If you are planning on taking your business online, having a reliable host that can provide you with quality web hosting services is very crucial. You also want a host that provides your business with auxiliary perks such as customer support and integrated web builder. While there are plenty of web hosting companies, some may not have the necessary web infrastructure to accommodate the needs of a medium-sized or large business. It is therefore important to take the necessary time to research the options available before making a decision. One company that is worth trying is HawkHost
So how does HawkHost work?
Hawkhost is a Canadian-based, web hosting company that was founded in 2004 under the name Devoted Host. The name was later changed to HawkHost following the departure of one of its founders.
HawkHost takes pride in providing businesses with customized web hosting services designed to solve the common challenges which most online companies experience. Although the main focus of its service catalog is shared web hosting services, HawkHost also provides numerous other products and services including:
- Reseller hosting
- Domains
- Semi-dedicated hosting
- SSL certificates
- VPS hosting
- Cloud web hosting
- Cloud services
Features of HawkHost
HawkHost has plenty of features which make it stand out compared with its competitors. Some of the key features of this platform include:
Impressive Loading Speeds
The success of your business online greatly depends on the loading speed of your website. If your site suffers from loading speeds and experiences lag, the customer is more likely to leave and go to a different site. Due to this reason, you need to ensure that your service provider uses updated hardware and software. Fortunately, HawkHost guarantees fast loading speed and virtually zero lags.
Guaranteed Uptime
HostHawk offers its clients 99% uptime for all shared and reseller hosting plans. According to the company’s policies, all customers must be compensated for any downtime experienced on their sites. This means clients whose websites encounter downtime can claim compensation at any time by raising an SLA ticket.
While HawkHost does not publish its uptime on the website, clients can check the maintenance data on all of the companies’ data centers. They can also run speeds on any of the servers to find out which ones have the highest speeds at any one time.
Email Accounts
HawkHost allows its clients to create an unlimited number of email addresses and receive unlimited emails from their customers. In addition to this, clients can check their emails from any interface using their web-based platform.
Integrated Website Builder
All the web hosting plans provided by HawkHost come with an integrated Weebly site builder, which allows any subscriber to build a website or upgrade an already existing website. The builder also comes equipped with e-commerce supported software. This means you can create an e-commerce store for your website to allow users to conduct online purchases
Customer Support Services
HawkHost has a Facebook page and Google+ account through which users can seek assistance for numerous web performance issues. The platform also runs two specialized Twitter accounts. One of these accounts is used by the company tweet live server updates while the other is used for customer support interaction with clients.
Cloudflare Integration
All of HawkHost’s web hosting plans are optimized for use on CloudFlare. This eliminates any problems that may occur during integration. You only need to activate your CDN from HawkHost’s control panel to begin enjoying a boost in speed on your website.
Control Panel
HawkHost features a control panel known as cPanel, which enables clients to manage their websites more effectively. The panel has a very simple and user-friendly layout which makes it very convenient and easy to use by beginners as well as experienced web users. It features a multilingual feature which allows users to select a language of their choice to use on the panel. VPS users are also given a customized panel although they are required to pay more for this service.
Servers
HawkHost has 6 servers distributed in various locations around the world. Four of these servers are found in the US, one in Amsterdam and one in Singapore. The benefit of these servers is that they allow a client to select the server close to their business. The closer a business is to a server, the better and faster speeds they enjoy.
Money-Back Guarantee
HawkHost offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on all of its semi-dedicated and shared hosting plans. This is only valid as long as the terms of the web hosting plans are not breached by a client. If you breach the terms and conditions of the plan that you have signed up to, the money-back guarantee is voided, and you cannot make a claim to it.
Other Products and Services
All HawkHost web hosting plans come equipped with several other auxiliary features including:
- Unlimited domains
- SSD storage
- Unlimited databases
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Free SSL certificates
- Superfast web server
HawkHost Plans and Prices
HawkHost provides two types of shared hosting plans: primary plan and professional plan.
The primary plan, which is offered at $2.99, comes with 10,000 MB SSD storage, free migration, unlimited bandwidth, free SSL certificate, free Memcached server and unlimited domains. The professional plan costs $7.99, and comes with free unlimited SSL certificate, unlimited disk storage, unlimited bandwidth, free migration, unlimited domains and a free Memcached server.
HawkHost provides most of the features which are necessary for web hosting. Some of the packages they offer include:
Shared Hosting
This package comes with 3000 MB disk storage, 360 GB monthly, unlimited domains, unlimited emails and SQL database
Reseller Hosting
HawkHost’s reseller packages are designed for clients who want to manage several accounts simultaneously. They come in different storage options of up to 15 GB and bandwidth of up to 360 GB monthly.
Semi-dedicated Servers
If you are looking for more hosting without the cost of a full dedicated server, then this package might be the right one for you. Semi-dedicated servers typically share fewer compared to shared servers. This makes them much faster than shared servers. These packages come in options of:
- 1200 GB monthly bandwidth and 50,000 GB disk space
- 350 GB monthly bandwidth and 20,000 GB disk space
- VPS Hosting
HawkHost offers various VPS Hosting packages. These include:
Basic
This package costs $18 and comes with the following features:
- 1024 MB memory space
- 1500 GB bandwidth
- 30 GB space
Advanced
The advanced VPS hosting package costs $36 and features these features:
- 2048 MB memory space
- 2000 GB bandwidth
- 40 GB space
- It is SSD powered
Super
The super package is priced at $58.50 and comes with the following specifications:
- 330 GB bandwidth
- 4096 MB memory
- 50 GB space
- It is SSD powered
HawkHost Domain Services
HawkHost provides domain search services on its web platform. This feature allows users to transfer from a previously owned domain or find new domains. While new domains cost as little as $10, previously owned domains can cost thousands of dollars. You should, therefore, keep searching until you find a domain that is priced reasonably. Once you have purchased the initial domain, you can set up as many add-on domains and subdomains as you want.
HawkHost Customer Support
HawkHost customer support is usually available 24/7. In case you have any queries or need any assistance, you can contact support via email. You can also browse the HawkHost discussion forums to find solutions for common web hosting problems. Perhaps the only downside to this platform’s customer support is that there is no hotline or live chat for immediate assistance. I think this is the one area which the company should work to improve customer support.
Pros and Cons of HawkHost
Pros
- Guarantees 99% uptime and can handle unexpected spikes in traffic. Also compensates customers for any downtime experienced
- This web hosting company is well established, experienced and reliable
- The packages offered are relatively affordable when compared with other web hosting service providers
- There are numerous packages to choose from including VPS hosting, shared hosting and Reseller hosting
- Has a multilingual cPanel which allows users to select the desired language
- Has six data centers spread out in different parts of the globe
Cons
- Customer support does not have a hotline service
- Lacks full dedicated servers
Final Verdict
Finding a great web hosting services for your business requires a lot of preparation and research. Ideally, you want a hosting plan that provides all the necessary features that your website requires.
HawkHost is without a doubt one of the most legit web hosting platforms out there. The company has been operating since 2004, and it is well established and experienced when it comes to web hosting. Moreover, the platform provides a 99 percent uptime guarantee along with plenty of storage space, which you will find very useful in the day-to-day management of your business. I would highly recommend this platform if you were looking for a reliable and affordable web hosting service for a startup or medium-sized business.
