There are thousands of WordPress hosting companies out there yet it’s difficult to choose one.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Choosing WordPress hosting should be easy and straightforward.
But if you are new to WordPress hosting, it might be a bit difficult to choose the best WordPress hosting service as thousands of companies claim to meet WordPress requirements.
The truth is, all of them are not equally good. And more importantly, even if it’s a good one, it might not be the right choice for you. You need to have ideas on different types of hosts and hosting providers to choose the right one.
To make things easier for you, I am going to show you how to choose the best WordPress hosting for your blog.
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Let’s start with the basic.
What Is WordPress Hosting?
Web Hosting is the service that provides online storage space to keep your site’s pages, files, images, etc on its server. And web host makes it available to be viewed by others via the World Wide Web (WWW).
WordPress Hosting is the service that meets WordPress requirements and allows you to Install WordPress software on its server. All most all of the good web hosting companies are compatible with WordPress.
Why Do You Need Hosting For WordPress?
WordPress is just a software, which is also known as a Content Management System (CMS) and Blogging Platform.
To run WordPress, you need to install it on a server. You can use WordPress’s own server which is called WordPress.com. Or you can install WordPress on a web hosting server, which is known as self-hosted WordPress.org.
When it comes to choosing between WordPress.com and WordPress.org, I always prefer WordPress.org as it offers more control than WordPress.com. And almost all of the professional bloggers use and recommend WordPress.org.
So you mainly need web hosting to have an online server where you will install WordPress and keep your site’s files.
Now the great thing about WordPress is, it’s very easy to install. All of the popular web hosts offer One Click WordPress Installation. Even some hosts like Bluehost come with WordPress pre-installed.
And What About Domain Name?
Having a web host for your blog is half of the battle. You also need to have a domain name.
Domain name is the name of your blog. People will use it on their browser’s address bar to enter your blog. For example, RoadToBlogging.com is my domain name. Whenever you type it on the address bar and tap enter, you will be landing on my blog.
If you have already bought a domain name, you can skip this and move to the next section.
If you haven’t, you need to know two things first.
- You can buy a domain name from domain registrars like Namecheap and then can connect it with your hosting provider later. I recommend this option. [Check: Connect Namecheap Domain To HostGator]
- You can also buy a domain name from your hosting provider. I don’t recommend this. But if your host offers a free domain name, take that offer.
Normally, a domain name costs $10 – $15 per year.
If you have a hard time to come up with the right domain name for your blog, you can read this post.
Now back to WordPress Hosting again.
How Much Does WordPress Hosting Cost?
WordPress itself doesn’t cost you anything. This is a free and open source software developed by Automattic.
But you need to pay for the hosting server where you will install and run it. The cost of WordPress Hosting depends on the type of web hosting you are going to use. We will talk about different types of web hosts in the next section.
Normally, WordPress Hosting costs from $5 – $15 per month for basic plans. But it can be higher as much as thousands of dollars per month.
The good news is, when you just get started, it will not cost that much. You can start with a cheap WordPress hosting plan and upgrade later if needed.
Also Read: How Much Does It Cost To Start A WordPress Blog?
Types Of WordPress Hosting
Choosing the right type of WordPress Hosting will save you a lot of hassle and money. So it’s essential to know about different types of WordPress hosts. Let’s take a look at each type of the hosts.
- Shared
- managed
- vps
- Dedicated
- Free
There is another kind of hosting which is known as Free WordPress Hosting. I’d never recommend it to my readers. They are not reliable. They may stop their service without noticing you. It’s better to use free WordPress.com than using a free WordPress hosting.
Why Shared Hosting Is The Best Choice For Beginners?
Shared Hosting is the best choice for any new blogger or webmaster who is going to create a new WordPress blog. Most of the bloggers or webmasters start their journey with Shared WordPress Hosting. I created my first blog with HostGator Shared Hosting.
If you are going to launch a new blog, I’d recommend you to go with Shared Hosting for the following reasons:
- Shared hosting is cheap. It will cost you just $5 – $10 per month. It won’t affect your site’s performance as initially you will get less traffic.
