The first step towards getting your website live and competing with others in your industry is getting the right hosting to keep your site running during critical times. However, if you are a beginner looking for a top-notch web host, things might get tricky. The thing is, while some hosts work well for Australia, others don’t.

Fast forward; your priority should always be speed. Nowadays, and especially the new generations are pretty impatient on the Internet. So, if they have to wait for your content to load, they’ll probably leave in a matter of seconds. The fastest web hosting in Australia will always have servers either in or close to Australia, delivering a much better performance than a US server.

However, speed is only the start of it; you should consider many other factors during your decision-making. It would be best to balance the web host quality with your target location.

We have performed an independent study to facilitate your choice, including thousands of user reviews and expert opinions. In continuance, you can find the results of our extensive surveys and real-life testing procedures, along with supportive and educational content regarding web hosting in Australia. But if you don’t have the time for it, here’s our choice of the best Australian web hosting providers!

Check Our Top Web Hosting Providers in Australia

1. Crazy Domains – Best WordPress Hosting in Australia
2. ChemiCloud – Best Hosting in Australia Overall

At HostAdvice, we test specifically for each category. Our professionals act independently of third parties, including the providers themselves. We pose as regular customers and buy web hosting plans to perform tests in real-time. We measure performance, speed and uptime, security, and the responsiveness of the customer support teams. In addition, our professionals go through the entire process to detect any red flags and hidden fees and test the overall ease of use and navigation. Is there any false marketing and overselling involved? At HostAdvice, we give extra points for transparency, as it’s best to know what to expect, whichever plan you choose.

Furthermore, each hosting category is different; therefore, we have a specific list for each. Once we develop the relevant criteria for the category, or in this case, best web hosting in Australia, we assign each factor a percentage, depending on its importance. We then use these factors and set percentages to calculate a single, weighted score, reflecting the web host’s overall quality.

Here are the main things to look out for when selecting the best hosting provider in Australia:

• Server Availability (15%): If you host your website closer to your target audience, they will experience better speeds and less latency. That’s why you need a server in Australia or the region. However, you don’t have to worry about it on a city-specific level since you probably won’t notice the difference between Sydney, Melbourne, or Brisbane servers. Hosting your website in Australia doesn’t mean you cannot serve the global market. You can easily do so with the help of a CDN (Content Delivery Network). This set of technologies will deliver content to users worldwide with minimal lag, thus improving your reliability. At the same time, it will boost your security by blocking spammers and protecting you from DDoS attacks.

• Speed and Uptime (9%): The data center location isn’t the only factor affecting speed. It’s a lot more than that. The best hosting provider in Australia will provide stable servers and maximize server uptime. Anything below 99.9% uptime is unacceptable, and it would be best to strive towards 99.95% and above for reliable service. Furthermore, opt for the correct server configuration with superior hardware, server-side caching, LiteSpeed, SSDs, and PHP7 support.
• Security Features (3%): SSL certificates are no longer an option but a must, and that no longer applies to the best eCommerce hosting in Australia exclusively. You need an SSL for all website types because if Google labels your site as not secure, you’ll lose valuable rankings and visitors. In addition, consider malware scan and removal, firewalls, the backup policy in place, and account isolation.

• Hosting Essentials (10%): Usually, the more you invest, the more you get. However, you should never sacrifice some key features, such as sufficient disk space and SSDs instead of HDDs. Besides storage capacity, consider the bandwidth policy, email features, allowed websites per account, control panel, and website migrations. How many freebies are you to get? Will you need to pay extra for things you need for your website? If yes, do other web hosting providers include these extras for free? The best web hosting in Australia will grant you an all-inclusive package with free domain name/transfer, 1-click installs, website builder, automated backups, and more.
• Ease of Use (3%): Most Australian web hosts are straightforward, yet there are some exceptions. You should be able to quickly deploy and manage your sites, even as a beginner. So, it would be best to look for a user-friendly control panel, such as the famous standard cPanel, or a custom control panel that’s beginner-friendly and easy to navigate. Softaculous, Website Builders, 1-click installs, and popular CMS integrations are also a huge plus!
• Customer Support (10%): If you ever encounter an issue with your site, you want to have a professional available to assist you. Some Australian web hosting providers have in-house teams, while others outsource their customer service. But that’s not the main thing you should consider, as neither guarantees quality. Instead, it would be best to opt for a customer support team available 24/7 across several channels, including phone, email, tickets, and live chat. Also, it would help if you always prioritized local Australian support to cut costs and have someone to help you during work hours. Self-help sources are also important, including tutorials, a Knowledgebase, videos, etc.

