Is Hosting on WordPress Bad?

WordPress is the most popular blogging platform in the world, and it’s used by countless websites across the internet. Due to its widespread adoption, many developers and bloggers have explored ways to leverage the software for their online businesses. However, while WordPress can be a great solution for bloggers seeking to monetize their content or establish a presence online, it doesn’t always offer the best hosting experience. In this article, we’ll explore the various disadvantages of WordPress hosting, along with some alternative solutions that might be better suited for your needs.

Security Issues

If you’ve ever opened an email from an unknown sender or clicked on a link in an instant message, you know how dangerous online security can be. Thanks to the prevalence of cyber attacks and data breaches, it’s crucial to safeguard your personal information and websites. When choosing a web host, ensure that they adopt and follow decent security protocols. This means employing secure socket layer (SSL) encryption, employing strong passwords, and regularly patching their software and security systems.

WordPress itself is incredibly secure, and it takes a conscious effort to compromise its integrity. The open-source code is constantly being updated by a thriving community of developers, who spend their time ensuring the platform is as safe as possible. For this reason, WordPress is considered one of the safest and most secure choices when it comes to hosting. But, you know, even the safest option can still have security vulnerabilities.

Some of the most high-profile data breaches in recent years have been committed by sites that were hosted on WordPress servers. In fact, it’s been demonstrated that the platform is more susceptible to security breaches than other common web hosts, like GoDaddy.

This is largely because, as a WordPress user, you’re giving the company access to all of your data. Every time you publish a blog post or register for a service, you’re exposing your site to the public — which can lead to compromise. While it’s always best to use a VPN when browsing the web, at least on public Wi-Fi, if you’re going to be using WordPress, you might as well go whole hog.

Reliability And Uptime

Another important consideration when choosing a web host is their reliability and uptime. Without a reliable web host, your website could become inaccessible, resulting in major downtime and lost business. It’s always a good idea to research the status of multiple servers, or at least two hosting companies, before making any kind of commitment.

Likewise, when it comes to uptime, you want to ensure that you’re not left without a web host when your server goes down. Even a brief outage, though seemingly insignificant, can result in lost revenue as visitors either give up or find an alternate way to view your content. As we’ve established, security is of primary importance, but you also need to be sure that your site is available whenever you or your visitors need it.

Cost

The cost of web hosting is becoming less of a concern, as many web hosts offer affordable options with great features. However, if you’re seeking to monetize your content or establish a business online, you’d better pray that cost doesn’t become a factor. It’s always better to invest in quality over quantity, and in most cases, you’ll end up paying less in the long run.

Regardless of whether you’re running a personal blog or a business website, you’ll want to seek out a well-established hosting company that offers reliable service and support. Even then, there are a number of reputable web hosts that offer great deals if you’re looking to switch providers.

Features

The features available on a web host determine how easy or complicated it is to operate a website with that host. Obviously, you want to find a web host that offers the basic features you need to get started, but it’s also critical that you research their additional features. Some common features you might want to look for include:

• Free domain name registration
• Free backups
• Free site privacy
• Free redirects
• Free parked domain
• Free e-commerce tools
• Free malware scanning
• Free firewall (iptable)

Other features, like free dedicated IP addresses and free SSL certificates, might not seem essential, but they can make a big difference if you’re looking to establish a presence online. Especially the dedicated IP addresses, which act like an additional website address for your existing site. For example, if your blog is on WordPress and you want to add another website using the same platform, you can use a dedicated IP address to do so. It’s also worth noting that many hosts offer these additional features for free.

Support

The level of support you receive from a web host determines how quickly and effectively you can get help if you have a problem. In nearly all cases, you’ll want to find a web host that has a live chat support window available, so you can get answers to your questions quickly. The best web hosts are available 24/7 and provide fast, friendly service that’s effective at solving problems.

In addition to live chat support, you might also want to look for a web host that offers phone backup and restore capabilities, as well as free site transfers should you need to move your site elsewhere. These are all very important things to consider, as without them, you’re simply not prepared for the unexpected.

Summary

There are a lot of pluses to WordPress, but, as we’ve established, it doesn’t always make for the ideal choice when it comes to web hosting. When choosing a web host, it’s important to keep the aforementioned issues in mind, as well as the fact that the platform is constantly expanding, with new features and updates being added all the time.

If you’re looking for a blogging platform or a simple web space to build a portfolio, consider some of the other more popular options, like Blogger or Squarespace, as they’re both incredibly easy to use and offer great features for free.