There’s a lot of sifting that goes into finding the best web hosting service. After scouring the internet looking at reviews I can say wholeheartedly that with HostGator you are getting a great deal. Yeah, they might be part of a huge corporation but you will find that it is easily to set up a website with their simple to use website builder tool.

Best Web Hosting Service For Beginners

When you’re setting up a website for the first time, it can be overwhelming to find the right hosting provider for you. After all, web hosting is what brings your website to life on the World Wide Web, so you want to pick a reliable service.

If you’re a beginner looking for the easiest way to start hosting a website, simplicity is key. You want web hosting with an easy to navigate control panel. Plans that come with hosting essentials like a domain and SSL certificate straight out of the box will also make your life easier.

Because not everyone has the time or patience to review the whole hosting service market, I decided to test dozens of providers to identify which ones deliver the most excellent and fuss-free experience. After careful analysis, I’ve narrowed it down to the 5 best web hosting providers for beginners.

Best web hosting for beginners: ranked

1. Hostinger – best web hosting for beginners overall
2. Bluehost – best easy WordPress hosting for beginners
3. DreamHost – best for pocket-friendly WordPress hosting
4. HostGator – best easy to setup and affordable web hosting
5. HostPapa – best host for a beginner personal website

If you’re not quite sure what to look at when picking a beginner-friendly web hosting provider, you can jump to the list of essential factors to keep in mind that I provided at the end of this post.

1. Hostinger

Features	Free SSL, weekly backups, SSD storage, LiteSpeed web server
Uptime	100%
Speed	511ms
Best for	Cheap performance-focused hosting for beginners

Hostinger dominates as one of the best web hosting providers for beginners not only for its simplicity but also because of its affordability. This combination of being inexpensive and easy to use makes Hostinger one of the best providers for virtually any purpose. What’s more, it doesn’t scrimp on excellent features and performance despite its pocket-friendly price tag.

Here are Hostinger’s highlights for beginners:

• Hostinger has its own custom control panel called hPanel. It’s powerful and functional without being intimidating – perfect panel for beginners! You will get to enjoy 1-click installations and a dedicated WordPress management tool.
• There’s an impressive variety of customer support options available: 24/7 live chat, email, a ticketing system, and a comprehensive knowledge base. Based on personal experience, their agents are particularly skilled and very friendly.
• The host uses the latest tech to ensure fast and reliable performance results. LiteSpeed web server technology, caching, and the latest PHP are just some examples of the performance-boosting features it offers.

Hostinger ticks all the most important boxes: price, ease of use, customer service, and performance. I’ll admit that while I was a bit sceptical at first, the results quelled my doubts.

Hostinger performance

When testing Hostinger’s performance, the host proved to be both speedy and dependable. I monitored its performance for over 2 months, during which it sustained a 100% uptime. What’s more, the fully-built websites loaded in less than a second and even the cheapest entry plan handled high levels of traffic quite remarkably.

These results are an outcome of the LiteSpeed web servers that Hostinger has implemented, which comes with built-in caching. Also, if you’re gunning for an international site, you’ll be pleased to know that Hostinger has servers in the UK, US, Brazil, Netherlands, Singapore, Indonesia, and Lithuania.

Overall, Hostinger turned out to be a very reliable host that won’t let beginners down with a slow hosting experience. You can find all performance tests in our detailed Hostinger review.

Hostinger pricing

Hostinger offers 2 shared and 1 cloud hosting plan. Their prices vary from $2.59/mo to $9.99/mo. For a provider that offers simplicity and great performance, that’s very cheap.

All of the shared hosting plans include WordPress management tool, SSL certificate, and daily/weekly backups.

Here’s how the plans differ from each other:

• Premium ($2.59/mo) – 100 websites, 100GB storage, unlimited bandwidth for 25,000 monthly visits, 100 emails, and 1 domain included free of charge.
• Business ($3.99/mo) – 100 websites, 200GB storage, unlimited bandwidth for up to 100,000 monthly visitors, 100 emails, free domain, CDN (content delivery network), and daily backups.
• Cloud Startup ($9.99/mo) – 300 websites, 200GB of storage, 3GB RAM, 2CPU cores, daily backups, cache manager, and free CDN.

