Almost every web host has a WordPress hosting service, but how do you separate the good ones from the bad, and what is it that makes a host particularly good for WordPress?
I have my thoughts, which I’ve detailed in our best WordPress hosting guide but I wanted to hear from the web hosts themselves - what do they think is important and how do they optimize hosting services for WordPress?
So, I asked hosts that have been recommended by WordPress themselves, and this is what they had to say.
This is what SiteGround believes makes the best WordPress hosting
WordPress powers over 40% of all websites on the internet, making it the most popular content management system worldwide. With great popularity comes a vast choice of different WordPress hosts with varying prices, features and specifications that can make your head hurt. Here at SiteGround we’ve spent the past 20 years constantly iterating on the perfect WordPress hosting - keeping up with continuous changes in user and software demand.
Our experience with hosting millions of websites during all those years show that there are four main pillars that separate the good from the great when it comes to WordPress hosting.
Support that has your back
First things first: when it comes to hosting, support is king. You want a host that's there for you 24/7, ready to jump in when you need them. Great support makes the difference between a minor hiccup and a full-blown business disaster.
When choosing a good WordPress host, look for quick response times and knowledgeable staff who speak your language - both literally and technically. Read reviews and ratings on independent websites to get a better understanding of the level of support you can expect.
If you’re a beginner or simply don’t want to deal with coding, look for a hosting provider that can help you easily reach vetted WordPress developers or provide such services in-house.
Security to never worry about
WordPress is the most popular CMS in the world, making it a hot target for hackers. A good host is proactive when it comes to security - they have built-in platform features like WAF and DDoS protection, pre-installed SSL, 2-factor authentication and automatic updates - both for WordPress and for site-critical software like PHP for example.
Don't overlook backups when choosing a host - you'll need those more often than you think. While cheaper solutions may offer minimal or no backups, this is an area where you shouldn't compromise. At SiteGround, we've gone the extra mile with our enterprise-grade backup system. All sites we host come with daily backups that are geo-distributed, meaning your backups are stored in a different datacenter than your website. This ensures that a safe restore is just a few clicks away, both in everyday situations, like a website update gone wrong, or the most extreme scenarios beyond your control.
Speed that fuels your success
Speed is a major factor in your site’s success - it’s essential for user experience, SEO and even conversions. When it comes to WordPress sites, you want a host that’s investing in speed in all areas that matter.
Great hosts optimize at every level in order to squeeze every ounce of performance from your website. At SiteGround we start with premium Google Cloud platform infrastructure and network to ensure uptime and performance and finish with our in-house built SiteGround Speed Optimizer plugin for WordPress to ensure that your application is running at its fastest. And there are a number of speed essentials in between - multi-level caching, free CDN for every site, our own ultrafast PHP implementation, custom MySQL setup adding extra speed to concurrent visits and many more. Performance optimization is a never-ending process - both for the host and the site owner and you should look for a host that understands the importance of speed and is as excited as you when it comes to making your site as fast as possible.
Easy management empowering you to do more
The final piece of the puzzle is ease of management. Depending on your needs, easy management can mean different things.
If you’re hosting a single website, the features that will make your life easy and are absolutely essential when you host WordPress sites are those that offload software management for you. Choose a host with managed WordPress autoupdates. You might want to have some control there, so consider whether autoupdate settings can be modified and how is the host performing them. For example - do they do testing and backups before updating? Backups are essential anytime there's an update involved, so at SiteGround we do a backup before every WordPress autoupdate - ensuring that if the new version doesn’t agree with your website for any reason, you’re a click away from restoring back to your fully-functional site in no time. Other features that may come in handy for your WordPress site are Staging and Git - allowing for controlled, safe testing of different designs or functionality.
There are also features and tools that make multi-site management a breeze. A convenient and easy to use control panel is a must if you host multiple websites. If you’re working with clients, look for hosts with built-in collaboration functionality to allow for easy teamwork and access management.
To summarize - choosing the right WordPress host is crucial for your website's success. The best WordPress hosts excel in four key areas: responsive and knowledgeable support, proactive security, optimized speed at every level, and user-friendly management tools. These pillars ensure that your WordPress site not only runs smoothly but thrives in the competitive online landscape. As you evaluate hosting options, prioritize providers who demonstrate expertise and commitment in these areas. By selecting a host that excels in these four pillars, you're setting a strong foundation for your WordPress site to grow, perform, and succeed.
What Hostinger believes makes the best WordPress hosting
WordPress is a versatile content management system suitable for various projects, from a blog or hobby site to an eCommerce business. This means that every WordPress user's needs are also different. Many are working on brave new projects and ideas – often more than one, and are looking for an affordable way to test them out. If an idea proves successful, they want to scale it effortlessly.
