What You Need To Know About WordPress Hosting

If you use WordPress.org or are planning on using WordPress.org as the platform for your blog or website you are going to need hosting!  If you are not familiar with what hosting is or why it is needed the easiest way to explain it is that a hosting company will host your site, meaning one of it’s servers will house your space on the web. This gives you full access and responsibility over your content. Sounds easy but there is a bit more to it. Choosing a good hosting company and hosting plan for your WordPress site is actually quite crucial.

What I Wish Someone Would Have Told Me About Hosting

There is something very important that I wish someone would have told me when I started my website on WordPress years ago and that is – not all hosting plans are created equal. Yes, I knew some companies were better than others and some were less expensive than others but I never knew that there were hosting options tailored to WordPress users. After years on a generic hosting plan I found out about WordPress managed hosting (which we will get to).

There are tons of hosting companies and tons of options – some are very inexpensive, basic hosting plans and some are more expensive with more options and some are just total junk. While cost effective might seem like the best way to go, you really need to read the fine print, there are quite a few things to consider when making your hosting decision.

I have lived through a few hosting horror stories so I will spare you the details and get to the important part, the part I wish I would of known about years ago. So here it is- there are 2 main hosting options 1. a basic hosting plan and #2. WordPress managed hosting. I started out with basic hosting and can not express enough how much I wish I had known at the start about WordPress managed hosting because now I can’t imagine using anything else.

WordPress Managed Hosting Vs. Basic Hosting

Here’s the brief overview:

Basic hosting is just that – basic. It will do the job but not necessarily with the important extras that you need for running a WordPress site with ease.

WordPress managed hosting on the other hand knows what a WordPress site needs most, it caterers to WordPresss users – security, backups, easy install, and so much more.

With over 7 years experience in hosting sites I have come to realize that WordPress managed hosting is by far your best option if you plan on hosting a WordPress website but many do not even know what it is or why it really is your best option for hosting your WordPress site so lets review –  the most important thing to note with starting a WordPress blog or website is that you are responsible for your site, this includes security, WP updates and backups – WP managed hosting takes care of all of these so you don’t have to worry about it! If your site is ever hacked and you have no backups – well then you have no website (basic hosting horror here) and that would be a devastating event, believe me I know people who have gone through it.  So security is key, making sure your site is backed up is crucial, and updating your site keeps it even safer – with WordPress managed hosting this is check, check, and check. These options are rarely included with basic hosting.

In short WordPress managed hosting has the added features and security that make your site run as smooth as possible. Many WordPress users purchase the least inexpensive hosting, install WordPress and call it it a day but the truth is there is a lot more that goes into running a site on WordPress. So, what you really need to know is that basic just won’t cut it for WordPress hosting. Your blog, your site, is too valuable to lose everything just because you chose the wrong hosting plan.

WordPress managed hosting may seem like it is more out of pocket but consider this: if you purchased basic hosting, paid for a good back up service and heightened security you would actually end up paying more.

So in review here are are just a few perks of WP managed hosting:

~Daily backups

~One click restore (in the event your site is ever compromised)

~Managed WordPress updates

~ Advanced security

Every plan offers different perks bit all cover the great core items you need to run your WordPress site.
We have put a great deal of time into the research of hosting, taking into account price in relation to options we decided on the 2 companies below as great fits for our clients. Both are companies we are affiliated with, have worked with, and highly recommend. Take a look at what each offers to make your decision.

Visit SiteGround 

 

If you are in the market for a WordPress design check out our WordPress design services. Or view our quick start guide to getting your WordPress site up and running!

 

 

(Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links which means that if you make a purchase we may receive a commission at no cost to you.  We are only affiliated with companies we use, trust, and honestly believe are the best fit for our readers. Please note this is not a paid post, these opinions are our own and we strive to bring you high quality information formed from our knowledge of, and experience with, various products and tools for bloggers and website owners.)