No website can be successful without a robust hosting provider, and WordPress sites are no exception. However, WordPress sites have specific needs, and the best way to address these is with a WordPress-focused hosting solution.
What is a WordPress-Focused Hosting Solution?
A WordPress-focused hosting solution is web hosting that is designed to cater specifically to the nature and needs of a WordPress site. This means that the way the hosting company structures its servers to the knowledge of the people they hire for support is centered around WordPress.
For example, WordPress functionality comes mainly from plugins. Therefore, it requires a server that can handle the resource requirements of multiple plugins. Additionally, there are many intricacies to operating a WordPress site.
Consequently, support staff needs to be well-versed in how a WordPress site works to help you troubleshoot any issues properly.
Advantages of a WordPress-Focused Hosting Solution
Security
Security is crucial for any website. However, WordPress sites present unique security vulnerabilities that your host should address. For example, developers continuously update the platform to enhance its performance and security.
These updates often address critical security issues. Therefore you must download these updates. However, this task can be time-consuming, and it’s easy to neglect to perform it. Fortunately, most WordPress hosting solutions will update the platform for you.
Most WordPress hosting solutions also perform nightly backups of your site. This ensures that you can quickly restore your site should something go wrong. Additionally, they will optimize your servers for your site’s security, so you don’t have to install security plugins.
This means that you get features such as strong password enforcement, limited login attempts, and two-factor authentication.
Performance and Speed
With WordPress optimized hosting, you get technology that’s tailored to the platform. This means that you’ll experience fewer hiccups with your site, better uptime, and faster page loading speeds.
For instance, many hosting providers offer a caching plugin, but only WordPress-focused hosts are optimized for WordPress themes and plugins. The resource requirements of themes and plugins can significantly slow down a site.
Therefore, you want a host that implements a caching system that specifically addresses WordPress themes and plugins. This is the best way to ensure that your site performs quickly and optimally.
Local Environments and One-Click Staging Sites
According to developers, you should never make edits to your production site as this might result in the white screen of death. Instead, you should make small changes in a staging environment.
A staging area is a copy of your website in a development environment where you can safely experiment with changes before pushing them to production.
Most WordPress hosting providers will offer a staging site with your plan or provide it as an add-on. Usually, it takes only a few quick clicks to set one up and take the changes live. As a result, it’s simple for just about anyone to keep their production site safe.
A local environment is similar to a staging site. It lets you make important site updates outside of the production server. This means that you can develop your site in a local environment, push it to a staging site for testing, and then push it to production when you’re ready to go live.
Easy Access to Development Tools
A WordPress-focused hosting solution makes it easy to access development tools directly from the hosting application. In general, this is done through cPanel, although some hosts have their own custom dashboards.
With access to developer tools, you can easily troubleshoot an existing site or develop a new one. Some of the actions you can perform include:
- Flushing the cache
- Turning on wp_cache
- Toggling development mode
- Exporting logs
- Accessing SFTP
- Managing your database
- Turning on wp_debug
Additional Features
A significant benefit of using a hosting provider that’s WordPress specific is that they offer a number of features for your business. This includes things like collaboration features, educational resources, and workflow tools.
For example, a WordPress host can help you collaborate on creating your site with your team, one-time contributors, or your clients. They can also help you build demo sites and transfer your hosting bill to clients.
The exact features offered depend on the host, so you should make sure to review each one to determine which host has the features that will support your ideal workflow.
How to Choose a WordPress Host?
When searching for a WordPress host, we’ve already established that you want to choose a host that has a plan that’s optimized for this platform.
However, when deciding between two or more providers, there are a few things you should compare.
- How much does it cost to host the number of sites you have or plan on having?
- How much will it cost if you want to add more websites in the future?
- Will you be charged for things like traffic spikes?
- Do they include malware removal, or is this an extra fee?
- Will they charge you to move your site to their platform?
- Do they offer 24/7 support?
- What features, beyond hosting, do they offer?
On top of these things, it’s crucial that you know the basics of each provider’s plan. Additionally, you may consider reaching out to a host’s sales team to see about getting a custom quote for your specific needs.