How to Choose a WordPress Hosting Company in Ireland

WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) available today. What started as a simple blogging platform has grown immensely in popularity, especially in recent years.

Due to its flexibility and ease of use, WordPress is suitable for use by anyone, even those who do not have any website development knowledge. This level of accessibility has undoubtedly helped its growth in popularity.

However, despite WordPress’ accessibility, it is still a complex platform to master, especially if you are just getting started. For this reason, choosing a WordPress hosting company in Ireland can be a daunting task.

To assist with this decision-making process, this piece will examine some of the considerations you should make before signing up with a WordPress hosting company in Ireland.

Features

In today’s world, features play an integral role in the decision-making process when choosing a hosting company. For example, you may consider a web host’s support features, as well as the level of functionality they provide for your specific needs. This can include things like email marketing features, RSS feeds, etc.

One of the main reasons why WordPress is so popular is its abundance of features. Since its inception, WordPress has always tried to keep up with the times and provide its users with the greatest possible functionality.

To this end, WordPress comes with a wealth of features built in. For instance, you can install the Google Analytics plugin (which is free) and monitor your website’s traffic and performance at any given moment. Or, you can use the Contact Form 7 plugin to create a contact form that automatically sends emails to your customers when they submit it.

Although built in features come with a premium, there are several free WordPress plugins that enhance your website’s functionality even further. Some of the most popular plugins include:

WPSMCRED

WPSMCRED is a free WordPress plugin that allows your website to accept credit cards via a simple credit card form that is integrated within your website.

WPSMCRED’s primary purpose is to make accepting credit cards as easy and effortless as possible. This credit card form factor works in tandem with PayPal and Stripe, for instance, to provide a safe and user-friendly way for your website’s visitors to make purchases as you grow your business.

With WPSMCRED, you can take credit card payments right inside your WordPress dashboard without the need for any specialized technical knowledge. As a result, you may find this plugin indispensable for the non-techie among your staff.

This plugin is one of the most popular paid plugins available today, with over 300,000 active installs across all platforms. It is also the most widely used credit card form plugin, providing support for PayPal, Stripe, and more than 30 other credit card processing providers.

Mature Theme Support

The theme support of a WordPress hosting company is also important to consider. This refers to the variety of themes that the host provides and the level of support they offer for each theme. A WordPress theme’s support varies, but typically includes things like:

• Theming guides
• Updates
• Premium support
• Extensions
• And more

The level of support you get for your chosen theme can vary, from basic support to personalized support, as well as everything in between. For example, you may get access to a single email address for technical support or you can get a full support ticket system where someone is assigned to handle your request individually.

Although it is possible to download and install a WordPress theme manually, it is usually easier and more convenient to use a pre-made theme. This is where a WordPress hosting company’s theme support comes in, as they often provide the best pre-made themes with their services.

If you are looking for a simple solution to create a fully functioning website without all the complexity that comes with designing and building your own theme, then choosing a premium WordPress hosting company may be the best option for you.

A Website Builder

A website builder is a tool that allows you to build your site from scratch, without needing any specialized knowledge or experience. For those of you who are looking to get started quickly and with minimum effort, a website builder may be the ideal solution. Examples of popular website builders include:

• Squarespace
• Wix
• Blueprint
• Shopify
• Big Commerce
• E-commerce
• XPressCommerce

There are dozens of other website builders available, such as WordPress, that you may choose from depending on your needs. A website builder makes setting up and running your website easy and accessible to anyone.

This option is ideal for those of you who are looking to get started quickly and have limited technical knowledge. Instead of learning how to code HTML and CSS, you can simply use the provided drag-and-drop editor to build the foundation of your website.

Designing and building a CMS from the ground up can be a daunting task, especially if you are just getting started. Instead, you may find it easier and more beneficial to use a tool like Squarespace or WordPress to get your site up and running in no time.

Squarespace is the best platform for beginners as it provides a wealth of features and tools right inside its dashboard. Additionally, their 24-hour customer support is available via live chat and email, providing further assistance if needed. WordPress is also extremely popular and has the most robust community around, providing you with an abundance of resources and tutorials, if you run into any trouble.

Regardless of which option you choose, knowing what to look out for and how to choose the right one for your needs is an important part of the decision-making process.

Reliability

A WordPress hosting company’s reliability is also important to consider. This refers to the amount of time you can expect your site to be up and running without any additional maintenance. For this reason, choosing a host that is highly available and has an excellent track record for uptime is essential.

This is especially important if you are planning on selling products online or through an e-commerce store, as any downtime could seriously damage your business.

Security

Security is another important factor to consider when choosing a WordPress host. This relates to the safety of your site and information that you may store on it. For instance, are you storing any customer payment information on your site, or any other sensitive information?

If yes, then you should look for a host that is PCI compliant (secure credit card processing), uses TLS (transport layer security) to keep your personal information secure, and has a state-of-the-art security team.

Additionally, are you storing any third-party cookies on your site, or using any third-party plugins that could potentially store and access sensitive information?

PCI compliance is a mandatory requirement for any business that stores customer credit card information, so make sure your chosen host is PCI compliant.

Keeping your information secure is one of the main priorities in the information technology (IT) industry today. Whether you are storing customer credit card information or other confidential data, using a tool like Cloudflare is the simplest and most convenient way to ensure that your information is always protected.

As a business owner, it’s your responsibility to protect the confidential information that you gather during the day-to-day operations of your business. Cloudflare offers a free service that is already integrated into WordPress and hundreds of other popular websites across the web. With just a few clicks, you can have all your websites protected by Cloudflare, with no additional setup required.

As a business owner, data security is your responsibility. You may not always have the expertise or time to secure your own server, but you can always delegate this responsibility to Cloudflare. Protecting customer information and financial transactions is a huge challenge, and one that many companies have already begun to address. By using specialized tools and best practices, you can ensure that your customers’ personal information is always kept secure.