Easy for Beginners/New Bloggers and Those New To WordPress
For someone new to hosting and WordPress Dreamhost is the perfect place to start out. Their documentation and auto-installers make getting started with WordPress easy as pie and depending on your setup, you can have them automatically update your wordpress installation as upgrades become available. All the other common web hosting features are included in their shared hosting package.
Tech Support
Dreamhost’s customer service/tech support is also pretty good. They are available by the forums and email which is a lot more than I can say about some of the other providers and the wait isn’t that long at all. Online chat is also available but it costs extra if you are on a shared server. If you upgrade to their virtual private hosting, chat support is free.
Web Panel
All I have to say about Dreamhost’s control panel is that everything makes more sense. The panel layout is similar to the WordPress backend. Compared to some other hosting control panels it seems more organized and it is easier to understand and navigate. Descriptions on each tab help you get acquainted with the controls and webmaster concepts. You can then do your own research for more information on how they work or are configured. Their wiki is quite extensive which can help out a great deal if you aren’t afraid to roll up your own sleeves and configure something on your own. Best of all there aren’t a ton of annoying ads like you would find with a hosting account from GoDaddy.
Uptime:
Dreamhost has downtime like everyone else but I wouldn’t say it has any more than anyone else. They are very upfront about it all and always keep their customers updated via RSS, twitter and the control panel.
Upgrades:
If/when you grow out of shared hosting and want a more robust option you can opt for their Dreamhost VPS option. I will make another post about their VPS offering at a later time. For now, know its a great option for people who want all the benefits of shared hosting but with more resources for their demanding website/traffic.
Conclusion:
Dreamhost is great for beginners because of its user friendly control panel in a “sandbox” sort of environment which prevents you from making most mistakes. For more advanced users there are options to do more advanced things as you become more knowledgable of the interface. Ultimately, they are a great webhost for beginner and intermediate webmasters alike.
