Knowledgebase

Where there is a website, there has to be web hosting and most importantly a web hosting provider. Given that Wordpress is one of the most popular content management systems to build websites and blogs, knowledge pertaining to its hosting is bound to benefit you in multiple ways.

Wordpress hosting is all about choosing a suitable service provider that would host your website/blog bearing in mind the distinct nature of this platform. That being said, if you are looking for Wordpress hosting, your first priority should be to first understand the requirements and then check out the available options. Last but not the least, you could conduct research on various providers that offer this service and identify a package deal that works best for you.


WordPress Hosting Requirements

Although it is true that appropriate web hosting for a Wordpress website can cause a dramatic improvement in your website’s visibility in the vast ocean of the Internet, fact remains that first, you must meet all the web hosting requirements of this platform. Considering that Wordpress is flexible enough to be compatible with most web hosting service providers, the requisites are relatively simple and straightforward.

For your Wordpress hosting to be successful, you must ensure that –

The PHP version that you use is 7 at the minimum and can be higher than this level too

The MySQL version should be either 5.6 or higher than this level

Because most web hosting companies come with an installation option for Wordpress, all you need to do is follow the instructions provided and click on the right buttons to achieve the objective.



Choosing a Wordpress Hosting Service Provider

While choosing a Wordpress hosting service provider, important criteria that need to be checked upon are speed, the reliability of the platform and security concerns. It is only after having evaluated these that you can consider the following Wordpress hosting options :

Free hosting – Usually these are individually managed and can be availed through personal groups or online forums. Since it is often an individual who might be lending a part of his server space to you, in lieu you would be required to display his banner or a link leading to his website.

While the advantage is that you can enjoy free hosting for certain duration, the downside is the unreliable nature of such a source. The fact that the privilege can be withdrawn anytime without warning renders it untrustworthy because it could leave you high and dry without and hosting for your website.

Shared – Most popular among all hosting plans, shared hosting is perfect for an online entrepreneur who is starting out in e-commerce. It entails sharing the server with multiple websites such that the cost is divided among all the users and hence is a nominal amount.

The plus point of this type of hosting is its affordability and the downside is the restriction in usage even though service providers advertise the package as being unlimited.

VPS – An acronym for Virtual Private Server, this type of Wordpress hosting entails using a server that has been segregated into several smaller servers as per the need of users. So as a user you will enjoy the privacy of a dedicated server that can be configured and controlled as per your requirement.

This is an ideal arrangement for blogs and medium-sized businesses and the only downside is the requirement of technical knowledge, in the absence of which you need to buy a managed VPS.

Dedicated – When you lease a physical server from your hosting service provider, what you acquire is a server that is dedicated to your website so much so that that you can even control the hardware and operating system. Dedicated servers are not suitable for beginners. However, they are regarded as being truly handy for websites and blogs that receive heavy traffic as they allow for full-fledged manipulation.

Managed – If you lack the time or the technical knowledge to maintain and operate a website on your own, then the option of managed Wordpress hosting is the best for you. In lieu of a fee, the service provider would manage your website hosting process in terms of security, performance, back-ups and so on. As the website owner, you will not be required to do anything except pay the charges on a monthly basis.

Final Word

Some of the most popular Wordpress hosting providers are HostGator, Bluehost and SiteGround to name a few and each comes with its own set of distinct pros and cons. So the onus is on you to ensure that once you have met the basic requirements, the type of hosting you opt for is adequate for your online portal.

Having done so, it is just a matter of time that benefits begin to accrue in form of improved ranking, better compliance with SEO regulations and the website operating in a secure environment. 

-Vinita