At Summerley Digital we deal with a number of hosting providers and therefore feel we are well qualified to compare features we feel are important to both website owners and developers. As an owner you want a site that is quick to load, secure and reasonably priced. As someone who builds websites I want a host who is available when I need them for support, someone who is an expert in their field and can help guide me when I have a complex technical query.
When we are building a new website for a client we always recommend Lyrical Host for a number of reasons which are explained below. Having used them for a number of years now we are confident that they deliver on all the points mentioned above, plus many more.
Please note : this post contains affiliate links for which we may receive a small commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you.
Web hosting costs
Although cost shouldn’t be the driving factor, in our opinion, nobody wants to pay more than is necessary for anything in life. Lyrical Host don’t have tempting low initial fees only to hike them up on renewal. They charge the same every year and have three levels of hosting which will support you whether you’re a single site owner or need multiple websites and more bandwidth. It’s easy to upgrade and downgrade between them too, as your business grows. I have the top tier which allows up to 38 websites (and I’ve nearly used them all up!) and has the best features for my clients.
Other hosts may look cheaper on paper but look at what they charge extra for and then decide. Also look at reviews because some charge more for services which should come as standard, or include software which actually slows websites down! When I joined Lyrical Host it was because it was highly recommended by many website owners, and I’m now one of those customers who rave about them!
On top of the basic hosting fees, I’ve listed some of the best free add-ons below, which I believe make them astonishing value.
Furthermore, we have negotiated a discount and if you use the code SUMMERLEY10 then you’ll get 10% off the first year’s hosting costs.
But as we said above, cost isn’t actually the driving factor for me as performance, service and security are of paramount importance. Lyrical deliver on all three.
Security
Other hosts charge hundreds for security services but Lyrical Host perform deep malware scan for all websites every 24 hours automatically. If anything untoward is found or your website is hacked then they will clean the site for free and let you know what caused it so you can prevent it happening again.
This is just one of the services which they provide for free compared with other hosts.
Speed
Lyrical Host’s servers boast premium hardware and SSD hosting on all plans as standard. They also have a course, Speed Boost, where you can learn how to speed up your website. Their techs are always on hand with free advice if you have any questions, and will even perform speed analysis for you, and make recommendations.
Service
I am a massive fan of good service and Lyrical Host’s support team are unrivalled. I’ve worked in IT for 30 years and have never experienced a support team as quick, helpful and knowledgeable compared to Lyrical. Support requests are raised via tickets and are answered extremely quickly. They are super helpful and will often offer to fix an issue themselves, or explain how we should do it. Other hosts I’ve used offer a live chat facility instead, but I find these to be really time-consuming as you’re tied to the computer for the length of the chat, which can be very restrictive. Having a ticketing system where you receive an email when an answer has been provided is so much more convenient for the way we work. They are available 7 days a week too, and seemingly work evenings too as they have provided responses at all hours to many of our queries.
Other services available by just raising a ticket include setting up your Google Analytics or a Facebook pixel.
Everything you need is included as standard
Lyrical Host include the following as standard, which many other hosts charge extra for :
– any website / WordPress changes that take less than 30 minutes
– free SSL certificate to give your visitors peace of mind
– automatic daily backups
– free restores
– free email addresses
– automatic WordPress core updates
– free developer-grade support
– free resources and masterclasses
– free website migration if you move from a different host
– they’ll set up Google Analytics and Google Search Console for you
Friendly and accessible
What I love most about Lyrical Host is the easy access to support and advice. All clients are invited to join their Facebook group which is a great platform for asking questions of other businesses and getting tips. The Lyrical team are always on hand to answer questions and provide information. They also have Slack groups for SEO queries, homeworking accountability and general advice.
Hosting with a conscience
As well as all these features, Lyrical Host are extremely ethical and have excellent eco credentials. When you renew your hosting plan they plant a tree! Also, some of the hosting income they receive every month goes directly to non-profits and charitable causes across the world. They support causes such as the recent war in Ukraine, children’s education in Mozambique and mental health help for people across Africa and Asia.
They are also very flexible when you break the limits of your plan, as I found out when one of my posts when viral. I went way over the bandwidth for my plan but was able to easily tweak it to accommodate my extra pageviews. They didn’t switch off my website when I surpassed the thresholds, unlike other hosts.
Hosting with Lyrical Host
If you’re interested in finding out more, here is a link to the Lyrical Host website. If you enter SUMMERLEY10 at checkout you’ll receive a 10% discount on your first year’s hosting plan.
