Every creative professional needs a website to impress potential clients, to serve as an online resume, or to sell products and services. There are thousands of web hosting providers from which to choose, and DreamHost has been in business for over 20 years.
But does it deserve to be on our list of the best web hosting for creative in 2020 Our review shows you the pros and cons of choosing DreamHost for your website.
DreamHost: Plans and pricing
DreamHost has an exhaustingly long list of web hosting products to suit a wide range of needs. We just cover the plans that we believe to be the most suitable for creatives.
DreamHost has a strong focus on WordPress, which is a content management system that you can use to build and manage a website without touching a line of code. Even DreamHost’s shared hosting plans include a one-click installation of WordPress.
WordPress Starter ($2.59/month if you buy three years in advance) gets you unlimited traffic, a free domain name, and access to the WP Website Builder, which is a drag-and-drop WordPress site builder. If you need multiple sites, choose WordPress Unlimited ($4.95/month if you buy three years in advance).
DreamHost also offers managed WordPress hosting from $16.95/month (for a one-year plan). With this service, your WordPress site is managed by DreamHost. For example, daily backups are automated, plugins that speed up your website are pre-installed, and you get 24/7 support. If you want to sell products through the WooCommerce WordPress plugin, these plans are your best bet.
DreamHost’s plans are competitively priced, particularly if you’re willing to manage your own website. The managed WordPress and e-commerce plans are quite a bit more expensive.
DreamHost: Key features
By default, all WordPress plans get unlimited bandwidth and storage, a free domain name, a free SSL certificate (the traffic between your website and visitors is encrypted), instant WordPress setup, and free privacy protection. DreamHost doesn’t charge you extra to hide your personal information from domain name lookups.
WP Website Builder
DreamHost recently added a new website builder that’s available for free on all plans. You can use it to build a website from scratch without touching a line of code. You choose a template from the 200 that are available and then drag and drop different features onto each of your pages.
WooCommerce
If you plan on selling products and services through your site, you need e-commerce software. At DreamHost, the easiest way to do this is to use WooCommerce, which is essentially a WordPress plugin that changes your WordPress site into an online store. DreamHost’s WooCommerce hosting is one of the best, with fast speeds, guaranteed uptime, and powerful caching features that will make your store perform better for your visitors.
Automated WordPress migrations
If you have a current WordPress website hosted somewhere else, you can use the free DreamHost Automated Migration plugin tool to transfer it effortlessly to your new DreamHost hosting. If you choose a managed WordPress plan, you can get support from WordPress experts to help you get your website up and running on DreamHost.
DreamHost: Interface
Unusually, DreamHost doesn’t use the industry-standard cPanel website management administration panel. Instead, it has its own web dashboard, which is more than capable. Clicking on Build Website brings you to the new website builder that’s based on BoldGrid, one of the best WordPress website builders on the market.
You can also use the administration panel to install other software, such as Joomla, MediaWiki, phpBB, and concrete5. The list of installable applications is broad enough, but DreamHost doesn’t match up to hosts that use installation software Softaculous, where hundreds of applications can be installed with one click.
DreamHost: Support
DreamHost has one of the best knowledge bases in the business, with thousands of useful articles. Each one is supported by good screenshots and step-by-step instructions.
Live chat support is available 5:30 AM to 9:30 PM PST, and ticket support is available 24/7. Phone support callbacks are reserved for the more expensive DreamPress managed hosting plans.
DreamHost: WordPress hosting perfected
If you plan on building your website using WordPress, DreamHost is a fantastic choice. As one of the few hosts officially recommended by WordPress.org, DreamHost offers a complete environment for building a great WordPress website, big or small. With the introduction of Wp Website Builder, DreamHost now has a way for users to quickly put together a portfolio or resume website in a matter of minutes, without touching a line of code.
Managed WordPress hosting and e-commerce plans are quite expensive at DreamHost, though, so if you plan on selling products in the future, factor that into your decision. DreamHost is also focused on the WordPress platform, so if you want to use other software to build your website, you might want to look elsewhere.
Overall, we consider DreamHost one of the best web hosting for WordPress providers in 2020.
Read more:
- WordPress websites: 14 awesome examples
- The best free blogging platforms
- What is web hosting?