WordPress Hosting is a web host that can be configured to efficiently host WordPress-powered websites. The exact product you get will depend on the host. There is no industry standard for WordPress Hosting. WordPress Hosting is used to facilitate, secure and speed up WordPress installations on Linux servers.
How WordPress Hosting Works
A WordPress Hosting Plan is not defined by any industry. It varies from one hosting company to the next. WordPress is simply software that runs on any Linux hosting server that supports PHP/MySQL. The “WordPress Hosting” is often an upsell.
WordPress websites use different resources than other web apps. Therefore, it is possible to make a WordPress installation run more efficiently on a hosting product than a traditional WordPress install on shared or VPS.
For a second, imagine real-world housing.
Hosting is similar to buying a condo, townhome, or detached home. It is your home. You can live there and do what you like.
Now, imagine that you are the builder. You notice that the majority of your homeowners are elderly couples (or couples with kids – whatever sparks your imagination).
Yes, the elderly couple can live in your houses, condos, or townhomes with all the standard amenities. You see many of these couples make the same changes over-and-over. You decide to sell “active adult” homes. These homes have ramps and not outdoor stairs. They are reinforced with bathroom rails. They feature wider hallways and more useful appliances.
WordPress Hosting is a lot like this. A great WordPress hosting company will think about what makes a WordPress installation – and a WordPress website overall – safer, faster, simpler, and easier.
All of these features will be pre-configured for them and all the necessary allocations made. The support team will be staffed with a WordPress expert, who will help with WordPress installations rather than just hosting support.
This setup is great for hosting companies as they can charge more and know how to manage a number of servers. It’s also easier for WordPress users, since minor WordPress problems are eliminated.
What is Managed WordPress Hosting?
This is where things get a little confusing. There are many hosting companies that go one step further. They will not only set up your WordPress hosting account, but they will also manage your WordPress install to ensure speed, security, and performance.
It is like a bundled intensive service. These are usually a separate thing from hosting companies that sell WordPress Hosting. The most famous is WordPress.com , which Matt Mullenweg owns. He is the “founder” of WordPress software.
WordPress.com offers a custom but highly controlled installation of WordPress. It is bundled with themes and plugins, as well as hosting for a flat monthly charge. Although there are some limitations, everything can be done.
WordPress’s largest installs will usually live on a managed host. Think of the blogs of the New York Times.
They are popular for WordPress websites with a lot of traffic who need support. My client uses WPEngine. He loves it, has the budget and it works well for his site. Kinsta offers a similar service. Liquid offers a Managed WordPress Hosting Service that does not use visitor caps.
It is important to recognize that managed WordPress hosting is a completely different beast than shared WordPress hosting.
WordPress Hosting: Uses
WordPress Hosting allows you to run WordPress-powered websites at a fixed price.
WordPress Hosting plans are priced based on how many people will visit the site or how many installs they will get – not the allocated resources.
Shopping is now a lot easier, but you will need to redefine what you pay for as compared to traditional web hosting.
If I have a shared hosting plan that doesn’t limit domains, for example, I may be able to sustainably manage 12 WordPress-powered microsites or a WordPress website with 30,000 visitors per month. Because I control how resources are allocated, that’s my choice. My cost per site or per visitor will be significantly lower than that of someone who purchases a managed WordPress hosting package with a limit on 2 websites and 20,000 visits.
Your money and your value are both important. WordPress Hosting helps website owners deal with security, speed, and pre-configuration issues.
WordPress Hosting Differences
WordPress Hosting is not a product on the hosting products spectrum. It’s an addition to the existing feature spectrum. Here are the differences.
WordPress Hosting vs. WordPress
This topic was the subject of an entire explanation that I wrote.
You can use WordPress with a shared hosting plan or VPS. WordPress Hosting will always be a customized setup. It’s sometimes useful, and other times it’s not. Here are some things to look out for.
What to Look For in a WordPress Hosting Provider
Because you will be paying for a custom setup and for the use of your site, choosing a WordPress hosting provider may prove more difficult than other hosting products.
What are you really looking for?
- Server Resources (memory, bandwidth, processors, etc)
- It is difficult to create unique configurations (staging and NGINX)
- Support team dedicated to your needs
- Details on Memory Allocation, Caching and Other Matters
- Plan Bonuses: Free SSL certificate, WordPress theme or plugin, builders, etc.
Top WordPress Hosting Providers
I have used many WordPress hosting providers for both my personal projects and those of clients. These are the companies I have reviewed and compared. Click on the name to see my review.
Review | My Rating | Website |
BigScoots | 8.0/10 | Learn more |
Bluehost | 9.5/10 | Learn More |
Cloudways | 8.5/10 | Learn More |
DreamHost | 9.0/10 | Learn More |
FastComet | 8.0/10 | Learn More |
Flywheel | 9.0/10 | Learn More |
GoDaddy | 8.0/10 | Learn More |
GreenGeeks | 8.0/10 | Learn More |
HostGator | 9.0/10 | Learn More |
Hostinger | 8.0/10 | Learn More |
HostPapa | 8.0/10 | Learn More |
InMotion Hosting | 9.0/10 | Learn More |
IONOS from 1&1 | 7.0/10 | Learn More |
iPage | 7.5/10 | Learn More |
Kinsta | 8.0/10 | Learn More |
Liquid Web | 9.0/10 | Learn More |
Namecheap | 9.0/10 | Learn More |
SiteGround | 8.5/10 | Learn More |
Web.com | 7.5/10 | Learn More |
WordPress.com | 8.0/10 | Learn More |
WP Engine | 7.5/10 | Learn More |
WPMU Dev | 7.5/10 | Learn More |
WPX | 9.0/10 | Learn More |
A more detailed best WordPress hosting guide was also created.
A WordPress Hosting package won’t solve your website speed problems. I have written a Beginner’s Guide to Website Performance & Speed here . I also wrote 11+ Top Cloud Managed WordPress Hosting Providers.