Having helped many bloggers, as well as setting up my own WordPress Self-Hosting, I know that this can be a bit confusing for first time bloggers, who are going the route of self hosting versus using free sites such as WordPress.com or Blogspot Blogger.
There are many things to consider such as security and speed, when purchasing a hosting package. Cost and sticker prices can get may on this one, but that is something that I think a blogger needs to access and weigh all their options, especially if you have high hopes for going viral and becoming well known.
Recently WP Engine, which is a hosting company, reached out to me to share a bit about their site and the benefits of using them to indeed host your very own WordPress Website. I have been asked this question time and again. So, I felt this company really has a lot to offer and brings some really pertinent information to you, also.
So without further ado, I will let them explain further why they would be they may be the right choice for you and also let them break down the technical know how for you, too.
How do you choose the right WordPress hosting solution for your websites?
Google “WordPress Hosting” and you’ll see results that span all sorts of price ranges and technical specs. You need a document to cut through the noise and help you choose the right hosting for your sites.
I’m going to go through and detail out the choices that you have when you choose WordPress hosting.
At the end, we’ll get you set up with hosting that is well-suited to the site you’re building, the blog you write at, or the app you’ve created.
Let’s start with the 4 basic types of hosting accounts to choose from:
• Shared Hosting
• VPS (Virtual Private Server)
• Dedicated Hosting
• Managed Hosting
And that there are 6 major factors to consider when you’re choosing a host:
• Speed
• Security
• Scalability
• Support
• Tools
• Price
Knowing those various features, we can quickly cut through the noise to prioritize which type of hosting suits your needs best.
Shared Hosting
Shared hosting is a common hosting solution. It’s most compelling feature is price.
Shared hosting is cheap. For less than $10/ month you share a single server’s resources with a few hundred other small sites. If price is the most important factor, shared hosting is the way to go.
The downsides are that pages will take several seconds to load, and you’ll be responsible for keeping your site secure and updated from hackers and malware. And if you get a spike in traffic because your blog goes viral, there is a high risk that the site may crash.
Virtual Private Server
A VPS gives you more control over your site for development, along with more server resources, since you’re only sharing the server with a few other sites and not hundreds.
A VPS account can handle higher loads of traffic than a shared hosting account.
Choosing the right hosting for YOUR WordPress!
You’ll pay a bit more money for a VPS, $20-$100+ (depending on the storage) for the extra control and resources. And the server will be pretty beefy, so it can handle some significant traffic. However, scalability is limited to that server. Once the server runs out of processing power, either because of your traffic load, or maybe your neighbor suddenly got an influx of traffic, your site’s performance will drop as a result.
If you’re running a VPS, because you’ve got more control over the server, please make sure you are performing your own security measures to prevent hacking. You’ll receive pretty good support, but the folks you call or email won’t be able to offer much help if you get hacked, or if your site goes down.
Dedicated Server
This is the solution you’ll want if you need absolute control over all the technical aspects of hosting your sites. But you, or your SysAdmin better know the difference between Apache and Nginx, and being familiar with object caching. And someone on your team needs to know their way around a MySQL database, as well as how to maintain your own security protocol and firewall.
Dedicated servers give you a whole server, or several, for you to work with. Depending on how you set things up, your site will be extremely scalable under high traffic loads, and you’ll be able to hand-tune the performance and scalability. Dedicated servers are more expensive than a VPS: right at $250-$300 to start. It’s a bit more expensive, but it’s a good solution for websites that you want complete control over.
Managed WordPress Hosting
This elite breed of hosting is the top of the line for speed and scalability, and it also assumes that your site is running on WordPress. That’s a safe assumption, since about 20% of the Internet is built on WordPress. Managed WordPress Hosting means that a company like WP Engine takes care of all the technical details of the hosting and makes sure that your WordPress site is served quickly, usually under a second, and that speed scales with high traffic loads. So if (and when!) you get featured on the New York Times, you’ll be able to handle all the traffic.
So why choose WP Engine?
WP Engine will also manage the security for you, and automatically update WordPress when the latest version is released. Knowing that your site is being cared for by WordPress hosting specialist means that you don’t have to worry about hackers or security. WP Engine even guarantees their security. No other Managed Host has the guarantee.
One of the biggest benefits is having expert support when it matters most. Managed hosts have support staff who know not only hosting, but they know WordPress as well, and can offer help in troubleshooting issues with plugins or themes.
WP Engine also provides tools like a staging area and automatic nightly backups of your site in case you ever need to restore your site. We also have git for version control.
WP Engine starts at just $29 a month. Visit WP Engine to learn more and sign up today!
This is a sponsored post for WP Engine. I was not compensated other then accepting their terms to work with them as an affiliate marketer for the this post, but felt compelled to share the very timely and informative article with you.
this is so clear, as you always are. This sounds like a good deal..The best thing about you, among many, is that I understand what you are saying. Being not so savvy with navigations..this says a lot..Thanks for doing a great job…And you are number 1 on my list.
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Thank you so much Carol for your kind words about me and my business. Seriously do appreciate it and please know you too are number 1 on my list, as well!!
I wish I would have started with WP first. Now, I really want I to move, but it is so confusing. This is pretty interesting J. Thanks for being such a loyal blogging friend and linking up to Inspiration in Progress.
