Not too long ago, a representative from GreenGeeks reached out to me about including their hosting service on my Stuff I Like page as a paid affiliate. Well, I never just recommend a product or service to my clients and website visitors because I know I can make a buck doing it. I only share recommendations that I personally use regularly or at the very least have tested for quality and value. So I had the rep set me up with a hosting account for testing purposes.
I was able to build a client’s WordPress site on my GreenGeeks account, zip it up, migrate it to the client’s server and push it live there, all very smoothly. So I’d say their service is comparable to my other favorite, BlueHost. HOWEVER, they have the added element of being 100% green powered. So I’m very pleased to be able to include them among my favorite things for small businesses, with their green status being just one of the features that sets them apart from other hosting providers.
What’s the big deal about ‘green’ hosting? With each web hosting server on the planet producing about 1,390 pounds of CO2 each year, it’s estimated that the web hosting industry will be as big a polluter as the airline industry by the year 2020. GreenGeeks, a U.S. EPA Green Power Partner, wants to help reduce that impact, so they replace 3 times the amount of energy your website will use with wind power credits.
In addition to appreciating their environmental consciousness, I was also impressed with their customer support. You can reach US-based support reps via live chat (my personal preference) or email 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. I contacted them about 3-4 times during my test run over a period of 6-8 weeks and each time my issue was resolved in 15 minutes or less. I am personally not a fan of talking on the phone, but if that’s your thing, they also offer US-based phone support Monday through Friday, from 9AM to midnight EST as well as Saturday & Sunday from 9AM to 8PM EST.
Now let’s talk reliability. GreenGeeks boasts 99.9% service uptime (I had ZERO downtime during my testing period) and 24/7 real-time server monitoring. I also like that GreenGeeks is independently owned and operated. I’ve had my fair share of nightmare experiences with some conglomerate hosting providers.
Of course they offer all the basic features most hosting providers do (like unlimited disk space and bandwidth, the latest PHP version and free email accounts), but other features that make GreenGeeks a great value for running small business websites include:
- CDN (Content Delivery Network) included (helps improve the speed of your site)
- Account Isolation (improved security for your site – when an account on a shared server is attacked, the hacker can easily attack other accounts on the same server or even bring down the whole server; account isolation protects against that)
- Free migration service (they’ll move your website for you from another provider)
- Free domain name registration (or transfer) for the first year
For you nerdier types (like me!), read GreenGeeks’ detailed platform description for why they offer a better hosting experience. Then, when you’re ready…
BUILD & HOST YOUR WEBSITE ON THE CLEANEST HOSTING AROUND:
Award-winning web professional Bonny Clayton, aka Your Web Chick, offers web design, support and maintenance for small business, with a specialty in WordPress.
A Tech Geek with a Creative Streak℠, she helps small business owners and entrepreneurs everywhere establish and maintain their online presence. She is committed to serving them according to their needs, whether that means “giving them a fish” or “teaching them to fish”.
