For the longest time, artists have been hanging their work in art galleries. Art galleries have been and still are great, and this is where a lot of artists have found their brand. However, a lot of artists have found their slot by posting their work online, either in a photo or video form.
Granted, a good website host comes in handy. For an artist, a good host should offer unlimited storage and bandwidth, offer great customer support and have at least a 99 percent uptime. With a good host, an artist has the capacity to move from a menial job to something that pays awesomely online.
Below are some of the top webhosts for artists.
1. iPage
Intro
Whether you are a beginner or a veteran webmaster, the list of features offered by iPage will make you a believer. The webhost has been in the industry since 1998 over which time they have offered great reliability. On subscribing, you are offered a free domain, and the offer comes with Free Google marketing. This pretty much gets you started.
Pros
You are offered unlimited disk space to store all videos and photos of your art. You are also offered unrestricted bandwidth and emails making the shared hosting a great deal. The extra features offered by iPage concentrate on website security, marketing and good ranking and support.
The host offers 24/7 support. They have a US-based phone, email support, ticket based support and live chat. Besides, there is an extensive list of tutorials and helpful documents for DIY lovers. Besides, the host has budget plans for starting artists with the plans as cheap as $1.99 per month and a money back guarantee that lasts 30 days.
Cons
The iPage host is simple for starting webmasters and therefore lack some advanced features that advanced artists might need.
2. BlueHost
Intro
Blue Host is a great option when you need performance and value for money. Their servers will accommodate all your hosting needs; once you outgrow their shared hosting, you can upgrade to VPS and dedicated hosting. Their packages are reputed for usability making them ideal for total beginners.
By subscribing to BlueHost, you are offered one free domain, a free website builder, unlimited traffic and bandwidth and much more. They are known to offer modern industry updated hardware with close to 100 percent uptime.
Pros
You get in-house support anytime and day of the week. You can get help through email, ticket system, phone or read from their knowledgebase. You also get unlimited email accounts for your website your date gets backed up every day.
As your site build up traffic, updating to a higher form of hosting plan is easy, and you do so with zero downtime. They are known for being reliable and their system easy to use.
Cons
Blue Host has numerous updates needed, and their plans are relatively expensive.
3. A2 Hosting
Intro
A2 Hosting has made their packages custom which makes them a great option for artists. They offer enhanced performance, security, and speed. With their shared hosting comes a free Cloudflare CDN with SSD speed boosting solution. With 1-click CMS installs, the host is relatively easy to use even for novice webmasters.
You get unlimited emails, domains, storage, and databases to accommodate any size of website. It is optimized for WordPress and PrestaShop, which are two popular website builders.
Pros
You are offered a free HackScanproten to keep you secure when your site secure. You are also offered KernelCare to keep your site up to date every day. A2 promises 99.9 percent uptime and keeps your network monitored 24/7. For WordPress users, you are guaranteed of no hacks.
General, the site spent enough time to enhance usability and reliability. Each of the packages they offer is customized for artists and other webmasters.
Cons
Their domain names are not free and retail at $14.99 which is way high compared to other hosts.
4. InMotion Hosting
Intro
InMotion Hosting has been in the industry for a long time. They are known for their shared hosting, and when they entered the WordPress space, their reputation for custom services grew even bigger and better. However, the host’s packages cost a little higher compared to other budget hosts with some added features justifying the cost.
The host runs on an all SSD-infrastructure with their speeds being at the top of the charts. They have modern hardware that is always updated to keep your site safe and with all latest features.
Pros
They have three different levels of WordPress hosting ensuring that they grow as your business grows. Each of the packages is tailored to meet your needs, and as such, you can turn your artist website into an e-commerce site.
You are allowed unlimited installs if you use WordPress, unlimited disk space, free backup for your data and unlimited emails. If you are good at coding, the host supports PHP, Ruby, Python, and Perl and also allows SSH access. They are reputed for great customer support and reliability.
Cons
The host doesn’t have features such as integrated staging and caching which would allow users to take advantage of the great modern hardware.
5. Site Ground Hosting
Intro
SiteGround offers managed WordPress hosting. It is a host that has been in the industry since 2004. The host is known for their reliability, advanced features, and flexibility. They grow as your website grows accommodating all the traffic you might have.
SiteGround boasts five data centers across three continents making. This way, they are able to back up your data and offer you the support you need as an artist.
Pros
Getting started on SiteGround is pretty straightforward as all you need to do is sign up. The customer page has all the information you need to get started. After installing your WordPress website, they offer 1-click WordPress installation; you get a cPanel as your management panel. Your data is automatically backed up each day.
The host offers great customer support any time of the day. Besides, their hardware is always updated for enhanced uptime, and you can switch between plans with zero downtime.
Cons
The host is not good for coding though they allow some coding languages. This, however, is for advanced users only.
Final Thoughts
A website is better than a portfolio builder. There are hundreds of portfolio builders, but these can never be as good as a website. Artists can get free website builders with their host of choice to ensure that the process stays simple and straightforward. Most website builders offered by hosts require no coding skills, just dragging and dropping. Therefore, owning a great website and having it hosted by the best is simple.