Best Value

For beginners, the Premium shared plan is a perfect starting point. You get 100 GB storage, 100 websites, a free domain, and unlimited bandwidth for just $2.59 per month – an irresistible deal.

Pros

• User-friendly hPanel
• Fast and reliable performance
• 24/7 customer support with skilled agents

Cons

• Needs full payment upfront to secure the best prices
• Occasional delays in support response times

2. Bluehost

Features	Functional interface, cPanel, WordPress staging
Uptime	99.99%
Speed	361ms
Best for	Beginner-focused WordPress hosting

Bluehost is one of the biggest names when it comes to beginner web hosting, and for a good reason. It offers a beginner-friendly and functional panel, plus it comes with automatic WordPress setup, and management tools.

Here’s why Bluehost is a solid pick for web hosting beginners:

• Bluehost offers an easy setup process. It launches a WordPress setup tool upon your first login and immediately starts the domain and SSL activation process. The host is one of the best WordPress hosting solutions out there.
• It has a user-friendly dashboard and cPanel for painless server and website management.
• Bluehost comes with an AI-based website builder that generates a site based on a few questions. You can then add customization later on using WordPress or, if you’re happy with the result, you can leave it as is.

If you’re looking for the best host for personal website use, Bluehost’s easy management, WordPress tools, and website builder make it a formidable contender.

Bluehost performance

Bluehost is a fast hosting solution but not too powerful. Over the 2-month testing period, the host managed to score a 99.99% uptime result and it took less than 2 seconds to load a sample website. However, Bluehost wasn’t the best at handling huge levels of traffic, but it can surely keep great performance results on a small website.

The host has servers located in the US and nowhere else. It means that if you’re interested in targeting the US audience, the provider might be one of the top picks for you.

All in all, Bluehost is a solid choice for websites that don’t receive high levels of traffic. You can also check how the provider performed in all of the tests in our in-depth Bluehost review.

Bluehost pricing

Bluehost has 4 shared hosting plans from $2.95/mo to $13.95/mo. Compared to other providers, the prices are satisfactory as the plans offer a few freebies as a cherry on top.

With every plan, you get a free domain, free SSL, email accounts, and unlimited bandwidth. Here’s how the subscriptions differ:

• Basic ($2.95/mo) – 1 website, and 50GB storage.
• Plus ($5.45/mo) – unlimited sites and unmetered storage.
• Choice Plus ($5.45/mo) – everything in the Plus plan, domain privacy, and automated backups for a year.
• Pro ($13.95/mo) – everything in the Choice Plus plan, except the automated backups last the whole subscription. You also get a dedicated IP and optimized CPU resources to improve website performance during high-traffic occasions.

Best Value

The Plus plan is the best deal for beginners who want to get a hand in the website-building world without having to contend with the limitations of the entry plan. Unlimited sites and unmetered storage – all that for only $5.45/mo.

Pros

• Free domain and SSL with all plans
• User-friendly native interface and cPanel
• AI-based website builder available

Cons

• No servers outside the US
• Loading speeds aren’t the most competitive

3. DreamHost

Features	Custom control panel, WordPress website builder, automated migration
Uptime	99.99%
Speed	231ms
Best for	Flexible billing options and great performance

DreamHost is known for its cheap and easy to manage shared hosting. With a beginner-friendly control panel, affordable prices, and a built-in WordPress website builder, DreamHost is one of the best hosting solutions for beginners that you can find.

Let’s take a glimpse at DreamHost’s highlights:

• DreamHost has a control panel that is organized and intuitive, while the setup process is effortless. WordPress installation can be done in just a single click and, if you already have a website built, site migration is quick and painless because of a dedicated plugin.
• There are only 2 shared hosting plans and both are inclusive. They’re relatively cheap and come with a free domain, SSL certificate, daily backups, and domain privacy protection.
• You get a functional DreamHost’s website builder (BoldGrid), which makes website design and development on WordPress much easier.

Such strong factors make DreamHost look like an excellent WordPress hosting solution for beginners and smaller businesses. Easy installation of WordPress and an included website builder make it a highly tempting option.

DreamHost performance

DreamHost produced impressive results and turned out to be extremely reliable and fast. With a >99.99% uptime, there was only 1 outage in a few months and the sample website took only 1.6 seconds to load. On top of that, DreamHost is not the one to stress during exams. It handled 50-user traffic without any problems.

