December 7th, 2020 | Updated on September 1st, 2021
WordPress needs no detailed introduction. The most popular CMS (content management system) has been rocking the website building stage for years now, flaunting over 450 million websites under its belt.
WP’s architecture is a prime reason for this worldwide acclaim. It has an open-source system using a combination of the widely-used PHP and MySQL.
This setup allows the CMS to be modified into anything you want with the right plugins and themes. Blogs, portfolios, podcasts, online shops, business websites – and that’s just scratching the surface.
Why Do You Need WordPress Hosting?
Providers often support hundreds of different applications, offering clients a wide variety of web-building solutions. But there are multiple reasons why it’s best to find a WordPress-specific provider for your particular project:
- Infrastructure – When all clients on the server utilize the same software, it’s very easy for the host to optimize the environment for this CMS alone. In the case of WordPress, a great provider will go out of its way to tweak WP for best performance and maximum security.
- App-specific Features – As with the infrastructure, the provider can also throw in some extra services. It is talking about things like free installation or site migration, automatic updates, core plugins preinstalled. In short, a WordPress-based package focuses on the optimization of the most popular CMS alone.
- Support – No hosting support can be perfectly versed in all of the 150+ scripts they offer, it’s just not humanly possible. So, instead of being the jack of all trades, some providers choose the master of one – WordPress. Even the best developers might need WP assistance sometimes, and it’s good to know you have a solid support behind your back in times of need.
How To Find The Best WordPress Host
So, now that we know how essential WordPress hosting is for your website let’s get to the topic at hand – how to find the best WordPress host.
What To Look For In A Good WordPress Host?
There is no best WordPress hosting provider, it all depends on your needs. Searching for a reliable solution, you’ve probably heard that answer many times before. To an extent, it’s absolutely true – projects vary, and they all have different requirements to run smoothly.
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some essentials to look out for.
Here are some key aspects that can easily tell you where to host a WordPress website.
- Features – Knowing what you need, you should already have an idea of the features and options that would fit you best. Look for providers that can not just meet them but add extra value to your project. There might be some features that you don’t necessarily need to start with but can bring great future benefits. Things that always come in handy are SSL certificates, CDN, backup options, a WordPress auto installer, but you can always find more.
- Ease of Use – The best way to test a provider is with some first-hand experience. WordPress hosts often offer free trials or moneyback guarantees, so you can get a feel of the service for a limited time with little to no investments. Use that time to navigate around the user area and control panel to check if all runs smoothly and you understand what-is-what.
- Performance – Another thing you can do with your trial account is to test your WordPress speed and other performance metrics. You simply need to install or move a WordPress website to your chosen host and then run some benchmark tests. You can utilize third-party tools like GTMetrix and Pingdom to check your current website state from different locations, get actionable optimization tips, and many more feats.
- Support – An often-overlooked factor, proper customer care is essential for both first-time users and experienced webmasters. Look for providers that offer 24/7 assistance and support various communication channels – live chat, phone, ticketing. A good tip would be to test the pre-sales support with some questions to get an overall idea of the responsiveness and knowledgeability you should expect from the host.
- Price – At the end of the day, it all boils down to what WordPress hosting plan you can afford, but don’t just look at the price tag – figure out the cost-effectiveness in the long run. Providers often raise their prices for renewal, or you might require some extra feature that comes at a premium fee. Always plan your hosting budget ahead.
- User Reviews – you should always take online reviews with a pinch of salt. Some companies heavily rely on fake positive testimonials to make a good impression. That being said, you can always get valuable insights from existing customers. Check reviews on several websites and look for common positives or alarming signs.
ScalaHosting For WordPress
Hosting thousands of WP websites, one of our top choices for WordPress hosting is undoubtedly ScalaHosting. The forward-thinking provider has been heavily invested in the most popular CMS for quite some time now, and here are their top offerings for WordPress users:
- Shared Hosting – you can choose between three performance-optimized packages, all coming with a free domain name, SSL certificates, a CDN, and unlimited email accounts. At the very least, you will benefit from 1 CPU core, 50 GB disk space, and SSD-powered databases.
- WordPress Hosting – similar to shared hosting, you can choose between plans for one to unlimited websites. You can also count on the ScalaHosting support team with any questions regarding WordPress and its intricacies.
- Cloud VPS Servers – the best option for growing websites and businesses that need enhanced speed and security. VPS servers come with advanced customization control and scale very easily. Offers start from 1 CPU core, 2 GB RAM, and 20 GB SSD space and include a free dedicated IP, daily offsite backups, and the SPanel hosting management solution.
Final Thought
Finding the right WordPress provider might not be as hard of a task as it first appears. Once you decide to go that route, you simply need to do your research by covering the important aspects like features, ease of use, security, support, and price. Such a comparison will help you shortlist just a couple of candidates, and taking advantage of their free trial can act as the final test.
Ready to get started with WordPress?
