SiteGround Review From A Fitness Blogger
In this SiteGround review, I share my experience as a fitness blogger with a long history in the blogging world. Read it and find out if SiteGround is the right hosting company for your blog or website.
Is SiteGround the best hosting company? Is SiteGround expensive? Which SiteGround plan is best? These are all questions I asked myself somewhere on my blogging journey.
Eight or nine years ago, I tried to start my own website. To illustrate just how clueless I was, I don’t even remember why I did it. But I do remember being so confused about web hosting and building a website that I just gave up. I was so frustrated that I cancelled my hosting plan within just a few days of purchasing it.
A large part of the problem was how confusing and overwhelming setting up my website was. When I finally found out how to log in to my account’s control panel, I was so lost that I just contacted customer service and asked for help. The hosting company’s response left me MORE confused, which led me to cancelling my membership.
Please note: This SiteGround review contains affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase using my link (at no extra cost to you), I may receive a commission.
The Importance of a Great Hosting Company
That was with HostGator several years ago. It’s crazy to think about where my business might be had I not been so overwhelmed at that time. Had I not been so intimidated by the setup of my website and had I found the customer service more helpful, I’d have a lot more experience by now. I might not be blogging about the same things, but maybe I wouldn’t feel like I was “late” to the game like I do now.
But everything happens for a reason.
Fast forward to just about three years ago, when I started a blog again. I was a new stay-at-home mom and wanted to make money from home. I’d rediscovered blogging and was determined to figure it out this time.
It was still confusing and a bit overwhelming, but after reading many articles about how to start a fitness blog, I was ready.
Only this time, my experience was a stark contrast from the last.
Buying a domain name, setting up my hosting account, and installing WordPress was the easy part. (Navigating WordPress and setting up my pages was a different story.)
I got a lot further with a lot less headache this time around, and that was thanks to the fact that I’d opted for SiteGround as my web hosting company.
So if you’re asking, “Is SiteGround better than Bluehost?” or “Is SiteGround better than Godaddy or HostGator?” my answer would be yes!
Why YOU Need to Be Self-Hosted Through a Hosting Company
There are many free options out there for aspiring bloggers. I’m talking about free domain names (mine is www.ironwildfitness.com) and free places to house/build your site. But the problem with these is that if you use them, you don’t completely own them. You also don’t usually have a normal domain name. On top of that, you’re limited as far as customizing your site and functionality.
It’s important to own your domain name and website entirely so that as a business owner, you are entitled to 100% of your profits. It’s also an important part of looking professional. With a self-hosted website, you own everything, but your website files are managed by the hosting company you use. If you choose a good company, you shouldn’t have to worry about managing them.
A SiteGround Review from a Mommy Blogger Gone Fitness Blogger
As I mentioned, I started blogging the second time around as a mom blogger. Actually, I blogged about anything having to do with motherhood, including homemaking, frugal living, etc. I later dabbled in homestead and garden blogging, which are two of my personal interests beyond motherhood. Later, I settled for blogging about blogging (because that’s what everyone seems to be doing) and eventually landed here at Ironwild Fitness.
Through it all, I started and quit at least 12 blogs, and I have owned over 20 domain names.
I tell you this to help you understand how much time I have spent interacting with hosting companies, purchasing domains, and building websites. It took me a long time to find my place in the blogging world. And I don’t think that you need to go through all of those ups and downs like I did.
That’s why it feels important to share my SiteGround review with you.
Like I said, I have been extremely back-and-forth with my blogging ideas. I have purchased so many domain names and built so many websites that I have required a LOT of customer service help. SiteGround has held my hand through it all. Domain transfers, website sales, account cancellations, and every single other indecisive blogging decision I’ve made over the last three years. That’s kind of a big deal.
It’s a big deal because every time I needed to make a change on my accounts, 9 times out of 10, I didn’t know how to do it myself. So I just contacted SiteGround’s customer service team. And 10 times out of 10, they were nice about my lack of knowledge. Plus, 10 times out of 10, they fixed my issue promptly.
On top of that, when I got tired of my own indecisiveness and decided to cancel my “extra” accounts, they didn’t hassle me. They didn’t try to sell me more stuff. They just did it.
Switching to Fitness Blogging
After having many, many blogs (luckily SiteGround is very affordable), I finally decided to stick with Ironwild Fitness. Blogs just about blogging started to get annoying, even though it is a profitable niche. And mommy blogging didn’t feel right to me either. I wanted my blog and virtual business to align with my everyday life, so I chose the health and fitness niche.
On top of that, I was as an aspiring personal trainer. I was working with my own trainer when I realized that there’s a gap in the market here. Most other personal trainers I know have NO clue how to leverage social media or a website to earn extra income online. Now I’m a personal trainer with quite a bit of my own blogging experience.
That’s why you find articles like this one on my site. I still believe that blogging is an important way to establish ANY business, virtual or not.
A Great Hosting Company for Any Niche
Since SiteGround has helped me with many, many blogs, I’m able to say that they are a great hosting company no matter where you fit in. You can be a brick-and-mortar business or you can be a small-time blogger. (They’re great if you make it big-time, too!) Either way, you’re going to get great service and feel a lot less overwhelmed because of it.
I can’t stress how important it is to enter the blogging world with support like that.
If you’ve been contemplating starting a blog for fun, for your real-life business, or for added income, I have some resources for you. While I specialize in helping aspiring health and fitness bloggers and personal trainers, my business-related articles are relevant across most niches. The tips and instructions I give will help any aspiring blogger. Take a look:
- How to Start a Health, Food, or Fitness Blog
- Ultimate Blog Startup Checklist
- How to Make Money Blogging
- 25 Free Ways to Increase Your Blog Traffic
And, just for you health and fitness bloggers:
- Affiliate Programs for Fitness Bloggers
- Introduction to Blogging for Fitness Professionals
- Product Ideas for Fitness Bloggers
If you enjoyed this SiteGround review and you’re ready to start a blog now, this tutorial is for you.
I hope that my SiteGround review was helpful to you if you’re considering starting a blog or switching web hosts. I’d love to hear about your blogging experiences, so be sure to leave a comment below!
