WordPress is completely changing the way people start websites and create content on the internet. In short, it’s free and easy to use site builder and content management solution that allows anyone to create a site without ever needing to touch a line of code or be a designer.
However, as great as WordPress is, site owners are still going to need web hosting to get their content live on the internet. This can be a challenging time for anyone starting a site of their own for the first time. The important thing to realize is that most hosting solutions now include free or automatic WordPress installation with most of their shared or premium hosting plans.
With this in mind, site owners and bloggers simply need to think about the type of content and value they want to offer from their site — and not whether they will be able to design or code their site from scratch. WordPress makes this who process easier than ever before.
Let’s now dive into the world of web hosting.
What Is WordPress Web Hosting and Why Do You Need It?
Just like every house or building has a street location and number, every website has a domain name. This allows people to find and visit your site on the internet.
And just like how people are visiting your home or business address to find something or get service, web hosting acts in the same way (as a house) — thus holding together your site content and domain name, while also making it accessible for anyone around the world.
Web hosting comes in many different shapes, sizes, and pricing. All too often you will find the same type of hosting packages offered at different rates. This usually comes down to the branding, support features, server options, and e-commerce options that a host might provide to their customer. Ultimately, all of these elements are based purely on the end user’s needs, and most hosting solutions have plans build specifically for the needs of their customers — especially for brand new site owners, and super huge brands that might need multiple servers and CDN hosting.
The three most popular web hosting configurations are below:
- Shared hosting: 1000s of sites on the same server, super cheap
- Virtual private server: Less sites, more secure, competitively priced
- Dedicated hosting: Your server with your own sites, very secure, expensive
With there now being more than 300 million WordPress sites on the internet, WordPress hosting is also now an option. WordPress hosting is a premium version of any of the hosting options above, but also more focused on sites using WordPress. This type of hosting usually comes at a slightly higher premium as well.
It’s also important to not get “WordPress hosting” confused with the free and premium hosting plans available through WordPress.com. It’s important to have your own dedicated hosting, a domain name, and also hosting a free version of WordPress that you have complete control over.
Take a Moment to Price Shop and Compare Hosting Names
For example, take a look this list on cheap WordPress hosting, and you will find many of the most common names. If you’ve been spending some time on trying to better understand the world of web hosting, you’ve come across some popular names like Bluehost and InMotion. Going with any of these trusted and well-known brands is always a good idea. One of the main reasons why these companies are so well-known and affordable is because they have the technology and bandwidth in place to host a lot of sites on each server.
There are also some dedicated hosting platforms that were created specifically for WordPress hosted sites. Usually, these hosting solutions are slightly higher in pricing but offer more customization and features when it comes to WordPress-powered sites.
When looking through the list, be sure to pull out any hosting providers that look like a good option. Then make a list of about three to five different names, and start looking for reviews and customer ratings to help with your decision. There are many sites dedicated to collecting and posting reviews and customer feedback for web hosting solutions. Since there are literally hundreds to choose from, this is a great way to make “top list” from the names you may have already selected.
Also, if you are planning on using a custom or premium WordPress theme, take a moment to see if their site recommends a quality web hosting provider, similar to what we’ve got here. You simply can’t go wrong with a personal recommendation from a trusted source.
How to Know What Hosting Pricing Plan Is Best
Now that we’ve covered the basics of web hosting and where to find a list of the top names and solutions on the internet today, it’s time to start thinking about your pricing.
In short, the web hosting industry is super competitive and they pretty much are all going to bill out at similar rates. If you are starting a website or blog to try and make money online, there should be no problems with paying around $10 per month for your hosting.
Another quick tip to remember, is that you will often save the most money if you pre-pay and go with a 12, 24, or 36-month hosting plan. Some hosting providers that have shared hosting plans that go as low as $2 to $3 per month!
WordPress Makes Site Hosting and Development Easy!
If you are completely new to the concept of web hosting, blogging, or even WordPress, you should have a much better idea of what’s going on after reading through the great info above. In short, WordPress makes it extremely easy to get started with a site of your own, while never needing to hire a graphic designer or coder to customize your site.
Now that you’ve had an opportunity to read through some helpful tips on what WordPress hosting is, why it’s important, and how to get set up with your own hosting. it’s time to go put all of these tips into action and get started now!
