Top WordPress Hosting 

Every website needs a good host in order to function well and carry out the necessary tasks. However, when searching for a host, website owners can easily be misled.

There are many different hosting providers available, which makes it hard to choose only one. In this article, we’ll be discussing the top WordPress hosting services available.

What Is WordPress Hosting?

Simply put, a web host is a server that houses your website. Think of it as sitting on a bus. You pay for the bus, and it brings you to wherever you want to go more quickly and securely than if you were to walk. In the case of your WordPress host, it determines how fast your website will load. It houses everything in your website including the images, the content, and the files.

There are numerous hosting servers, but WordPress hosts are the hosting servers explicitly made for WordPress websites. Each of these WordPress hosts has its pros and cons in terms of areas of support, power, and speed. Every website has its own priorities, so it is important to choose whichever provider is more appropriate to yours.

How does WordPress Work?

WordPress works on three levels:

1. It provides website owners with an easy interface (dashboard) necessary to manage their database content.
2. It generates MySQL queries for the database, collects the results, and publishes the page that contains the necessary information on the path when the browser requests it.
3. It allows the usage of a diverse range of themes, plugins, and shortcodes. Any feature a website owner wants can be added to the site.

What Do You Need to Host WordPress?

Every website needs to be hosted in order for it to run properly and perform optimally. All pages need specific support systems, and these services do not come automatically when you install the website and create an account.

The needs of websites can vary. There are general web hosts, of which only some work as WordPress hosts. When choosing a WordPress host, here are several must-haves:

• A minimum of 7.2 PHP version: PHP is a high-level programming language that can be used to connect a website to its server.
• A minimum of 5.6 MySQL version: MySQL is a database filing system for everything that concerns your website.
• Supports HTTPS: This helps to ensure that your website’s communication is secure. You can check if a site has one by its URL. If a URL starts with https, it is secure; if it starts with Http, it is not. You’ll also find a padlock sign beside the URL if the website is safe.

Most good providers come with PHP and HTTPS. Therefore, you do not have to worry about getting them.

What Kinds of Websites Can WordPress Make?

WordPress was originally designed to host blogs, but its capabilities have expanded over time. Thanks to the modifications in the core code, in addition to its large cache of themes and plugins, it’s now easy to create any kind of website with WordPress.

But WordPress not only hosts a vast number of business sites and blogs, it’s also the most preferred way to set up an eCommerce store. With WordPress, you can create:

• Blogs
• Business websites
• eCommerce stores
• Portfolios
• Membership sites
• Forums
• Social networks
• Resumes
• Just about anything you can imagine.

Who Uses WordPress?

WordPress is great for individuals, small businesses, large corporations, and everyone and everything in between! In fact, the site you’re on right now is powered by WordPress. And a host of other popular websites you know also use WordPress.

Why Should You Use WordPress?

Here’s an interesting WordPress fact: about 38% of all websites on the web are powered by WordPress, including Microsoft, the White House, and other well-known entities.

But ask yourself: Why should I use WordPress?

No matter the site type you want to set up, there are a plethora of reasons why WordPress is a smart choice. Here are some of the most essential ones:

WordPress Is a Free and Open Source

One of the biggest benefits of WordPress is that it’s free, open-source software. While you will need to pay a little bit for hosting, you will never have to pay just to use the WordPress software, which isn’t the case with alternatives like Squarespace.

Beyond that, you can also find lots of open-source plugins and themes to change how your website looks and functions.

WordPress Is Extensible

With WordPress, you don’t necessarily have to be a developer to set up or modify a website on the platform. Thanks to its huge ecosystem of themes and plugins, it’s fairly easy for anyone with a little technical knowledge to create and manage a WordPress website.

• Themes – These primarily change how your website looks.
• Plugins –These primarily change how your website functions. Plugins can be something small, like a contact form, or huge, like creating an eCommerce store.

Currently, there are over 50,000 free WordPress plugins and 5,000 free WordPress themes, as well as tons of premium options. That is to say – you have plenty of choices!

WordPress Is Easy to Install

Think you need to be a tech genius to create your own website? Think again! If you can click a few buttons, you can install WordPress on your site.

Nowadays, most web hosts either:

• Offer to preinstall WordPress for you so that your site is ready to go right away.
• Give you dedicated tools that make the installation process very beginner-friendly.
• WordPress Is Flexible

We’ve mentioned this already. It’s a great hosting platform that allows you the freedom to create nearly about anything you can imagine. And you can tweak and expand the website as you wish so that it evolves with your business as it grows.

