Choosing the Right WordPress Host
We deal with hosting all day/everyday in one form or another. If we are not setting up new sites, we are working to optimize environments, troubleshooting errors, or doing comparisons/recommendations for clients.
Not many people take time to research out the best fitting hosting solution. Some look for something really “cheap” and think that will be good enough while others think if you pay a ton of money – you will get a ton of services. Neither is usually true and we would like to help you make a smart well informed decision.
How to choose the right host?
Know your actual needs. While each host brings their own complexities and costs – we highly suggest taking time to compare multiple hosts, their costs, support options, how they handle updates (OS and application), as well as your own comfort level with technical issues. We have seen over the years that some of the cheapest hosts end up costing clients more in third party support/troubleshooting/optimization vs. more expensive hosting that includes all of those services as part of their support package. On the flipside – we have also seen people go overboard with server specs that their usage is a fraction of what the server is capable of doing that they are overpaying for hosting(throwing money at hardware is not always the answer). Not sure where to start? I would recommend getting a realistic handle on your traffic, server needs and then talk to others you might know who have similar needs. If that is not an option, I would recommend looking at a cheap host vs. mid-price host vs. expensive. See what all of them offer. Some cheap hosts are really cheap, but they do not offer backups, free support, and often have performance issues. Like mentioned before – your cheap hosting might end up costing you a lot more than you bargained for or your expensive host might be overboard for your real needs. Also consider what is most important to you (uptime, phone support, proactive updates) and make a list of what you absolutely require. Make sure you also factor in the time/effort needed to keep WordPress up to date. Is that something you can handle or do you want your host to handle?
What do we recommend?
Over the years we have migrated from one host to another – some stops along the way are longer than others but for the last year we have landed at WPEngine for our WordPress hosting needs and have been very happy with their uptime, service, and tremendous support. Of course – this was a decision made after we looked at many factors (most mentioned above).
If you are thinking about switching hosts or have any further questions we would be happy to help you through the process.