Salutations, esteemed readers.
I come bearing insights into our encounters with A2 Hosting. While A2 may not be as familiar to Australian enterprises, it holds sway as a favored host in the realms of the US and Canada. A2, with its unwavering commitment to excellence and performance, can be perceived as an almost premier hosting solution, standing just below the echelons of the more costly options associated with a premium dedicated host. Noteworthy is their emphasis on remarkable uptime and assistance, affectionately dubbed as their “gurus.” Perhaps a tad quaint, wouldn't you agree?
In our current milieu, we have entrusted 13 sites to the embrace of A2 Hosting, a crucible to test the veracity of their assertions. The question lingering in your thoughts at this juncture might be: how expeditiously does it function from the antipodes? Our foray led us to their servers in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Bendigo, and Brisbane.
A2's bastions are situated in the following domains:
US – Michigan
Europe – Amsterdam
Asia – Singapore (an avant-garde establishment)
For our experimentations, we availed the services of the Singapore datacenter, proven to be swifter than any of its Australian counterparts. This revelation may be perplexing, yet a comprehensive elucidation awaits you in our premier hosting review compendium.
Without further ado, let's delve into the ensuing revelations, gleaned from their shared hosting paradigms. For those thirsting for further enlightenment, a sojourn to A2 beckons.
How Swift Is A2 Hosting?
It operates at an impressive pace.
A2's claims of achieving 20 times the speed of certain counterparts might seem a formidable feat. The underlying rationale behind these accelerated loading times was to meet the escalating demand for exceptionally rapid Internet outcomes on a global scale.
The average cyber pilgrim decides the fate of your website within fleeting seconds.
Should it languish in tardiness or fail to materialize instantly, they vanish. Think of Google AMP and Facebook in this context. They have elevated the benchmark for most websites, and unless loading times approach the ultra-swift, visitors click in and out.
Major e-commerce entities and prominent brands, having invested millions in optimizing their websites, recognize the imperative of having their webpages load in under a second. Any delay beyond 4 seconds could result in a hemorrhage of over 50% of the traffic.
Fortuitously, A2 Hosting bequeaths the speeds synonymous with major brands to your blog or modest business website.
On average, we ascertained that, via their Singapore datacenter, the mean loading time clocked in at 222ms, a positioning that propels them to the upper echelons among all the hosts scrutinized.
Not only did their pages manifest swift loading times, but we also discerned a commendable consistency in speed across diverse locales, spanning from Adelaide to Perth and Brisbane.
To elevate the assessment and gauge their servers' mettle against more formidable files, I conducted tests with a 100Mb file across sundry locations. The ensuing download times, scrutinized through a regular ISP situated in Sydney on January 26, 2017, are detailed below.
As evident, the velocity is quite remarkable: a mere 1.7 seconds for a 100Mb file.
Why Does A2 Hosting Exhibit Such Alacrity?
A2 Hosting adopts a multifaceted approach to managing shared hosting resources, setting them apart from their contenders.
Allow me to elucidate these methods.
Restriction of Shared Hosting Resources Utilization of Location-Specific Caching akin to a CDN
Conventional shared hosting models involve multiple computers sharing the same IP or server resources. The rationale behind this approach lies in the assumption that no single website necessitates an exorbitant amount of resources; hence, they are shared.
By curbing the number of entities sharing an IP or host, A2 Hosting optimizes speed for their clientele. The more requests emanating from a server, the slower its response time. A2 maintains a low server-to-customer ratio to uphold expeditious service.
Content Distribution Networks or Caching
This entails dispersing information across servers globally. Consequently, visitors accessing your information may retrieve it from a server in proximity to their location.
Proximity to servers significantly reduces load times, constituting one of the primary reasons for A2's commendable pace compared to competitors.
A perusal of our comprehensive review, encompassing a decade of data on client sites, reveals the historical performance trajectory of hosting companies over time.
Herein lies the average load times for A2, showcased in our live host tracking.
Load Times Over the Last 6 Months in 2017
- May: Average speed of 209ms
- April: Average speed of 218ms
- March: Average speed of 199ms
- February: Average speed of 211ms
- November: Average speed of 224ms
- December: Average speed of 276ms
Reviewing A2 Hosting's Uptime
Let me proffer an elucidation of these terms, in case any ambiguity persists.
Uptime – Duration during which your website is accessible to external visitors.
Downtime – Duration during which your website is inaccessible.
For many, these aspects may not be of paramount concern, especially for personal bloggers. However, when venturing into realms involving online payments or constructing an e-commerce site, these metrics assume greater significance.