WordPress Help Is Easy to Find

WordPress is a commonly used platform, so you can always find help and support if you ever run into any issues. You’ll find loads of blogs, tutorials, forums, Facebook groups, and developer communities you can turn to for free and paid help if needed.

What to Look for in a Hosting Provider

• Speed: Customers and visitors appreciate speed. When people visit your website, they want the information they’re looking for as soon as possible. Therefore, your site should load and run quickly.

Google itself doesn’t tolerate slow websites. If your site is slow, your business is at a disadvantage. You need optimised WordPress hosting that will be able to handle everything in your site.

• Useful Features: To support the maintenance of your website, WordPress hosts offer various features. For instance, look for one that allows you to have an email and lots of optimising tools. You can get these features in non-WordPress hosting servers too.
• Safety: Safety is one of the most important factors when choosing a host. Choose a WordPress host that protects you from all types of attacks. Your website’s security should be guaranteed.
• Support: Another critical factor to look for in any hosting is support. How soon can you get help when needed? How fast can you have your issues resolved? Are there guides to help you? It is essential to know how much support you have available.
• WordPress-Friendly Hosting: If you’re choosing a host for your WordPress website, then it needs to be WordPress-friendly. Your hosting should meet the WordPress website requirements mentioned above. Do not compromise if the hosting you like isn’t WordPress-friendly, as this could put your site at great risk.
• Value: Hosting servers charge for their features. Therefore, when you’re choosing a hosting server, you need to make sure you’re getting your money’s worth. Make sure to choose a fast, reliable, and accessible hosting service that fulfils your website’s needs.

How To Choose a WordPress Hosting Provider

When choosing a WordPress hosting provider, the above-listed factors matter hugely. The most important factor, however, should be how suitable your provider is for your goals.

Another hard choice to make for most website owners is the choice between Shared WordPress and Managed WordPress. Any newbie in the website business may want to opt for the Managed WordPress simply because it is cheaper. However, if you look into this, it may not be the best option. When you calculate the cost-efficiency in the long run, you’ll find out that Shared WordPress has features that are not readily available in Managed WordPress hosting.

This leads us to the question: “Which WordPress hosting is the best?”. To answer this, we have compiled a list of the top WordPress hosts and their benefits.

Top WordPress Hosts and Their Benefits

SiteGround

Very popular and widely used, Siteground is a WordPress hosting provider that offers daily updates. It has server isolation, and the support is top-notch for all types of WordPress packages.

It has varying prices that accommodate all website owners. Prices range from $9.95 per month to $29.95 per month. High-level features like the GIT support and one-click WordPress Staging are also available in some packages.

SiteGround’s Benefits

• Free daily backup: This ensures that your website’s content is safe.
• Great customer service: SiteGround’s team is very helpful and replies to all messages quickly.
• Impressive cacher: Siteground makes use of its own cache, which makes their hosted website very fast.
• SSL and CDN included for free: You don’t have to worry about additional costs for your SSL certificate as it comes with the package.

Is SiteGround Hosting Customer Service fast?

There is a live chat option that allows you to chat with customer care. They reply much quicker than most other hosting providers.

SiteGround Packages

• Startup (The Basic) comes with 10GB of space and allows you to host only one website for $3.95.
• GrowBig comes with 20GB of space and allows you to host as many websites as you want.
• GoGeek comes with 30GB of space and allows you to host as many websites as you want.

Summary

• Basic price: $3.95 Monthly
• Loading Speed: 342ms
• Best feature: Great customer service

Note

Whether you have a WordPress website or not, you can use SiteGround. You can also opt for the WordPress option, which includes great features.

WPEngine

Known for its top-notch support and speed, WPEngine is another WordPress hosting service. The company offers great security alongside its packages. It has one of the largest user bases and is easily one of the biggest hosting providers.

WPEngine’s Benefits

• Unique themes: You get up to 30 collections of themes for your website.
• SSL and CDN are free of charge: You don’t have to worry about paying extra for your SSL certificate as it comes with the package.
• Built-in cache: The company has its own cache that the websites use to run more quickly.
• Updates: Automatic back up, as well as daily updates.

Is the WPEngine Customer Service Fast?

The WPEngine customer service replies very quickly and solves issues in no time.

WPEngine Packages With Pricing

Startup: It offers 10GB of space and allows you to host a website for $28 per month.

Growth: This package comes with 20GB of space and allows you to host 5 websites for $92 per month.

