Introduction
WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) in the world. It is free and open source, but you need a reliable hosting service to run it on your website. Choosing the right hosting provider can be challenging, especially if you are new to WordPress and web development in general. However, with our tips here we hope that you will be able to choose the best option for your needs without wasting time or money!
First, we need to understand what WordPress is.
WordPress is a free and open-source content management system (CMS) based on PHP and MySQL. WordPress was originally created by Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little in 2003, as a fork of b2/catalog. Since then, it has grown from its humble beginnings to become the most popular CMS in use today. In fact, WordPress powers over 26% of websites on the internet! This popularity stems from a few key advantages that make WordPress an attractive option for website owners:
- It’s easy to install and manage – With just one click, you can install WordPress on your web host’s server. Once installed, you can take advantage of WordPress’ thousands of free themes or hire someone to create custom designs for you at reasonable rates (usually $50-$200). You also have complete control over your site through an intuitive interface that makes it easy for even non-technical users to update their content regularly without learning code languages such as HTML & CSS first!
- There are lots of plugins available – One reason why people love using WordPress is that there are so many plugins available that give them additional functionality beyond what comes standard with each installation package offered by hosts like Bluehost or SiteGround etc.. These include things like contact forms, Google Analytics integration…and much more!
What is Hosting?
In simple terms, website hosting is the place where your website resides. There are different types of hosting services, which differ in the way they store and manage your site’s files and databases.
There are many different kinds of providers who offer different kinds of hosting options for websites. In this article, we will discuss about some common types of web hosts and what you should expect from them.
Important Features for Your WordPress Web Hosting?
Speed & Performance
Good hardware is required to ensure that a web host provides excellent service. Memory (RAM), processing power (CPUs), and storage space (HDDs & SSDs) are all important factors in determining your website’s overall performance.
The use of your RAM and CPU is now determined by the type of material on your website and the number of visits to each type. For example, if you develop viral material, a standard hosting plan given at a low cost will not be adequate to handle such spikes of traffic. It will cause your website to slow down and, in extreme cases, fall offline. That is not an option.
It isn’t disc space that is important, because many hosting firms offer infinite disc space. It is your host’s ability to get information to your visitors fast, or transfer speed, that is important. It’s even better if your web host can maintain your site’s data transfer times low even while it’s under heavy strain.
You can monitor the load on your server’s CPU, RAM, and disc space. If you’re running out of time, it’s time to update your hosting package. You may usually get this information on your host’s dashboard.
Generally, people choose costly WordPress hosting plans as they can handle larger traffic more effectively.
Support
This is mostly determined by your knowledge with various hosting solutions. You’ll require less assistance if you’re familiar with WordPress installation, migration, security, cache, site backups, and restoration.
Even if you know everything, there is still the possibility of a single bug causing everything to fail, thus it is best to use a web host who is concerned with ensuring that their product works as claimed. And the majority of web hosting service providers provide some level of support. They offer phone help, support forums, live web chats, emails, and a support ticket system.
The greatest support service is one that is available at any time and with the shortest turnaround times.
UpTime
The majority of web hosting services offer uptimes that exceed 99.5%. There are only a few in the sub-99% range. While 0.1% may not seem like much, if it has a substantial impact on your website income, it becomes significant. Otherwise, it is not something you should be concerned about. This is because most reputable web hosting businesses have high uptimes.
Bonus Features:
- Offsite Backup & Recovery: If your website is hacked or loses all of its data for any reason, you must be able to restore it to its former glory.
- Caching: Some web hosting companies offer caching to help assure faster loading times. In-house caching comprises both server-side and client-side caching. There are a few plugins that can help with client-side caching; see my previous post on WordPress caching plugins for more information.
- Physical Location of Data Center: The closer it is to the majority of visitors to your website, the better.
- Git Version Control
- Built-In CDN
- Security Features
Top 5 WordPress Hosting Providers
With our experience of using more than 30 different hosting providers in the past year, we have compiled a list of the top 5 WordPress hosting providers that you can comfortably choose from.
The list is based on our experience, research, and opinion.
Bluehost:
Bluehost is one of the most popular web hosts on this list, which is likely due to the fact that they are an official WordPress.org recommended hosting solution. You can’t go wrong with them because they’re constantly rated #1 for small business web hosting. They have a standard cPanel dashboard area where you can quickly handle your hosting.
And, with Bluehost, you don’t have to worry about your website becoming slow just because of a surge in traffic. Furthermore, their customer care is available 24/7 by phone, email, or live chat and can assist you anytime you need it. They also provide free domain names and SSL certificates.
On top of that, prices start at just $2.75 per month.
WPEngine
WPEngine is a WordPress-managed hosting provider. And you know they’re trustworthy because their clients include Yelp, MyFitnessPal, Asana, National Geographic, and PBS. That’s because they offer one of the best-managed WordPress hosting options available anywhere.
If you have a high-traffic site and require a reliable host, WPEngine offers cloud hosting through Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud. These collaborations ensure that your WordPress website has the best level of availability, performance, scalability, and security. And it all comes with round-the-clock customer assistance.
WPEngine plans also offer the Genesis Framework and several StudioPress themes for free (an amazing value). If you’re starting from scratch, they can also assist you with getting WordPress pre-installed.
Check out our WPEngine coupon codes for exciting discounts.
GreenGeeks
GreenGeeks is the most environmentally friendly hosting company on this list. They not only provide a free SSL certificate and domain name, but they also return 3x the power they consume to the grid in the form of renewable energy. Furthermore, their SSD storage makes them one of the quickest WordPress hosting services while also providing security and dependability.
They also offer a 30-day money-back guarantee and 24-hour support.
And their prices start at just $2.95 a month.
Hostinger
HostGator hosts millions of websites and is a market leader in shared hosting. They provide low-cost plans with a 45-day money-back guarantee.
Furthermore, all plans include with a website builder with themes, unlimited bandwidth, and $100 in AdWords credits to assist you with WordPress SEO optimization. Furthermore, HostGator provides excellent 24/7 support.
Furthermore, costs begin at just $2.75 per month.
DreamHost
DreamHost is another officially recommended hosting service by WordPress.org. This is one of the best WordPress hosting plans available. This independently owned and operated business is an excellent alternative because it provides a 97-day money-back guarantee. Furthermore, they have been powering millions of websites since 1997. Their basic shared hosting bundle is a popular option.
You’ll also get a custom dashboard, one-click WordPress installation, automatic updates, unlimited space, unlimited bandwidth, and free SSL certificates if you go with DreamHost. So, if you’re looking for a great WordPress host that offers simple site setup and high-speed SSD storage, DreamHost might be the one for you.
Choosing a good WordPress hosting is not hard or expensive with our tips here.
Choosing a good WordPress hosting is not hard or expensive with our tips here. We have the best tips and experience to help you choose a good host for your website, even if you are new in this area.
In the following, we will give you some simple guidelines that will help you find a decent web host:
Conclusion
We hope this article has helped you get started with choosing the best WordPress hosting for your website. If you have any suggestions or feedback, feel free to share them in the comments below!
Feel free to check out the comparative study on shared hosting vs managed shared hosting.