However, all its data centers are in the USA, which is an advantage if your intended audience is located in North America.

Overall, I think DreamHost’s performance is more than enough for most users, and especially for beginner websites. If you want to find all of the tests of this provider, I encourage you to visit our full DreamHost review.

DreamHost pricing

DreamHost offers 2 affordable shared hosting plans, priced at $2.59/mo and $3.95/mo, respectively. I’d say the costs are pretty competitive, considering that the more expensive plan has unlimited resources.

Whichever plan you choose, a free domain, SSL certificate, unmetered bandwidth, automatic daily backups, and domain privacy is included. Here’s the difference between the 2:

• Shared Starter ($2.59/mo) – 1 website and 50GB storage.
• Shared Unlimited ($3.95/mo) – unlimited resources, including websites, storage, and email accounts.

Best Value

Shared Unlimited is the top hosting plan for beginners. For just $1.36 extra than the Starter plan, you’ll be able to enjoy the perks of having unlimited websites, emails, and storage – perfect for when you’re ready to expand or experiment with business websites.

Pros

• Beginner-friendly WP website builder
• Free domain, SSL, and domain privacy with both plans
• Fast and reliable performance test results

Cons

• Servers are in the US only
• Phone support is not free$

4. HostGator

Features	cPanel hosting, free website builder
Uptime	99.99%
Speed	525ms
Best for	Affordable and easy to use hosting

HostGator is one of the most beginner-friendly shared website hosting providers. It offers a hassle-free hosting experience with an intuitive cPanel and a great customer support team – all this with competitive prices.

Here are HostGator’s key strengths:

• You’ll have a beginner-friendly cPanel and a native interface for effortless hosting management. All of the website setup fundamentals, including domain, email, SSL certificate, and WordPress, are accessible from the main dashboard.
• You get a free domain, SSL certificate, and email regardless of which plan you buy.
• If you need some hand-holding through your first experience, HostGator has many customer support options, video tutorials, and an extensive knowledge base.

Having lots of resources, cheap hosting plans, and an intuitive hosting management panel to offer, HostGator ensures that your beginner experience is as fuss-free as possible.

HostGator performance

HostGator proved to deliver some admirable performance results. It scored a whopping >99.99% uptime and it took slightly more than 1 second for the largest content element to fully load. The results of the 50-virtual-users stress test were celebratory as well. You could barely see a difference in performance and HostGator passed the test with flying colors.

Keep in mind that HostGator’s physical servers are all located within the US. It means that for an international audience, this might not be ideal, but if you’re planning to target North American visitors, it’s a great option.

Altogether, for setting up a US-based small-to-medium-sized website that can handle the occasional influx of traffic, HostGator is worth looking into. Check our full HostGator review to see all its performance test results.

HostGator pricing

HostGator offers 3 shared plans with prices ranging from $2.75 to $5.25 per month. The subscriptions are affordable if you’re searching for an inclusive service.

All 3 plans offer a free domain, SSL certificate, email, unmetered bandwidth, and unlimited storage.

However, there are some differences between them:

• Hatchling ($2.75/mo) – 1 website, making it a good option for portfolio websites and personal blogs.
• Baby ($3.50/mo) – unlimited websites, allowing you to host bigger websites that require more resources, such as medium-sized blogs or small businesses.
• Business ($5.25/mo) – everything in the Baby plan, plus a dedicated IP, SEO tools, and a free upgrade to Positive SSL. It’s a great fit for big business websites that require higher security.

Best Value

I recommend settling for the Baby plan. You can create unlimited websites for an additional $0.75 per month than the entry plan. Even if you’re a beginner, having to restrict yourself to a single website can be incredibly limiting.

Pros

• No-fuss dashboard and cPanel-based management
• All-inclusive even with the cheapest plan
• Good customer support

Cons

• Servers located in the US only
• Automatic add-ons in the checkout page

5. HostPapa

Features	cPanel interface, free domain, free SSL certificate
Uptime	100%
Speed	1.19s
Best for	small businesses and easy cPanel management

Although not as well-known as the other options mentioned here, HostPapa makes the list of best web hosting solutions for beginners. It’s affordable (starting at $3.16/mo) and offers standard cPanel management. Beginners will also enjoy excellent customer service with a free 1-on-1 training session for any topic.

