A Beginner’s Guide to WordPress Hosting

What Is WordPress Hosting?

If you’re looking for a simple explanation of what WordPress hosting is, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll break it down for you in plain English. So sit back, relax, and get ready to learn. Let’s get started.

What Is WordPress?

WordPress is a free and open-source content management system (CMS). It was initially designed for blogging, but as of 2019, there are more than 500 different features in WordPress. To put that into perspective, that’s more than most CMSes out there combined. You can use it to create a variety of websites, from small personal blogs to large corporations with multiple sites and blogs. Even if you’re not a professional web developer, it is still really easy to use.

Why Choose WordPress Over Other CMSes?

When compared to other content management systems (CMSes), WordPress is incredibly easy to use and offers a ton of features. Some of the reasons why people choose WordPress over other CMSes include:

• Simple to use.
• Extensive feature set.
• Cross-platform compatibility (lots of code is shared between WordPress and other platforms, such as Apple iOS and Google Android).
• Community-driven development (the WordPress development team actively interacts with the community, listening to feedback and integrating it into the software).

WordPress is the perfect choice for beginners because it’s incredibly easy to get started with and its feature set makes it extremely versatile. If you’re just starting out or need a content management system that’s simple to use and has a large community behind it, then WordPress is the tool for you. Plus, it’s completely free! No other CMS comes even close.

Where Can I Host My Website With WordPress?

Now that you know what WordPress is and why you would choose it over other CMSes, you might be wondering where you can host your website with it. Don’t worry –we’ve got you covered on that front. Here are some of the most popular hosting providers that offer WordPress hosting:

• Bluehost
• Shopify
• GoDaddy
• Square Space

Each of these hosting providers is incredibly useful and easy to use, and each one offers WordPress as a service (free or paid version). Remember: you don’t necessarily need to use a web host to have a WordPress website. You can install WordPress directly on your own computer and manage your site from there. But for those who want to have a more professional-looking website, hosting on a web host makes a lot of sense. Also, most web hosts offer additional features that can be helpful when running a business or personal website. For example, Shopify offers a variety of plans, from basic to advanced, that include email marketing, website stats, and more. Square Space offers a free version that allows you to build a website with limited features, or you can upgrade to a premium plan to get access to their full feature set. GoDaddy also offers free versions of their hosting products, which you can use to easily set up a WordPress site. And last but not least, WordPress itself is completely free, so there’s no charge at all for using it. Overall, these are all great options for anyone looking for a free and simple way to get a website up and running.

Which Hosting Provider Should I Choose?

So you’ve decided that WordPress is the perfect choice for your website. Awesome! With so much competition in the hosting space, how do you make sure that your website gets the best possible performance when it’s hosted on a specific web host? Let’s dive into that exact question.

When choosing a web host, you have three options: shared hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated hosting. Each one brings a unique set of benefits and drawbacks. Let’s take a quick look at each one.

Shared Hosting

Shared hosting is the cheapest type of web hosting available. Essentially, it’s a hosting plan that shares a single server (or physical computer) with other websites on the same server. This means that all the websites on the server will be able to access the same basic resources such as storage space, CPU time, and bandwidth. Depending on the plan you choose, you will either get shared hosting or virtual private servers (VPS).

Pros:

• Scalable.
• Flexible.
• Often the cheapest option.
• Simple to use.
• Consistent performance (won’t vary much).

Cons:

• Lower performance than dedicated or VPS hosting.
• Less security.
• Less control.
• Less customization.
• Less features.

VPS Hosting

VPS hosting provides a good balance between cost and performance. Essentially, you’re paying a bit higher for the privilege of having your own private (virtual) server on which you can run your website. A VPS is usually powered by one or more physical servers and provides you with the resources (bandwidth, storage space, and CPU time) to run a highly performing website.

Pros:

• Higher performance than shared hosting.
• More flexibility.
• More control.
• Consistent performance (will vary depending on the plan you choose).
• More security.
• Additional benefits such as faster speed and more features.

Cons:

• More expensive than shared hosting.
• More complex to setup (requires more technical knowledge).
• Less flexible (can only be configured to run a single website).
• Less control over the server than with shared hosting.
• Less customizable.

Dedicated Hosting

Dedicated hosting gives you the best of both worlds. You get the reliability of a physical server and the flexibility of virtual servers. With a dedicated server, your website will be able to access all the resources it needs to run quickly and smoothly. It also offers you ultimate control over the server and the ability to install and run any software you might need (including WordPress).

Pros:

• Highest performance of all three types of hosting.
• Great for those who need a dedicated server for their site (e.g. startups, bloggers, etc.).
• More security.
• Additional benefits such as faster speed and more features.

Cons:

• Higher cost than shared or VPS hosting.
• Less flexibility (can only be used for a single website).
• Less control.
• Less customization.

Which one you choose depends on your needs. If you’re looking for simplicity and cost, go for shared hosting. It’s what we use here at Codecast. If you need a dedicated server, consider buying one of the above three types of hosting and avoiding shared hosting altogether. Above all, make sure to backup your data regularly and create restore points as needed (see our guide to the best WordPress backups for guidance).

So there you have it. You now know the differences between WordPress hosting and the other types of hosting available. Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to WordPress hosting. There are a lot more advanced topics you can learn about (e.g. tuning and optimizing your site for performance). If that’s something you’re interested in, then great! Just remember: the more you know, the more you’ll achieve. And for those looking for a more in-depth explanation of WordPress hosting, this article is a good place to start.