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Advantages
- excellent performance thanks to CDN
- Siteground support is Outstanding, including a 24-hour hotline, ticket system, and free migration from other providers.
- High-security standard with automatic updates, backups, SSL, and a firewall.
- very high server availability.
- Staging and multisite support in all packages.
- Many tweaks, tools, services, and plugins for special requirements.
- Easy handling.
- fair pricing
Disadvantages
- somewhat confusing dashboards due to manual installation of plugins, WordPress Toolkit, and extra services
- no domain included
- Support phone number somewhat hidden
Facility
In addition to WordPress hosting, SiteGround offers other services such as WooCommerce hosting, cloud hosting, and general web hosting.
In the test, however, we focused exclusively on WordPress hosting to ensure the best possible comparability with other providers.
The excellent overview immediately catches the eye on the SiteGround homepage.
Everything looks well structured, tidy, and neatly implemented, as it should be for a professional provider.
With a click on Managed WordPress Hosting, you get to the package overview, where you can quickly get an overview of the various packages and the functions they contain.
The entry-level package(StartUp) is sufficient for small to medium-sized blogs. It starts at $3.95/month (when you pay for the 12-month plan), renewals start at $11.95/month.SiteGrounds StartUp hosting plan is working well for up to ~10,000 monthly visitors.
You can host 1 website well-suited for ~10,000 monthly visits. The plan comes with 10 GB of web space, unmetered traffic, and 24/7 support.
The price-performance ratio is excellent, and the range of functions is already impressive in the entry-level package.
For our test, we opted for the GoGeek package with all functions to test the existing features extensively.
After creating an account, you are immediately taken to the overview to create a new website. SiteGround gives you a choice to installed different software solutions, such as WordPress, WooCommerce, and Joomla to Drupal and other options.
After selecting WordPress, you can sign a Register a new domain or use an external domain. With Setup, the hosting account is immediately ready with the latest WordPress version, and you can go straight to the dashboard; From here, you can access all related settings like WordPress panel, Dominance Panel, Additional Services, and Site Builder.
Optionally, you have the option to continue working directly via the WordPress admin panel, or you can install a WordPress page from the Sitebuilder, in which numerous templates for WordPress are available.
Overall, the Setup is uncomplicated, quick, and self-explanatory - provided you can speak English because other localization does not yet exist, This certainly puts obstacles in the way for some customers, but ultimately many of the steps are self-explanatory so that it is possible to carry out the initial Setup even without advanced language skills.
User interface & ease of use
The dashboard takes you to the cPanel, which serves as the main control center for the respective package. All settings can be made here, additional packages or scripts can be installed, and complete package management can be done. This also includes the database settings or media management.
Overall, the operation is extremely convenient because all settings are easily accessible from the dashboard or via the cPanel. However, the whole thing becomes confusing since the site builder and the toolkit in turn, cover other functions. Here, too, various packages can be installed, the domain administration is available, and you have to set up and manage server-side settings such as cron jobs, PHP variables or mailing, FTP access, etc.
Visually, all dashboards differ significantly from each other, so that it can take a little time to get a complete overview of all functions and understand which administration, installation, or setup tools are available in which panel.
Ultimately, the operating concept was successful, but overall comfort suffers somewhat under the various navigation menus, which differ significantly in design, functionality, and navigation.
All dashboards, panels, and backends are also not available in German, which means another small deduction in the overall rating. However, one shouldn't forget that SiteGround's range of functions is enormous. It makes it challenging to combine all the features in a few, clear menus. The division into different panels that cover other functions, therefore, makes perfect sense.
Once you have understood the principle behind it, it is easy to navigate through the various menus because you can get from one panel to the next and back with just a few clicks.
Features & customization options
To make it short: the range of functions at SiteGround is gigantic. In addition to conventional WordPress functions, many other tools, features, and plugins are available. The complete server administration via the toolkit is also very successful because you have practically full access to the server's configuration.
Also, you have FTP access and email setup.
There is a complete staging environment (from the GrowBig package), and you can manage an unlimited number of domains and email addresses and create any number of SQL databases.
In addition to the StartUp package, you can set up and manage any number of websites. The webspace is generous in all packages, and even in the smallest package, SSH access, SSL certificate, and the free WordPress migrator and 24-hour support are available.
Special features of SiteGround
We have summarized some of the unique features of the hosting package for you below:
Staging environment
The integrated WordPress testing environment allows you to work on as many pages as you want without compromising the live version or compromising its functionality.
Full V-Server access
The ease of use of the toolkit interface is perfect, and the range of functions is unrestricted.
Extensive features
The range of functions is vast. It ranges from cron jobs, SSH access, and database management to automated script installations, website templates, and social networking to free migration websites.
Unrestricted websites, email addresses, and domains
Like the middle package, any number of pages, email accounts, and FTP access are also available without restrictions.
Extensive security features
Free SSL certificates, Let's Encrypt, and malware scanners are available, as are daily backups and automatic updates.
24-hour support
SiteGround ticket system can be accessed 24 hours a day via the back end and a 24-hour hotline.
This list could go on almost indefinitely because there are practically no restrictions with SiteGround..
This list could be continued almost indefinitely because there are practically no restrictions with SiteGround.
The range of functions is huge, the options are diverse, and the packages can be expanded to include domains, additional users, databases, and much more. Even the - anyway ample - storage space can be extended if necessary so that the entire WordPress presence is very scalable so that you do not have to migrate to another package or provider later if your project experiences strong growth. Overall, there is nothing wrong with the range of functions, because, on the one hand, the initial Setup is very beginner-friendly, but on the other hand, there are an incredible number of options available.
