If you’ve ever started a website, or even thought of it, the words “web hosting” and “GoDaddy” have just about inevitably come up, right? This is because many people know that they need web hosting, especially for a WordPress site, but don’t really understand what web hosting is. So, before you go for the obvious choice, here is an in-depth review of what web hosting is, why it matters, and the best web hosting for WordPress.
Web Hosting: What is it and how does it work?
Web hosting, in theory, is actually exactly what it sounds like: you pay a provider for a space to put up the information files that make up your website (the code, images, video, etc.) online. They are then able to be viewed by anyone.
That space is on a server, which is a computer that connects web users to your site from anywhere in the world. Website files are uploaded from your computer to a server that houses many websites. Website files, in this case, come from your WordPress site.
A portion of the server’s resources (RAM, bandwidth, hard drive space) is allocated to keeping your site up and running. This distribution of resources is what will affect your website the most.
These are the factors you need to consider when choosing a web hosting service.
What makes a good web hosting service?
Uptime Reliability and System Availability: Will your website always be online and functioning?
Uptime is just the amount of time that your site is “up” on the internet and able to be seen by potential consumers. If a hosting service’s servers are unreliable, your site could be hard to reach or completely unavailable to users. At other times, servers are operational, but not necessarily available in the sense that a system will do what is required to complete a process, such as loading a page or video.
If either of these things happen, you will lose potential readers and customers. There are a lot of options online, and if your site isn’t immediately available, they won’t hesitate to go elsewhere. The businesses providing the best web hosting for WordPress will ensure that your site is up and functioning properly, all day, every day.
Here are 11 of the best online services to monitor your website’s availability, because you probably can’t hire a monitoring team at this point. And you definitely can’t sit in front of a monitor all day.
Speed: Don’t make your consumer base wait.
We all do this (or, at least, 53% of us do): if a website doesn’t load after three seconds, we are going to hit the “back” button. 40% of users will leave your site if images take too long to load. Google has added page load time as a parameter in its search ranking algorithm, impacting your potential audience numbers even more.
This is all to say that load speed is important. The services providing the best web hosting for WordPress have fast hard drives, servers dedicated to serve only one client, more memory and more processing power.
“Shared” vs “Dedicated” Servers
The kind of server you rent from a service, shared or dedicated, will greatly impact your load speed. Picture it like this: a server is like a caretaker for websites. It only has so much attention and energy. The more websites a server has to look after, the less resources (such as processing power) are available for each individual site. Renting a server that holds only your website’s files on it will make your website load much faster.
However, computers are expensive. You may not have the cash flow at this point to get your own server. If this is the case, there are other ways to decrease your website’s load time.
Bandwidth Allowance: How much space will you need?
Bandwidth allowance (or “traffic”) is the number of bytes needed to transfer your site to all of your visitors when they are browsing your site. It is essentially like a room, which can only fit so much, and can only handle so much movement at a given time.
The amount of bandwidth allowance you will need depends on what kind of content you’re putting up, and how many visitors you expect on your site at one time. Photos and videos take up a lot of this bandwidth. Web hosting services offer varied options, but some options, especially the free ones, put a limit on the size of the files you upload, to preserve bandwidth. If you want to put out high quality photos or videos, then the best web hosting for WordPress is not free.
Security: Consumers need trust.
Small business owners and entrepreneurs especially need security. Good security isn’t just one thing, but the combination of key features. The most common (and needed) hosting security features include firewall protection, virus protection and SSL security certificates, which keep a user’s connection (read: credit card information) private and protected.
Customer Service: At some point, you will need help.
If we were all great computer programmers, we wouldn’t need WordPress. At some point, you will need help, Having accessible, responsive technical support will save you a lot of time and frustration.
The web hosting world used to be GoDaddy or bust. But, here are the best hosts for the modern age.
7 Best Web Hosting Services for WordPress in the Post-GoDaddy Era
The best web hosting for WordPress will vary from person to person, as everyone’s site needs will be different. This is not a ranking, then, but just a list. Each of these options offers a hosting plan designed for WordPress, though, making them all very attractive.
Note: Prices are based on yearly rates. There are monthly rates, but it’s like any sale: the more you buy, the better the deal.