Here are HostPapa’s main selling points:

• If you want a service provider that offers standard cPanel management, HostPapa is a good choice. For total newbies, the original cPanel is easy to get familiar with and intuitive to use.
• Should you run into any issues, it’s nice to know that HostPapa’s customer service is fast and skilled. All support channels are available round-the-clock, and their knowledge base is robust.
• If you’re the type who prefers having a mentor when learning something new, I’m sure you’ll appreciate that HostPapa offers free 1-on-1 training sessions. What you’ll be trained for depends on your level and specific needs.

HostPapa proves that it’s great for newbies by flaunting a great mix of beginner-friendly features.

HostPapa performance

HostPapa is speedy but could improve handling traffic surges. It coasted through the testing period with a 100% uptime result, which is a rare catch. The loading time was also great as the fully-built website took 1.5 seconds to load. Regarding the stress test, the cheapest plan could handle only 15 visitors at the same time frame, but, on the bright side, that sums up to approximately 15,000 monthly visits.

What’s great about HostPapa is that it has servers located in the US, Canada, and Europe. That makes it a great candidate for when you want to host a website for an international audience.

That said, I would recommend this hosting service only for websites that don’t typically see significant spikes in web traffic, such as small businesses or personal websites. You can check out how the provider performed in all of the tests in our detailed HostPapa review.

HostPapa pricing

HostPapa’s inclusive hosting plans come in 3 tiers ranging from $3.16 to $10.36/mo – not the cheapest but still relatively affordable.

All plans come with a domain, email accounts, SSL certificate, and unmetered bandwidth. Let’s see how the plans differentiate:

• Starter($3.16/mo) – 1 website with 100GB storage, standard SSL, and 100 emails.
• Business ($3.16/mo) – unlimited websites, standard SSL, unmetered storage, and unlimited emails.
• Business Pro ($10.36/mo) – everything the Business plan, plus Wildcard SSL and additional features for extra security, such as daily malware scan, DDoS protection, automated website backup (1GB), and domain privacy. For better performance, you get a CDN, speed boost, and more.

Best Value

I recommend the Business plan not only for beginners but for everyone. For only $/mo, you get unlimited resources to host functional and content-rich websites, which makes it a great value for money.

Pros

• Intuitive standard cPanel management
• 3 server locations
• Even the entry plan is inclusive

Cons

• Renewal costs can be pricey
• Less resistant to traffic surges

Best web hosting for beginners: final recommendations

Many web hosting options claim to be beginner-friendly, but only a handful stay true to their word. A simple dashboard isn’t enough to make it easy for newbies. Hosts should also offer dependable customer support and plans that include hosting essentials, such as a free domain and SSL certificate.

Here’s a quick recap of the best web hosting for beginners that I mentioned above:

• Hostinger makes the list with the cheapest plans and impressive performance.
• Bluehost provides a seamless experience and WordPress-focused cPanel hosting.
• DreamHost excels at WordPress hosting at pocket-friendly prices.
• HostGator offers a beginner-friendly setup and competitive pricing.
• HostPapa is a solid cPanel-based option offering an entry plan with generous resources.

Choosing beginner-friendly web hosting: essentials

It’s easy to get lost in the hosting market when there’s so many of them. It’s even easier when you don’t know how to recognize a beginner-friendly host. That’s why in this section, you’ll find a summary of the key features you should consider when choosing a provider, including ease of use, customer support, performance, and more.

Ease of management and extra features

It’s better to not waste time fumbling around with poorly designed control panels. For starters, cPanel-based management is always a good choice because of its simple and intuitive approach. Extra features, such as website builders also make the website creation process so much easier for those with little to no experience. If you’re looking for a site building tool together with hosting services, check out Bluehost and DreamHost.

Hosting essentials

Choosing the most affordable option is always tempting, however, you need to be aware of what the plan includes. If there’s no free domain, SSL certificate, or other important freebies, you might end up paying more when buying them separately. For inclusive plans, check out HostGator which offers a free domain, SSL certificate, unlimited bandwidth and storage resources.

