Having a hosting provider that offers U.S. based customer service ensures that you will be able to understand the representative you are speaking with. This eliminates unnecessary problems that occur when you spend the majority of your time on the phone with the service department trying to understand each other. Here are four of the top 10 web hosting companies that all offer U.S. based customer service.

HostMonster

HostMonster is often labeled the most valuable host. It has a fairly low price, just $3.95 per month with a 24-month contract, but packs its packages with features. The host’s software is quite user friendly as well, which makes setting up your website simple. What’s even better, all phone support is based in the United States. You do not have to have a certain contract to get this. In addition, phone support and live chat are available at all times, and wait times are around two minutes or less for phone support.

FatCow

FatCow also has a low price and excellent set of features. Everyone pays just $3.67 per month and gets the same set of features. A one to two year contract is required. All customer service is based in North America. However, FatCow realizes that some customers simply have to have U.S. based support. As such, they offer a service upgrade for $3.95 per month. With the upgrade, customers receive faster service that is entirely based in the United States. In addition, live chat is always available, and the help ticket system is quick to respond to written requests for service.

BlueHost

If you are looking for reliability, BlueHost might be the company for you. This web hosting provider has been offering their services for over 10 years. They have built an excellent reputation in the industry for their customer support and features. They are also known as the most reliable web hosting provider. They are not the cheapest, but if reliability is more important to you than price, this is the company to consider. Like HostMonster, all phone support is based in the United States. You will wait two minutes or less to talk to a customer service representative, and support is available at any time. Live chat is also available if you prefer to get support online.

InMotion

InMotion has web hosting packages designed for the business owner in mind. Features like Google Checkout and MySQL databases make this the ideal host for setting up a business website. All customer service is United States based, and it is available at any time. Live chat is also available to InMotion customers.

The key to getting U.S. based support is nothing more than finding a web hosting company that offers it. You do not necessarily have to pay more for this service. Remember, as you shop for a host, keep all aspects in mind, including the reliability and ease of access of the company’s customer service department.

InMotion offers an affordable, yet feature-packed web hosting option that is ideal for small business owners.

For small business owners, finding reliable, yet affordable web hosting services is essential to online success. As your business grows, you simply can’t afford to pay too much for web hosting, yet at the same time, having a robust, consistent web presence is a must.

Read the full InMotion Web Hosting Review

1. Affordability

InMotion has three flexible pricing plans. The most popular is the Power plan, which as a great price yet many features perfect for business owners. It costs $9.95 per month for a 12-month contract or $8.95 for a 24-month contract. The Launch plan costs $7.95 per month for the 12-month contract and $6.95 for the 24-month contract. The Pro plan, which has more space and features, is $19.95 per month, but the rate drops to $18.95 if you sign a 12-month contract.

2. Features

Features offered on InMotion include:

• Google Checkout
• Business Class Hardware
• MySQL Databases
• Shopping Carts
• Perl, PHP, Python Languages
• Website Builder Tools
• Website Statistics
• Fantastico
• CPanel Control Panel
• Spam Filter
• Unlimited Email Accounts
• Webmail Access

Most of these features are designed specifically for small businesses and online stores.

3. Service

InMotion offers all customers 24/7 phone and live chat support. This means you can get help whenever a problem occurs. Also, all customer service personnel are located within the United States. The company offers 100 online video tutorials and an active forum for website owners to find help outside of the customer service professionals.

4. Reliability

InMotion guarantees 99.9 percent uptime, using multiple connections and top tier networks such as Verio and Global Crossing. If one particular connection goes down, the network remains stable because of the remaining connections. The InMotion web hosting company maintains top-of-the-line equipment to minimize downtime due to hardware malfunctions.

5. Ease of Use

Because InMotion uses cPanel, one of the easiest to understand control panels, new website builders will have little trouble setting up and running their accounts. The web hosting company offers a demo of cPanel for new customers to explore.

6. Expandability

Business owners who anticipate expansion will love the flexibility offered by the three-plan system. In addition, InMotion makes it possible to host up to 16 websites on one account.

7. Guarantee

InMotion offers a 90-day money back guarantee, which is the longest in the industry. You can try the service for three months and get your money back if you are unhappy.

8. Security

Security is important to business owners more than anyone else on the Internet. InMotion uses SSL secure servers, which protects the information your visitors share with the site through encryption. In addition, the data centers where the servers are located employ both network security and security professionals to protect from physical or virtual attacks.

9. Freebies

When you register for an InMotion account, you will get a free domain name and free privacy service on that name. If you need to transfer your domain from an old host, this is also free.

10. Space

All plans offer virtually unlimited disk space. Keep in mind that no website can truly offer unlimited disk space, but the typical small business website will have no trouble fitting on this plan.