly fixed. They also offer a Profession Hosting Plan for $7.99 USD a month, but even with traffic I am getting, I haven't had any need to upgrade.
Web Hosting Hub: I used Web Hosting Hub several years ago and really liked their service. Unfortunately, they do not always have the best price point. I've moved around a lot since then looking for a better deal. I ended up using their service again last year when OSClass was offering an OSClass Starter park when you signed up for hosting with Web Hosting Hub. The OSClass Starter Pack includes two Premium themes and a handful of professional plugins. If you plan on using OSClass, I'd highly recommend taking advantage of this deal.
Siteground (GoGeek): Siteground's GoGeek hosting package is where I plan on moving my sites in the event they start generating significantly more traffic and an income to justify the purchase. (Siteground has cheaper hosting plans if you want to start small and scale up.) The GoGeek server is PCI Compliant and the plan includes 30 daily backup and free backup restore. I used Siteground hosting for a year and it's always been in my plans to go back when my sites became profitable. If you require premium web hosting services for your company website, Siteground might be a good fit.
Domain Name Registrars
Unfortunately, the web hosting companies listed about do not have the best prices for domain name registration. If you are just looking at registering a domain name, here are my recommendations.
Epik Domains: I am currently in the process of moving most of my domain names to Epik Domain since Namecheap has drastically increased their prices and are no longer competitive. Epik has had several enticing sales since I first discovered them and I transferred several domain names there for $5 to $10 less than I would have paid at the previous domain name registrar. If you have several domain names, do not be afraid to transfer registrars from time to time. Searching for the best deal can save you a lot of money.
CanSpace: Canspace is a great choice for .ca domain names (the domain extension for Canada). I've yet to find any registrar that rivals their price. I have also had a positive experience with their web hosting as one of my client's website is hosted with there. and we haven't had a lot of problems with them. If you want to deal in Canada dollars with a Canadian service, Canspace would be my recommendation.
A Warning About Shared Web Hosting
The two worst experiences I have had with web hosting were with Arvixe and Netfirms. On both occasions, the service started off phenomenal but then rapidly deteriorated after they were bought by another company, Endurance International Group. Endurance International Group (EIG) owns over 60 web hosts, some of which are very popular. I have yet to have a positive experience with them and avoid them like the plague. If you are thinking of using a web host not listed here, I'd first check if they are owned by EIG.
I stumbled upon a great site, owned and operated by a guy who does know all the technical details of web hosting and regularly runs tests on his favorite hosting services. Research As A Hobby is a great resource to find the right web host for your requirements. He has advised me a number of times on web hosting, and he hates EIG as much as I do. For a full listed of EIG hosts to avoid, check out the homepage article of his site.