Customer support

As a beginner who is only starting to get around a new service, you want your hosting provider to be there for you at any time. That’s why you should look for hosts that offer a few customer support options for you to choose from. Providers that go the extra mile could come in handy whenever you’re in a pickle. If you’re looking for just that, HostPapa provides its users with some free 1-on-1 training.

Performance

Even if you’re only beginning your hosting journey, you want your site to handle whatever comes its way. Here are things you should look into when assessing a provider’s performance:

• Uptime – although 100% uptimes are rare, providers that offer a >99.9% guarantee are not that hard to find. The higher the result is, the less downtime you’ll have.
• Response time – fast response times lead to better experiences for your audience. For context, DreamHost’s 231ms is considered blazing fast. However, anything faster than 600ms is considered above-average.
• Loading time – the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) is the time it takes for the largest element of the web page to load. For example, the service provider should always be above the maximum recommended LCP of 2.5 seconds.
• Server locations – If your audience is going to be international, you should consider checking out Hostinger or HostPapa, which have more server locations. However, if your audience is US-based, then you don’t have to worry about your site’s performance for people outside the country. For audiences in North America, you can look at Bluehost, HostGator, and DreamHost.

In brief, you want a service provider that can bring you a positive experience, so make sure to keep these things in mind before purchasing a plan.

As a whole, it should be easier to find the right host for you with these factors at hand. Just make sure the service provider can handle your vision, and start hosting.

best website hosting in nigeria

1. Hostinger
   https://www.hostinger.com/Hostinger
   Worldwide Speed

A+

Avg. Response Time

136 ms

Price (NGN)

₦1,136.20 /mo

Key Features

100GB SSD
Unlimited bandwidth
Free domain & SSL
hPanel
Localised support
“An affordable, all-around fantastic web host for experts and beginners.”

VISIT HOST

Coming in at the top of our list is Hostinger. They’re a very beginner friendly web hosting company with an excellent support system designed to provide step-by-step guides for people who are unfamiliar with building websites. Their customer support is one of the best we’ve experienced!

They’re also very fast, scoring A+ in our worldwide speed tests.

At a killer entry price of only ₦756.2 per month (for Single Shared Hosting), Hostinger really offers maximum value for the features you’ll receive.

Upgrading to their Premium Shared Hosting (₦1136.2) unlocks even more. With 100GB SSD storage, unlimited bandwidth, and email, you’ll never have to worry about paying more for resources you might need. You’ll also rest easy with their 99.9% uptime guarantee, and you’ll save even more as they offer you free domain name (with Premium Shared Hosting plan and above) and SSL. It’s perfect for anyone just starting out.

What’s not good with Hostinger?

Hostinger’s introductory prices are really affordable BUT there’s a catch to it; you’ll be tied down to a contract of 48 months. A lot can happen in 4 years, and we’re not sure if we’re willing to be tied down for so long.

Learn more about Hostinger

Read our in-depth Hostinger review.
Visit our Hostinger test site.

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2. DreamHost
   https://www.dreamhost.com/DreamHost
   Worldwide Speed

A+

Avg. Response Time

118.4 ms

Price (NGN)

₦1,121 /mo

Key Features

Unlimited SSD
Unlimited traffic
Free domain & SSL
97-day money back
WP recommended
“A world-famous brand with an official WordPress endorsement and great speed for the US.”

VISIT HOST

DreamHost is one of the older, most established web hosts in the industry. We think they’re especially great for hosting and running WordPress websites, and are one of the few hosts with an official WordPress endorsement!

Their plans include access to a great drag-and-drop website builder and hundreds of free templates to help you set up a great and professional looking WordPress website quickly – even for total beginners. You’ll also benefit from a 100% uptime guarantee and solid security features!

They currently run two datacenters within the US, and we think they’re an especially great option hosting for anyone whose audience is in that region. From our speed tests on our DreamHost-hosted test sites, they were extremely fast!

With plan prices that start from ₦984.2, you’ll get everything you need for a simple and high-performing site.

What’s not good with DreamHost?

Since DreamHost only has data centers within the US, server response speeds can slow down considerably within regions that are further away – such as in Asia or Oceania. In addition, their Live Chat operating hours cater towards the US. 5:30AM – 9.30PM Pacific Time converts to 1:30 PM – 5:30 am in Nigeria, which isn’t ideal! However, you can stil use their ticketing system or knowledge base 24/7.

