GreenGeeks Web Hosting Review – First Impressions
This is the first time I write about Greengeeks web hosting from a blogger's perspective. Greengeeks recently approached me to test out their system and I agreed.
The only way to really put it to the test would be to put a real website on it. I decided to move How To Blog Tutorials to the hosting to put it to the test.
The move was easy but I had a couple problems. I tried moving the site exactly as it was and that wasn't very smart.
I cleaned up unused plugins, updated all existing plugins, theme and WordPress core. I also optimized the database and generally cleaned up the site.
After I went back to the site and properly prepared for it, the move was very simple and went through smoothly.
I will be doing further testing and sharing that with you. The basic steps were simple:
Once I cleaned up and prepared the site for the move, the basic steps to move this site were simple:
- Backup the files from the original host.
- Backup the database using Phpmyadmin.
- Import the files to the Greengeeks hosting account using the web file manager, no FTP needed.
- Create the database by hand at Greengeeks using the MySQL database wizard.
- Import the database to the newly created database using Phpmyadmin.
- Adjust the wp-config file to the new database information.
- Change the DNS settings from Godaddy to point to the Greengeeks hosting account.
I have moved this site over and I'm now using Greengeeks to host it. Next I will move another site and create a tutorial to walk you step by step how to migrate. Perhaps I will move my daddy blog, Papidaddy.com.
Here are some of the benefits that Greengeeks offers:
Greengeeks claims to be powered by 300% renewable energy. I'm not sure how that number works, but I do think that it is important for companies to use sustainable energy systems. I will be asking what exactly the 300% means. I would be happy knowing that the hosting is powered by 100% renewable energy.
One of the earlier benefits that Greengeeks boasted was that it was optimized for Drupal, and while that is still the case they've now branched out into WordPress as well as other types of applications and web-hosting so they should be able to service most people's needs.
Their three core competencies are WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla. If you've read any of my tutorials on this blog, I recommend and favor WordPress.
The hosting plans are managed with Cpanel and provide industry standard solutions. I've been exploring their dashboard and it's easy to use, easy to navigate and they use standard applications you have come to expect on shared, vps and dedicated hosting services. You can install software by hand, or using Softaculous, Cpanel lets you manage all aspects of your hosting account.
What about support?
While the software capabilities and the green aspect of their company are great and shouldn't be understated, for me and my readers and customers, the most important thing is reliability and customer support.
Things are going to go wrong, and it is important to know that your hosting account will help you recover from problems that may arise, tomorrow or in a year.
These are the customer support promises from Greengeeks:
- 99.9% Uptime Guarantee
- 24/7 Email Support
- Live Telephone & Live Chat Support
- Complete satisfaction, or your money back within the money back period.
- 30-Day Money Back Guarantee
In the web hosting world we call that uptime guarantee a 3-nines guarantee. That is about the best you're going to get with this type of hosting at these price levels.
24/7 email support is expected and I never recommend a host that doesn't provide live chat AND phone support.
When I migrate the other site, I'll put the chat support to the test by creating a common problem the average blogger may run into and see how they handle that.
As far as their money back guarantee, I can't really test it since my account has been provided at no cost for the purpose of testing and reviewing it.
Customer experience
The dashboard of the Greengeeks account is clean and easy to navigate and as I mentioned earlier, the control panel is powered by Cpanel so it should be familiar to most people that have had a website before, and it's easy enough for beginners to get around.
In addition to the aforementioned, Greengeeks has a large collection of information and resources available to help you get the most out of your account.
Overall, so far I'm very happy with Greengeeks and I look forward to moving another site and doing further testing. But I'm comfortable recommending Greengeeks to you for your blog or website. You can check out their plans here.
This post was originally published at: How to Blog Tutorials.com
