How to Choose the Right WordPress Hosting for Your Site
When building a WordPress site, you have a variety of options for hosting solutions. You can choose a free option from WordPress.com or go the less expensive route and opt for a paid option from a host such as Bluehost or Hostgator.
To help you decide which hosting option is right for your needs, we have compiled a list of everything to consider before making a decision.
Features
While most host platforms offer the same basic features – like a free domain name, free website backups, and a few others – not all of them are created equal. For example, some hosts may limit your daily site traffic or speed up your site’s load time. These are important factors to consider if you’re looking for a truly premium experience from your WordPress hosting provider.
Cost
Paid options from hosts like Bluehost and Hostgator run on managed WordPress platforms. Because they take care of all the back-end work for you, you don’t have to pay for web hosting yourself. However, this also means that you’re handing over complete control of your site to Bluehost or Hostgator. While this might sound like an appealing option to those looking to save money, it’s important to research into how these hosts operate before committing to a purchase.
Performance
The final key factor you need to consider before choosing a WordPress hosting provider is performance. After all, your site’s load time will determine how well it performs in the eyes of your users. Generally speaking, the faster your site’s load time, the better. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes, a very fast load time can hurt your site’s performance rather than help it. To find out how much performance you’re getting for your money, check out these load time tests.
Now, if you want to save money while still having a fast site, you can look into the shared hosting option from most hosts. With this option, you’re giving up some performance in favor of having more storage, bandwidth, and a less expensive monthly fee.
Reliability
The last thing you need is for your site to be down for the count due to technical issues. To prevent this from happening, you need to look for a WordPress hosting provider that has a good reputation in the tech community and stands by its services with a money-back guarantee. For details, check out these reviews.
Reviews
Besides performance and reliability, another important factor you need to consider before choosing a WordPress hosting provider is reviews. Like with any other product or service, you can find hundreds of bad reviews as well as a handful of good ones for any given hosting provider. To ensure you’re getting what you really need, it’s important to focus on the good reviews rather than the bad ones.
Fortunately, the flip side of the coin is that you can also find lots of positive reviews for any given host. In fact, it’s important to do your research and read various reviews from real users before making a decision. By taking the time to do some research, you can find a hosting provider that meets your needs and has a good reputation in the tech community.
Backup
One of the most important things you need to do for your WordPress site is to make sure it’s backed up. This is doubly important if you’re creating a brand new site or if your site uses any kind of content management system (CMS), like WordPress or Joomla! Backing up your site isn’t difficult – it just takes a little bit of time – but it doesn’t have to be difficult. Almost all hosting providers offer some form of automatic daily (or weekly or monthly) backups.
If you’re looking for a truly premium experience and don’t want to go the cheap route, you can consider paid options from hosts like Bluehost and Hostgator that offer extensive features, speed, and security with an unbeatable price point. For the best overall experience, look into the managed WordPress hosting solutions offered by the big brands like WPEngine and HostingGator. All you need to do is pick the one that fits your needs.