Learn more about DreamHost

Read our in-depth DreamHost review.
Visit our DreamHost test site.

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3. HostPapa
   https://www.hostpapa.com/HostPapa
   Worldwide Speed

A+

Avg. Response Time

130.4 ms

Price (NGN)

₦2,261 /mo

Key Features

Unlimited SSD
Unlimited Websites
Free domain & SSL
PapaSquad support
1-click WP setup
“Host that’s lightning-quick and user-friendly thanks to cPanel.”

VISIT HOST

HostPapa is an Canadian company based in Toronto. They also scored a solid n A+ for their worldwide average speed of 130.4 ms!

Aside from speed, we just love HostPapa’s user-friendly interface. They’re utilising cPanel which is one of the best web hosting management tools on the market. cPanel simplifies the most complex aspects about managing a hosting account through handy features like the 1-click installer Softaculous and a nice visual interface that’s easy for even beginners to understand.

Since cPanel upped its prices in 2020, we’ve seen many web hosts drop them, but HostPapa has held on.

What’s not good with HostPapa?

HostPapa’s datacenters are based only in the US, Canada, and Amsterdam. However, they still offer impressive global speeds.

Learn more about HostPapa

Read our detailed HostPapa review.
Visit our HostPapa test site.

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4. A2 Hosting
   https://www.a2hosting.comA2 Hosting
   Worldwide Speed

A+

Avg. Response Time

149.8 ms

Price (NGN)

₦4176.20 /mo

Key Features

20X Turbo Servers
Unlimited Websites
Unlimited Bandwidth
Free SSD Storage
24×7 US support
“Web hosting with truly unlimited resources – great choice for media-rich websites!”

VISIT HOST

Although A2 web hosting is 3rd in this list, it really was a tough decision for us to make. As an international host with superb A+ speeds and data centers all over the world, they were so close to ranking 2nd, especially with their unlimited resources.

They’ve also got excellent time-saving features, such as their A2 Optimized Software and 1-Click set up. Pair these with an option to upgrade to their Turbo plan which comes with their Turbo servers (20x faster than regular servers), and A2 is truly a force to be reckoned with.

What’s not good with A2 Hosting?

Live chat is slightly inconsistent. At times, they’ll respond to you in seconds, while you might have to wait a little longer than usual if you’re unlucky.

Learn more about A2 Hosting

Read our full A2 Hosting review.
Visit our A2 Hosting test site.

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✘ Nigerian Web Hosts Not Recommended

You may be tempted to choose a local Nigerian host for their location, ease of payment and domain name availability. However, please don’t sacrifice speed and performance, especially if you have a global audience.

We tested the following four Nigerian web hosts and found their speed and performance fell well below our standards.

If you want a local Nigerian host, choose QServers, and avoid the following hosts:

👎 Whogohost
https://www.whogohost.com/Whogohost
Worldwide Speed

C

Avg. Response Time

315.9 ms

Price (NGN)

₦21,500 /year

Key Features

25GB storage
75GB bandwidth
Free .ng domain
Unlimited SQL
FTP accounts

This is the #1 ranked host in Nigeria according to popularity. But do not mistake this for performance. In fact, we found that WhoGoHost’s performance was quite poor.

It scored a C in our worldwide speed tests, falling below Google’s recommended 200 ms in Europe.

WhoGoHost also charge a processing fee on certain payments. For example, if you pay via PayPal, you could pay an additional ₦423 in fees.

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👎 Web4Africa
https://web4africa.ng/Web4Africa
Worldwide Speed

D+

Avg. Response Time

408.1 ms

Price (NGN)

₦24,000 /year

Key Features

20GB disk storage
200GB bandwidth
Basic web builder
SSL certificate
Free backups

Google Trend ranks Web4Africa as the second most popular web host in Nigeria. Unfortunately, this host also falls short of performance expectations.

Web4Africa scored a D+ in our worldwide speed tests, falling outside Google’s recommended 200 ms in the USA. In other words, this host is too slow for American and global audiences.

On the other hand, the performance is strong in the local region, as Web4Africa lets you choose between servers in Ghana or Nigeria.