Scale: This package comes with 30GB of space and you can host up to 15 websites on it for $232 per month.

Custom: You can have packages created to fit your business. This way you can have as much as 1TB storage and 30 websites.

Summary

• Basic price: $28 Monthly
• Loading Speed: 350ms
• Best feature: High performance

WPOwl

WPOwl’s Hosting is one of the best decisions you will make for your WordPress site. This host’s managed WordPress hosting features everything necessary to run a fast and secure site with minimal intervention. With their top WPOwl’s WordPress Hosting, you can focus on building an amazing website.

WPowl’s Benefits

From basic features set to third-party add-ons, WPOwl’s Managed WordPress hosting services have everything you need to build a solid foundation of strength and functionality to your site.

WPOwl’s Managed WordPress hosting package includes:

• Third-party theme & plugin support
• Livechat support team
• Plugin, theme & user manager
• Cache-control
• Free SSL
• One-click site migration
• Offsite backups
• Php version selector
• Cloud VPS node
• Redirect management

How fast is WPowl’s hosting & support?

WPOwl’s Managed WordPress hosting is one hosting that makes your site succeed. Its hosting features don’t just make your site faster, but also safe and easy to manage. They provide 24/7 – 365 days of live support & fast cloud servers. Their focus on performance, security and usability makes them a leader in WordPress hosting.

WPowl’s Managed WordPress Hosting Pricing

If you’re paying too much for web hosting and looking to switch to a newer, faster platform with more features and better support at less cost, WPOwl is a great choice. WPowl’s WordPress Hosting plans start at £19.99 monthly with 100% Uptime SLA and up to 80GB disk space.

Feature Comparison

Kinsta

Looking for a trusted WordPress hosting? Then Kinsta is your go-to! Although fairly new, it is quickly becoming one of the top hosting providers. It has a number of packages that you can choose from.

Kinsta’s Benefits

• Scaling: With Kinsta, you get automatic scaling whenever there is a spike in traffic.
• Backups and repair: Kinsta offers site backup. It also repairs your website whenever there is an issue.
• Great dashboard: Kinsta’s dashboard is user-friendly and easy to use. You won’t have any issues finding your way around.
• Outstanding technology: Thanks to this feature, Kinsta is able to increase your website’s speed.

Is Kinsta Customer Service Fast?

They are not necessarily the fastest, but they attend to you when you need help. Response via the live chat takes only minutes.

Kinsta Packages and Pricing

• Starter: This package offers 10GB of space and allows you to host only one website for $30 per month.
• Pro: This option offers 20GB of space and allows you to host two websites for $60 per month.
• Business 1: This package offers 30GB of space and allows you to host 5 websites for $100 per month.
• Business 2: This option offers 40GB of space and allows you to host 10 websites for $200 per month.

Summary

• Basic price: $30 per month
• Loading Speed: 179.5 ms
• Uniqueness: Speed, security and support

Note

The management that comes with the Kinsta hosting provider is top-notch.

InMotion

InMotion is one of the best ‘average’ WordPress hosting providers. The support is great, but its speed is not fantastic. It does what you need it to do, but does not exceed any of the other hosting providers’ features. Simply put, the prices are okay and the performance is average.

InMotion Hosting’s benefits

• Domain, SSL, and CDN come with the package: When you choose InMotion, you get a free domain name, an SSL certificate, and even CDN.
• Automatic backup: It automatically carries out daily backups.
• Outstanding technology: InMotion makes use of technology such as Nginx and SSD to increase the website’s speed.

Is InMotion Customer Service Fast?

InMotion’s customer service is always available to solve your issues quickly and efficiently.

InMotion Packages

• WP-1000S offers 40GB of space and can host a website for $4.99 per month.
• WP-2000S offers 80GB of space and can host two websites for $7 99 per month.
• WP-3000S offers 120GB of space and can host three websites for $10.99 per month.

Summary

• Basic price: $4.99 monthly
• Loading Speed: 0.90s
• Best feature: Affordable package prices

Bluehost

Bluehost is another prominent WordPress hosting provider. It hosts over 2 million websites. The service is good, the packages are very affordable, and the service is reliable.

Bluehost Hosting’s Benefits

• Unlimited space and support: Except for the basic option, all of Bluehost’s packages offer unlimited space where you can store many websites as you want.
• Safety: Your website will also be protected by Bluehost. They track malware and get rid of them in no time.
• CDN and SSL: Irrespective of the package, you will always get the SSL certificate CDN for free.
• SSD storage: With SSD servers, Bluehost promises faster website performance.

