When I decided to (finally) start a blog, these were the only two options that came to mind. WordPress for building a blogging website was pretty obvious. So the only thing that I had to decide was – HostGator vs Bluehost for WordPress website.
Probably because I was seeing too many ads of these two web hosts is why I did not go for a third option. Also, most of the blogs that I came across, mentioned these two names.
That’s the thing with me, I do, do my research, but I don’t overdo it. With so much information out there, it’s easy to lose direction of why you started researching in the first place. With so many options, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and invest a lot more time in understanding than essentially needed.
But thankfully I have learned to control myself over the years. Now I make full utilization of the time that I spend researching. If it’s not worth my time, I close the tab.
My selection criteria for HostGator vs Bluehost for WordPress Website
So initially I was trying to understand the difference between the two, and why I need a host website, for a WordPress blog. That is when I found out that for a blogging website I needed to register with wordpress.org and not wordpress.com. WordPress.org is free of charge and has a kickass Content Management System. Whereas, wordpress.com seems like a common blogging platform. I didn’t research further because I know when to close a tab 🙂
I read all of these – Website builder expert, Digital, Winning Wp, Hosting Advice and Say Web Hosting
Okay, I read one and scrolled the rest. They were all saying the same thing. that it’s a close match but Bluehost wins.
But turns out that all of them got one thing wrong about HostGator, and that is about the free domain. It was on their website, and also in their ads. They do offer a free domain for a year. I know it because I got it.
It’s all about the money money money (and support)
Since HostGator vs Bluehost for WordPress Website is a close match, in almost all the criteria – hosting, features, uptime, moneyback, backup and WordPress Installation, for me it came down to money and support.
Since this is the first time I am taking blogging seriously and buying a domain, I did not want to overwhelm myself by buying the newest and most expensive toy. Rather I chose Hostgator because it was giving a 50% discount and I could host a website for 3 years in under INR10,000 with 1 year of complimentary domain name registration. I still have to pay for the domain name for the next two years.
If you use this link you can get Up to 50% Off On Web Hosting with HostGator
But it’s a good start, I get to have a website, work on it and continue using it for the three years. I won’t just lose it as I start warming up to it. There is a lot that is involved in blogging and making money out of it. Now, I am still learning and I’ll share with you everything I know and I have learned as soon as I start seeing some results.
No point sharing half stories.
So for the same deal with Bluehost, I had to pay around INR22,000. I don’t remember the exact number.
So for me, the winner was ……. (drum roll please)….Hostgator!!
Read More: How to start a blog
Since I am new to Blogging I will need to call support
Now I know nothing about computers, or coding, or websites and before this, I wasn’t even very active on social media.
So you can call me an infant when it comes to blogging. After setting the website in the first week, Google showed some error. I couldn’t open my admin page and every time I entered the URL it showed some error and I didn’t know what to do. I was kind of tensed about two things
- My INR10,000 investment
- I was hoping I wouldn’t have to go back to a 9 to 5 job after the blog. If blogging didn’t work out, I would have to kill my soul and be walking dead.
So I decided to give it a couple of hours and see it gets turned back on by itself. It could have been a server thing right?
With that thought at the back of my head, I started googling about website errors and reasons for it. I was trying to understand if choosing Hostgator was a bad idea. Among all the bad reviews, there was one that talked about the 24X7 helpline. I ignored all the negative comments and dialed the numbers.
In less than an hour, my website was up and running again!
See that’s the thing about reviews, most people who are angry and like to blow things out of proportion write such long texts. Most of the people who just give a star rating are the ones satisfied with the product and have no complaints. There is also a slight chance that the people who think there is a problem with the product didn’t understand how to use it.
So I took my chances, called them, had my problem solved and wallah… here I am blogging and here you are reading 🙂 Thank you for your time. I hope you are getting some value out of all of this.
And yes, the reason why my website stopped working was that I hadn’t verified my email.
Happens.
Read more: Pros and Cons of Traveling on a Budget
HostGator vs Bluehost for WordPress Website
So for the next three years, I will be proudly and confidently hosting my website raah-hi.com with HostGator. What happens after that, I don’t know. I guess we’ll just have to wait and watch.
And, if you are planning to start blogging and are tight on budget, I suggest you read about Inbound Marketing, SEO, organic traffic and content marketing before you buy the website and a host. So you know what you are getting yourself into.
Blogging is a full-time job. You don’t get a day off. I have spent as much as 14 hours a day sitting in one place looking at my screen, trying to make my blog rank organically.
But one thing is for sure, that if you get a hang of it, if you stick with it long enough, there is no other place you would rather be.
Do you own a Bluehost website? Do share your experience with us