How to Manage WordPress Hosting – A Guide for Non-Technical Users
It’s no secret that WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) around. And, as the name suggests, it’s very easy to use. You just need to enter the basics – a good, clean URL and your chosen username – and you’re ready to go.
But, while WordPress is incredibly easy to use, structuring content and setting up a website can still be somewhat complicated. For example, if you’re not a techie, it can be hard to know how to set up and use the various plugins that WordPress offers to enhance your user experience. Or, if you’ve been managing a website for a while and are approaching the process of taking over a new WordPress site from scratch, you might wonder how to go about it.
If you’re looking to take the reins of a WordPress site and are wondering how to go about it, this article will tell you everything you need to know about hosting a WordPress website so you can concentrate on building your audience and engaging your community. Before we begin, it’s important to note that we are glossing over the very basics. There’s a lot more to hosting a WordPress website than this, but if you’re looking for an introduction, this is the perfect place to start.
Choosing A Hosting Provider
The first and most important decision you need to make is whether to go with a free hosting provider or to pay for a premium one. You’ll need to consider factors like your location, audience, and server capacity. Let’s examine each of them.
If you’re looking to host your site in the United States, you’ll need to choose between a free hosting provider and a premium one. While there are free providers that are quite good, if you’re outside the U.S., you might want to consider paying for a premium account to take advantage of the faster speeds that a dedicated server offers. If you’re in Canada, you’ll also need to make this decision. If you’re in the UK, you’ll either need to go with a free hosting provider or pay for a business-oriented plan (Sole Trader, Corp. Ltd., or LLP).
The Key Differences Between Free And Paid Hosting
As mentioned, if you’re looking to host your site in the U.S., there are two options here: free and paid hosting. Keep in mind that while you might get free hosting, this doesn’t mean your website will be perfectly suited for everyone’s browsing habits. In many cases, you’ll end up having to make some changes to optimize your site for the average user.
A free hosting provider will give you a dedicated IP that will always point to the same server. You’ll also get free tools to manage your site, including a data back-up system and a free domain. All you need to do is install WordPress onto a free hosting account and you’re ready to go. The great thing about this is that it takes very little time to get up and running. You don’t need to worry about speed or security as much as you would with a free hosting account from a different provider.
Free Vs. Paid Hosting: The Pros And Cons
One of the main differences between free and paid hosting is that the former does not include all of the bells and whistles that the latter does. For example, if you’re looking for a free blog platform, you’ll probably end up with something very basic. There might not be any themes or plugins to customize the look of your site. If you decide to take the paid route, however, you’ll be able to leverage all of the premium features offered by the company. This can make a huge difference in how your visitors experience your blog.
Pricing Of Hosting
The next thing to consider is how much you’re willing to spend on hosting. You’ll need to add another variable to the decision-making process here: budget. Just because you have a little money to spend doesn’t mean you have to limit yourself to free hosting. There are plenty of premium hosting providers that offer great deals if you’re on a tight budget. Just keep in mind the cost that you’re willing to incur and make the right decision for your situation.
Location Of The Server
This is important if you’re looking for speed. The closer your server is to the audience, the faster your content will be served to them. This is why, if you’re looking to host a site in the U.S., you’ll want to choose a server in the West, where there’s a greater amount of web traffic. The same applies to Canada, the UK, and most of the other countries that utilize the.uk top-level domain.
The Amount Of Bandwidth You Need
Bandwidth is another important consideration when it comes to hosting. The greater your bandwidth, the more you can do, the faster you can do it, and the more content you can serve to your audience. Keep in mind: the more you use your bandwidth, the more you’ll be charged. If you’re on a tight budget, the last thing you want to do is consume a large amount of bandwidth without even noticing it. Start small, test out different hosting providers, and only upgrade when you experience a significant increase in traffic or need to serve a higher number of people (i.e. when you’re ready for a marketing push).
Now, let’s move on to the topic of security. We’ll begin by saying that not all free hosting providers are created equal when it comes to security. Some of them are actually quite insecure and leave you open to the occasional security breach. If this is a concern and you want to be sure that your site is always safe, you should consider paying for a premium hosting account. This way, you’ll be sure that the security of your site is something you can depend on. While you can’t control what happens with your free hosting provider, you can take measures to make sure that your content is always safe and that your visitors are never likely to be attacked.
Additional Tips
Once you’ve made the decision to go with either a free or paid hosting provider, you need to move on to the next step which is choosing a domain name. Before we get into the nitty-gritty of choosing a domain name, it’s important to note that you’re not restricted to using just letters in your domain name as lengthy as it follows the standard domain formula – www.example.com – you’ll be able to use any word or phrase you want.
The great thing about a domain name is that once you’ve registered it, you can always find it again. This means that if you ever need to refer to that site in the future, you’ll know exactly what URL to use. Just make sure that you’ve chosen a.com domain name and that it’s not already taken. Also, make sure that the name you’ve chosen is relevant to what you’re trying to promote (e.g. mywebsite.com doesn’t make much sense as a domain name when you’re trying to promote a fashion blog, but fashionwebsite.com is a perfect fit).
With all of this information in mind, you should have a good idea of how to go about choosing a hosting provider or, at the very least, a better idea of what to look out for. It’s imperative to ensure that you’ve chosen the right hosting provider for your needs because, as you’ve no doubt noticed, there are a lot of scammers out there who will try to trick you into paying for an unnecessary service or installing malware on your computer. Make sure that you’re not being fooled by asking the customer service team for proof of their authenticity. The last thing you want is to lose your hard-earned money if you end up with a scammer. So, if you’re in doubt, it’s always safer to play it safe and go with a reputable company. There are plenty of hosting providers out there who are more than willing to provide you with a good, clean experience as long as you’re not looking to cut corners.