Google Cloud WordPress Web Hosting – What You Need to Know
If you’re looking for a new web host, you’ve probably heard of Google Cloud. The company has grown rapidly in the last few years and now provides a full web hosting service with features like free domain names, popular platforms like WordPress and Magento for building your online store, and a suite of other tools for entrepreneurs and developers.
WordPress is the most popular content management system in use today, and Google Cloud offers one of the most popular solutions built on top of WordPress. The company’s basic web hosting service allows you to install and run WordPress sites and offers a free domain for the first year. What’s more, Google Cloud provides tools for developers and designers to quickly build and deploy professional-looking sites.
But what if you’re not a developer? Do you need to be a programmer to use these services? What is the most basic level of service that you need to know about to get started with Google Cloud? Let’s take a look.
Hosting The Basics
When you sign up for a Google Cloud account, you’ll notice that the service offers several different tiers of web hosting. Before we dive into the details, it’s important to understand what these are. Each one is designed for a specific type of user and offers different levels of service and price points.
The free tier, which is what most people will choose, offers basic shared hosting with a limited number of features. In addition to the free tier, Google Cloud also offers a regular and a premium tier for those who need more powerful solutions. All of their plans include a free domain and a free weekly backup of your site.
The regular tier, which starts at $5 per month, offers a larger number of features than the free plan but costs more. The premium tier, which starts at $15 per month, offers even more features but costs even more.
Features You’ll Need To Know
As we mentioned above, Google Cloud provides several different service plans with varying feature sets. So, let’s take a look at what you’ll need to know about each one.
Free Tier
As the name would suggest, the free tier offers users the basics: a free domain, free hosting, and a free copy of WordPress to use with that domain. In addition, you’ll receive a free backup of your site every week. This tier is perfect for users who are just getting started with a website or blog and don’t need all the features that the paid tiers have to offer. But even for those who do, the free tier is still a great option.
The free tier also supports popular CMSes like Joomla! and Drupal, so if you’re familiar with one of those platforms, you’ll have no trouble building your website using WordPress.
Basic Plus Tier
The basic plus tier, which costs $5 per month, offers the same basic features as the free tier but with some extra perks. First, you’ll get a free dedicated IP that will speed up your site’s performance. Second, you can install WordPress plugins to enhance your site’s functionality. And last but not least, you can run a wordpress cronjob to automate certain tasks such as email campaign or social media posting.
While the above features might not seem like a lot, they can make a significant difference in terms of how your site performs and what you can do with it. Plus, as you might imagine, their presence on your site can also improve its appearance.
Choice Plus Tier
The choice plus tier, which costs $15 per month, has a lot of the same features as the basic plus tier but with a few extra perks. First, you’ll get a free SEO kit which makes it easier for search engines to find and index your content. Second, you can install WordPress MU, a free alternative to WordPress that offers the same functionality but with more features. Third, you can use automated email marketing with Aweber to keep in touch with your customers.
As you can see, Google Cloud’s shared hosting plans change a lot, but their pricing remains the same. So if you’re looking for a solution that doesn’t cost a lot, this is the one to go with. If money is no object to you and you need the absolute best features, however, consider moving up to the premium plan.
To sign up for the free tier, simply visit this link and you’ll be redirected to Google Cloud’s main signup page. From there, you’ll need to enter your email address and create a password to access your account. Then, you’ll be able to click the ‘Login’ button and you’re good to go.
If you’ve never used Google Cloud before, don’t worry – the company makes it really easy to get started with. All you need to do is visit their dashboard to find all the basic information you need to know about your account. From there, you can create a free blog or website, build a list of products you want to sell, and start accepting payments through their integrated Stripe payment system.
Growing Pains
While Google Cloud provides a lot of value for those who use their services, it’s important to keep in mind that their growth has not been without its growing pains. When the company first launched in 2012, it was a fairly unknown entity in the web hosting space with just a few competitors. Now, however, there are dozens of web hosts in the same market, and many of them provide fairly similar services. The competition is becoming increasingly fierce, and that’s forced Google Cloud to improve their services and provide more value to retain their customers.
In order to do this, they are constantly adding new features and increasing the value of their service. To make sure you know what these are, let’s take a look at their roadmap. You can see that they are currently working on a new product, Wave, which is designed to provide an all-in-one solution for users who want to create an online store. In order to accommodate the growing demand for their services, they are also doubling down on their commitment to providing the best possible experience.
Final Takeaway
If you’re looking for a simple solution for your website, you’ve come to the right place. Google Cloud provides an easy-to-use platform that almost anyone can use to launch a site or blog with little to no technical knowledge. In addition, they also provide tools for those who want to develop their own websites and applications using the Google Cloud platform.
While we mentioned above that other web hosts offer similar services, none of them come with the widespread recognition that Google Cloud has earned over the years. Even if you’re not looking for a full-fledged web hosting service, we strongly recommend giving Google Cloud a try. They’re definitely worth it.