Who Should Host Your WordPress Website?

If you’re looking to host your own WordPress website, where should you look for help? Is there a particular company or individual you should contact for advice? Here are some of the most common answers and the reasons why you might want to consider them.

The Pros

There are a variety of reasons why you might want to opt for an expert to host your website. Let’s take a quick look at the pros.

• Performance-wise, the pros will generally outshine the general public. Even if you’re on a free dedicated hosting plan with WordPress, the performance of your site will be much better if you hire a company to do the heavy lifting for you.
• The pros will have access to more robust tools. Even if you’re a technology-savvy individual, you’ll find that most web developers have more experience with various platforms and tools. This means you’ll get the best possible experience when utilizing their services.
• Security is a primary concern. After Google hacked the personal website of Dave Winer (he’s a well-known software developer), he decided to stop hosting all his sites on servers he manages himself. This is because he thinks it’s just not a smart idea to store personal and business data on the same server. If you’re looking for a safe, stable and secure platform for your website, you should definitely consider the pros.
• The pros can offer more than just web hosting. They’ll also help you with design, setup, and maintenance of your site. If you run into any problems, they’re only a phone call away. Plus, they’re generally available to help you anytime through live chat and email.

The Cons

While there are a number of cons to hosting your WordPress site with an expert, let’s take a quick look at the main ones.

• Cost-wise, it’s not always the best option. While the pros can definitely save you money in the long run, you should expect to pay for their services initially. Even if you’re on a free dedicated hosting plan with WordPress, you’ll still have to invest in backups, security, and maintenance. So it’s not necessarily cheaper to go with the pros. The costs add up fast.
• The learning curve can be steep. Sure, you’ll learn a lot from doing so, but it won’t come easily. Even if you’re a tech-savvy individual, you’ll find that most web developers have more experience with various platforms and tools. This means you’ll get the best possible experience when utilizing their services.
• It’s not always the most convenient. With the exception of some very small-scale sites, hosting your WordPress site with the pros generally means you’ll be working with a physical location. If you have a specific time slot you need to be in by, it becomes even more difficult to coordinate everything. You’ll be traveling to and from work every day, which isn’t the most convenient way to work.
• In some instances, you might not get what you want. Sometimes, the pros you work with might not have the necessary skills to help you build the website you need. They might be experts in building blogs, but not so much with building websites for businesses. In those cases, you might end up with a sub-standard product. You should definitely do research before committing to anything.
• Customers might not be able to reach you. In some instances, you might not want to answer your phone or email due to the nature of your work. In other cases, you might not want to give out your personal email address due to security concerns. If you go this route, you can generally get a custom domain name that doesn’t require an SMTP server so that customers can still contact you through your site.
• Your site might be temporary. Unless you opt for a dedicated server with the pros, you’ll be sharing the server with other sites. If you need a high-quality, temporary site for an important project, you might end up with performance issues or downtime due to traffic. As a result, your boss might not be very happy with you.

Choosing the Right Hosting Provider

There are a variety of reasons why you might want to host your WordPress site with a specific company or individual. Here are some of the most common answers and the reasons why you might want to consider them.

• Performance-wise, the general public does almost as well as the pros. Even if you’re on a free dedicated hosting plan, the performance of your site will be much better if you hire a company to do the heavy lifting for you.
• The general public is generally less experienced with security-related issues. If you’re looking for a safe, stable and secure platform for your website, you should definitely consider these individuals or companies. They are experts in what they do and will take the time to make sure your site is as safe and secure as possible.
• The general public is generally less available to help you if you run into problems. Sure, they might have a live chat feature, but if you need help right away, you’ll have to wait until the next business day to get in touch with them. The pros will generally be available to help you any time through live chat and email.
• Some people might not like to give out their personal contact information. If you opt for a dedicated server with the pros, you’ll be working with a physical location. In those cases, you might not want to give out your personal phone number or email address due to security concerns. In most cases, you can get a custom domain name that doesn’t require an SMTP server so that customers can still contact you through your site. In case you do give out your personal contact information, be sure to protect it by using a robust password manager.

Deciding Between Shared and Dedicated Hosting

There are a variety of reasons why you might want to host your WordPress site on a dedicated server. Let’s take a quick look at the main ones.

• Cost-wise, it’s generally the better option. Dedicated servers are generally more expensive than shared hosting, but you’ll save money in the long run. Even if you’re on a free dedicated hosting plan, you’ll still have to invest in backups, security, and maintenance. So it’s not necessarily cheaper to go with the pros. The costs add up fast.
• Customers might not be able to reach you. In some instances, you might not want to answer your phone or email due to the nature of your work. In other cases, you might not want to give out your personal email address due to security concerns. If you go this route, you can generally get a custom domain name that doesn’t require an SMTP server so that customers can still contact you through your site.
• You’ll have more control over the layout and design of your site. With a dedicated server, you’ll have full control over the design of your site. Plus, you’ll have the luxury of installing any plugins or themes you desire. On the downside, if you want to change anything on your site, you’ll have to do it yourself. There’s no one-stop-shop for dedicated servers, so you’ll have to learn a bit about web server configuration. Still, it’s a much better option than using a shared hosting provider.
• Your site might be temporary. Unless you opt for a dedicated server with the pros, you’ll be sharing the server with other sites. If you need a high-quality, temporary site for an important project, you might end up with performance issues or downtime due to traffic. As a result, your boss might not be very happy with you.
• In some instances, you might not get what you want. Sometimes, the pros you work with might not have the necessary skills to help you build the website you need. They might be experts in building blogs, but not so much with building websites for businesses. In those cases, you might end up with a sub-standard product. You should definitely do research before committing to anything.
• In rare cases, you might not be able to reach customers. In some instances, you might not want to answer your phone or email due to the nature of your work. In other cases, you might not want to give out your personal email address due to security concerns. If you go this route, you can generally get a custom domain name that doesn’t require an SMTP server so that customers can still contact you through your site. In case you do give out your personal contact information, be sure to protect it by using a robust password manager.