The No-BS Guide To Choosing A WordPress Host – WPCAST019

In this episode, we talk about the different types of hosting options for your WordPress site – shared, managed, dedicated, or closed systems.

The Changelog

• First episode we’re recording in person, both in Bangkok with new microphones
• Thanks for the 5-star reviews!
  • MoneyPlan SOS from US
  • davbrn from UK
  • LuisMartinspt from Portugal
  • PiersJW from Australia
  • downandproud from Australia

The Core

• We’ve seen people have bad experiences with shared hosts like BlueHost – slow, less secure
• Lots of hosting comparisons are skewed due to affiliate links to lower quality hosts
• Examples of these (we don’t recommend): BlueHost, HostGator, GoDaddy, DreamHost, etc.

What You Should Look for in a Hosting Provider

• Fast load times for usability and SEO, especially important for mobile
• Preventing malware and the chance of getting hacked
• High uptime – check your uptime with Pingdom, Uptime Robot
• Great support, ideally specialized WordPress support

Beginner – Shared Hosting

• Inexpensive but lower performance, security, etc.
• We only recommend this option for less non-business websites
• Recommendations:
  • A Small Orange
  • SiteGround

Business – VPS / Dedicated Server

• Can be very cheap to start out (if you have low usage)
• Requires more overhead and a capable in-house team
• For most business, we don’t recommend this option
• Options:
  • Digital Ocean
  • AWS

Business – Managed Hosting

• WordPress-only, blacklist for some plugins (caching, backup, security, etc)
• Fast, secure platform
• Recommendations:
  • WPEngine (David’s choice, has staging area) (non-affiliate link)
  • Synthesis (most cost-effective for extremely high traffic sites)
  • Flywheel (Doug’s choice, fastest and highest uptime)

Business – Closed System

• Can be a great solution depending on your requirements, upside is no technical work for you
• Limited features and customization, can’t install your own themes and plugins
• Options:
  • WordPress.com (designed mainly for blogs)
  • PodWP (Doug’s company, designed for podcast websites)
  • EfficientWP (Doug’s company, designed for business websites)

Our conclusion: invest in quality and peace of mind.

What host are you using, and are you happy with them? We’re happy to give recommendations!