1. Bluehost: Best hosting for WordPress in general.
Bluehost understands that at least a third of websites are now powered by WordPress. So they optimized their WordPress setup and install process to make it automatic, and therefore fast and easy for their customers. They are also fast in terms of loading speed.
They handle all the WordPress plugins, such as ecommerce plugins, and make sure they’re updated. They also offer graphic design, digital marketing and SEO services, domain names and a range of other features. And all plans come with a free SSL certificate, making e-commerce platforms safer. Their customer service lines are also open 24/7.
Bluehost prides itself on being a one-stop-shop for bloggers and small business owners. Setup is easy and support is plentiful.
So, if you want your site up in a week, Bluehost is the one for you.
2. SiteGround: Best web hosting for sites with international audiences.
SiteGround web hosting is fast and global. Their WordPress plans are optimized for better speeds and constant uptime. They have also implemented image optimization, which helps your site load faster without compromising image quality. Their customer service team is friendly and fast.
The unique thing about SiteGround is that they have multiple data centers around the globe, so you can change your data locations. This is especially useful for sellers whose target audiences are not in the same country as them. The free SSL certificate that comes with every plan is also useful for sellers who are trusted to keep consumer information safe.
They do not have a free plan, and in terms of web hosting, their prices are steep. This is not the best web hosting service for someone who isn’t prepared to invest in their venture.
3. Hostinger: For simpler sites and owners on a tight budget.
On the opposite end of the price spectrum is Hostinger, a shared hosting service that offers a range of web hosting capabilities starting at $1.99/month. You won’t find a cheaper web hosting platform that has all the basic features you need.
Because Hostinger runs on shared servers, load times are average, and you do not get a lot of storage space for your site.
There are many WordPress tutorials, and a huge knowledge base. But, their customer support is slow. You will probably get more help from the tutorials than a technical support agent.
If you need a website for a creative project, this web hosting service is for you. If you need a complicated website or ecommerce platform, Hostinger is just not the one.
4. HostGator: Best shared hosting for high traffic sites.
HostGator servers have been optimized to work specifically well for WordPress sites , so your site will load fast and reliably. They have the fastest load speeds out of all these popular hosting platforms, including Bluehost. Every plan also has unlimited bandwidth and storage, making this hosting service great for high traffic websites.
5. 1&1 IONIS: For first time site owners.
Blogging for personal usage can go one of two ways: you either want to start a blog, but don’t want to invest too much and then never start. Or you decide to go for it, spend a bunch of money on a website, and then never use it. (Hopefully this doesn’t happen, or reading this post would’ve meant nothing in the grand scheme of things.)
1&1 IONIS is another low cost, easy-to-use web hosting service that you can get a lot out of. New users pay $3 a month for a free web domain, SSL certificate, all the core WordPress functions, and a 24/7 help team. They give you a lot of storage space and there are no bandwidth or visitor limits.
They also add in a free consultation, a nice touch.
If nothing else, you will have spent a small amount to learn how to use WordPress.
Note: Pricing changes after the first 12 months. Read the fine print, for web hosting, gym memberships, insurance, everything.
6. InMotion: Best VPN hosting for upscaling.
With most WordPress hosting services, you have just a few options to choose from, with something like a 30-day money back guarantee.
InMotion offers three different plans, with three different duration options, a grand total of nine different options. Most of these plans involve a lot more dedication (and money) than other services offer, so it may not be for beginners. But it is easy to scale up your plan, so it might be for the beginner who just knows they’re going to make it.
InMotion’s beginner plan offers a lot of storage, unlimited bandwidth, pre-installed WordPress, automatic backups of your site (so that if anything happens, the latest version of your site is saved), SSL and SiteLock Security.
Upgrades offer premium themes and plugins, and support for more websites.
InMotion is the best web hosting for WordPress sites that are going to be big, and need a lot of features.
7. GreenGeeks: For speed, security and the environment.
GreenGeeks has optimized their web hosting services for speed, security and carbon reduction.
LiteSpeed data drivers make GreenGeeks servers able to read and write data quickly, and uses LiteSpeed caching to accelerate your site.