• Integrations/Compatibility (4%): Almost all Australian web hosting companies offer Linux support, but there are only a few Windows offers. Before you rush in to spend your money, make sure to consider the OS compatibility, along with other integrations. The best-case scenario is to get inherent support for the CMS, apps, and OS you wish to work with.
• Scalability Options (8%): Once your business grows, you’ll need a web hosting provider that can support your traffic. Here, it would be best to consider how many resources and a variety of plans the web hosting provider offers. Shared hosting is an excellent entry plan alternative, VPS and dedicated hosting work best if you have higher resource demands. In contrast, cloud hosting is the most flexible and scalable alternative, able to handle all peaks in traffic.

• Plans & Pricing (8%): The best website hosting Australia combines quality and cost-effectiveness for the best value. So, going for the best cheap web hosting in Australia shouldn’t be your priority. Instead, it would be better to opt for the best value for your money (note: we have chosen all providers within the upcoming list on this ground). Consider introductory offers, renewal prices, and the additional cost for extras not included in the feature set. Also, does the web host state its plans in Australian dollars, and can you pay using this currency? The ability to record your transactions in this currency will significantly facilitate the procedures during tax season. At last, ensure to get a web hosting plan with a money-back guarantee. If you are not satisfied with the service, you should be able to get a refund.
• User Reviews (30%): Other customers are the best indicator of the web host’s uptime, speed, and customer support responsiveness. People with experience with the provider can tell you whether they have faced frequent outages or had a smooth experience with the company. However, beware of false advertising. It would be best to check reputable sources for unbiased and objective recommendations instead of misleading ones.

What Is Australian Web Hosting, And Who Is It For?

Web hosting in Australia is a broad term that includes shared hosting, VPS, dedicated servers, WordPress, cloud hosting, and more. This service grants you the necessary means to create, maintain your site, and make it accessible on the Internet. The company that provides you with these facilities is known as the web host.

What makes Australian web hosts different from US or European web hosts is that they have data centers/server locations in the country or the surrounding region. In turn, the best web hosting providers in Australia can significantly reduce latency. Latency can cause losing customers, profits, and SEO, but more on that later.

You should host locally with an Australian web hosting provider if your target is Australia. You might be new in the business or wish to expand within this market. Either way, getting one such service will work to your advantage. When the Australian service includes a CDN, it can also work for a global audience.

However, using the best hosting provider in Australia isn’t sufficient for European, Asian, or US customers. And vice versa; even the best US web host won’t work for your Australian visitors, causing them to wait longer and experience slower response times.

Ranking comparison between the Top Providers

Why Should You Host Locally with An Australian Web Hosting?

Several factors contribute to a website’s slowness. However, latency stands out above the others, meaning if you really want your site to be quick, you must consider latency.

Your browser must connect to the targeted website’s server to retrieve the webpage’s contents whenever you access a site. A variety of variables determine the time required to acquire the contents of a web page. Yet, the most crucial of these is latency.

For instance, if you reside in Australia and want to access a server in the UK, there would be some lag in the connection. And the worst thing about the delay is that it accumulates; latency delays every picture, CSS file, JavaScript file, or video that your web browser requests, which is also true for your website.

As the geographical distance between the server and the client rises, so does time required to obtain a web page. The simplest solution to this issue is to host the site in a place that is close to the most, if not all, of your website users.

