Best WordPress Hosting Platforms: Which Is Best for You?
No matter what kind of blog or website you’re building, you’ll need a place to host it. WordPress is the most popular and free content management system (CMS) used globally, racking up a lot of praise and awards along the way. Its popularity means there’s a lot of choice when it comes to hosting platforms, ranging from free to paid alternatives.
The best WordPress hosting platforms will meet your needs and exceed your expectations. To help you choose the right one, we’ve compiled a list of the best WordPress hosting platforms available, their features, pricing, and more.
Free Web Hosting
As the name would suggest, free web hosting is essentially free. That means you’ll need to find a host that is either owned or operated by a third party. While most free hosts will offer you a free domain with your hosting plan, you’ll have to purchase a license to use WordPress or any other CMS the host offers.
Paid Web Hosting
Paid web hosting is pretty self-explanatory: You’ll pay for the privilege of having a website or blog. You may decide to go with a premium paid host to get the most features or a free host that offers enhanced security and performance.
Features
When picking a WordPress hosting platform, you’ll want to look at what features they offer. This will include things like free private hosting (which is great if you’re testing the waters), dedicated IPs (if you run a business online), storage, bandwidth, and more.
All of these features matter, and it’s worth noting that some hosts offer a combination of the above. For example, you could get a free domain with your paid hosting plan from Bluehost. Alternatively, you could purchase a dedicated IP from a Tier 1 host and use that for free. You’ll simply need to follow the rules and policies of the host you choose.
Security
Your website or blog is only as secure as you make it. Just like with any other website or blog on the internet, you’ll want to make sure that your blog’s security is up to date and implemented correctly. That means using 2-factor authentication (usually via a hardware security token or a Google Authenticator app on your phone) whenever you log in to your account, updating your passwords frequently, and taking care with the code names and login credentials you use to access sensitive information like credit cards and bank accounts.
If you use WordPress itself for your blog or website’s CMS, you can use its built-in security features to protect your content from being accessed by bad actors. However, if you’re the type of person that likes to handle all the technical details of security yourself, you can use various plugins that make it much easier to keep your site safe. Some of the more popular ones are Wordfence, wp-login, and wp-firewall. Just remember: If you use plugins, make sure you back up your site frequently in case something goes wrong.
Performance
Any internet connection can be temperamental at times, so you’ll want to make sure that your blog or website loads as quickly as possible. This will be determined by many factors, such as your hosting plan and the size of your site. A good general rule of thumb is to aim for fewer than 500 errors per day and a load time under two seconds.
While two seconds isn’t exactly blazing fast, it’s better than the over three seconds it usually takes websites to load. You won’t be able to tell much difference in performance if you’re looking at a desktop browser, but on a mobile device with a bad connection, the difference is noticeable. Just make sure that you don’t get bogged down in all the technical details, because that will make you miss out on the fun. Instead, focus on what you can do to make your site/blog better. Analytics, for example, can help you see which content is performing the best and allow you to tweak things slightly to improve performance.
Database Size
Keeping up with the internet of things means creating databases that can store the growing amount of personal and business data. A WordPress hosting platform’s database size is one of the most important metrics to look at. The larger the better, as far as I’m concerned, but don’t underestimate the value of having a small database. Some smaller hosts don’t offer much in the way of features and could end up being a bit sluggish.
User Interface (UI)
The user interface is one of the most important factors when it comes to picking a hosting platform. Does it look good? Is it intuitive to use? Spend some time looking at the various interfaces that various hosts offer and decide which one you like best. In addition to this, make sure that you’re aware of any quirks that the interface might have. For example, does your mouse work well? Is there any specific feature that you want the host to include that isn’t built in yet?
Overall Comparison
Once you’ve decided which features you like best in a given group of hosts, it’s time to put them all together in a single comparison table. Look at each of the features and decide which ones you value the most. That way, you’ll be able to pick a host that offers the features you want and need without having to worry about whether or not they have the ones you don’t want. It’s also important to look at each host’s pricing as well. In some cases, you might find that a feature-rich host could cost you a little more than a basic one, but in other cases, the additional cost might not be worth it.
Pricing
Last but not least, let’s not forget about pricing. Just like with any other product or service, you’ll want to find a balance between cost and value. Some hosts offer very attractive prices for what they offer, but make sure that you compare this to the pricing of other, more established hosts as well. It’s always a good idea to look at what other people are saying about a product or service as well. This way, you’ll get a good idea of whether or not the price is justified.
Which Hosting Platform Is Best for You?
The best hosting platform for you will depend on your needs and the kind of site you’re building. If you’re looking for a free host with a limited feature set that you can use to get your feet wet, then you might want to consider trying out one of the free web hosts mentioned above. Alternatively, if you have a specific purpose in mind for your site (i.e. you want to create a business site or blog to grow your photography business) then you could consider looking into a premium paid host that has all the tools you need to get the job done. Your choice basically depends on how much you’re willing to spend.