Before going for shared hosting, I hosted my site on Weebly.com and WordPress.com. Both of them banned me for some TOS issues.
Then I decided to create a self-hosted site. I came to know about shared hosting is the best choice for beginners and WordPress.org is the best blogging platform as well as CMS (Content Management System).
Now I use WordPress for all of my blogs and host them on both shared and managed WordPress hosting.
There are several types of WordPress hosting. If you are a beginner, shared hosting is the best solution. In this post, I’ll be sharing a complete guide on buying shared hosting for WordPress.
What Is Shared Hosting?
Shared hosting is the most affordable web hosting service where multiple websites share the same server. That means if you are going to buy a shared hosting, you’ll get a portion of a server to host your site. It’s not a problem as every customer has a limit on the total amount of resource s/he can use.
Advantages & Disadvantages (Pros and Cons)
Like everything, Shared Hosting has some advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages:
- Cheap: Shared hosting is cheap than other web hosting services.
- Easy to use: Most of the shared hosts come up with standard cPanel which makes it easy to use.
- Maintenance of server: You don’t have to worry about server maintenance and administration. Hosting provider will take care of it.
Disadvantages:
- Security: Shared hosting is less secure as you are sharing a server with others.
- Resource Limitation: You may face resource limitation if your site starts getting high traffic.
- Downtime: You may face downtime.
5 Things To Consider Before Buying A Shared Hosting Plan
As thousands of web hosting companies offer shared hosting, it’s not easy to choose the right one for you. Here are few things you need to check before buying a shared hosting plan.
1. Price: Shared hosting costs around $1 – $10 per month. When it comes to shared hosting pricing, you need to look at two factors.
- Promotional Price Vs. Renewal Price: Normally, shared hosting providers offer a little price to attract customers which is called promotional price. And the renewal price is the price that you have to pay after the first billing. So check both prices.
- Monthly Vs. Yearly Payment: Another important pricing factor is, choosing between monthly or yearly payment. Some of the web hosts accept both monthly and annual payment. Annual payment helps you to get some discounts. But you can consider the monthly plan if you are not sure if you will be able to run the site for one year.
2. Plans: Most of the web hosts offer 3 plans on shared hosting – Basic, Medium, and Advanced.
- Basic: One website.
- Medium: Multiple websites.
- Advanced: Multiple websites with services like SSL, IP Address, etc.
The basic or medium plan is the best choice for bloggers, and the advanced plan is for small business owner. However, you can start with the most basic plan as you can upgrade to another plan later for free.
3. Additional Services: Shared hosting providers offer additional services like Site Monitoring, Backup, SSL Certificate, CDN, etc. If you are not sure whether these services are essential for you or not, just avoid these services while signing. You can buy these services later if needed.
4. Customer Support: This is another important thing to check if you are a newbie. Make sure the web host provides 24/7/365 live customer support.
5. Reputation: Always choose a web host that has been in business for more than 3 – 5 years. Don’t host your site on a new host.
Best Shared Hosting Providers
To make things easier, here are some recommended shared hosting providers for you. You can host your site on them confidently.
1. HostGator: HostGator is my personal favorite. I bought my first shared hosting from HostGator. It is very popular for its shared hosting. It has been in hosting business for more than 15 years.
HostGator offers 3 shared hosting plans – Hatchling, Baby, and Business Plan. Baby Plan is the most popular plan.
Key Features:
- 1-Click WordPress Installation.
- Easy to use Control Panel.
- Unmetered Storage & Bandwidth.
- 45 Day Money Back Guarantee.
- 24/7/365 Technical Support.
Here are two exclusive HostGator discounts for you.
2. Bluehost: Bluehost is another popular web hosting provider. Ironically, both Bluehost and HostGator own by the same company (EIG). I’ve used Bluehost services for more than 2 years. In terms of service, both Bluehost and HostGator are more or less the same. However, WordPress.org officially recommends Bluehost.
Bluehost has 3 plans on its shared hosting – Basic, Plus, and Prime. The Basic plan is a good choice for hosting only one site.
Key Features:
- Free Domain Name.
- 1-Click WordPress Installation.
- Free SSL Certificate.
- 24/7 Customer Support.
- 30 Day Money Back Guarantee.
3. A2 Hosting: A2 Hosting provides faster web hosting service. It has been in hosting business for more than 10 years. If you don’t want to host your site on EIG owned hosts, A2 Hosting is the best solution.
A2 Hosting offers 3 shared hosting plans – Lite, Swift, and Turbo. If you want to faster site, go with Turbo plan.
Key Features:
- Faster Server.
- WordPress Optimized.
- Free SSL & SSD.
- Unlimited Storage.
- Guru Crew Support.
- Anytime Money Back Guarantee.
4. SiteGround: SiteGround is a little bit expensive than others. But the service is crafted with care. on. It offers amazing technical support. It’s a good solution for high traffic sites.
SiteGround has 3 plans on its shared hosting – StartUp, GrowBig, and GoGeek. The startup is the best choice for beginners.
Key Features:
- WordPress Optimized.
- Outstanding Speed.
- Free SSL Certificates.
- SSD Drives.
- 24/7 Live Support.
5. Namecheap: Namecheap is mainly a domain registrar that offers cheap shared hosting service. You can host your site for less than $10 for the first year. I am using their shared hosting service for a low traffic site. All I can say is, it’s a pretty good deal for new sites.
Namecheap has 3 shared hosting plans – Value, Professional, Ultimate, and Business SSD. Value is the best choice for beginners. The great thing is, you can host 3 sites on the Value plan.
Key Features:
- Cheapest Shared Hosting.
- Standard cPanel.
- Easy WordPress Installation.
- Unlimited Bandwidth.
- Great Support Team.
Wrapping Up
Hope this guide helps you buy shared hosting for your WordPress blog.
If you are still confused on which host to choose, here’s my recommendation.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
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