This is a difficult question to really answer because it's so broad, but it is one of the most common so I'm including it here. There are several advantages to each of the major hosting providers. GoDaddy is by far the most popular and well-known, and also the one that gets the most questions. For that reason, we'll focus on GoDaddy in this answer, but the considerations apply for any hosting provider, and they all have mostly the same features.
- Ease of use - GoDaddy is considered one of the easiest to use, and they have a dedicated website builder and control panel that many customers enjoy. All hosting providers have some kind of control panel, but GoDaddy does provide one that is intuitive and has many common features that customers will reach for.
- Finding the right plan - Every hosting provider will provide a variety of plans, to try to capture as much market share possible. If you are a small to medium business with one website, more often than not the cheapest or next-cheapest plan will usually be the right bet for you. If you are a non-profit, always make sure to check if they offer any kind of discounted or free services. The other major aspect in choosing your plan will be what type of site you are building. If you're a human with a website on the internet, chances are it's a WordPress site, so many hosting providers have a separate version of their packages that include WordPress, or they'll have a separate track for WordPress sites. If you've decided to go with a hosting provider like Google or Amazon, my recommendation would be to consult a professional to set it up, these complicated solutions can get overwhelming if you're not familiar with them. With GoDaddy in particular, there are advantages and disadvantages to their plans. They tend to have expensive renewals, and those renewals are often buried in fine print, catching people by surprise after their first or second year. Another thing you should know about their starter plan is that it doesn't provide a free domain and SSL certificate, as most others do. They do offer a money-back guarantee however, without locking you into riding out a contract.
- Support - Hosting providers all provide some levels of support, tied to your plan, and those levels can include chatbots, chat with humans, email tickets, and occasionally you can get someone on the phone. Of course, the more you pay, the more support you get, but even at the lower levels, this can be an under-utilized resource for many businesses, as there is a wide range of issues that can be fixed by the support team within a couple of days, usually with a simple email or chat. GoDaddy has 24/7 support, which is a big advantage for their clients. They are also available to explain features or updates, and they are usually happy to answer your questions. If you're paying for a plan, make sure to get your money's worth!
- Domain registration - Some hosts provide integrated domain registration and management, and some don't. If you already have your domain registered, then that saves you a step. You may also save some money by not paying for domain management with the host, so in that case, it may be best to pick a host that doesn't offer domains! This part can be complicated, feel free to fill out the form below if you would like to consult with someone who can help you figure out the most cost-efficient plan for your company.
- Exit strategy - While you will hopefully stay with your hosting provider for quite a while, it's important to look over the consequences of terminating your service, especially if you are using any of their own website builders. On GoDaddy in particular it is very difficult to migrate your site intact to a new hosting provider, so keep that in mind.
Most of these providers offer roughly the same services, but the fine details can make the choice very important, so make sure to investigate your options from these different angles. Do some research, shop around, and you should be confident in your choice of hosting provider.
