How to choose a WordPress Hosting

WordPress is one of the most popular CMS (content management systems) on the market. More than a third of sites work on it. But are all the hosts suitable for using it? What requirements and features should be taken into account. In this article, we will answer the main question of many inexperienced users: “How to choose hosting for WordPress?”. We will also give a couple of tips on choosing a hosting.

WordPress Installation Requirements

This is the easiest item in the article. WordPress does not require unimaginable capacities from hosting, a bunch of plugins and a personal system administrator. You have no restrictions on the platform or software. You can create a site on Linux and Windows, but the priority is still the first OS. The main requirements of WordPress are PHP 7+ and MySQL 5.6+. This is because the platform’s plugins don’t work on older software.

The popularity of this CMS dictates the conditions in the market of hosting services. All major companies offer WordPress installation in one click. When choosing a hosting, the main criteria are reliability, speed, fault tolerance and quality service. This minimum set will allow you to start searching for a suitable site. This approach will save time and resources. It is also worth paying attention to the price, whether there is a free domain, technical capabilities, the presence of a convenient control panel, for example, cPanel, the location where the server equipment is located, the type of hosting and customer reviews. Let’s consider these points in more detail.

Price for hosting with WordPress

For many people, this is a decisive factor. However, if you choose WordPress hosting only for the price, then you may encounter the fact that expensive options may turn out to be worse than cheaper ones. Carefully familiarize yourself with the characteristics of tariff plans before buying. Do not forget, any hosting provider is aimed at making a profit, and, for example, unlimited traffic may be limited. This practice is found everywhere among foreign hosters. It is better to start by buying a tariff for virtual hosting for WordPress with the opportunity to expand its functions in the future. Web hosting will be affordable for any user.

Server Response Speed

Always examine the server hardware that is used on site. RAM, computing power and allocated disk space play a significant role in the rapid functioning of your site. The choice of equipment depends on the goals of your site. For websites with high traffic, it is better to use fast SSD drives. But it is worth noting that if your capacities are not enough for you, then a reliable hosting provider will allow you to expand the amount of resources consumed for a fee. You can also easily change the tariff.

Technical support for customers
I would like to call this a key point. If the hosting provider does not have a round-the-clock support service with convenient methods of communication, then it is better to pass by. Always choose a resource where there are several main ways of communication. We would recommend the following set: online chat, phone number and ticket system in the control panel. We also recommend that you test the work of the support service. This way you will understand the real level of customer service. This method will allow you to check the integrity of the hosting providers themselves, who like to embellish the efficiency of their employees.

The advantage will be the availability of documentation on the site.

Control panel

To work with hosting, a control panel is always provided. Some sites have their own, but also use third-party ones, for example, cPanel.

cPanel is convenient and understandable for beginners. A large community allows you to find the answer to any technical question. If the resource has its own control panel, then be sure to test it. For example, Infomaniak offers its users a panel of its own design. It is distinguished by thoughtfulness and ease of use.

Technical capabilities

WordPress is not the most demanding content management system. The main difference when choosing a tariff is the operating system used by the server. Most sites offer Linux by default. But it is possible to use Windows. The first option is usually cheaper because you don’t have to pay for a Microsoft license. But, for example, on Infomaniak you do not need to spend extra money on it, because the cost is included in the final price of the tariff plan on the Windows Cloud Server service.

Location of data centers

The closer, the better. This rule should be followed when choosing the location of server hardware. If your project and the target audience are from the same country, then you should choose the same country as the place. The proximity of data centers will allow you to instantly receive a response to any problem. It also provides a high speed of loading the site.

Type of hosting

This is the next important step when choosing WordPress hosting. Its key difference is that you need to look not at what is offered, but what you need.

Formulate your goals and objectives for the project. After that, you can proceed to the selection of the appropriate type of hosting. In total, 3 main types can be distinguished:

Shared hosting. The cheapest and most popular option. This is your choice if you are looking for a budget option for a site that requires a small amount of server resources. Ideal for novice bloggers or business card sites.
VPS/VDS-hosting. An ideal option for those who lack the capacity of virtual hosting, but it is too early to think about buying a tariff for a dedicated server. Space on the server is allocated for you, so the problems of other users will not affect you.
Dedicated server. Here the client is assigned a separate server that works only for your site. The main type of hosting for large projects with huge traffic.
We haven’t listed it in the main types, but this hosting service has been gaining popularity lately – managed hosting for WordPress. This feature lies in the fact that the hosting provider takes care of all the functions that are related to administration.

How to Install WordPress CMS on Hosting

On most sites, WordPress does not require any installation actions from the user, because it is carried out automatically. If the selected hosting does not have such a service, then go to your control panel. Find the Install Apps button. When you click on it, you will see a list of all available software on your hosting. Select the wordPress version you want and click Install. Next, you’ll need to install the databases. After these procedures, you can get to work.

How to choose a hosting for WordPress: recommendations

After all the above information, we can make a recommendation that will help you choose the hosting provider suitable for your WordPress project:

Do not make the price a decisive factor when choosing a hosting. Sometimes an inexpensive option may turn out to be what you need.
Carefully examine the server equipment that the hosting provider uses. The speed of your site depends on it.
Do not rush to register a domain name. On most WordPress-tariffs, the domain is offered absolutely free.
Availability of round-the-clock customer support service with several ways of communication. If you see that the hosting does not have round-the-clock technical support, then it is better not to even consider it for your project.
The control panel should be convenient and intuitive. If the site does not have a control panel of its own design, then look at the availability of popular programs, for example, cPanel or ISPmanager.
When choosing a data center, be guided by the rule: the closer, the better.
Start from your needs. Do not take a dedicated physical server at once, because you may face the fact that you will have nowhere to put its capacities and resources.

Conclusion

After reading this article, you will know what factors you need to consider when choosing a hosting provider on WordPress. Everything is not as complicated as it may seem at first glance. We hope that our material was useful for you!