A website that is either inaccessible or operates sluggishly reeks of unprofessionalism.
In this era, 2017, the patience to endure protracted loading times is scarce.
Would you?
We employ a percentage metric to gauge the time a website is either operational or non-operational. After scrutinizing over 20 hosting solutions, it becomes apparent that A2 Hosting's servers boast an uptime rivaled only by Siteground.
Realistically, no server attains 100% uptime, yet anything surpassing 99.5% is laudable.
A2 Hosting impressively maintains a 99.8% uptime.
Behold the results for 2017.
- May: Uptime of 99.9%
- April: Uptime of 99.9%
- March: Uptime of 99.98%
- February: Uptime of 99.96%
- November: Uptime of 99.99%
- December: Uptime of 98.92%
Evaluation of A2 Hosting's Support
Numerous hosting entities have lagged in their support offerings. Some of the titans in hosting neglect staff training and rely solely on a ticket system bereft of 24/7 support.
Sometimes, conversing with a living, breathing entity becomes imperative. The expeditious resolution of queries becomes feasible in live interactions, surpassing the efficiency of a ticket system.
A2 extends:
- Live 24/7 Support
- Telephonic Support
- Email/Ticket System
Complimentary Security and Antihacking Measures
A2 introduces several commendable add-ons for web security. The principal vulnerability that hackers exploit often lies in outdated software. A2 diligently maintains your software, plugins, and WordPress files through regular updates.
This practice proves invaluable, especially considering the propensity to overlook the timing of plugin upgrades among users managing numerous plugins.
Gratis Site Migrations
Free site migrations represent a substantial boon for existing website proprietors contemplating a transition to a different provider.
Sans a free migration option, you confront two alternatives. One involves a do-it-yourself approach, which, if executed erroneously via cPanel and FTP, risks data/pages loss.
The second option entails shelling out over $50 to a host like HostGator for a rudimentary website migration – a price not justified.
A2 Hosting also vigilantly monitors DNS for malicious endeavors seeking access to your website or exploitation of your IP for malevolent intents.
Free SSL ($70-100 Value)
In case SSL remains unfamiliar, it denotes Secure Socket Layer. It materializes as the green Https:// visible on legitimate websites.
Whether contemplating e-commerce ventures or managing a modest website, SSL is indispensable.
It stands as the contemporary standard for websites aspiring to secure favorable organic rankings on Google. Most hosts impose yearly fees exceeding $70, but A2 facilitates a free installation through their “Let's Encrypt” alternative.
Complimentary Backups
On select premium plans, A2 extends complimentary backups. These prove essential for WordPress-based hosts, where users wield the authority to add and delete data at will. Novice website proprietors may inadvertently jeopardize their site's data.
While a few free plugins exist for this purpose, entrusting your host with systematic backups of all data emerges as a robust solution. For those yet to embrace the discipline of regular web data backups, this proves an ideal remedy.
A2 Hosting Packages – Discerning the Optimal One
By now, the array of services A2 Hosting offers, distinguishing them from most hosts, stands evident. From maintaining IPs free from an excess of accounts to safeguarding your website's security and facilitating backups, A2 proffers considerable value.
Hence, we contend that their slightly elevated pricing finds justification.
Here's a glance at their pricing structure.
Diverse Plans
As previously asserted, Shared Hosting suffices for the majority of websites. Unless traffic exceeds 10,000 daily visitors, Shared Hosting remains adequate.
Lite Plan: Commencing at $3.92/month. Accommodates one domain name and five subdomains. Facilitates 25 email accounts.
Swift Plan: Commencing at $4.90/month. Allows an infinite number of domain names and email accounts.
Turbo Plan: Priced at $9.31/month. Permits unlimited domains and email accounts. Equipped with functional HTTP/2 and SPDY.
Advantages of Opting for A2 Hosting
Seamless Sign-up Process
Diverse Payment Options – Credit Card, Paypal, Money Order, Bank Transfer, and Pirate Gold.
Transparent Fee Structure
Absence of Upselling Tactics
Effortless 1-Click Installs
Our Conclusive Perspective on A2 Hosting
In summation, we endorse it.
Plain and uncomplicated. A2 Hosting distinguishes itself as a company unwavering in its principles, delivering a quality service at a judicious price point. Eschewing mainstream approaches that seek widespread customer acquisition, A2 prioritizes quality support, impeccable uptimes, and swift servers. Our endorsement extends to Australians, be they in Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, or Perth.
Should queries linger, feel free to post them below, and I shall respond promptly.
Gratitude!
