TL;DR
The best hosting solution for those seeking to target US-based web traffic is Interserver. Although it might not show the best HostingGuruReviews numbers, there is more to consider. This is especially true when it comes to targeted traffic.
1. Interserver
Interserver: #1 U.S. Hosting
Interserver offers server location in Secaucus, New Jersey and Los Angeles, California – both are strategic for those aiming for local traffic.
Interserver HQ: 110 Meadowlands Pkwy, Secaucus, NJ 07094, United States
If you’ve been searching for a US-based web hosting partner chances are you will have come across Interserver. Housed in Secaucus, New Jersey, the company was founded by partners well versed in the technology space.
What makes Interserver tick?
Key Highlights: East and West coast data centers, price lock guarantee, US-based support team.
Although Interserver does a global business, a strong part of the appeal for those aiming for local traffic is their data centers. Interserver is perhaps the perfect choice for US-based web hosting with data centers in Secaucus, New Jersey and Los Angeles, California.
These dual locations are immensely strategic locations for a few reasons.
For traffic within the US, you serve either the East or West very quickly. At the same time, they are close enough to the seaboard to sufficiently support some international visitors as well.
Interserver has a good range of web hosting plans so there’s no concern about limited scalability here. Whether you need budget shared hosting, Cloud VPS, or even just data storage – they have a solution for it.
Interserver Ratings & Performance
Interserver Shared Hosting Response Time
Learn more in our Interserver review.
2. TMDHosting
TMDHosting
TMD’s servers are located in Phoenix, Arizona and Chicago, Illinois. Being further inland off the either seaboard, either of these would be extremely good for serving inland-based traffic.
TMD Hosting HQ: 618 E South St, Orlando, FL 32801, USA
If you’re looking for a bigger partner to work with, TMDHosting has a relatively solid global presence. They offer users a choice of data center in the US, UK, Amsterdam, Japan, Singapore, and Australia.
Why TMDHosting?
Key highlights with TMD: US-based servers is Arizona and Illinois, many free features including SSL and domain name, broad product range.
TMDhosting’s servers in the US can be found in two locations, Phoenix, Arizona and Chicago, Illinois. Being further inland off the either seaboard, either of these would be extremely good for serving inland-based traffic.
The downside to this would be much higher latency for international traffic. However, if you are targeting that you can opt for their other overseas data centers. Regardless of your choice in location, you get a massive catalogue of web hosting plans to choose from.
Whether you’re a small business, commercial blog, or even eCommerce site, there will be something at TMDHosting that fits your needs.
TMDHosting Ratings & Performance
TMDHosting Shared Hosting Response Time
3. Hostinger
Hostinger
Hostinger offers ultra-cheap shared hosting. Single Shared Plan starts at $0.99/mo with free SSL and 10GB SSD storage.
Hostinger HQ: Jonavos g. 60C, 44192, Kaunas, Lithuania
Although not a US-based web hosting provider, Hostinger is a big name in the industry nevertheless. The company runs out of Kaunas, Lithuania and has been operating for more than a decade and a half now.
What makes Hostinger good for U.S. business sites?
Key highlights with Hostinger: Server presence in North Carolina, strong budget-focused plans, International reach.
If you want to keep things local, Hostinger offers hosting from US-based data centers as well. This is run out of Asheville, North Carolina. If not you get a good spread to choose from as well spanning literally all major geographic regions.
This single US location based on the East coast of the US means that of the top three US web hosts we’ve picked, Hostinger is relatively weaker. However, the company is large and brings to the table its own unique benefits.
A strong part of the Hostinger appeal lies in their ultra-budget plans. Whether you want to go for shared hosting or even Virtual Private Server accounts, the prices here are some of the lowest you’ll find.
Hostinger Ratings & Performance
Hostinger Shared Hosting Response Time
Choosing a Web Host for US Websites?
When evaluating a web hosting service provider, details matter. To get the best bang for your buck, look past the price tag. You also need to consider other factors like security, customer support, and reliability.
Server Location Key to Meeting Latency Targets
For those seeking to meet visitor traffic within the US though, one factor does stand out more than others – server location. The US is rather special geographically, being a large landmass that’s relatively far from most other countries.
One example of this on an international scale can be seen in the distance from New York to Berlin – a whopping 3,965 miles (6,381 km). However, because of sheer size, even hosting within the US can result in considerable distance.
For example, the distance from San Francisco to New York is approximately 2,572 miles (4,139 km). All of this brings to focus the latency which could arise from data having to traverse such distances.
How Latency Affects Web Page Loading Speed
Latency is the time taken for data to get sent from point A to point B.
The longer the distance, the higher the latency. The higher the latency, the longer a visitor has to wait for the site to load.
When a visitor enters your website address into their browser, a request is made. That request travels all the way to your web server. Once your web server receives it, a reply needs to be sent, which travels back the other way.
Because of this, you need to place considerable thought into where your visitor base is mainly going to be, even if you get hosting with a server within the US.
What Else to Look for?
Besides the web host, consideration also has to be placed on your own site. The right tool for the right purpose, as they say. Using a spoon to try and carve wood may work, but there’s certainly something better for the job.
Because of this, knowing the type of website you’re looking to host as well as what you want to do with it can help you make the right choice. Once you are aware of these factors, match those areas with the web host to find the best fit.
For those targeting US-based traffic, it might also be prudent to seek a web hosting provider with in-country support teams. At the very least you can be assured that there will be minimal communication barriers.
If this isn’t possible the next best option would be a web host with comprehensive support channels, at least one or two of which needs to be available 24/7 in case they happen to be in a very different time zone.
Be aware though that smaller local web hosting companies may not be able to meet the same levels of service that global partners may have. Attention needs to be paid to fine-line items such as the Service Level Agreement to see what’s spelled out in black and white.
Conclusion
The three web hosts on our list as best for the US come with the distinction of not only using local data centers, but also being light on the budget. At the same time, they all have a broad range of plans, making them very agile and suitable for various needs.
Any of the web hosts on this list will do well for those targeting local traffic within the US, serve bordering countries well, and in a pinch, support global visitors as well.