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👎 DomainKing
http://www.domainking.ng/DomainKing
Worldwide Speed

C+

Avg. Response Time

260.4 ms

Price (NGN)

₦20,000 /year

Key Features

10GB disk storage
100GB bandwidth
10 domains allowed
cPanel
99.9% uptime

DomainKing is an Indian web host with a presence in Africa. It ranks third in popularity in Nigeria, so you may come across this host.

Like other local Nigerian hosts, it does allow bank transfers and supports .ng domains. However, its speed and performance is slow compared to the recommended hosts. It scores a C+ in our worldwide speed test.

DomainKing does offer 24/7 support and 99.9% uptime which is good. However, the storage and bandwidth is limited, and you’ll have to pay extra to enjoy larger limits.

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👎 Utiware
http://www.utiware.net/Utiware
Worldwide Speed

D

Avg. Response Time

716.3 ms

Price (NGN)

₦20,000 /year

Key Features

15GB disk storage
25GB bandwidth
eTextMail included
120 emails
Unlimited sub-domain

Utiware is a Nigerian host with servers in the US. As a result, it does respond quickly for American audiences. However, it fails across most of the rest of the world.

Overall, Utiware delivered the slowest results in our worldwide speed tests, scoring a D.

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Hosting Your Website For Nigerian Audience

Are you thinking of setting up a website in Nigeria?

If so, you would need a fast and reliable web host – the foundation that powers your site. There are two main options for hosting your Nigerian website:

Choose a small, local host based in Nigeria.
Choose a larger, recognized international host.

As you’ve seen throughout this post, we recommend choosing option #2: an established international host. Although there are many local Nigerian hosts, from the speed tests we’ve run with several of their brands – their performance is simply too slow. In fact, we discovered only one local host that produced acceptable performance.

Instead, we recommend the superior speeds and ultra-reliability of international hosts like Hostinger. Even in Africa, their performance is outstanding.

What Makes A Good Web Host For Nigeria?

So what makes a web hosting provider good?

A web host determines the speed, reliability and stability of your website, so it’s important to make the right choice. So, what exactly are we looking for?

1. Speed

We all know the importance of website speed. And speed all begins with a fast web host. A web host should perform well against Google’s Core Web Vital, so look for a host that responds quickly in your location and around the world.

2. Uptime

‘Uptime’ is a measure of reliability. In other words, it’s the percentage of time your website is online. Even an uptime of 98% can mean your site is down for six days of the year (!) Look for an uptime of 99.8% or higher.

3. Security

There’s nothing worse than getting hacked. What would you do if you lost all your content and hard work? That’s why web host security is so important. A good host should have automatic updates and malware scanning. Some even come with a free SSL (security) certificate.

4. Backups

As an extra security and practical feature, many hosts now come with regular automatic backups.

5. Customer service

Ideally, your web host should have 24/7/365 customer service. Most hosts now have customer service options including phone, ticket systems and online chat. Note that some hosts charge extra for a premium support service.

6. Storage and bandwidth

‘Storage’ refers to how much content, images and data you can store on the host’s servers. And ‘bandwidth’ is how much data can flow through from the server. This has an impact on speed and visitor numbers. Naturally, we want the highest storage and bandwidth within reason.

7. Price

Don’t always settle for the cheapest webhost. It can end up causing you issues with speed and reliability. It may even hold you back if your website starts to grow. At the same time, you don’t need to spend a fortune! Look for an affordable host with all the features you need.

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Use A Local Nigerian Host Or International Host?

As I mentioned, you have two main choices when it comes to hosting a website in Nigeria.

Choose a local host with servers in Nigeria
A local host may cater to an African audience, but they are generally slower in the rest of the world.
Choose a global host that covers Nigeria
A global host will give you high speeds all around the world. Large, international hosts may also have better technology, customer support and security.

Other considerations for Nigerian web hosting

Purchasing web hosting for a Nigerian site poses two additional considerations.

Supported Payment Methods
As many people do not use a credit card in Nigeria (due to high levels of fraudulent activity), you may require a web host that accepts direct bank transfer. Local hosts are more likely to accept this.
.NG Domain Name
You may want a .ng domain name. Unfortunately, most international hosts don’t support the .ng domain registration. However, you can register the .ng domain with a second party domain company (See the list of accredited registrars) and then simply point the nameservers to your hosting. (We generally recommend you do this, as it gives added protection should you ever wish to change your hosting).