Is the Bluehost Customer Service Fast?

Bluehost customer care is adequate. They reply to your questions and solve your problems.

Bluehost Packages with Pricing

• Basic: The basic package allows you to host one website and gives you 50GB of space for $2.95 per month.
• Plus: This offers you unlimited space and unlimited website hosting for $4.95 per month.
• Choice Plus: This offers you unlimited space, unlimited website hosting and even a mailbox for $5.45 per month.
• Pro: This package comes with all the features of the Choice Plus package, plus several additional ones for $13.95 per month.

Summary

• Basic price: $19.95 Monthly
• Loading Speed: 2794ms
• Best feature: Unmetered bandwidth and space

How to Grow Your Agency With WordPress Hosting

With WordPress hosting, you can specify your status as an agency to access an agency account. Accounts created with agencies in mind are designed to host multiple websites from the same server. This will give you one account from which you can manage all client accounts.

This can help reduce your costs as an agency. It will also save you time, as you won’t have to wade through a flood of account lists or log in and out of portals.

What Are the WordPress Hosting Features to Look For?

WordPress hosting comes with a wide variety of ‘themes’ in different categories, niches, and industries to suit different purposes of each user. The themes are templates that serve as the foundation of the final design and functionality of your website.

WordPress has a large library of free themes, as well as premium, paid themes offering thousands of options for layouts, colour schemes, and content presentation.

Themes are designed in such a way that lets you easily tweak and customise them to suit your preferences. You only need a basic understanding of coding to pick a theme and modify it the way you want.

Below are a number of features to look out for in WordPress hosting:

1. Ability to grow with your website
2. Daily backups that can be easily restored
3. WordPress-specific support
4. Automatic updates (core, themes, and plugins)
5. Automatic backup before updates
6. Staging server
7. Server caching
8. Content delivery network (CDN)
9. Premium plugins to expand base functionality
10. Premium themes to make your site look unique
11. Administrative interface that is easy to use.

What Are the Advantages of WordPress Hosting?

WordPress hosting services obviously offer specialized service and support for WordPress websites, but what specifically can you expect? These are just a few of the features:

• Web technologies can be pre-configured for quick setup within your website.
• Staging sites can be quickly and easily transferred.
• All accounts on the server can receive the same custom maintenance.
• Servers can be set up to protect against WordPress-specific threats.
• Bulk upgrades and security patches can be applied to all websites on the server at once.
• Customer service reps are trained to offer software support. This means if, for example, you have a plugin that isn’t working or text that isn’t displaying and you’re seeking reliable answers, they can help you solve the puzzle.
• Generally, a WordPress hosting plan package is complete with simple drag-and-drop website builders, a host of themes and plugins, plus an SSL certificate.

Why You Should Self-Host Your WordPress Site

Overall, if you’re going to be using WordPress, you’ll want to be using the self-hosted version. Sure, using WordPress.com might let you build your site and get online faster, but you’ll be sacrificing a lot.

Here’s a list of the benefits you can enjoy with the self-hosted version of WordPress:

1. Control Over Your Theme and Plugins

When creating a site, you want to have it set up exactly as you’ve pictured it in your head. If you’re using WordPress.com, you’ll not be able to make some customisations as the themes and plugins selections are greatly limited.

With self-hosted WordPress, you have an ocean of themes and plugins to experiment and choose from. You can access a vast library of free themes and plugins, as well as premium ones you may want to buy.

2. Improved Site Performance

Self-hosted WordPress allows you to find and select the best host for your needs. This means you assess host provider options and go with the ones you conclude can help you get the most out of your WordPress site.

You also have more control over the plugins you install and, therefore, can better optimise your site’s loading speed and overall performance.

Plus, self-hosted sites tend to perform better than sites that exist as a subdomain of a larger site, both in the search engine rankings and user experience overall.

3. Turn Your Site Into a Business

With a self-hosted site, you have the freedom to monetise it however you want. You don’t get to access the same privileges with WordPress.

You can only use the platform’s integrated advertising platform for any advertisement and monetisation objective. Besides, you don’t qualify for it except you hit a specified level of traffic.

When you self-host your site, there’s no limit on how you choose to make money. You’ll have your choice of ad networks. You can install plugins to help you sell affiliate products, create your own courses, and more. You can even turn your WordPress site into a full-fledged eCommerce store.