On the other hand, those with established WordPress websites might be looking for a better host to transfer to easily, quickly, and, ideally, for free. Besides the essentials, such as a free domain, email support, and responsive 24/7 expert support, we recommend considering three key areas when choosing a managed WordPress hosting provider:
Security
While the simplicity and popularity of WordPress will make for fast development, it might attract bad actors who exploit loopholes and vulnerabilities. Look for a web host with a good track record and integrated security features. Our security measures include:
- A malware scanner to instantly identify and clean malicious code, such as webshells, uploaders, adware, ransomware, and redirects – all of which are relevant to WordPress.
- A vulnerability scanner that periodically checks WordPress core, plugins, and themes for security gaps on client websites.
- Configurable automatic updates for WordPress core, themes, and plugins, providing a balance between security and stability.
- DDoS protection, enhanced with bot and spam filtering using our global content delivery network (CDN).
AI tools
1-click installers, pre-built templates, and staging tools have become the norm. Artificial intelligence (AI) tools and features are on the rise, saving time for WordPress users in starting and maintaining their websites and content. Here are some of the integrations our managed WordPress hosting clients can enjoy:
- AI content creator to help them overcome writer’s block by crafting blog posts and product descriptions.
- AI troubleshooter that helps manage and maintain WordPress sites by detecting and fixing website errors for them.
- AI chat assistant to answer questions and guide them through the platform.
- Soon, we will launch an AI website creator for WordPress that generates a pre-built website filled with relevant content.
Performance
On the internet, every second counts. The faster a website loads, the lower the bounce rate; website performance is also a ranking factor that helps achieve higher positions in search engine results. Here’s what makes WordPress websites load fast at Hostinger:
- LiteSpeed web server technology features a server-level cache and a collection of optimization features, boosting the speed by up to 12 times compared with other server cache solutions.
- Clients can optimize their websites with one click by choosing a website optimization profile. The profile's settings are automatically applied to the website and increase the loading speed accordingly.
- Object Cache for WordPress stores the database query results in fast access memory, so it can be quickly returned instead of querying from the database.
- The in-house CDN automatically caches the client website’s content across global servers, loading up to 40% faster for end-users and minimizing pressure on the main server.
What Bluehost believes makes the best WordPress hosting
Choosing the right hosting provider is crucial for the success of your business, especially when it comes to your WordPress website. A hosting service that can grow with your business and is specifically tailored to the needs of your WordPress site is foundational for long-term success. At Bluehost, we’re committed to providing the kind of WordPress-focused hosting service that allows businesses like yours to achieve sustainable growth online, while enjoying the scalability, security and efficiency of the WordPress platform.
Today, WordPress is the most popular content management system in the world, powering over 40% of all websites. But to make the most of WordPress, it’s essential to choose a hosting service that specializes in the platform, ensuring that your site performs to its highest potential and can scale as your business expands.
Different sites have different needs, but WordPress sites might require specific skill sets and demands. The type of website you run often dictates the level of performance you’ll need, so make sure to nail down your online goals from the outset. Whether you run an agency building high-quality WordPress sites for clients or you’re an individual business owner, knowing what your site needs will help you make the right hosting choice.
Before choosing your web hosting provider, consider these important questions:
- What are the performance and scalability needs of your WordPress site?
- How will your WordPress site be optimized for SEO?
- What type of hosting service is best suited for your WordPress website?
- What features or functionality might you need and does your hosting provider offer that as an integration or bundled value?
Answering these questions will help ensure that your hosting solution aligns with your business goals and effectively supports your business’s growth.
A reliable WordPress hosting provider, like Bluehost, offers several key features:
- Scalability: As your WordPress site grows, the ability to easily scale resources up or down is essential. Whether you're experiencing a surge in traffic or expanding your content, scalable hosting ensures your site runs smoothly.
- Performance: Ensuring your WordPress site is always up and running is critical. Bluehost guarantees high performance with 99.9% network uptime, so your site is always accessible to visitors.
- Customization: WordPress is known for its flexibility and your hosting provider should offer customizable solutions that enable you to meet your website needs. Bluehost’s WordPress hosting plans can be easily upgraded to accommodate additional resources for your site to grow with your business.
- Speed: A fast-loading WordPress site both pleases site visitors and improves search engine rankings. Even a slight delay in load time can lead to higher bounce rates, affecting sales and engagement. Bluehost’s optimized WordPress hosting options enhance site speed, ensuring a better user experience and improved SEO performance.
- Flexibility: When selecting a hosting provider for your WordPress site, the ability to customize services and features is key. Seek a comprehensive WordPress hosting solution with flexible server options, a choice of operating systems, control panel options and seamless integration with essential WordPress plugins and tools.
These features allow businesses to maximize their WordPress site's potential, streamline operations and drive growth. With Bluehost, you get a hosting partner that not only understands WordPress, but also provides access to WordPress experts with the specialized support, free self-service migrations and resources needed to help you, your business and your WordPress site thrive.
