WordPress is by far the most popular content management service used to build websites. It’s the platform used by almost 40% of all websites online.
That’s a testament to the ease of use and development community to support it. The one thing that you need to build a WordPress site is a hosting service.
You need to make sure that you have the most reliable service because your business depends on it. You’ll need to know how hosting works, what WordPress hosting does for your business, and how to find the right hosting company.
Does that sound like a lot? Don’t sweat it, because we have you completely covered. Read on to learn all about hosting so you can get the right hosting plan for your WordPress site.
How Does Hosting Work?
You know that you need it, but you might not be sure what a hosting company does. Your website is made up of a lot of files. Those files can’t reside on your laptop or a desktop computer.
They need to reside on a server. A server is a type of computer that is designed to store files, process data, receive and respond to network requests around the clock.
When you sign up for a hosting plan, you rent space on a server for your website files to reside. When a person clicks on a link or types in your URL, the server receives that command.
The server then processes that request and sends your site’s files to the website browser. The website browser receives those files and renders them into a website.
Benefits of WordPress Hosting
It’s easy to find a hosting company for your business. You can do a search online or throw a stone in any direction. You’re likely to find a hosting company.
There are standard hosting companies and then there are WordPress hosting companies. What is WordPress hosting and how does it differ from other hosting plans?
WordPress hosting companies are optimized to make your life as a webmaster easier. They look at who uses WordPress and create hosting plans to fit their needs.
Let’s take a look at some of the advantages that WordPress hosting companies offer your business.
Easy Installs
Before WordPress hosting companies came about, it was a pain to install WordPress. You had to figure out how to use an FTP account, upload WordPress, and extract a zip file. Some books claimed that you could do it in 10 minutes.
If you didn’t know what you were doing, it took a lot longer than that.
WordPress hosting companies are set up so you can install WordPress in one click. That’s it.
Better Security
The strength of WordPress is also its weakness. WordPress sites are frequently targeted by hackers that want to steal information or promote certain pharmaceuticals.
How does WordPress hosting make your site more secure? Your host is likely to offer free SSL certificates through Let’s Encrypt. This keeps your users safe.
WordPress hosting companies also make sure that servers are scanned to thwart suspicious files from being uploaded.
Automatic Updates
This point covers security and efficiency. WordPress and plugin developers update their software on a regular basis.
These updates include security patches and improvements. You would normally have to log in to your WordPress site and manually update the software.
The reality is that you don’t have the time to do that. You end up with a site that is vulnerable because the latest security patches aren’t installed.
A site that comes with automatic updates takes care of all of that so you don’t need to worry about having a site that’s vulnerable to attack.
Faster Performance
When you install WordPress in one click, hosting companies include plugins that help you optimize the performance of your site.
These plugins offer things like caching and image compression. These are little things that can make a huge difference to your site’s overall experience.
Scalability
You want to work with a hosting company that you can grow with. It’s a pain to get to a certain point in your business and get charged for going over bandwidth limits.
Pressable delivers managed hosting services that are optimized for WordPress websites. That’s one example of a company that allows you to scale up and customize your hosting plan to fit your needs.
How to Find a Reliable WordPress Hosting Company
It’s time to find a WordPress hosting company. You already know that there are thousands out there, but how can you tell which one is right for you?
Your instinct might be to look around the web, but you have to be careful here. Some of the major hosting companies have large affiliate programs, so the review sites get a commission for people who sign up through their site.
What you should look for are companies that have a good reputation, reasonable pricing, and a broad range of plans to suit your needs.
Be wary of companies that guarantee 100% uptime. Yes, uptime is important. However, it’s not possible to guarantee 100% uptime.
Finally, look closely at the level of customer support. Is there a phone number to call? Are there email and live chat options, too?
You should check the responsiveness and the overall knowledge of the support reps. This often separates good WordPress hosting companies from mediocre ones.
WordPress Hosting Matters to Your Business
Did you learn something about WordPress hosting? A WordPress host offers a lot of advantages for sites that use WordPress on the backend.
You can install it in one click, have automatic updates, and a faster website. Those are important things that your business relies on for efficiency and credibility.
Be sure to see what else is happening in the Technology section of this site.