If you’re serious about growing your WordPress site, scaling your traffic, or turning your site into a full-fledged business, then you’ll want to self-host your WordPress site.

What Are the Things That Matter When Choosing the Best WordPress Host?

If your head is starting to spin at this point, I honestly understand.

I’ve walked you through a lot of technical details in this article, so I thought it’ll be nice to round off with a how-to-choose-the-best-WordPress-host checklist. Here are seven key things to remember:

1. VPS or dedicated server is only ideal for massive sites. So unless you fall into that category, you don’t need it. WordPress hosting is your best bet.
2. When assessing a host’s customer support system, keep an eye out for the ones that provide 24/7 live chat and/or phone support.
3. The technical specs matter, but really not as much as the configurations of your web host.
4. You don’t have to install and activate every plugin that catches your fancy. Go with only the essential ones. Too many plugins on your site will slow it down.
5. You should expect to get a free SSL certificate. Use it.
6. If all of this stuff is starting to sound a little complex for you, I recommend you choose managed WordPress hosting with reputable hosts like SiteGround (cheap but good with a hassle-free, 30-day money-back guarantee) or WP Engine (premium, 60 days for new customers).

Follow those recommendations, and you’ll save yourself tons of time, money, and headache.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a WordPress hosting necessary to start a website?

All sites need a hosting provider in order to contain their images and files.

Can I use free WordPress hosting providers?

Free WordPress hosting providers exist, but they have several disadvantages. Free WordPress hosting providers can place ads on your website. This can result in malware being distributed to your visitors and even your website shutting down. Free WordPress hosting providers can be dangerous, so it is highly advised not to use them.

Does it cost a lot to build a WordPress site?

No, it doesn’t cost that much to build a WordPress site. Simply consider what you need to achieve with your website, talk to an expert, and they’ll get it done.

Is it compulsory to get my WordPress hosting and domain from the same provider/company?

No. You don’t have to get the WordPress hosting and domain from the same company. You can opt for a different domain name registrar. A good example is GoDaddy. Afterwards, you can pick any of the WordPress hosting providers mentioned above. There is also nothing wrong with using the same provider, which sometimes offers you free domain names.

Should I use a WordPress hosting provider to host eCommerce sites?

Yes, all sites, including eCommerce sites, can be hosted using WordPress hosting providers, as long as a provider offers an SSL certificate.

How can I secure my WordPress hosting account?

Securing a WordPress account isn’t hard. Just ensure that you are using a strong password to protect your account and follow your provider’s advice. Also, do not log in to your account in strange or suspicious places or give out your password to strangers.

Is it hard to install WordPress?

No, it’s not. Most hosting providers allow you to install WordPress with just one click. You can find guides and steps to follow on your host’s website.

What is a cPanel WordPress hosting?

A cPanel WordPress hosting is a panel that providers use for control. It is not very important, but it still has its advantages. It makes creating and managing your email account easy.

Can WordPress hosting providers handle a lot of traffic?

They can handle billions of impressions in a month without any hassle. As long as the hosting plan is strong enough to handle your traffic, you will have no issues. If your traffic increases, your hosting provider will advise you what to do.

Can I change my WordPress hosting provider?

Yes. If you do not like the services of the current hosting provider, you can always change it to another. Migration is free and smooth. Talk to your technical support or choose to do it yourself. Your website will still be intact.

Can my WordPress hosting datacenter location affect my website?

Yes. It can affect the performance of your website in specific geographic locations. However, many WordPress hosting providers allow you to choose your data centre. Therefore, if your target audience is in a particular place, make that place your data centre. When you are not sure, you can make your company location the data centre. There’s also the option of using WordPress CDN to increase the speed.

Should I choose a monthly or yearly WordPress hosting?

Many of the available WordPress hosting plans can be paid monthly or yearly. However, if compared, the total annual cost will be cheaper. If you can afford to pay at once, the yearly plan is the best choice, unless you do not plan on keeping your website for more than a year.

Are WordPress hosting add-ons necessary?

Hosting companies have some other services that they try to sell alongside their packages. These are called add-ons. For someone who is just starting out, they are not necessary.

Your website can operate successfully without the extra features for the time being, and when you feel you need them, you can simply add them on. Some hosting services tend to add them to the cart when you’re getting your hosting, so do check what you’re getting before paying.

Will I get a professional branded email address from WordPress hosting companies?

Yes, most hosting companies allow you to create a professional email, such as an email including your website or business name.