On the security side, they offer SSLs with every plan. GreenGeeks system proactively monitors for problems and scans for malware. Systems are backed up nightly, so that if anything bad were to happen, your website’s data would be saved. You can call or chat with their tech support team at any time if you do run into any problems.
The GreenGeeks hosting platform runs on a “no waste” mindset: their systems are built as efficiently as possible, and for every bit of energy they do use from the grid, they match it three times over in renewable energy.
GreenGeeks, then, is web hosting for WordPress users who value speed, security and the ecosystem (which should be everyone at this point).
WordPress Pros: You’ve had the rest, but here’s the best (for seasoned WordPress users).
So, you’ve been in the WordPress game for awhile, and your site is (hopefully) very popular. You have too much traffic for the servers of your current hosting service to handle.
There is another kind of web hosting: cloud web hosting. It sounds dreamy, no?
Cloud based web hosting services pull resources from several virtual servers to support your website. Instead of having one personal or shared server to power your site, cloud web hosting will distribute the load evenly and maintain security.
Imagine it this way: your website exists on a cloud. (Bear with me, here.) At some point, your website gets busy: more clouds can be pulled from the surrounding area to support all of this activity. Other clouds can swoop in to cover ones that have dissipated (i.e. malfunctioned). Your data is also up in the sky, which is better for the environment than physical solid state servers, and safer for your data, as virtual servers cannot be destroyed in an accident like physical ones.
Cloud based web hosting also allows for quick scalability – upwards or downwards. If you suddenly find your WordPress site being flooded with activity, like an online Halloween store in October, you can access more load bearing servers. Then, for the times your website is not so busy, like a Halloween store for essentially the rest of the year, you can scale back down again. This saves many website owners money in the long run.
So, if you’ve outgrown your current hosting service, or want to reap the benefits of your site living on the cloud, here are the best cloud based web hosting services for WordPress.
4 Best Cloud Based Web Hosting Services for WordPress
Again, the “best” is different for everyone. But, you will find what you’re looking for in at least one of these web hosting services.
Don’t forget: Prices are based on yearly rates.
1. Amazon Web Services (AWS): For WordPress users with high volume traffic at highly variable times.
The attraction of AWS does not exist unless you have hundreds of thousands of site visits.
This is because the crown jewel of AWS is its dynamic scalability features, particularly that your site can be set up for auto-scaling. This means that AWS will automatically scale up and down your coverage as needed, without you needing to do anything. It sounds convenient, but it is tricky. For someone with a lot of traffic and hugely varying traffic spikes a day, then dynamic scaling will suit your needs nicely, and, if configured correctly, save you money in the long run. However, if not configured correctly AWS has much worse performance per dollar than its other cloud based competitors.
But recall that AWS was made with developers in mind. It was built using the DevOps model, which focuses on speeding up the rate at which developers can analyze data and make changes to websites. This is done in AWS by automating as many processes as possible, so that developers can focus on producing results. AWS also has several templates in many programming languages, so developers have options when it comes to coding.
Essentially, if you have a very large amount (or expect to permanently acquire a very large amount) of traffic, have spikey traffic, and want to make use of AWS’s scalability features or other top services: AWS is the best hosting for WordPress (for you).
2. Google Cloud: For huge network availability.
Networking is literally built into the DNA of Google. The bread and butter of the service is their ridiculously fast data management. The same vast network connecting the company’s data centers is now widely available to the public.
Google has taken a lot of care to consider how cloud based web hosting is going to evolve: this is apparent in their pricing model, user features and overall design model.
Google Cloud runs on a single pay-by-the-minute plan, but since Google Cloud computes data so quickly, you are paying the same amount for a lot more work to be done. A job that takes an hour, can be done in thirty minutes with this hosting platform. A variable, time based service that can do more work in less time will save a developer a lot of money in the long run.
The company offers live migrations of virtual machines, meaning that you can migrate your WordPress site from one of Google’s vast number of physical servers to another, without your website ever having to be taken down. It also automatically backs up the data from your website in two different regions, ensuring that it will never be permanently lost. And in terms of security, the same encryption methods used for Google applications such as Gmail are applied to your data.
Google Cloud is the best web hosting for WordPress users who can make good use of Google’s vast, ever expanding network. If you have high traffic, require lightning fast load times, and have to migrate from various servers all over the world, then Google is the one for you.
