Why Should You Move Your WordPress Hosting Off WordPress?
If you’re reading this, I assume you’re either a WordPress blogger or a professional who works with WordPress regularly. In either case, you’ll know the many perks that come with running a WordPress blog. But maybe, just maybe, you’ve reached the point where you feel comfortable hosting your blog’s content yourself (or at least part of it). In which case, you may be wondering — why should you move your WordPress hosting off WordPress?
Security
WordPress is incredibly secure. The platform and the community behind it are constantly working to improve the security of WordPress as much as possible. While it’s always a good idea to take security matters into your own hands and be the best firewall you can be, sometimes you may feel a little overwhelmed. Especially if you’re already doing something about email security or website security. But with WordPress, everything you need to know and/or do is right there in the dashboard. Even basic things like changing your password or activating 2-factor authentication are as easy as click-click-clicking. One of the primary perks of WordPress being open source is that it’s incredibly secure and the community behind it is always looking for ways to improve security even further. If you’re looking for a blogging platform that you can feel confident won’t hurt your blog or your content, then you should look no further.
Maintainability
Speaking of open source, WordPress is one of the most maintainable platforms out there. Yes, it can be complex and can require some experience to be able to effectively use it. But it can also be easily accessed and maintained by anyone with basic computer skills and an interest in blogging. For example, you can literally go through the entire WordPress dashboard and make edits to anything and everything regarding your blog’s content and appearance without touching a single line of code. This is in stark contrast to other platforms, like Joomla or Drupal, which can require extensive training in order to effectively use them and even then, still require coding knowledge to make changes to the site’s underlying design and functionality. With WordPress, if you’ve ever used a computer, you can likely edit the entire thing. It’s incredibly easy to use and extremely intuitive. This is one of the main reasons why so many websites and blogs are built on WordPress platforms. It has literally changed the way we write and manage content on the web. As a result, a lot of people are starting to wonder if the convenience of WordPress isn’t worth the trouble of maintaining a blog on it. Especially as you get further and further down the road with your blog. You’ll find yourself spending more and more time managing and updating content rather than actually creating it.
Features
WordPress comes with a lot of features built right in. Not only does it offer one of the most famous blogging platforms out there, but it also offers additional features, like a gallery builder, podcasting support, and more. But what if all that functionality begins to accumulate and you feel like you’re drowning in features? Well, luckily, WordPress offers a few different ways for you to limit how much information you see when you log in. For example, you can choose to see only your most recent posts or you can choose to see all posts regardless of when they were published. The nice thing about these options is that, although they may not seem like much at first, they can easily be adjusted to fit your specific needs. And the more you use them, the more you may discover that they work perfectly for conditions or scenarios that you didn’t even know you had. Keep in mind that WordPress is constantly adding and improving features, so even if you’ve used it for a while, you may still discover that something new and useful has been added to the platform. But until then, the more you know, the more you’ll appreciate what you have.
Search Engine Optimization
Did you know that it’s possible to significantly increase the amount of traffic that comes to your blog just by making small changes to your SEO strategy? Maybe you’re thinking about adding a blog section or a product review section to your website. Or, maybe, you’re considering using certain keywords in the blog posts that you write. Whatever the case, SEO can be quite tricky to figure out. Especially if you’re not familiar with the terminology or the strategies behind it. But again, with WordPress, all you need to do in order to get started is put in the time to learn the ropes. Once you do, you’ll have an easy-to-use platform that can be incredibly effective in driving inorganic traffic (customers searching for your product or service without having been directed to your site by a search engine) to your website.
Support
Last but not least, we have support. WordPress has a remarkably active community behind it. And to be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of its success can be attributed to the fact that it’s such a great platform to support. From beginners to advanced users, WordPress has a lot to offer. This is probably why so many people decide to host their content on the platform rather than using hosting providers that are more focused on marketing than providing quality support.
Overall
Now that we’ve looked at the perks that come with running a WordPress blog, it may be easy for you to see why so many people choose this platform. Not only do you get to use one of the most popular blogging tools in the world, but you also get to enjoy the benefits that come with being able to host your content yourself. Even if you’re not necessarily interested in blogging, running a WordPress blog is still a great option because you can use the platform to easily set up an eCommerce store, plan a wedding website, or even run a professional portfolio site for artists and designers. In fact, with WordPress, you can literally run a website or blog to fit any need you may have. This is why it’s so popular and continues to grow in popularity every year.
Why Shouldn’t You Move Your WordPress Hosting Off WordPress?
Now that you know the many reasons why you should move your WordPress hosting off WordPress, maybe it’s time to consider why you shouldn’t. Or at least why you shouldn’t without a backup plan in place. Luckily for you, we’re here to help. Below, we’ve compiled a short list of the main reasons why you shouldn’t host your WordPress content on a cloud provider.
Scalability
One of the main reasons why you shouldn’t try to host your WordPress content on a traditional cloud provider is because of scalability issues. Or at least that’s what you’ll experience if you begin to experience any scalability issues at all. Remember, a cloud provider is a company that offers you the ability to remotely host your content on their servers. This means that as your blog or website grows, so does your hosting plan. You won’t have control over how much RAM (Random Access Memory) or disk space (Capacity) the cloud provider gives you. And if you reach the point where you feel like your blog can’t handle any more visits or content, you’ll have to consider upgrading your plan. Remember, the more you use their services, the more you’ll be charged. So it’s always a good idea to try and limit how much data you put through their servers by hosting your files on your own computers or using a service like Dropbox.
Backup
To be entirely honest, having a backup is always a good idea regardless of where you host your blog or website. It’s always a good idea to have a backup in case something happens to your primary source of income (e.g., salary from a full-time job, royalties from a book, etc.). This way, as long as your source of income remains untouched, you can continue to pay your bills and keep your website or blog up and running. In case you’re wondering, there are many different types of backups. Some people prefer using a database backup, while others may choose to use a file backup. Ultimately, it depends on your specific needs. In case you’re new to the whole concept of backups, then I’d recommend starting with the simplest form of backup and then working your way up to a more advanced form as you gain experience.