Choosing a Hosting Service

If you’ve decided that WordPress.org is the best fit for your needs, and you want all the power in your own hands – the next step is choosing a hosting service & provider. Below we’ll go through the types of services that are available to choose from so that you can select the one that best meets your needs.

A. Shared Hosting

Shared Hosting is when the service provider serves pages for multiple Web sites–each with their own domain name, from a single web server. This is the least expensive option but can make it hard to scale and can bring with it slower page speeds and security issues.

This is a good option for someone that just wants to maintain a small, personal blog or doesn’t expect to use many resources or have heavy web traffic.

If cost alone is your deciding factor, shared hosting is the cheapest solution.

B. Virtual Private Server (VPS)

With a VPS, you have your own set of dedicated resources partitioned off to you on a shared server. This means that the usage of other sites on your server will not effect your site’s performance or security. It also is easily scaleable, meaning you can purchase a smaller plan to start with and then upgrade your package as you start to gain more traffic or use more of your storage space.

This is a great option for a lot of people but is usually more expensive than Shared Hosting.

C. Managed WordPress Hosting

If you like the power of a VPS, but need a bit more assistance from your host – a managed solution may be right for you. These options are usually VPS-based, but are offered by companies that specialize in WordPress services so they can offer you much more in the way of support should you have any questions.

This is a good, secure option, and pricing is usually between that of Shared Hosting and a VPS.

SWS HOSTING

SWS offers fully managed WordPress hosting for both single and multisite installs. See our main Hosting page for more info, and check out our extensive hosting documentations to really dig in if needed.

D. Dedicated Server

A Dedicated Server is ideal for a large company that expects a lot of traffic through their site. It’s also a good fit for designers who may wish to host all of their client sites themselves. Even a hobbyist with multiple websites they manage for various interests or local groups might find this option most appealing if their sites have a reasonable amount of traffic.

With this option, you’ll have the full resources of an entire server – but this comes at a cost, and these servers are usually pretty expensive. If you’re a beginner, this is probably not where you’d like to start. But if your primary concern is performance, this may be the best option for you.

E. Cloud Hosting

Cloud hosting spreads your content across multiple servers to help ensure little to no down time. It is extremely scalable and you only pay for what you actually use. The increased uptime and security do come at a price, but this is an excellent option for those that need to make sure their site is always accessible.

F. What’s right for you?

It really depends on your own needs and budget. Hopefully, the above points make it easier for you to narrow down which option is best for you and give you some things to consider while making your decision.

We’ve also written an excellent article on our blog that evaluates a few of the most popular services (and it’s affiliate free, too!). You can read more about this right here.

If you have any questions, just hop on over to our support & community forums and our team will be more than happy to help you out.