Cheapest WordPress Hosting: What You Need to Know

WordPress is the most popular content management system (CMS) on the web today, and for good reason. The software is incredibly flexible, and the vast majority of the available plugins offer more than enough features to help even the most inexperienced user become productive immediately.

The major drawback to WordPress is the steep price associated with the platform. The open-source version of the software is free, but to use all the features, you will have to shell out at least $5 a month.

Finding the cheapest hosting solution for WordPress can be troublesome, however, with so much flexibility comes responsibility. Below are some of the most important questions to ask yourself before settling for less than optimum hosting:

Is Performance a Priority For You?

As the name implies, cheap hosting solutions tend to be inferior in terms of performance. This means that they will not be able to provide your website with the rich experience that you are used to when browsing other platforms such as Amazon or Google.

The thing is there is no such thing as the cheapest hosting solution when you consider the fact that performance tends to deteriorate as you go down the price ladder. Your best bet is to look for a VPS hosting plan that provides the performance you are looking for at a great price point.

How Much Are You Willing to Spend On Domain Names And Web Hosting?

Let’s be honest, no one likes filling out surveys or entering long strings of data to pay for web hosting. That is why you should be cautious about opting for the cheapest possible plan with a free domain. What you are really paying for is the fact that this plan does not require you to enter any credit card details.

If you are looking for a free domain (that you can register for some time), then you should opt for a fairly priced shared hosting plan. That way, you will not be overspending on a premium domain name that could end up costing you hundreds of dollars per year.

How Are You Going To Use The Web Hosting Service?

One of the biggest issues that plague the cheap web hosting community is the lack of planning that goes into these packages. If you are looking for a free domain and basic hosting features, then you should opt for dedicated hosting. This type of hosting provides you with a public IP address that you can use to connect to your site from anywhere on the internet.

If you are looking for a cheap and reliable VPS hosting solution, then you should opt for shared hosting. The reason behind this is that if you are choosing shared hosting, then you are essentially opting for the free and open-source version of WordPress.

How Many Blogs Are You Planning On Launching?

The more blogs you have, the more traffic they are likely to get. The problem is that when you have too many blogs, the performance of your website can deteriorate. As a general rule of thumb, you should aim for no more than three blogs per plan. Any more than this, and the loading speed of your website will likely be affected.

This brings us to the next question.

Do You Need To Have A Blog To Use The Service?

Yes, you do. It is not required, but it certainly helps. Even if you have a professionally designed website that does not have a blog section, you can still use the service to post content to your site on a regular basis. All you need is a small bit of software that will allow you to schedule posts at times that suit you best.

Is E-commerce Relevant To You?

This is another important question to ask yourself before opting for a cheap web hosting solution. The answer to this question will determine how much you should be paying for the service. The more you are planning on selling online, the more you should be opting for a premium plan. This is because the functionality that comes with a premium plan provides you with the tools to create an e-commerce store. The free version of WordPress does not include this feature.

What Type Of Content Are You Looking To Post?

If you are looking for a free and easy-to-use CMS for your website, then you should be considering Blogger. The reason behind this is that Blogger provides you with everything that you need to get started in literally ten minutes. You will not need to spend days learning how to use a custom domain and how to set up your e-commerce store.

If, however, you are looking for a professional-looking website that can support the growth of your business, then you should be considering a premium plan that provides you with a stable, high-performance server. This way, you can focus on growing your business, and the software will take care of everything else.

Do You Want To Keep Your Current Domain?

Yes, you should. Unless you are prepared to pay for additional domains, then you should keep your current one. If you do decide to purchase a domain from a third party, then you should opt for a premium plan so that you can keep up with all of the registration fees. If you do not want to pay for a domain, then you should choose a free plan because they are extremely generous with the amount of space that they provide.

Is The Content That You Post Important To You?

This is also an important question to ask yourself before settling for sub-par hosting. The content that you post on your blog is, in my opinion, the single most important element of your website. You should be opting for a premium plan so that you can afford the best quality, original content. The free version of WordPress does not provide you with the luxury of choosing your own content.

Do You Need To Have A Mobile Focused Website?

If you are planning on using your website on mobile devices, then you should be opting for a premium plan. Even then, it is not necessarily required. You can use a tool such as WURFL to create a mobile-friendly website for free. However, if you are planning on monetizing your site on mobile devices, then you should be looking into a premium plan so that you can make the most of the higher-quality experience.

Is Performance On Your Mind?

This is an important question to ask yourself before choosing a web host that is not located in the United States. As the name implies, cheap hosting solutions tend to be centered around Eastern Europe, where the internet speeds are generally slower than those in the United States. While this might not seem like a big deal to you, if you are choosing a hosted solution, then it is a matter of prioritizing performance over all else.

The reason behind this is that if your site does not load quickly, then you will be hurting your own business. With the growing number of people using mobile devices to access the internet, speed is becoming more important than ever. If you are serious about growing your business, then you should be considering a premium plan from a reputable web host that provides high-performance servers.

In conclusion, if you are looking for a reliable, cheap, and simple solution, then you should opt for a free host such as WordPress or Blogger. These two platforms are extremely popular and offer enough features to anyone even the least experienced user can utilize with minimal effort.