When it comes to building a website, selecting an appropriate host for your site can feel like hiring a babysitter to look after your kid. In other words, the hosting service needs to be trustworthy–otherwise you’ll never get to relax or focus on the bigger picture. That’s why we’ve put together this resource covering what you need to look for in a WordPress host platform, as well as the top five best hosting services for WordPress of 2024!
What to Look for in a WordPress Hosting?
Your website’s host plays an important role in keeping your WordPress steadily online, secure, and available for your audience or customers. The role of a web host is to keep your website’s files and data stored in a secure server so they can be retrieved online at any time. Think of this like an online storage unit containing extremely valuable digital information.
You wouldn’t trust your family heirlooms with just any storage facility–you would likely research several companies first. Here👇are the top five things to look for in a WordPress website hosting platform:
1. Security
Obviously, security is an increasingly vital issue in the online realm. Keeping spam and hackers at bay is an important aspect of entering the landscape of the internet–particularly if you are a business owner or plan to keep sensitive information online. Look for hosting platforms that help you easily keep all your themes, plug-ins, and other vitals of your WordPress up-to-date, so you don’t have to stress about your website growing vulnerable to malicious forces.
2. Reliability
Especially if you rely on your website for business reasons, the last thing you want is to navigate to your site only to find that it’s been offline for days. That can cause stress and lost revenue–not to mention it can be embarrassing for potential customers or clients looking for your site!
This can erode the trust you’ve worked hard to build with your target demographic–so it should be eliminated by trusting a reliable WordPress hosting service. Look for a platform that has data centers around the world to increase your reach and chances of staying online–and be sure to inquire about their track record of keeping their sites healthy and online in the face of potential setbacks.
3. Scalability
A good portion of the point of having a website is to increase your reach. That means you need a host that can keep up with your growth as it occurs! It wouldn’t do much good to invest in a host when you’re starting out with a simple site only to have to switch as your business expands and the original host can’t keep up with demand. One way to gauge this is by looking at tiered payment plans offering more resources and features to larger-scale clients.
4. Good Support Options
When you have a problem with your website, every minute counts. That’s why you’ll want to ensure that your chosen host offers solid support options–from 24/7 chat support to accessible help from industry experts. Running a website can get complicated fast–particularly if you are new to it–so having that extra help in your back pocket can help facilitate a smoother experience.
5. Web Maintenance Features
If you’ve ever worked on the “back end” of a website, you understand how easy it is for things to go sideways–not to mention web technology is constantly in flux, and you will need to be able to roll with the continuous updates.
For example, themes and plug-ins need constant updating, otherwise your website could easily become “broken” and not function as desired. Think of web maintenance like insurance for your website–because when things crash, you’ll definitely need all hands on deck to get things back up and running as soon as possible.
6. Flexibility
How easily accessible is your chosen host, making important data like your DNS records available to you, and how easy would it be to switch hosts or integrate new features? Look for a host that allows you the ability to export and move hosts without a huge hassle or exorbitant exit fees.
Top 3 Best Hosting Services for WordPress (in 2024)
When choosing from the best hosting services for WordPress, you’ll want to find hosts that are easily compatible with this platform. As of 2024, here are the top three best platforms for hosting your WordPress site–whether it’s for business or for fun:
1. Bluehost
With exceptional reviews, Bluehost is one of the most trusted hosting services on the internet–and it works exceptionally well with WordPress. In fact, WordPress even recommends it to their website builders. With a 30-day money-back guarantee, it also features free website, domain, and SSL migration and is known to be a highly secure, reliable, and reputable host. Plus, it can cost as little as $2.75 per month!
2. GoDaddy
With a tiered payment system, GoDaddy allows users to choose their own adventure in terms of features and offerings. However, the lowest-paid plan offers a free domain and SSL Certificate, weekly backups, automated malware scans, and even an AI integration for the creation process. Opt for the highest-tiered plan, and you’ll get even more perks, such as more storage space, SEO capabilities, daily backups, WooCommerce integrations, and more.
3. WP Engine
WP Engine is, in fact, designed around WordPress–so you can rest assured that your hosting will feature seamless integration with the platform. It also boasts up to 40% faster load times for WordPress sites (which can dramatically impact both the user experience and your bounce rate), including automatic updates, a global Content Delivery Network (CDN), WooCommerce integrations, and more.
Summary
Selecting a host for your website can be a personal process based on reviews, budget, and even representatives from the hosting service itself. This decision can dramatically impact the efficacy of your website in serving your mission–so do not take it lightly! For best results, consider both the long-term and short-term implications of your goals and partnerships to ensure that the host you choose can keep up when the time to grow inevitably comes.
