Managed WordPress Hosting with CDN: What’s the Deal?
Hosting a WordPress site can be pretty taxing on your own server. Not only do you have to worry about keeping the site up and running smoothly, but you have to ensure that it stays that way regardless of the amount of traffic that it receives. For a long time, the best solution for hosting WordPress sites was VPS hosting. However, as most people know, VPS hosting is quite pricey and there’s also the management overhead that comes with it. If you’re looking for a more affordable solution, then you should consider managed WordPress hosting.
What is managed WordPress hosting?
Managed WordPress hosting, sometimes referred to as just “managed hosting,” is when an experienced WordPress developer takes care of the technicalities of hosting your site. On the surface, this may not seem like a big deal since you’re still leveraging the power of WordPress, but it can be a major relief to have someone else handle all the heavy lifting. Not only will this save you a lot of stress, but it will also allow you to focus on other parts of your business.
So how does managed hosting work?
If you’ve ever been to WordPress.com, then you’ll know that they provide hosting services to businesses and individuals who are looking for a simple and affordable solution. What they do is they take a WordPress.com account and then they install WordPress on a dedicated server. Once you’ve installed WordPress, they will take care of the rest, keeping it updated and ensuring that your site stays fast and secure.
As a result, you’ll see that WordPress.com offers a wide range of prices depending on the plan that you want. The cheapest plan that they have is the personal plan which starts at $2.95 per month. On the other end of the spectrum, you have the Plus plan which costs you $5.45 per month. Between the two of them, you’ll find everything that you need for a small business or blog. Plus, with the personal plan, you get a free domain name for 1 year.
Why Should You Try Managed WordPress Hosting?
If you’re looking for a stable and reliable web host that can handle a heavy load, then managed WordPress hosting is a good solution. In contrast to the “free” WordPress hosting that you’ll find outside of a paid hosting provider, the WordPress.com hosting is completely free. However, you have to keep in mind that their pricing is rather high. For example, the Plus plan costs you $5.45 per month, but this plan provides you with 1 CPU core, 1.5GB of memory, and 20GB of storage.
As a result, you’ll see that the WordPress.com hosting is a popular choice among small businesses and bloggers who are looking to keep their websites up and running smoothly. What’s more, since WordPress is a well-known content management system, it’s easy for people to find and set up blog hosting with WordPress.
What Are the Pros And Cons of Managed WordPress Hosting?
As with any other form of hosting, there are a number of advantages and disadvantages to using managed WordPress hosting. One of the primary advantages is that you’re getting the service of a WordPress developer who is essentially handling all the technicalities of hosting your site. This can make a big difference in terms of how easy or hard it is to set up a WordPress site, especially if you’re not that tech-savvy. Another advantage is that you’re getting the service of a reliable company whose customers are typically content with the results that they get. One of the disadvantages is, of course, the cost. When you’re looking for a stable and reliable web host, it would be smart to consider the cost-benefit analysis before committing to a plan. Like most things in life, there’s a right time and place for everything, and in this case, you might want to consider a free option instead.
Ultimately, the decision is up to you. Just make sure that you’re aware of all the pros and cons before you commit.
How Are You Supposed To Use Managed WordPress Hosting?
Just like with any other form of hosting, you have to decide how you’re going to use managed WordPress hosting. There are primarily two ways that you can use it: either to install WordPress yourself or have someone else install it for you. Let’s take a look at each of those options.
Option One: Install WordPress Yourself
If you’re technically inclined and you want to take care of the technicalities of hosting your site, then you can totally do this yourself. Not only do you get to decide where the WordPress files should be located and how everything else should be configured, but you also get to choose the level of service that you want. If you want to go this route, the first thing that you’ll need to do is install WordPress itself on your server.
To do this, you can use a tool like WP Engine which will install WordPress for you along with all the security updates, keeping your site up and running smoothly. What’s great about this option is that you can use almost any CMS (content management system) to create your site. For example, you could use WordPress itself, SquareSpace, or any other platform to create your site. The only thing that you need to keep in mind is that you’re going to have to configure your server to point to the right domain name and URL.
The second thing that you should consider is that if you’re going to do this yourself, you’re going to have to update WordPress yourself too. This can be an intense task when you’re not even tech-savvy, but with a little bit of planning and research, you can find the answers that you need. For example, if you want to update WordPress to the latest version, you’re going to have to do some research to find out how to accomplish this. You’ll also need to set aside some time to do this work. What’s great about this option is that it gives you full control over your site and it’s content. However, it can also be very time-consuming, especially if you’re not tech-savvy.
Option Two: Have Someone Else Install WordPress For You
If you don’t have the time or inclination to take care of all the technicalities of hosting your site yourself, then you can have someone else do it for you. What’s great about this option is that you’re getting the service of a professional who is taking care of all the technicalities, so all you have to do is focus on creating great content.
The first thing that you need to do is decide on the level of service that you want. If you want basic hosting without any extras, then you can have them set up a basic website for you for $2.95 per month. What’s more is that with this option, you’re getting the peace of mind of knowing that your site is up and running smoothly, regardless of the amount of traffic that it receives. You’re also getting the added bonus of having a built-in backup solution by the hosting company itself.
The second thing that you need to do is create a budget and research the various payment options that you have to choose from. What’s great about this option is that you’re getting the service of someone who knows what they’re doing and who is capable of handling all the technicalities of hosting your site. All you need to do is tell them what you want and they will take care of the rest. You can find various plans that you can choose from, all with a paid option and all with a free option. What’s great is that with a paid option, you’re getting the service of an experienced developer who knows exactly what they’re doing. With the free option, you’re still getting the benefits of having a responsive, built-in backup, and security updates.
How Do You Benefit From The CDN?
Nowadays, content distribution networks or CDNs are something that every business owner, blogger, or website builder has heard of. Essentially, a CDN is a large group of servers that are all networked together and have the ability to deliver content, particularly web content, quickly and efficiently. What’s great is that not only does a CDN make things like videos and images load faster for your visitors, but it also saves you money. How? By taking the load off of your own server.
When your server becomes overloaded with requests, it has to temporarily shut down to make room for more requests. During this time, your site will receive a message that the server is currently unavailable. What’s more is that when the server comes back online, it’s usually quite a few seconds before it’s able to process any more requests. This means that your site will receive a really bad reputation because of all the time that it takes for the server to respond.