Although lower latency is among the most significant advantages of hosting your site regionally, there are many other advantages as well. Say you phone your Australian web host. You’ll not pay excessive costs, and you can be confident that someone in Australia will respond; your support calls will not be sent to some random contact center. Instead, someone from your nation will respond to them.

Types of Australian Web Hosting Services, Popular CMSs, and Operational Systems

You cannot find the best web hosting in Australia for your business if you cannot separate the different types of web hosting services. In addition, it would be best to understand the various available content management systems and operating systems.

Here’s an explanation of the basic types of best hosting in Australia.

Hosting Services

• Shared Hosting - A shared web host service is one in which multiple sites reside on the same web server. As the name implies, the server’s resources are not only committed to a single site. Rather, the server’s resources are shared among multiple websites. Because the overall cost of operating the server is divided over several clients, this is the most cost-effective hosting option. It’s the cheapest choice because you’re effectively renting space that you split with other websites with this sort of hosting. It always has a straightforward strategy and setup method. The shared hosting system works since most sites using it receive little traffic; therefore, the shared host is just not overburdened. As a result, the websites may effectively share system resources without experiencing performance concerns.
• VPS Hosting – Virtual Private Server hosting is the next logical progression and improvement above shared hosting. A virtual machine is a computer system that simulates a physical machine. A virtual private server (VPS) is just a software application or system software that emulates the characteristics of a computer device. It may provide the capability of an individual computer, such as executing apps and programs, because it is built on computer architecture. What makes the best VPS hosting in Australia an excellent hosting solution, you may wonder? It is a natural development from a basic shared plan, providing a better hosting choice for small to medium-sized enterprises disappointed with the restrictions of the most shared hosting services in terms of reliability, storage, and performance.
• Dedicated Server Hosting – Dedicated hosting is designated for enterprises requiring high-performance servers, such as huge eCommerce websites, property investment directories, enormous forums, etc. They are fairly expensive, but they are powerful! If you want superior efficiency, highest uptime (e.g., 100%), maximum dependability and stability, as well as a dedicated (Australia-based) support staff, this is the website hosting option for you. If you’re searching for the best dedicated servers, the most significant thing to do is contact the web host you’re considering directly, as they’ll be pleased to assist! Because there’s a lot on the line, assistance will be ready to react to your inquiries.

Popular CMSs

• WordPress CMS – WordPress is a behemoth in the CMS and full webpage development environment, the proverbial 1,000-pound elephant in the room. WordPress is now utilized by over 60 million sites, including the majority of Fortune 500 companies. Though it began as a blogging platform, it has evolved into a powerful CMS. However, for those unfamiliar with the WordPress world, there is a contrast between wordpress.org & wordpress.com since they are two separate platforms. WordPress.com is free; however, it only supports a few themes and does not enable plugins. WordPress.org, on the other side, offers complete theme support and complete branding independence. WordPress has many features; however, one of the key advantages is the simplicity with which it can be customized and the variety of tools it provides.
• Joomla CMS - Joomla is a distant second in the CMS world. One of the explanations Joomla lags further behind WordPress is that it isn’t very user-friendly. Unless you have an emotional attachment to Joomla, switching to WordPress is indeed the wisest course of action.
• Drupal CMS – Drupal is an open-source website development platform that allows you to create an online CSMS and user communities. Drupal CMS may be used to create anything from a basic blog to a huge corporation’s content gateway.
• Magento CMS - Magento is an eCommerce platform built with open-source software. This CMS gives merchants unparalleled online control and flexibility over the content, appearance, and operation of their e-commerce business.

Let us examine the distinctions.

Operating Systems

• Windows Hosting – Microsoft’s flagship product is Windows. Using a Windows-based host allows you to execute Windows databases/applications as well as more complicated programming scripts such as ASP.Net. Windows provides greater freedom than simply conventional scripts; you can easily utilize PHP or even MySQL. However, in most cases, a Windows-based host is slightly more expensive than a Linux host. System crashes on Windows are also significantly more prevalent.
• Linux Hosting – The majority of the world’s servers run Linux. It’s the industry standard for a reason. Linux servers are dependable and can run almost any current programming script or language. Most programs are also compatible with Linux. Linux systems are commonly referred to as LAMP systems, which stand for Linux, Apache, My SQL, and PHP.

