Development WordPress Hosting 101: What to Look for in a Reliable Provider Mohamed Hamad Development 5 mins read June 10, 2024 Blog Development WordPress Hosting 101: What to Look for in a Reliable Provider WordPress Hosting 101: What to Look for in a Reliable Provider - Mohamed Hamad Table of Contents What Features Should I Consider When Choosing the Right Hosting Platform? Recommended WordPress Hosting Providers Final Thoughts When building a site on WordPress, selecting the right hosting provider is often overlooked, with many choosing the cheapest option or whatever was recommended when purchasing their domain. Having a reliable and WordPress-optimized hosting provider is becoming increasingly important, especially with site speed and performance being foundational components of good SEO and user experience. The right provider gives you the peace of mind that your website will run smoothly, securely, and efficiently, contributing directly to achieving your marketing KPIs. Here’s a simple guide to help you understand what to consider when choosing a WordPress hosting platform. What Features Should I Consider When Choosing the Right Hosting Platform? Working Environments Many dedicated WordPress hosting platforms offer multiple environments, typically including Development, Staging, and Production. Your live website operates in the Production environment, while Development and Staging environments facilitate the development process. These environments allow you to test new features or create training areas without affecting your live site. The ability to easily copy one environment to another with a single click can significantly speed up site launches and feature releases. Regular Backups ALWAYS BE BACKING UP! Nothing will save you from an ulcer more than a reliable backup plan. Most hosting providers include backup options, though the frequency and availability can vary. Some providers offer daily backups as part of all plans, while others charge extra. The ability to perform on-the-spot backups, especially before making significant changes or updating plugins, is very important. This is a lifesaver when something goes wrong, a bug is introduced, or a plugin has a conflict, allowing you to easily roll back if something goes wrong. Performance and Speed The performance of your website is directly influenced by your hosting provider. Shared servers host multiple websites in the same environment, meaning one site’s resource usage can affect another’s performance. In contrast, dedicated servers are tailored for speed and responsiveness, ensuring your WordPress site runs quickly and smoothly, even during high-traffic periods. Look for providers that offer high-performance hardware and optimizations specifically for WordPress to enhance user experience. Security WordPress is popular. It powers a whopping 30%-ish of websites on the internet as the leading CMS of choice. And because of that, it’s a target of hackers and botnet attacks. Security is a top priority for WordPress hosting providers. These providers typically handle essential security measures, including firewalls, automated code scans for vulnerabilities, and critical updates. The proactive security management helps protect your site from malicious agents targeting WordPress websites. Customization and Control Some might want all the control, but I say let the experts handle the scary stuff under the hood. A lot of hosting providers will give you access to things like CPanel and Plesk with all the knobs and dials. WordPress hosting providers will do the opposite in the more regular plans, giving you flexible and easy-to-manage tools and controls. This is good because you can now focus on building and managing your site without worrying about the underlying infrastructure. Simplified controls can save time and reduce the risk of errors, making site management more efficient. Reliability and Uptime Most platforms boast up to 99% uptime (no one claims 100% anymore because it’s ridiculous), ensuring your website remains accessible and operational. Higher-tier plans often offer better support and dedicated resources for faster response times to issues. While no provider can guarantee 100% uptime, the best ones strive to keep downtime to an absolute minimum. Customer Support We’ve all been stuck for hours trying to figure out issues with a customer support rep following a script, only to be sent to a simplistic knowledge base article. Finding a provider with a good support plan will save you time, and time is money. Look for a provider with a knowledgeable customer support team available through multiple channels (phone, chat, email). Having a team that can quickly resolve issues, or provide you with easy-to-follow content and guides to reference, will help you understand your website and its infrastructure. Nothing feels better than understanding what’s happening. Pricing and Value Don’t cheap out. Find the right balance, and a lot of these providers have plan ranges for the smallest blog to eCommerce stores to high-functioning transactional websites with millions of hits per day. Choose based on your needs and think about your site’s traffic, storage, and specific requirements. If you don’t know where to start, go small and you can always upgrade. They often have guides to help you choose, and if you really have specific needs, consultants you can talk to to figure it out. It’s important to balance your site’s needs with your budget to get the best value for your investment. Recommended WordPress Hosting Providers Based on these considerations, here are some recommended WordPress hosting providers: WP Engine – We highly recommend them for their robust performance and comprehensive features. Kinsta – Known for its high-performance hardware and excellent support. Pressable – Offers reliable hosting with a focus on security and customer service. Bluehost – Provides affordable plans and is beginner-friendly. SiteGround – Boasts excellent uptime and strong customer support. InstaWP – Offers scalable options for growing businesses. Final Thoughts Choosing the right WordPress hosting provider can be a big decision that impacts your website’s performance, security, and reliability. With the basic considerations outlined here, you’re on your way to a well-oiled machine of a website that’s fast, with fewer headaches, ALWAYS BACKED UP, and within your budget. Leaving you focused on your business and marketing goals. 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