What to Look for in a Hosting Company for WordPress
With the rise of digital nomads and influencers, the demand for flexible and adaptable hosting platforms has increased. WordPress is the most popular content management system (CMS) on the web, so it’s not a surprise that many companies want to provide hosting solutions based on this software.
But not all web hosts are made equal, and it’s important to do your research before signing up with a particular company. In this article, we’ll discuss what to consider when choosing your web host for WordPress.
Bandwidth And Storage
Bandwidth and storage are two critical factors to consider when choosing a web host. These are the limitations that you experience when loading a website, and they determine how quickly a site can load and how much content you can save on the platform.
It’s important to note here that there’s a difference between upload bandwidth and download bandwidth. Upload bandwidth measures the speed at which you can transfer large files, like images, to the web host. This is typically limited by your internet connection and how quickly the host can process your file. However, download bandwidth measures the speed at which your web host can deliver files, like JavaScript and CSS, to your visitor. This is typically limited by the host’s connectivity to a source of fresh content.
The better your bandwidth and storage are, the better your experience will be as a user. It’s also important to note here that a shared hosting plan from a reputable web host with a great support team is a great choice for beginner bloggers and online businesses who are looking for stability and scalability.
Performance
Performance is a measure of how efficiently a web host’s hardware is operating, and it has a great deal to do with how responsive and engaging your site will be. The faster your site can load and the less often it gloats, the better it will perform.
The speed at which you can load a web host largely depends on two factors: how many servers it has and how powerful their servers are. A small host with only a few servers won’t be able to deliver a high-performance experience, regardless of how great their software is.
If you have the budget, it’s best to go for a premium web host with a great deal of RAM and a powerful enough system to support multiple sites and provide a high performance experience. A powerful processor and a large amount of RAM also make your site more robust during peak times, preventing any downtime due to hardware failure.
Security
Security is always a major concern, especially when it comes to hosting platforms that you build your business on. When choosing a web host, it’s important to look for one that is secure and provides the safeguards you need to ensure your site operates without any problems.
You don’t need to have the best security available, but you should have enough to ensure that your information is protected and nobody else is sneaking around in your system without your knowledge. This is especially important if you’re hosting any sort of business information or credit card numbers on the site. A lot of cheap web hosts don’t always offer the best security, and you run the risk of someone hacking into your site and stealing your customers’ personal information.
There are a few different ways to secure your site if you’re using WordPress. You can use a free plugin like Wordfence to protect your blog from attacks, or you can use a premium plugin like Hummingbird Security to ensure that your site is always protected and cannot be tampered with.
Features
Features are a great way to make a difference, and they can be quite the selling point for a web host. Some hosts will boast special features that make site building easier for users or provide additional security for your site. The better the feature set, the better the overall value for your money’s worth.
You should look for a host with a number of unique features that you can’t find anywhere else, especially if you’re a beginner. This way, you’ll be able to build a site that’s easy to maintain and provides value. One feature that’s worth its weight in gold is a live chat support team, as it saves you the time and energy of having to contact the customer service team every time you need assistance.
A good place to start is WordPress’ official website, which gives you an idea of what features are available and how to use them. From there, you can move on to the community forums to get an idea of what others think about the different plugins and what features they are using.
Reliability
This one might not seem as crucial, but a reliable web host is important for business and personal use. When you have a web host that’s down, you have no site, and when you have a web host that’s up and running you’re able to get back to work. It’s best to look for a hosting company that offers a money-back guarantee if they aren’t living up to your expectations, and a support team that you can contact should your site becomes unstable.
Support
The last (but not least) factor to look for in a web host is support. This one is important for two reasons. First, as we’ve established, stability is key if you want to have a good experience with your site. Second, when you have a business site, you’ll be making money from ads and affiliate programs, and you’ll inevitably be running into problems with ads displaying improperly or being rejected by ad exchanges. Having a support team that can help you troubleshoot these issues is highly valuable and makes all the difference between a good and a bad experience with this aspect of your business.
In summary, when choosing a web host it’s important to look for one that is stable, secure, and can provide the features you need for your particular site. It’s also important to look for a company with a great support team to ensure any problems you have are quickly and efficiently resolved.