SiteGround Hosting Services​ Review

Over the past 24 years of building websites, I’ve used many hosting providers, and some—like GoDaddy and Bluehost—were simply terrible. Nexcess has always been one of my favorites, and I still like them, but SiteGround had been a reliable choice for many of my clients, and I never heard any complaints. When Nexcess became too expensive, I decided to try SiteGround for myself.

SiteGround allows me to host multiple sites for the same price, and I’m currently on the GrowBig WordPress plan. So far, I haven’t hit the 20 GB storage limit while hosting nine sites. After a full year of use and a roughly 45-50% price increase, I’m updating this review to reflect real-world experience and explore their new AI features.

SiteGround Hosting Services Features I Like:

• WordPress Migration Plugin: The migration process was seamless and incredibly easy. I would like to see them upgrade this so that you can migrate your Local by Flywheel sites.
• Built-in Caching: Their caching system works well, and clearing the cache when making changes is quick and straightforward. I use this all the time, very simple interface and works instantly.
• Admin Panel: The interface is intuitive and user-friendly. I can easily access databases (phpMyAdmin), FTP, DNS zone editor, email management, and backup tools—all of which are simple to use.
• Advanced Tools: Features like Git integration, staging servers, CDN, and Cron jobs are available, though I haven’t had the time or need to explore them yet.  I do use SSH all the time, a great way to update my local website builds to match production.

Drawbacks:

• Automatic WordPress Updates: I can’t disable them, which is frustrating. I understand the reasoning behind automatic updates, but I prefer to control updates myself. When I deliver a WordPress site, the version and plugins are optimized for seamless functionality. While I update frequently, I like to do it on my own schedule. Upgrading to Cloud hosting would give me more control, but I don’t need it for just nine sites.
• Support Accessibility: While their support team is great and knowledgeable, I’m not happy with the process of digging through their AI chat-bot to get phone support. It’s a small inconvenience, but worth noting. That said, their support feels more personal and knowledgeable compared to many hosting companies where support agents often escalate most queries.

SiteGround Hosting Services AI Features

Coderick AI

We tested out the new Coderick AI website creation function. While we initially asked for a custom WordPress theme, it informed me that it only works with React; that being said, it can also integrate Pocketbase CMS to manage content. We are relieved to see that it won’t replace us too quickly (but I’m sure it will eventually).

It kept giving me the same colour scheme; it did copy the layout I asked for pretty accurately. I wasn’t able to get into the CMS portion—maybe with a bit more time, but I got frustrated and left. We also ran out of credits after 5 prompts, which was basically useless, I know I was using the free version, but I should at least be able to get a working home page. I would call this a fun toy, but not a serious web development tool. Let’s see over time.

SiteGround AI Studio

I tried using this to create a subdomain and install WordPress. It suggested I use SiteGround AI Assistant. I then asked it, “what can you do?” and I got a network error. I tried a few more times to get an answer and did. It seems to be the same as any other AI like ChatGPT or Claude.

For fun, I asked it to review this review and give SEO improvements, it found a few grammar mistakes, typos, suggested some keywords. This was helpful as the other AI tool I used to check missed those grammar errors.

SiteGround AI Assistant

This is just a chatbot—a powerful one. It gives some precise instructions on how to complete my tasks, basically replacing phone support.

Trying to Get Phone Support

With all these new AI features, one thing SiteGround has done is bury their phone number. It was always hidden within the help centre, but now you go round in AI circles before they will give it to you—a bit frustrating.