Cheap or Free Web Hosting for WordPress?
WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) used on the web due to its ease of use, flexibility, and its large community of users and developers. WordPress can be easily installed on your own dedicated server or on a shared hosting plan from a professional web host. In this article, we will discuss the various costs and benefits of WordPress hosting.
Features
One of the unique things about WordPress is that it provides a lot of features for free. Yes, you read that correctly. Unlike many other CMSes, WordPress does not require you to pay a monthly fee in order to use its features. This means that you can create a fully functioning WordPress website without worrying about spending a large sum of money on software or hiring someone to design and develop a custom website for you.
WordPress’ basic features are free and allow you to create and publish content without having to pay a dime. You will have the option of using a free domain name from WordPress’ official registrar, creating a blog, or setting up a business website with a custom domain name. Even if you use a free domain name, you will need to purchase a premium product to use WordPress’ more advanced features.
Depending on what kind of content you are creating and for what purpose, you will have access to different WordPress features. Some of these features are totally free, while others will cost you money.
Installing WordPress
WordPress can be installed on your own dedicated server or on a shared hosting plan from a professional web host. If you choose to install it on a dedicated server, it is highly recommended that you purchase and install a reliable, 24/7/365 personal assistant, otherwise known as a managed server.
One of the primary reasons why we recommend installing WordPress on a managed server is because this allows you to easily scale your website’s capacity up or down as needed. This is extremely beneficial if you decide to sell a certain number of products online or decide that you will be using WordPress as a blog to attract new subscribers to your email list.
If you decide to install WordPress on a shared hosting plan, you will need to purchase and install WordPress on a separate domain than your own, as WordPress’ terms of service specifically prohibit you from using the same hosting account for both your website and blog. Using the same hosting account with a WordPress installation is perfectly fine, however, as long as your blog is completely independent of your website.
The best and most convenient way to install WordPress is through a third-party service such as Hetzner Online, as this provider seamlessly integrates the installation process into their own hosting dashboard. After you log in to your Hetzner Online account, click the WordPress icon at the top right corner of the screen and follow the on-screen instructions. Doing this through the control panel of your web host is also another option.
Basic vs. Premium Features
WordPress comes with two separate and distinct versions: the “classic” version and the “premium” version. As the name implies, the classic version of WordPress is free and therefore has limited functionality. The premium version contains additional features that you can access for free as long as you log in using a premium WordPress.com account.
Some of these features are totally free, while others will cost you money, but if you want to take advantage of all of the benefits, you will need to sign up for a premium account. One of the major benefits of a premium account is the ability to install and use multiple WordPress websites from one account. For example, you could create a website for your clothing line and then use WordPress to install a second website for a food review blog you are maintaining.
As you may imagine, installing multiple WordPress websites from one account is a common request, so the team at WordPress developed the product specifically with this use case in mind. If you are interested, you can install additional websites from your dashboard without needing to contact the support team.
Since WordPress is such a popular and flexible product, many hosting providers offer shared hosting plans that include access to the classic version of the product. While this may be adequate for a small or medium sized business, if you are looking for a more robust platform with additional features, we recommend you look into a premium account. If you want to learn more, you can visit WordPress’ website and click the “Get Started” button at the top of the page to continue to their pricing structure or you can contact them directly at hello@wordpresstuts.com.
Costs
As we mentioned above, WordPress is a very popular content management system, which means that there are a lot of free resources available online that you can use to create your own website. Depending on the level of sophistication you want for your site, this can range from extremely simple to very advanced. Using a free domain name from WordPress’ registrar, you can launch a highly functional and secure blog in no time at all.
The best part is that you don’t have to be tech-savvy to use this method. You simply need to have a creative mind and the willingness to write down your ideas. Once you have your blog set up, you can use the free time derived from this activity to grow your business.
WordPress also has a very active community of users who are more than glad to help you with any issues that you might encounter while using the platform. Since it is such a popular product with a vibrant community, many companies and organizations offer shared hosting plans that include WordPress as part of their services. If you are looking for just a simple and free solution, this could be a great choice for you.
For smaller businesses that just need a simple blog, we recommend checking out Blogger.com as this is a free and easy to use solution that provides all of the functionality of a traditional blog plus the customization tools to match your needs. If you want to learn more, you can click the “Get Started” button on the Blogger.com homepage and continue to their pricing structure to find the best possible deal for your needs.
Choosing A Hosting Provider
One of the significant advantages of WordPress is that it can be easily installed on your own dedicated server or on a shared hosting plan from a professional web host. Depending on what kind of content you are creating and for what purpose, you will have access to different WordPress features. Some of these features are totally free, while others will cost you money.
As a business owner, it is extremely important that you are aware of any potential risks and problems that you might encounter while using a specific hosting provider. If you choose to go this route, make sure that you are aware of the risks before you sign up. Some of the risks are:
- DDoS attacks (Distributed Denial of Service Attacks)
- Website downtime
- Data corruption
- Frozen funds
- Non-existent customer support
- Overwhelming website traffic
- Unexpected billings
- Website hacking
- and so much more…
With so many benefits and features, it is clear why WordPress is the preferred choice for blogs and personal websites. If you are looking for a robust solution with additional features, we recommend that you look into a premium account as these can be a great investment for your business.