Welcome to our Liquid Web review. Selecting a great web host is an essential part of creating your first website. To keep things simple, a host provides the physical infrastructure and software to keep your website running as it should.
In our Liquid Web review, we take a close look at this popular host. While focusing on its main features, we also consider everything from its prices to its customer service and user interface to help you decide whether it’s the right option for your next project. For more options, see our guide to the best web hosting services around.
Liquid Web review: Plans and pricing
Liquid Web has a wide range of hosting products catering to those with who need powerful service for high-end websites. Shared hosting is notably absent, although the managed WordPress (from $19 per month) and Managed WooCommerce (also from $19 per month) solutions represent good options for those who want to build a custom portfolio or online store with WordPress.
Users with even more advanced needs will benefit from the company’s virtual private servers (VPS) which start at $35 per month. These basically provide a dedicated amount of resources (RAM, storage, bandwidth, etc.) for your site, which means you won’t be impacted by other sites on the same server, as you would with other shared hosting plans.
Physical dedicated servers start at $169 per month, while fully scalable cloud hosting starts from $149 per month.
Liquid Web review: Features
Liquid Web is a high-end web hosting provider offering a range of solutions for those with advanced hosting needs. Its WordPress and WooCommerce options are excellent, while its VPS, dedicated, and cloud hosting are great for those who need to store a large number of high-resolution media files.
WooCommerce eCommerce hosting
Liquid Web’s WooCommerce eCommerce hosting stands out as exceptional. It’s designed specifically for those who want to build an online store using the WordPress/WooCommerce combination, and the features and integrations on offer are brilliant.
For example, the WooCommerce hosting servers are optimised for WordPress, improving load speeds and reducing server response times. You will have access to a suite of pre-installed plugins, an attractive, e-commerce-centric theme, and the powerful Beaver Builder website builder. And even the cheapest plan supports up to 500 orders per hour, which will be more than enough for the average creative.
Advanced hosting add-ons
Another standout feature was Liquid Web’s range of advanced hosting add-ons. Along with the impressive tools it includes with each hosting plan, these add-ons provide even more powerful functionality that you wouldn’t otherwise have access to.
For example, you can purchase additional storage and backup options, highly advanced security add-ons, and performance integrations to improve site speed and load times. There are also various software integrations available, along with powerful database and email hosting.
Free site migrations
If you already have a website or portfolio hosted elsewhere, you may like to take advantage of Liquid Web’s free site migration service. This is performed by a team of highly experienced experts, allowing you to rest assured that it will be completed quickly and efficiently without risk to your files and other data.
What’s more, Liquid Web’s migration service is comprehensive, which means that everything will be transferred – that is, your files, data, analytics information, and anything else, rather than just your site itself.
Liquid Web review: Interface
Liquid Web gives new users the choice of three control panels: cPanel, InterWorx, and Plesk Web Pro. This allows you to select the option of your choice, which is a feature many competitors don’t have.
If you don’t have much site-building experience, we’d recommend going with a cPanel control panel. Here, you will find quick links to relevant modules to help you configure and manage your website, along with various help portals and other important information.
InterWorx and Plesk certainly have their pros, but they aren’t as widely used or as beginner-friendly as cPanel. In the end, though, all three perform the same essential functions.
Liquid Web review: Security
Liquid Web provides high-end hosting solutions, and security is one of its main focuses. Every plan has slightly different security integrations and solutions, but one thing that stood out across the board was the company’s data centers.
These use highly redundant networks to ensure your server remains online as much as possible. All data centres are backed by on-site security and various industry certifications, and all networks are monitored 24/7/365 by a dedicated team of experts.
Liquid Web review: Support
The support services on offer are excellent, to say the least. The Liquid Web team is available 24/7/365 via phone, email, or online live chat, and the customer service representatives are knowledgeable and friendly.
On top of this, there are numerous self-help resources, including a comprehensive knowledge base, various webinars, and detailed guides and white papers.
Liquid Web review: A high-end host for advanced users
Unlike many of its competitors, Liquid Web focuses solely on high-end hosting solutions for advanced users. Its managed WordPress and WooCommerce options are great, if a little expensive, and its dedicated server, cloud, and VPS options are among the best we’ve seen.
What’s more, every hosting plan is backed by a suite of impressive features, the choice of three different control panels, and the ability to purchase numerous add-ons where required. The company’s customer support is among the best we’ve seen, and its security is excellent.
At the end of the day, Liquid Web certainly isn’t the best option for web hosting newbies or those without much experience. But, if you’re looking for a high-end host that ticks all the boxes, you might just have found a winner here.
Read more: Find out about the best website builders around