- A Non-tech Savvy can get started with shared hosting. Most shared hosting companies come with easy to use cPanel, One Click WordPress Installation, etc.
- Most of the popular companies offer live technical support that will make your life easier.
- And most of the hosts offer different types of hosting plans. You can upgrade your hosting plan without any hassle.
However, there is a catch. Most of the shared hosting companies offer unlimited disk space, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited domains, etc. But there is no such thing. It’s just a marketing strategy.
Things To Consider While Choosing WordPress Hosting
You should check a few things before buying a WordPress Hosting Plan. Here are the things I check and recommend others to check.
Support
Speed
Uptime Guarantee
Pricing
Backups
Now to make things easier, I’m going to recommend some web hosts.
Recommended Shared WordPress Hosting
1. Bluehost
Bluehost has been one of the official recommendations of WordPress.org since 2005. It offers a free domain name and free SSL certificate. Currently, it powers over 2 million websites worldwide.
2. HostGator
Another popular web host, which is owned by the same company (EIG) that owns Bluehost. I’ve started my blogging journey with HostGator. It has an amazing offer for the people who want to buy host on month-to-month basis. HostGator offers 1 Cent Hosting for the first month.
3. SiteGround
SiteGround is also recommended by WordPress.org. Comparing to other shared hosting providers, SiteGround is a bit costly. But it worth the money as it offers better support, speed, and security.
4. Dreamhost
Dreamhost has been recommended by WordPress.org for more than 10 years. It offers free SSL certificate and SSD storage. You can get started as low as $2.59 per month.
5. Hostinger
Hostinger offers fast web hosting service at an affordable price. You can get started with Hostinger as low as $0.80 per month. If you are looking for cheap WordPress hosting, look no further and go with Hostinger.
Recommended Managed & VPS WordPress Hosting
1. WPX Hosting
WPX Hosting is the most affordable Managed WordPress Hosting that offers excellent support and speed. Here at RoadToBlogging, we use WPX Hosting. The great thing about WPX Hosting is, it will transfer your all WordPress sites from others hosts for FREE within 24 hours. And you will also get Free SSL, DDoS Protection, Malware Scanning, and more. And all these come with an affordable price.
2. Kinsta
Kinsta offers fully managed premium WordPress hosting, which is powered by Google Cloud. It’s costlier than WPX Hosting. But you will experience premium quality. Kinsta offers Free SSL & CDN.
3. WPEngine
Another popular managed WordPress hosting provider, which has been in the hosting industry since 2013. Along with web hosting service, WPEngine offers 35 StudioPress themes for FREE with Genesis Framework.
4. Flywheel
From personal WordPress blog to high-traffic sites, Flywheel has solution for all kinds of WordPress users. If you are just a beginner and getting less than 5000 visitors per month, Flywheel has plans for you. You can get started with Flywheel for just $15 per month.
Recommended Dedicated WordPress Hosting
1. LiquidWeb
LiquidWeb is one of the powerful dedicated server hosting providers which offer 100% uptime guarantee. They are very popular for their dedicated support team and high-speed servers.
Inmotion Hosting provides linux dedicated server hosting with free SSDs. It offers 99.99% uptime guarantee with free cPanel & WHM.
3. HostGator
HostGator also offers dedicated server hosting. The basic plan offers 8GB RAM and 1TB HDD. You can select from Linux and Window OS.
Final Thoughts: Which WordPress Hosting Is Best For You?
It depends on your needs and requirements. My personal recommendation is to always start with the shared hosting and upgrade when needed.
Here’s how I switched hosts over the time.
HostGator Shared Hosting > Bluehost Shared Hosting > Bluehost Optimized WordPress Hosting > HostGator WordPress Cloud Hosting > WPX Hosting.
Here are some recommendations for you.
- If you are a beginner, go with HostGator.
- If you are running medium traffic WordPress blog, try Siteground.
- If you are looking for managed WordPress hosting, go with WPX Hosting.
- If you are looking for a dedicated server, try HostGator.
Hope this post helped you to choose the right WordPress hosting for you. If you have any questions regarding WordPress hosting, feel free to ask me via comment.
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