WordPress Hosting in South Africa: A Beginner’s Guide
WordPress is one of the most popular blogging platforms around, and with good reason. It’s a flexible and customizable blogging tool that’s easy to use. If you’re looking for a simple and lightweight blogging platform, then check out WordPress.com.
It can be a little tricky getting set up with WordPress.com if you’re not familiar with how the platform operates. Luckily, there’s a host of hosting providers that offer WordPress hosting in South Africa, which you can choose from depending on your needs. Let’s take a quick look at what you should know and consider before signing up for WordPress hosting in South Africa.
Features
One of the most important things to consider when choosing a WordPress hosting provider is the features that are available on their website. It’s important to look for a provider that offers all the essential features that you might need for a successful blog. These could include things like free backups, free domain privacy, free SEO tools, etc. While some providers don’t charge you anything for these features, some do (like Bluehost, for example).
Another important factor is the customer support offered by the website. You’ll want to be sure that you’re covered should you have any questions or need help along the way. It’s also good to know that in some cases, the customer support is excellent, while in other cases, it’s mediocre or poor. You don’t want to choose a hosting provider just because their website looks trustworthy or appealing.
Cost
One of the biggest differences between various WordPress hosting providers is the cost. Some are quite affordable, while others are quite expensive. If you’re looking for a free blogging platform that you can use to launch your online business or blog, then WordPress.com is the way to go. However, if you’re looking for a stable and reliable platform that you can use to build a successful blog, then consider looking at some of the other more expensive hosting providers. The cost depends on the level of service that you need.
Type Of Content
Another important factor to consider when choosing a WordPress hosting provider is the type of content that they allow on their website. Some providers only allow certain types of content, while others allow virtually any kind of content that you can think of. If you’re not sure what kind of content is allowed on their website, then contact their customer support team and ask. Remember that the content that you post on your blog will affect its popularity, so be careful what you allow on your blog. Even if you don’t intend on publishing sexually explicit or violent content, chances are, you won’t be able to avoid it once your blog starts attracting a lot of traffic.
SSL
An increasingly popular way to make your blog or website secure is to use SSL. This is a form of encryption that makes sure that all the information that you’re sending to your audience is safe. Many banking websites, shopping websites, and other popular websites use SSL, so it’s certainly a worthwhile option for your blog or website. You can use a free SSL certificate from LetsEncrypt or buy a premium one from a reputable certificate authority like GeoTrust or Comodo. Using secure SSL on your site will make it much more attractive to potential customers. It shows that you take security seriously and want to guard against online criminals. It also means that you’ve taken the necessary steps to keep your content safe, so people can really get to the good stuff quickly.
Who’s Running The Website
Another important factor to consider when choosing a WordPress hosting provider is who’s actually running the website. You’ll want to be sure that you’re dealing with a legitimate and trustworthy company, and that their contact information is easily accessible. It’s also a good idea to do some research into the company before choosing them. You can learn a lot about a company by looking at reviews and discovering who the major players are in the market. For example, if you search for WordPress hosting in South Africa on Google, you’ll discover that GoDaddy is the most popular option with 10 out of 12 search results. However, if you look at the reviews for WordPress hosting on Google, you’ll discover that there are a number of complaints about GoDaddy, especially regarding their customer support.
To protect your own privacy, make sure to choose a hosting provider that doesn’t track your activity online or sell your information to third parties. The last thing that you want is an unnecessary data breach caused by a dishonest website owner.
Bandwidth
Another important factor to consider when choosing a WordPress hosting provider is how much bandwidth they provide. All web hosting packages come with some amount of bandwidth, but it’s important to know how much you’ll actually need. If you have a very small blog with a couple of hundred words written per day, then you might not need as much as the 1TB per month that most web hosting providers provide. On the other hand, if you’re publishing content regularly, then you might need some substantial amount of bandwidth to maintain a high volume of traffic.
IP Control
Another important factor to consider when choosing a WordPress hosting provider is their IP control. You’ll want to be sure that you’re not trading off the security of your own computer by renting one from the website owner. It’s also important to know that most web hosting providers are based in well-secured data centers that are located in different parts of the world, so you can be sure that your own personal information will be safe. Even if a hacker gets past the security of their data center, they’ll still need to get past your IP address to access any of your content.
Backups
An important factor that separates the good from the bad web hosts is the backups that they make. Most reputable web hosting providers make frequent backups of their websites and databases, which helps to ensure that your content is always protected. It’s also important to know that most reputable web hosting providers offer automated backups, so you don’t have to manually upload the files to a different location every single week.
Backups will not help you in the event of a natural disaster or a computer virus, but they can definitely help you in the event of a technical error or an abuse by a third party. It’s always better to be safe than sorry, and regular backups can help you do that. Make sure to ask the hosting provider about their policy regarding customer support in the event of a data breach.
Location
Another important factor to consider when choosing a WordPress hosting provider is their location. You’ll want to be sure that you’re dealing with a reputable company based in a location that you’re comfortable with. It’s also a good idea to do some research into the country before choosing them. You can learn a lot about a country by looking at the reviews from customers that have visited the website. For example, if you search for WordPress hosting in South Africa on Google, you’ll discover that Bluehost is the most popular option with 12 out of 16 search results. While Bluehost is based in the US, they have an excellent network of servers in Johannesburg, which ensures that your site will load quickly regardless of where you are in South Africa.
To keep your own personal information secure, make sure to choose a hosting provider that is located in a trustworthy jurisdiction. It’s also a good idea to look for a host that is based in a country with strong internet privacy laws. You don’t want to be a target of a government, especially since we now live in a world where government surveillance is commonplace.
To protect your content from being stolen, make sure to choose a hosting provider that is based in a country with strong copyright laws. In some countries, online journalism is protected by law and citizens can file lawsuits against companies that they feel are stealing their content. Make sure to ask the hosting provider about their policy regarding copyright infringement, as it will undoubtedly affect the kind of content that you can publish on your site.
Money-Back
Another important factor to consider when choosing a WordPress hosting provider is their money-back guarantee. Many reputable web hosting providers offer a full refund should you cancel your account within the first 30 days, as long as you contact the company first. It’s important to understand that refunds only happen if you meet the right conditions. For example, you have to cancel your account to qualify for the refund, and you have to do so within the first 30 days to be eligible for the full refund. Should you meet these conditions, then you’re sure to find a reputable hosting provider that offers a money-back guarantee.