Is the hosting industry running WordPress coming to an end? I mean, is WordPress easy to grasp enough so we don’t need any companies to help us set up our web servers and then regularly take care of those servers?
Well, if you’re a developer working with WordPress on a daily basis, then you might want to think it’s actually the case.
For the end-user–who may not be acquainted with the technical stuff–WordPress is just a black box enabling them to publish their work/posts/articles/products on the internet. And that’s how it will live.
So, it seems that companies offering managed WordPress hosting are a good response to that need. Or is it?
WordPress hosting
It can be challenging to run a WordPress site— there are many things to consider and keep track of. Speed, performance, safety— these are all things that WordPress can be difficult to optimize.
Although WordPress can be hosted on a shared Linux server, this is not usually the best way to do it. Thankfully, it has appeared that hosting companies have handled the WordPress hosting service created specifically for managing WordPress pages. Take a closer look at what separates this form of hosting from traditional Linux hosting and why it is so advantageous.
What is WordPress Hosting Managed?
Essentially, WordPress-managed hosting is specialty hosting designed to optimize WordPress sites ‘ speed, efficiency, and protection. Managed WordPress hosts typically have better support for WordPress sites than regular hosts do, and they also typically have better-trained WordPress specialists. Some of the characteristics of managed WordPress hosts including Improved backups Some managed WordPress hosts provide backup systems that are better than standard Linux servers in order of magnitude. This is vital because it is a good way to avoid missing data if your site gets hacked by taking regular backups of your web.
Beyond frequent backups and simplifying this method, many WordPress hosts often make it easier to recover and migrate. Of starters, WP Engine has a basic WordPress plugin that can be used to convert a site to their database, and with backups and restore pages, they also do a great job.
Staging environments
Many managed WordPress hosts provide staging environments that make creation simpler, allowing website designers and developers to replicate their current site and make improvements in a test environment.
Of eg, WP Engine considers this their “staging location.” They often make the staging site easy to take and copy to the live site and vice versa. This is much easier than creating a subdomain on an Ubuntu server, checking that everything works properly, and exporting it to the main site and overwriting the code, etc. Increased security Since WordPress connects with a database and is designed in basic PHP with a user account layout, it is fairly vulnerable to attacks. Because of this, understanding that there is a real need to work on hardening the security of any site using WordPress as its CMS is important.
The nice thing about managed hosting is that it is usually created from the ground up to avoid many of WordPress’s most common feats. In fact, most managed hosts provide automatic version testing and upgrading of plugins, as well as the foundation of WordPress itself to ensure that no security vulnerabilities remain open. This doesn’t mean a server on a managed host can’t be abused because it can, but on a regular Linux program, it’s less probable than a site.
As time goes on, users are starting to care more and more about the speed at which sites are loading. When page load speed is a factor in how pages are classified in the search results, search engines are also beginning to notice.
With that said, WordPress-managed hosting is usually configured much more for efficiency than a Linux box or a pooled Cloud package. Great filtering, memory protection, built-in CDNs, and other similar things are all functionality you can usually find with managed hosts (see the quickest web hosting page for more about speed). The following malicious redirects WordPress help fixing hacked website.
Top-notch service
The level of support you get on a managed package is one of the biggest things that separates a daily hosting company from a managed WordPress hosting company. Generally speaking, the technicians are all WordPress professionals, not common application technicians, but run WordPress plans.
This may not seem like it makes a difference, but it does because it is clear where support is poor, and when there is a big problem, it can make or break a platform of good support. There’s really a big difference between how much help you get with a run WordPress host and how much support you get with a shared plan, hands down.
Was WordPress Managed Hosting Worth it?
The major question at hand is whether or not it is “effective” to handle WordPress hosting. If you have a WordPress blog that even attracts a small amount of traffic and you can handle Flywheel’s tiny package at least $15/month, then I’d definitely say yes. Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of using a program.
Pros of using a managed host for WordPress
- Better security
- Increased speed & performance
- Better support
- Features not available on shared hosting plans (staging environments, backups, etc.)
- Built exclusively for WordPress
When it comes to managed hosting, you definitely get a much better environment for WordPress, but this usually comes at a price because managed WordPress hosting is typically a bit more expensive.
Cons of using a managed host for WordPress
- Pricing is typically higher
- Some plugins are disallowed
- Automatic version updates are often required
Usually, the downside of using a managed host for WordPress Premium is higher Many extensions are disallowed Manual version changes are often needed Looking at the negatives in terms of managed hosting, there are not many, but they are still worth considering. Managed hosting is, first of all, more expensive (but in my opinion still very affordable). Of starters, the cheapest plan of WP Engine operates at $24/month when it is charged monthly, which is pretty cheap for what you really receive. For that money, you can’t even find a decently equipped VPS.
If you’ve got a smaller site that doesn’t get as much traffic, Flywheel has a “Tiny” plan that costs only $15/month, making it the best WordPress hosting deal. It is often said that peace of mind alone is worth it for a managed setup, and I really believe it is true.
I truly believe that managed hosting for a WordPress site at the end of the day is not just the way to go, but it’s worth it altogether. It is really something that should at least be noticed by everyone with a WordPress account.