Thank you for always being so kind to me, too. And if you do decide to transfer to WP, please let me know and would love to try my best to help you!! 🙂
I would love too. I think I could transfer everything, but then I have heard so many confusing things. My main concern is all of my content will get scrambled. Will my images transfer as is? I want my site to run all of the time, but am worried about hosting costs. Do I have to have a hosting site? I am worried I won't be able to afford that. Since, I really don't make money off my blog. Lol, I know I am a mess. Thanks for everything.
My recent post Inspiration in Progress~ Favorite Posts and Blog Lovin'
Amy, it is pretty much a big import that you use under the dashboard allowing WordPress access to your blogger blog. From there, all you content images and all are imported. As for the hosting company, I know most offer package deals most likely around $5 or $6 a month, which usually comes out to about $60 a year for hosting. I use Host Monster and never had an issue with them, but also work with GoDaddy and no WP Engine for higher scale jobs. I have heard some negative feedback from other bloggers about HostGator and even BlueHost, but honestly never dealt with them myself. Seriously you can ask me any question and will try to help if I can 🙂
Okay, I just looked into the Host Monster. If I purchase the domain name under Blogger, will it transfer to WP when I decide to transfer, or willl I have to purchase again? That's my last question for now. I will make sure you are my go to lady when I transfer. 🙂
My recent post Inspiration in Progress~ Favorite Posts and Blog Lovin'
Oh no worries and seriously like I said ask away. You can totally purchase the domain and then would have to do two small steps, one on the blogger dashboard side and one on the Hosting company's side. If you transfer to WordPress, you should totally be able to use the same domain, but will need to set the original blog (on blogger) back to blogspot temporally as you transfer over the domain to WP with the hosting company, so you don't lose anything by rewriting WordPress on the domain name. And definitely will help you whenever you need!! 🙂
I am inevitably going to switch to self-hosted wordpress from blogger, but I am so scared. I want everything to transfer, and I mean everything – the exact look with the exact widgets and gadgets…every single old post…all photos and comments. Am I asking for a dream?
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Tamara, they may be some slight changes, but if you have your header and background image saved from blogger, as well as have your sidebar gadgets backed up, like Text HTML and images you should definitely be able to recreate it. Hope this helps and makes sense 🙂
Right now I am using Hostgator with shared hosting, which I need to switch because my site runs slower than I'd like. It's also gone down twice in the last month which I don't believe had anything to do with the shared hosting but rather issues with Hostgator. I was going to switch to VPS but I am questioning staying with Hostgator at this point. You explain this in an very easy to understand way! Thanks Janine!
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Michelle, I do know a few others who have had their own complaints about Hostgator and to be host, I used to be an affiliate for them and dropped their ad off this site, because of all I have heard in recent months. I never used them myself, but after some of the stories, I felt I would rather not have my name associated with their name on my this site. I use Host Monster, which I am sure has their own issues at times with others, but I have never had any problems with them. That said after researching WP Engine, I was seriously really impressed and just had to share here. Like I said this isn't for all and trust me it is a bit more expensive, but just wanted to lay out the options, because I do get asked many of these questions often and I thought this broke it down nicely for most to understand the differences. Thank you for reading and for your thoughtful comment, too!!! 🙂
You've got a lot of great info. here. It was really nice of you to put it together and share it!
I visit Janine's Confessions of a Mommyaholic all of the time, and today I'm visiting here from Super Sunday Sync. Happy weekend to you.
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Oh thank you Rosey for your kind words and visit, too. So happy to see you here and hope you will visit again in the future!! 🙂
Great information for those looking to make a switch, build on WP, etc.
Always helpful for your followers 🙂
Thank you for linking to Raising Imperfection.
Please come back Friday to see if you were featured. 🙂
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¸.•*´
(¸¤ Lanaya | xoxo
Raising-Reagan.com
Thanks so much Lanaya and I honestly was so happy to share for those who were indeed looking to possibly make this switch. This may be a more expensive alternative option for some, but I love being able to break down the different options so make it a bit more understandable for the masses!! And totally my pleasure in sharing at your hop. Again thanks for hosting and Happy Sunday to you, too!! 🙂
I'm so impressed that you understand all of this stuff, I am so hopeless!
Thank you for linking up to Raising Imperfection!
Make sure to check back on Friday to see if you were featured.
Leslie http://www.violetimperfection.com
Thanks so much Leslie for hosting and all your kindness here. Most of what I have learned has been from my research and just wanting to know more. If I don't know something, I search and educate myself. But to be honest, I love the design and coding aspect that this is just fun for me!! 🙂
Thanks for this article Janine. I have been mulling over the idea of switching for a few months while on a blogging break, due to real world issues. Your article has helped me a lot, I am still confused so I will be back to look over your services as well when I’m not so tired. Have a great night!
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My pleasure Lorna and definitely if you need anything, please contact me and will totally try my best to help you!! 🙂
Really this is an affordable and perfect solution for managed wordPress self hosting WP engine. You did this allocation really very nicely and hopefully here provided information will be sound handy for everyone. Thanks dude and keep up the great work. 🙂
Hi there! Thanks a lot for the wonderful article.
Perfect content and exactly like what I’m certainly looking for a long time.
Thankful to find this content and I have shared on several social networks platforms.
Bookmarked this too for reference in the foreseeable future as well.
Carry on the great work.
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My pleasure and hope you will come back for more help as you need it.
I’m truly enjoying the design and layout of your blog.
It’s a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more pleasant for me to come here and
visit more often. Did you hire out a developer to create your theme?
Great work!
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Thank you. I do all my work myself and this whole website was designed by me and as you can see from my services page, I offer these types of services and more here.