Which WordPress Hosting Option Should I Choose?
You have decided to become a blogger and now you need a website. Or perhaps you have already launched your blog and you are looking for a way to grow your audience. In either case, you have arrived at the right place. Within this article, we will discuss what are the most popular WordPress hosting options available today and which one suits your needs best. Keep reading.
What Is WordPress Hosting?
WordPress hosting is, in short, where you will find the digital space to launch and grow your blog. WordPress host is the same as a website hosting company but it also offers other hosting products such as Drupal, WordPress, and Joomla. To find the best WordPress hosting for your needs, it is important to understand what each product entails. We will discuss each one briefly below.
Traditional Website Hosting
Traditional website hosting is where you will find the standard shared hosting. With this option, you share a server with other websites. As the name implies, this means that all of the websites on the server are hosted on the same platform. Each file (e.g., web page, blog post, etc.) is therefore available to all of the websites. So if one site begins to suffer from severe traffic, then all of the other sites will experience a dramatic decrease in traffic as well. Traditional website hosting is considered the most basic and cheapest of the web hosting types. It also offers the least features. The best shared hosting providers will offer you cPanel, the standard control panel used by just about every hosting provider. With cPanel, you will have the ability to install a variety of software such as WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, and more.
Shared Hosting
Shared hosting is very similar to traditional hosting except that with shared hosting, you will share a server with one or more other websites. The upside to this is that you will not experience any downtime as the server is continuously serviced by technicians. The downside is that you will experience a dramatic increase in traffic as well since all of the websites share the same pool of traffic. Shared hosting is, in fact, the most popular option among bloggers who are just getting started. It is commonly accepted that shared hosting is sufficient for most blogs as long as you are willing to share your server with one or more other websites. Due to its popularity, you will not have a hard time finding a reputable web host that provides shared hosting. Simply use our shared hosting review tool to find the best deal possible. The biggest downside to shared hosting is that, over time, your server will become saturated and you will have to upgrade to a higher plan to continue receiving benefits. The best shared hosting providers will give you a head start by applying speed boosting techniques to your account.
VPS (Virtual Private Server)
A virtual private server (VPS) is, in short, a form of dedicated hosting that is privately owned and administered by a web hosting company. In other words, your websites will not be shared with other customers but will instead be served privately by a team of webmasters. Thus, you will not have to share any hardware with other users. It is also worth noting that a VPS provides you with a dedicated IP that is separate from your shared hosting. A VPS is great for those who need a higher degree of control over the content and appearance of their website since they have full control over the applications and software used to build and maintain their site. Due to its popularity, it is also the most expensive option among the three types of web hosting we discussed thus far. Let us now turn our attention to security.
Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated hosting is where you will find the most secure type of hosting. With this option, you will have access to a server that is solely dedicated to serving your needs. In other words, you will not share any server resources with other websites. It is also worth noting that your dedicated hosting server will be secure from the get-go and will not require you to do anything special to make it safer for yourself. The upside to this is that it is the most secure option among the three types of web hosting we discussed thus far. The downside is that it is the most expensive option as well. Due to its popularity among businesses and those who need a more professional looking site (e.g., lawyer websites, etc.), you will not find many good quality dedicated hosting providers online. Be sure to use our dedicated hosting review tool to find the best dedicated hosting deal possible.
Cloud Computing
Cloud computing is, in short, a form of hosting that allows you to upload and access your data from any device. The most common example of this is through the use of the web browser. Via the use of the web browser, you can access your files and folders on a remote server. This means you can access your data from any device. It also means your data is always available to you. The downside to this is that you have to rely on the security of the cloud provider (i.e., Amazon, etc.) to protect your data. There are many different types of cloud computing, each with its unique set of advantages and disadvantages. For instance, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the most popular option among those seeking to build a blog since it is very easy to use. The downside is that since you are relying on a third party for security, the odds of your data being compromised are greater than if you were to use dedicated or VPS hosting. It is also important to use a good strong password when registering with any cloud service to ensure the security of your data. However, if you are looking for a free blogging platform, then AWS is the best option among the three.
Summary
From the above discussion, it is clear that all three types of web hosting have their perks and quirks. If you are looking for the simplest and the cheapest option among the three, then the traditional website hosting is what you should go for. If you are looking to create a more professional-looking site or blog, then the dedicated hosting is the option you should opt for. Lastly, if you are looking for something in between, then the better option would be to go with the VPS hosting.
Which WordPress Hosting Option Should I Choose?
As you are reading this, you are probably wondering which of the above options is the best for you. To answer this question, let us examine the criteria you should use to make this decision.
Features
One of the first things you will be keen to consider is the features available for each hosting option. As discussed above, each type of hosting has its perks and quirks. One of the prime perks of traditional website hosting is that you get to enjoy the simplicity of a plain vanilla setup. The downside to this is that, first and foremost, the lack of features will make it very difficult to optimize your site for search engines (e.g., Google, etc.). The lack of features also makes it very difficult to host multiple websites on a single server. In other words, if you are looking for a one-stop-shop for hosting your website, then the traditional option is not the best choice. The best traditional web hosts will give you the basics such as free domain registration and a free SSL certificate to secure your site.
Cost
When comparing the cost of the three types of web hosting discussed above, you have to keep in mind that prices vary from one provider to another. Nonetheless, with the exception of the dedicated hosting, all of the other options are very cost-effective when you consider the price per month. The dedicated hosting option is the most expensive one among the three and it is also the most secure option as well. You will, however, find many dedicated hosting providers who are willing to woo you with sweet deals if you are planning to launch a blog or a small business website. If money is no object to you, then the dedicated hosting is the way to go. Keep in mind that the more resources you need (i.e., RAM, CPU, hard drive, etc.), the more you will have to pay. If you are looking for the cheapest option among the three types of web hosting, then the better option is to go with the VPS hosting. The VPS hosting is, in fact, the cheapest one among the three since it does not come with extra features. If your main objective is to have a professional-looking blog or website that you can brand, then the better option is to go with the dedicated hosting.