Best WordPress Hosting 2018: Reddit’s WordPress Hosting Review

While there are many viable hosting options available, not all of them are made equal. One of the most popular platforms among content creators and bloggers is WordPress. When it comes to selecting a WordPress hosting plan, one of the most important things to consider is how secure the host is. There are a number of security risks that come with using public hosting platforms, and the last thing that you want is to have your site hacked. To help you make the right decision we have evaluated the largest hosting service that supports WordPress, and broke down their features.

Features

One of the things that make WordPress so popular is its extreme flexibility. Instead of being limited to a single site as with other content management systems, you can create a network of sites that are all interlinked and work together. This is called a WordPress Multisite, and it can be a great solution for any blog or business that needs an online home. The reason why WordPress is so popular is because it allows you to have complete control over the layout and branding of your website. When you launch a new site from the WordPress dashboard, you get to choose from a variety of gorgeous themes, all of which are completely customizable. If you are a designer, photographer, or developer, you can even create your own unique themes to suit your needs.

The Goods

When we evaluate web hosts, we typically focus on four key areas: [1] Security, [2] Speed, [3] Reliability, and [4] Support. Let’s take a closer look at each one.

Security

In line with our evaluation criteria, we’ve given this area its own sub-heading because it’s crucial to your blog’s safety and integrity. If you’re planning to use WordPress to publish any kind of content—whether it is personal or business-related—you need to be sure that your hosting service provides the protection that you need to keep your site secure. One way that WordPress makes content sharing easy is through the use of cookies. These are small files that are stored on your computer when you visit a website. The storing of cookies is completely optional, but it’s a great way to make websites more user-friendly as it provides you with a faster experience. Without the use of cookies, every time that you visit a site, you would have to re-enter your authentication details—which, for obvious reasons, you don’t want to do because it’s annoying and reduces the convenience for the user. While there are many advantages to using WordPress, the fact remains that if you host your site on a public platform, you’re opening yourself up to potential security threats. Remember: a virus can be passed from one website to another through email, so your site could be at risk of getting hacked even if you think that you’re being clever by hiding your content behind a login.

Speed

How long does it take for your website to load? If you’re wondering, it’s time to switch to a different hosting provider. While there are many advantages to using WordPress, if your site takes more than a few seconds to load, then you’re probably going to notice a difference in engagement and retention. WordPress is a great solution when it comes to website creation because it’s so easy to use, but if you really want to maximize your site’s SEO and increase its conversions, then you should consider moving to a faster hosting service. To put things into perspective, a well-optimized site can get up to 1,000% faster than a poorly optimized site. For instance, Slack’s website loads in under two seconds, while our evaluation copy of WordPress takes around four seconds to load. If speed is an issue for you, then don’t hesitate to try out fast hosting services like Bluehost, which we’ll discuss further down.

Reliability

This section is all about the uptime that the host provides. As you may have guessed, the shorter the amount of time that your site is down, the greater the convenience for your visitors. When it comes to web hosting, the general rule of thumb is to get a hosting service that is highly reliable because, let’s face it, occasionally your site will be down due to unexpected traffic or a power outage. When this happens, you’ll want to be sure that your site is up and running as soon as possible so that your visitors can still access the content that they want to read. When it comes to WordPress hosting, you want to be sure that your host is equipped to handle high volumes of traffic as well as the increased load that comes with additional functionality like multipage blogs or online store fronts. This way, when people come back to your site in the future, they won’t be greeted with “Sorry, that page doesn’t exist.” Instead, they’ll see an error message that gives them some clue as to what happened.

Support

When you run a site that provides any kind of service or product—whether it is a blog or a store—you’re going to need help once in a while. When this happens, you don’t want to be stuck wondering what kind of information you’re supposed to be looking for, or whether the person on the other end of the line can actually help you. One of the best things about WordPress is that there are so many reputable companies out there that provide outstanding support. In fact, WordPress itself is extremely friendly towards its customers, and the platform is constantly expanding and improving their product based on user feedback. This is one of the reasons why WordPress is so popular—the community is proactive and passionate about providing the best experience for their customers.

The Bads

Just because a company is reputable and has great support doesn’t mean that they’re perfect for every situation. There are a few things that you should definitely avoid if you want to keep your site secure and optimize its performance on the web. First, avoid shared hosting. Shared hosting, as the name implies, means that your site will be shared with other users on the server. If someone gets hacked and malicious code is placed on your site, then it’s automatically spread to all of the other sites on the server. This is why it’s usually a bad idea to use shared hosting; it puts your site at risk for security breaches. If you’re looking for a free hosting service, then avoid shared hosts entirely. Second, avoid using free hosting services. While it’s tempting to try out a free hosting service offered by a well-known company, the fact is that these hosts are inherently more risky than paid ones. Even a paid host will try to trick you into thinking that it’s safe to use by offering great reviews and bargains, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s still shared hosting—and as we discussed, shared hosting is inherently unsafe. If you’re looking for a free service, then avoid them entirely.

Bluehost vs. Shopify

If you’re wondering which hosting service is the best between Bluehost and Shopify, then you need to keep your eyes open for a different brand. While both of these services offer exceptional value and are completely reliable and secure, they are not meant to be used interchangeably. If you’re interested in publishing a WordPress site, then Bluehost is the perfect choice as it provides a one-click-installation that makes it simple to get up and running with a professional-looking blog or business website. You’ll have an option of either basic or premium service based on your purchase plan, and you can choose from a variety of beautiful, pre-built templates to get started. Plus, Bluehost supports a variety of payment methods including Bitcoin, PayPal, and Visa. For those interested in eCommerce, Shopify is the clear choice as it provides a fully equipped online store plus a detailed dashboard that makes it easy to set up and optimize your online store. The best part is that you can choose from a variety of high-quality themes to suit your needs.

The main difference between the two is that Shopify provides additional functionalities that Bluehost does not. For instance, with Bluehost you get basic shared hosting with a one-click install of WordPress. While this is great if you just want to get something up and running quickly, if you’re looking for more power and functionality then you might want to consider looking at another hosting service.