Managed web hosting for the WordPress content management system (CMS) is easy to find. Locating a dependable hosting service with quality technical staff, capable web servers that aren’t overloaded, and security features to protect websites from infection is the difficult part.
With managed hosting – especially WordPress hosting – price is only one consideration of many.
Managed Web Hosting
Managed WordPress hosting doesn’t all stack up the same. Web servers with low-powered processors, minimal RAM memory and hosting an excessive number of client sites suffer performance degradation at peak traffic times. A web host for WordPress sites needs a team behind them that have a solid background in managing for this CMS.
Having a general knowledge to support hosting but a lack of understanding of the operational needs of WordPress to get the best out of it or to lock it down from a security standpoint, leads to dissatisfied hosting clients. The right details must be in place for the service levels to achieve and maintain the high bar that people expect.
Ability to Scale Up
Sites will hopefully grow in traffic and complexity over time. While a basic theme and just a few pages are how they often begin life, later they may use a sophisticated premium WordPress theme and have over 1,000 pages. As sites grow and traffic volume increases, managing the scaling up process becomes a higher priority.
In experienced hands, the CMS can be managed well to perform better. Databases become filled with old information that can be expunged with the SQL database compressed down to speed up data retrieval and storage.
Caching and file compression are two areas that managed hosting can ensure are maximized to increase performance. Both for the first page viewed and each subsequent page, visitors should see the site on their display within a few seconds.
Security from Attacks
The better-managed hosts offer a unique approach to security to prevent attacks on individual websites or the web server. Network traffic filtering to block known bad traffic sources stops some access attempts before they begin. Hardening the target by locking down features that aren’t needed and operating a web app firewall to prevent access are sensible steps too. Defensive software and hardware can prevent security exploits, reduce how many times a site login attempt is permitted per hour, and stop DDOS attacks from crippling a busy website.
Employing skilled network engineers within the hosting team who are security experts is key. Malware, rootkits, and worms will get into websites and web servers when managed hosting providers are not observant.
Extra Customer Service
Customer service is critical. When you use a shared hosting package, you are typically bottom of the list when it comes to customer support. Good hosting companies take their responsibilities seriously. You won’t be left out in the cold, but it may take a while to get your issue resolved.
Managed hosting means better customer service. Your issues will be dealt with much faster and you may even have a designated support team at your disposal. It’s no fun having to cope with web chat bots when your website has gone offline. With managed WordPress hosting you won’t have to.
Fine-Tuning as Standard
A managed hosting solution is designed to work with WordPress. Instead of worrying about plugins and server-level caching, you can forgo such concerns and concentrate on producing excellent content. Managed WordPress hosting solutions utilize the latest technologies and tool. Its performance will be better, and your site will enjoy better load times, which is always an advantage if you are chasing a decent Google ranking.
Reach a Global Audience
If you are looking to reach a global audience, managed WordPress hosting is essential. Managed hosting providers work with a larger infrastructure, so you can choose where to host your WordPress site. For example, if you want to target Indian web traffic, you can elect to host your site in an Asia Pacific location. This means your site is located closer to your target audience, which ensures a better site performance.
Look for a well-rounded managed hosting solution for WordPress. It’s not any one thing that’s critical for hosting customers. Sure, the server uptime record is important but there are many other factors to consider too. Check these out when seeking a premium managed host. Email the sales team to check their response times and how technically knowledgeable they are. Pay a little more to receive better service and faster hosting; you’ll only shortchange yourself otherwise.