How to Host a WordPress Membership Website?

Creating a membership website requires a bit of research, strategy, and most importantly, a lot of WordPress hosting.

WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) available, and for good reason. It’s simple to use, has a large community of supporters, and is constantly updated by the WordPress team to provide the best, fully-featured experience for users.

If you’re looking to create your own membership website but don’t want to go it alone, this article will teach you everything you need to know about hosting a WordPress website, including both free and premium solutions.

The Necessary Technical Requirements

Before you begin, you’ll need to have a server that’s compatible with PHP, which is a scripting language that allows you to build websites. If you’re on a shared hosting plan, this will typically be provided by your web host, and you won’t have access to the source code. To confirm, visit your host’s website and look under the FAQ section for the official word on whether or not PHP is supported.

Another necessary hardware requirement for a WordPress website is a dedicated IP (or more commonly, a VPN). A dedicated IP is a private IP which connects your server directly to the Internet, rather than going through a third party such as a public website or shared IP. It also prevents website scraping, which is when another website takes your content without your permission. The benefit of a dedicated IP is that it guarantees you’ll have a particular domain name, and that your website will be accessible by only the people you authorise. A VPN also allows you to stay anonymous while browsing the web, as well as create secure tunnels via the Internet that can be accessed only by selected devices.

Planning & Strategy

The first and most vital step to successfully creating a WordPress membership website is to plan. This includes deciding what you want the site to be used for, brainstorming ideas for promotional materials, and determining the ideal audience. You should also look into the various pricing plans offered by different web hosts, as this will affect which solution you choose. The more you know beforehand, the easier it will be to develop a strategy and work towards your goal.

Hosting & Install WordPress

The next step is to pick a web host that’s suitable for creating websites with WordPress. This is an important decision, as you don’t want to pick a plan solely based on budget or features, you want to pick a plan which meets your needs. It’s also vital to get a reliable, trusted host with a good reputation, otherwise, you might find yourself dealing with downtime or unresponsive customer support.

After you’ve picked a host, the next step is to install WordPress. This can be a complicated process, but fortunately, the WordPress team provides detailed documentation which explains exactly what to do. Make sure you familiarise yourself with these instructions, as this will ensure you set up your site correctly the first time. If you’re using a shared hosting plan, the WordPress team also provides a detailed guide on how to install the application to ensure you don’t disrupt the service or cause any problems for site owners who are already using the service.

Security & Backup

Last but not least, we have security and backup. Your website’s security is of paramount importance, and it’s vital you choose a web host which provides the best security features available. Some basic common sense measures, such as keeping your site’s administrative password secure and not sharing this password with anyone, can easily be implemented to maintain a secure connection to your site.

Backup is also important, and you don’t want to be scrambling to re-create your site whenever it goes down. The best web hosts provide advanced features which allow you to back up your entire site automatically, and restore quickly if needed. For a long-term solution, look for hosts which offer a ‘reclaim lost files’ feature which lets you recover deleted files which are vital to the continued functioning of your website.

Recommended Services

Before we wrap up, let’s discuss the various benefits of each hosting solution. From a reliable provider, you’ll get:

• Secure connection to the Internet
• Dedicated IP
• Free backups
• Free updates
• Free custom domain
• SSH access
• WordPress installation & support
• Premium features

So, in summary, if you’re looking to create a WordPress membership website, then we recommend sticking with one of the reliable, trusted web hosts mentioned above. With these hosts, you won’t have to worry about security or backups, and can get to work on creating your site without any delays.