3. DigitalOcean: For freedom seeking developers.
The blessing (and the curse) inherent in DigitalOcean is the (nearly) complete freedom a developer has access to when using this service.
Most people use WordPress because it makes web building fast and easy: beginner WordPress users are seeing in their mind a drag and drop mockup of a website in edit mode, and can preview and publish their designs. They can also add “Apps”, such as e-commerce and analytics apps, some for free and some paid. This feature makes web building more accessible, but also quite limiting.
Many beginner builders don’t realize that WordPress has been built using code, which exists within your website. Apps are made with code, and that code can be modified.
DigitalOcean allows for the modification of WordPress features and functionalities using droplets. Droplets are the DigitalOcean equivalent of a virtual private server (VPS), which is like having your own personal dedicated server without actually having to set up or rent the physical hardware of a server.
Why don’t you have to do that?
Because hosting services like DigitalOcean take a physical server, and then add a virtual layer on top of it. A part of that virtual layer is all yours to secure data, have dedicated resources such as memory and RAM, and change WordPress code to your heart’s content.
Droplets allow complete access to root code, which are the building blocks of your website. These are also scalable, so that you can change the size of your virtual server to have the amount of resources that you need at a given time.
DigitalOcean also offers Spaces, which are virtual spaces for you to hold your data. This feature allows for object storage quickly by simplifying the essentials of it. They can be used to store backlog files, weblogs and data analysis. And, of course, spaces are scalable as well.
Some precautions, though: managed servers, such as those offered by HostGator, are updated and maintained by the hosting service. But because your server is private, you need to be the one performing updates and backups. Their customer service is not also very responsive. You are basically on your own for the most part (good luck).
In terms of pricing: the amount you pay is based on the number of Droplets and Spaces you use. “Standard droplets” start at $5 per droplet, while “CPU customized droplets” start at $20. Spaces start at $5 each, and have 250 GB of storage. As everything, including servers, bandwidth, security options, etc., is customizable, your bill can end up pretty steep before you even realize it.
However, if you know exactly what you need (and developers will), then you can keep DigitalOcean costs to a minimum. Frankly, this is a situation of: “you get what you pay for.” And, with DigitalOcean, you will definitely be pleased with what you pay for.
This hosting service, because of their virtual server model, offers a lot of freedom in terms of coding, and a huge advance in terms of speed and security. However, there is a lot of difficulty inherent in the model considering that you have to essentially build every aspect, including the control panel, on your own.
DigitalOcean is for WordPress users who need customized websites and apps, and have the skills to make them. Their security features are great for someone who owns an online store that deals with sensitive consumer information. VPS allows your site to be moved to the cloud and to other servers easily.
4. WP VIP: For massively popular, established websites.
WP VIP seems confusing at first: it has no listed price plan. It’s so exclusive, you have to apply for this hosting service. Looking at the service’s clients – Facebook, Spotify, Venture Beat, the list is impressive – this makes sense. Pricing is varied depending on your enterprise’s needs, but standard accounts have been found to be $2500-$5000 a month, with an initial $10,000 setup fee.
But for large enterprises this can be worth it: that initial setup includes a detailed assessment of your site’s needs, a planning strategy, assistance with choosing a theme (if not already done), and line-by-line code checks. This extends even to third party plugins and other forms of code, to ensure that everything put into your site is compatible with the WordPress platform. Your team, from developers to editors to contributing authors, are all trained on the platform, security and performance. This ensures that everyone on your team fully utilizes the capability of this web hosting service.
Having WP VIP is like having a mini development team working behind the scenes. Automated hourly backups, scanning and security checks, automated updates and auto-scaling are all included with this service.
If you have the next Facebook up your sleeve, then WP VIP is for you.
Your web hosting service should be in it for the long run.
You want something fast, reliable, secure, and supportive, that meets your needs. Ideally, you don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for that. (But you may have to.)
Hosting needs vary, so this has to be a well-thought out choice that requires research (which you’ve done). Many plans are pre-paid for a year in advance, so ideally, you want to pick the best web hosting service for you, one that will work for you in the long run.
