A WordPress website needs reliable web hosting to support it. But not all web hosts should be treated equally. If you are shopping around for a web host for your WordPress site, there are several things you should keep in mind.
A good web host is essential for an optimally-run website. A web host plays a major role in:
- How fast your website is
- How secure your website is
- How often your website is offline (downtime)
- How simple and fast it is to get help whenever you need it
Because selecting a web host isn’t a decision that should be taken lightly, it’s wise to shop around and compare major web hosting companies to see which ones meet your needs. It can be tempting to go with the first web host you find or the one with the cheapest hosting plan, but there is a lot more to a web host than what first catches your eye.
The Choosing
To choose a WordPress-optimized web host, you should first think about what you need. If you’re a beginner with little to no experience in running and managing a website, you will likely want a web host that does most of the work for you. If you would prefer to manage your own hosting and have the experience to do so effectively, you can go that route instead.
For the purpose of this article, we’ll assume you are a beginner who would prefer to have hosting experts do most of the work for you.
Needs
There are several factors to consider when thinking about what you need from a web host. Some web hosts will offer similar services, while others will include unique features that allow them to stand out from the rest. Consider what your individual needs look like regarding each of the aspects below.
Cost
Cost is at the forefront of just about anyone’s mind when making a purchase. Web hosting is no different. The cost of web hosting varies significantly from one host to the next. How much you pay for hosting also depends on which type of hosting you use. Managed hosting tends to be more expensive than a traditional shared hosting plan, but with the added benefit of all that a managed hosting plan includes.
Fortunately, you can save a ton of money on web hosting, including WordPress-optimized hosting, with discounts and promotions. Web hosts offer these promotions as a way to bring in new customers and compete against other web hosting companies. This greatly benefits you, as you can pay a significantly lower price for the same hosting plan, just by using a discount code.
Security
Regardless of whether you’re looking for a web host for your personal blog or your e-commerce website, you want a web host and website consulting that effectively prevents security issues such as hacking. No web host can offer a 100% guarantee that you will never run into a security problem, but they should prevent an issue from arising as much as possible. You want a web host that will make it easy to quickly recover from an attack, if one were to occur.
Uptime
A website is completely useless if it isn’t up and running. A web host is responsible for making sure your site is “up” around the clock. Again, no host can guarantee 100% uptime, but the closer a host can get to 100% uptime, the better. You also want a web host that can detect and fix any downtime as quickly as possible.
Bandwidth
Bandwidth is another important factor to consider when shopping for a web host. Usually measured in gigabytes per month, bandwidth is the amount of data that can be transferred. You will need to find a hosting plan that includes all the bandwidth needed for your website, with a little extra for when your website grows. You should also verify that the host makes it easy to upgrade your plan’s bandwidth if necessary.
Storage
You will want to pay close attention to how much storage is included in the hosting plans you are considering. In the world of web hosting, storage refers to how much space on the server your site has access to. You need to have enough space to store all the files from your website, with extra space leftover for when your website grows.
Find out how much storage is available with each hosting plan you are considering, as well as what storage upgrades are available for when you find yourself in need of one.
Backups and Updates
Many hosting packages offer regular backups and automatic updates so you don’t have to worry about keeping up with these things yourself. Regular backups ensure that all the data on your site is protected and not at risk of being lost.
Updates are important to ensure your site continues to run optimally at all times. Keeping your website up-to-date also helps to protect it against security threats by making sure your website is always as secure as possible.
When considering a web host, you should first find out if backups and updates are included, then determine how often they are performed. This is one feature that you could be incredibly grateful for down the road.
Support
Ideally, you will never need to reach out to customer support for help. But you want to know they’re there just in case an issue ever arises. Make a note of what level of support each host provides and whether you are comfortable with what they offer. Some web hosts offer support 24/7, while others have a support team that is only available during business hours. Also, some hosts provide support through a variety of channels, including phone, email, live chat, and ticket system, whereas others are limited in the support services they have. For a WordPress site, it may be a good idea to have access to customer support representatives that are dedicated to WordPress management.
Optimized for WP?
Only a select few web hosts are truly optimized for WordPress hosting. We’ll get into what that means below, but when looking for a web host for your website, pay close to attention to whether they’re WordPress-optimized.
WordPress has become so immensely popular that many hosting providers now offer a service known as “managed WordPress hosting.” Managed WordPress hosting is designed specifically to take the headache out of running a WordPress site by doing most of the work for you. WordPress-optimized hosting plan helps take care of tasks like:
- WordPress installation
- Updates for WordPress and plugins
- Backups
- Security
- Uptime
- Performance optimization
Essentially, web hosting companies recognized the need for a way to cater specifically to WordPress users, so they designed this exclusive type of web hosting.