What’s The Distinction Between Domain Hosting, Web Hosting, and Domain Registration?

After all this content, you still might be a bit lost. Beginners are often confused regarding hosting terminology, so let’s clarify it to the last detail. What’s the distinction between domain hosting, web hosting, and domain name registration?

• Domain Name Registration – Refers to purchasing or registering a domain name through a registrar. It’s the first step on your web hosting journey. Most web servers provide this option, which means you can get your domain name and run your website from the same company, which is excellent because support is centralized. If you only want to purchase domain names but not web hosting, you should choose a standard registrar like NameCheap. Registrars can delegate the sale of domain names and assign them to IP addresses (you’d be shocked how many domains are registered each year).
• Web Hosting - The following step is web hosting, which relates to the Internet area wherein you host the data that comprise your website (note: you’ve come to this page to locate the best hosting provider in Australia for your website). After registering your domain name, you must direct it to your hosting space for the site to appear in browsers. Web hosting may range from $1 per month for budget hosts to $500 or more per month for VPS or dedicated servers.
• Domain Hosting - Finally, there is domain hosting. Domain hosting is a mix of domain registration and web page hosting, apparently used by those seeking web hosting but not knowing the proper phrase; thus, they search for “best domain hosting Australia.”

Which Type of Australian Web Hosting Is Right for Your Site?

If your site is smaller and its traffic potential is low, several good low-cost web hosting options are available. Of course, I will recommend inexpensive shared plans because that is what is most in demand.

I don’t mean “sort by price: low to high” and offer you the top three items on the list. For me, that means that out of the hundreds of web hosting companies I analyzed, the ones that are relatively inexpensive and fall somewhere between ‘steal bargain’ and ‘value for money’ are the best.

Small enterprises employ half of the labor here. But if you’re a member of one and have opted to take your business online, you will want dependable web hosting. Given that you are a tiny firm with little visibility – in Internet terms, limited beginning traffic – quality shared hosting would be ideal. It can manage all of your traffic and provide excellent value for money.

Things to Avoid When Choosing the Best Hosting Provider in Australia

Setting up your website on a host isn’t exactly difficult. It shouldn’t be tough to achieve with adequate common sense and dedication. But since common sense is rare, here are several things to avoid at all costs.

• Choosing The Cheapest Host Available – There has been some merit in cutting costs and hunting for reductions. However, you must recognize when the compromise for the cheapest, least expensive results in the burden of a mediocre product hanging around your neck.
• Paying for SSL - Legitimate hosts do not demand you to pay for an SSL certificate.
• Choosing a CMS Platform Besides WordPress – No matter what type of website you’re creating, WordPress offers the expertise and simplicity to make your job easier. Oh, and did we mention it has a robust community, with two-thirds of all websites utilizing it?
• Avoid Reading The Fine Print - Do we really need to elaborate on this? When a web host promises you the moon and the stars and “unlimited” resources, you should study the tiny print to find the legal loopholes.
• Prepare for Potential Security Breach – It’s hardly surprising that these low-cost web hostings have inadequate security standards. They are constantly looking for ways to cut costs and do not necessarily have consumers’ greatest interests in mind when it comes to investing in top-tier security measures.
• Poor IP Neighbourhood — Low-quality hosts are renowned for all of this. You should be wary of this practice since characteristics such as hosting congestion and the quantity and quality of domains hosted on a given server all influence your own delivery of services.

Best Web Hosting Services in Australia: Summary

Keep your own demands in mind while choosing web hosting. Because quality matters, don’t rely on your purchasing selections only on price. Your site is an essential component of your brand’s identity. Consequently, it is far too important to believe the praises heaped on web hosting services at face value.

Hopefully, the information supplied will help to illuminate your thoughts on what to prevent and what to embrace while searching for the best web hosting in Australia!