Performance
SiteGround is well-none as one of the fastest WordPress hosters on the market, contributing significantly to its strong growth. With the help of a Google PageSpeed Insights analysis, we took a closer look at how things behave with the loading times, the reaction time, and the TTFB (Time to First Byte).
The test showed that the site delivers top marks in the standard installation, even if it was still naked in the trial, i.e. without plugins, templates, etc. Nevertheless, many providers are already weakening in this phase, which cannot be said of SiteGround. The foundation stone for a particularly high-performance WordPress site has been laid.
In another test, we looked at the response times across various Bitcatcha locations.
The extremely short response times for Germany and London are noteworthy here, as we chose the server location in the Netherlands in the test. But the other values are also impressive - except for Sydney and Bangalore. Even customers on the US west coast, in Canada or Asia, still enjoy a decent response time, so that the server location is also very interesting for international WordPress sites.
First-class caching, a content delivery network (CDN) with data centers in three continents (London or Amsterdam for Europe), helps ensure that the hoster is one of the fastest, safest, and most reliable providers market. Although there is a little room for improvement in terms of response times on an international level, you can, of course, use additional servers to achieve first-class response times for the respective target markets.
Overall, there is nothing to complain about in terms of performance because most of the test providers either performed worse or were a lot more expensive. Accordingly, the result can be described as first-class, especially about the package price. At this point, you shouldn't forget that additional performance upgrades that we did not book separately are available. So if you want to get a little more out of it, you have the option of having the page optimized individually and installing Cloudflare Plus, which brings an additional improvement in loading speeds.
Fast cache, SSD hard drives, and a good, internationally distributed server selection for the content network are responsible because we can safely rate the performance with "very good."
security
At SiteGround, there are several ways to make your website more secure. Features such as automatic backups and automatic updates of WordPress and the plugins are available as standard. The possibility of keeping a separate CDN on which the data is made known also increases the security standard.
The provider has also thought of features such as free SSL integration, two-factor authentication (via Google Authenticator), the requirement for secure login passwords, and an optional SG site scanner (for which a small additional monthly fee is due ) to secure the page additionally.
The various options can be added via the dashboard and are therefore particularly simple. Not all additional security features are chargeable, and the security standard is already very high in the standard version. If you want to process secure payments directly via the site and achieve an additional SEO boost, you can also book a dedicated IP address.
Overall, the security standard is consistently high, and there are numerous options for advanced users to increase it even further. You can set up full access to the server configuration, adaptation of updates and backups, and advanced precautions to protect the site quickly and easily. It is also praiseworthy that the premium support is available around the clock for security-related questions and can help if the worst comes to the worst.
Although some advanced security functions such as DDoS and bruteforce protection or a web application firewall are not yet available as standard, they can be set up without any problems with the appropriate knowledge. A site security check can also be carried out directly from the toolkit with just one click.
Ultimately, there isn't much to complain about . the overall package is combined so that nothing stands in the way of a secure WordPress installation even without advanced experience. However, if you want to get the most out of it, you should already have some knowledge.
Mobile use
The entire website is very well adapted to mobile devices. Via the dashboard, the WordPress admin panel and the cPanel can also be easily accessed and operated using the touchscreen. Server administration via the toolkit is a bit cumbersome, but ultimately this is not necessarily something that has to be done on the move.
Here and there, the smartphone portrait format operation with low resolutions is a bit unfortunate, as fonts can overlap, but everything works smoothly on modern devices with higher resolutions.
Support
The quality of customer service is repeatedly highlighted positively by users. It can score points in many ways: Not only is it available 24 hours a day by phone, email and ticket system, but response and waiting times are also very short. For example, a ticket is answered - at any time - within 10 minutes with a short feedback (not by the bot). Live chat is also offered, the waiting times were always limited to around 3 to 7 minutes during the test phase, which is very decent.
The answers were reliable and useful in the test, but you have to live because support is only available in English. Our test email in German was answered, albeit in English. In addition to the language barrier, we also noticed a bit negative that you have to search for the support number.
Apart from these little things, customer service could convince us. If you can live with English-speaking support, there are reliable channels, especially with premium support. Alternatively, a well-developed knowledge base is available, in which answers can already be found to most problems that arise.
price
As for the pricing, there is nothing to complain about. The bottom line is that the price range is more than fair, given the excellent range of functions, good performance, and reliable support. Hardly any other provider offers so much for the money. The entry-level package is very cheap, and the price-performance ratio is right even in the highest package. If you are looking for a relatively cheap provider and still do not want to forego functionality and performance, you will find it here.
Overall rating & conclusion
The Managed WordPress package from SiteGround is highly recommended for start-ups and small companies, and larger WordPress projects. The range of functions is excellent, the ease of use is good, and there is little to complain about in security, support, and availability. The server locations are strategically chosen, and there is also plenty of storage space available. It is also exciting that any number of WordPress pages can be created in the middle package.
The good upgrade options also provide scalability for rapidly growing projects. Only the fact that the entire service is not available in German leaves room for criticism. Otherwise, SiteGround is a first-class hoster that offers a successful overall package at a very fair price.
Thanks to the 30-day money-back guarantee, you can try SiteGround for free. There are no longer mandatory terms or an elaborate termination procedure. However, you need to set up a full account for the trial period.
Conclusion
The only question is, which side are you going to pick?
Let me know in the comments.