After several years of being a loyal SiteGround customer, I made the decision to move my WordPress website from SiteGround to a2Hosting.
That may come as a surprise to those of you who know me because SiteGround has been my top web hosting recommendation for quite some time now.
But things have changed. SiteGround is not what it used to be.
Specifically, in June 2020, once again they increased their prices without explanation and only four weeks warning before the next due invoice.
This isn’t the first time. Introduction prices have almost doubled, and renewal prices have increased too.
At first, the price increase didn’t bother me too much because the support team have always been super helpful when I needed them and that’s important.
Your website is CRUCIAL to the success of your online business. If it goes offline or you experience technical issues, you need top-notch support to help you fix it.
Your #WordPress website is CRUCIAL to the success of your online business. You need a web host you can rely onClick To TweetBut then I noticed a decline in customer support, despite the recent price increase, and that was a deal-breaker for me.
The reason I used and recommended SiteGround is because they provided a premium service with outstanding customer support, at affordable prices.
Since that’s no longer the case, I decided to move my website somewhere else and stop recommending SiteGround to others.
I only recommend resources that I like and trust!
And right now, I don’t trust that SiteGround won’t increase their prices a third time, and make even more changes to their service like the recent replacement of cPanel.
Don’t get me wrong!
SiteGround still provides a premium service. Their servers load fast, although not the fastest (more about that in a minute), and website uptime is excellent.
And, you can still get the same level of outstanding support that I have always known and loved about SiteGround …
But for that, you need the GoGeek plan which since the price increase in June, the cost after renewal is $39.99 a month – a price that I know is not within most people’s budget. At least not the people I serve here at The Blog Mechanic.
My experience with a2Hosting has been exceptional so far.
- My site loads faster than it did on SiteGround
- Support is AWESOME – 24/7 live chat, email, and phone for everyone
- They migrated my website for free within hours of signing up
Also, they have a monthly billing option so I didn’t have to pay hundreds upfront to get started, and:
- Prices are cheaper (see comparison below)
- You get more features for your money
If you’re currently unhappy with your web host whether that be SiteGround or another company, I’m confident that a2Hosting will be a good move for you too.
By the way, the links above are affiliate links so I will get a small commission if you do end up purchasing. It’s at no extra cost to you, and please if you have any questions about switching to a2Hosting, let me know. I’d be happy to answer them for you.
Pricing: SiteGround vs a2 Hosting
Before SiteGround increased their prices again: the monthly intro prices were $3.95 (StartUp), $5.95 (GrowBig), and $11.95 (GoGeek).
Upon renewal, monthly prices increased from $3.95 to $11.95 (StartUp), $5.95 to $19.95 (GrowBig), and $11.95 to $34.95 (GoGeek).
Now, the prices are:
At almost double the introduction price, SiteGround is no longer affordable for people just getting started with their blog. a2Hosting on the other hand is. Let’s compare prices.
I signed up for the Turbo Max plan because site speed is a priority for me. I’m working hard on SEO at the moment and since site speed is a top Google ranking factor, my site needs to be blazing fast. And it is.
Why I Choose a2Hosting
Over the years I have worked with several different web hosts for my own websites and websites that I create and maintain for clients.
Including:
- D9 Hosting
- HostGator
- Bluehost
- GoDaddy
- SiteGround
- WP Engine
As you already know, SiteGround was my preferred web host out of all those listed above for a long time. And I personally started out with D9 hosting, moved to Bluehost, and then to SiteGround, so they were not an option
I considered moving to WP Engine but it costs more than I wanted to pay, and although HostGator and GoDaddy are cheap, I know too many people with bad things to say about them. Cheap is not always good.
So. I started looking for another web host that:
- Is optimized for speed (uber important)
- Has a reputation for excellent customer support
- Is not too expensive
For a few months, I was unsuccessful in my quest to find a host I was happy with. Then, one day, I was building a WordPress blog for a client whos web host is a2Hosting, and I was hooked instantly.
What caught my attention is how fast the wp-admin area loaded, even though the client in question was on the $2.99 pm StartUp plan. So I visited a2Hosting to learn more about the hosting company.
Happy with the pricing options and customer testimonials, I turned to my trusted friend Google to search for reviews and liked what I found.
Migrating my Website to a2Hosting
Not all web hosts offer a free website migration service. SiteGround used to do when they actually cared about their customers – not just making a profit.
Of course, being The Blog Mechanic, I could have migrated my own website but I didn’t see the point. Letting a2Hosting do it for me meant I had more time to take care of my own clients.
The process was really simple. All I did was give a2Hosting access to my SiteGround account and they took care of the rest. This article outlines the steps.
My website was migrated within hours. Upon completion, I updated my nameservers to make my domain name work with my new a2Hosting account. It was as easy as that.
If you’d like to check out a2Hosting, here’s my referral link. [Full disclosure: if you click that link and make a purchase, I’ll get a small commission at no extra cost to you], and if you have any questions about switching to a2Hosting let me know in the comments box below or email me here. I’d be happy to help.
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