Mariana
What do you know about you web host? Or put differently, what did you take into consideration in choosing your present website host?
I know web hosting is not a glamorous topic to write on and therefore you will find very less mention of it in blog posts. But why is this so?
Frankly, there are a number of reasons but top most in the list is the fact that many bloggers take web hosting for granted. Bloggers who use WordPress are even less likely to know about this subject. But that is really unfortunate as you could run into unexpected problems along the way.
[Editor’s note: The problem I had with the WebIncomeJournal a few weeks ago was a problem that has to do with web hosting. Before now I thought a simple reseller hosting account was good enough for a decent blog. But the sad experience opened my eyes to the limitations of shared hosting. I think you should really pay careful attention to this article. Let it motivate you to do some more research before you choose your next web host!]
Ok, so what should you know about your web host and why? Let’s discuss this briefly.
1. What Are The Technical Specifications Of Your Web Server?
By technical specifications I mean server capacity, communication backbone, datacenter in which the server is located, data backup facility, number of sites hosted on the server, RAM and location.
The location of your server is important. If you expect your visitors to come from US, your server must also be located there. There is no point having a low cost host located at Korea since user experience deteriorates with distance.
The datacenter in which your server is located is also a factor to be considered. Some datacenters directly connect to high speed internet backbone which speeds up data transfer considerably. Datacenters must be physically secured and must provide incremental backup facility. You must remember that your data is the most critical element and should not be compromised under any circumstances. Physical and electronic security is therefore a must.
Most of us merely look at the amount of server space allotted to us. A typical WordPress client would need not more than a few Gigabits of space. RAM capacity which is more important factor is surprisingly ignored by us. Most of the outrages occur due to insufficient RAM. In one case I remember that I lost all my data because of it. Most web host providers do not supply this information and have to be coeaxed into divulging it.
2. One Click Installation of WordPress
I would consider this necessary for any web host. Most of us, I mean bloggers, don’t know technology and consider it unnecessary. Tech guys understand this and have provided for one click installation of WordPress. I would avoid any host who doesn’t explicitly provide for this. In addition, I have noticed that many bloggers have more than one blog. Your web host must be able to provide for multiple WordPress installations which you can manage from a single dashboard. Automatic upgrades must also be available.
3. Managing WordPress File Transfer through FTP
In many instances php files are not visible through WordPress interface. In such a situation, you must be able to upload and transfer files through FTP. Though you may not encounter this problem often, it’s important to have a good FTP client for file transfer.
Conclusion
In addition to usual server specifications, WordPress users must ask for more information from their web host. Though price is a major consideration for most bloggers, it must not be the sole factor while deciding on a web host provider.
Ultimately, WordPress users must be able to install, use and upgrade their installation with ease. Remember that bloggers have to blog and not battle with technology.
Over to you: What was your consideration in choosing your web host? Have you ever had a problem with your web host? Share your experience with us in your comments below.
One factor which could be less obvious is the level of technical support you get from your hosting company. For example, to enable timthumb (a thumbnail generating script used by many themes), some companies require you to file a support ticket to enable that and you might need to fiddle with file permission.
Hello there I really appreciate this article, to be honest I am a newbie in online business, so I am gathering enough knowledge about different topic such as this. as I have read your post it proves how important web hosting is.
I had a bad experience in the customer service before of one of the hosting also the browser problem that cannot support all version of browser.
Thanks for sharing your guides
Hi Mariana,
Nice points, Your server must be located in the country to which you like to target. It reduces the load time for that specific country.
I think it is an essential step for any blogger to have such insight in the mind. Those who really use wordpress should have such information.
Hi Mariana!
Wow! I thought a good web host is all about what they say in their ads found at their homepage. Apparently, i am mistaken! For the not-so-techie bloggers like me, this article of yours is truly a word of caution. Thanks for pin pointing the most important thing to consider when choosing a web hosting company. And you are right, bloggers blog and not squeeze so much our brain juices in battling with technology. Looking forward for you to give us more points anything and everything related to blogging.
This is an outstanding article about the web hosting.It also explains the reason why a wordpress blogger must know about web hosting services.
It is very important that you understand in detail as to what are the features that your hosting company provides you with.
I think shared hosting should never be a choice at first place. A cheap VPS is much better option. Then technical support is something that you should consider seriously. A VPS managed by a good team is pretty much all you need. Without naming hosting companies there are few very good ones there. Problem with shared hosting is that say you come up with a really unique and good post and load on your server increases instantly, with shared hosting your database is hosted somewhere else and is not really available when the requests to your server is at large, thus you start loosing traffic instantly.
Cheers,
Jas
Most people know some plugins but they don’t really know the proper use of these. Thank you. 🙂
I never had a problem with any of the web host that I got because they are very reliable and efficient when I comes to making my blog and websites better and on demand. So I have no complaints, but I think as a blogger you should always know how web hosting goes, what is the process, what are the things we need and if where can get the best services to help us optimizing our blogs.
This is an interesting article as it is really relevant to me. I think if you are using WordPress any of the big webhosts such as godaddy etc would be fine. With webhosting you do tend to get what you pay for so a cheap host based in India may not be the best possible solution for your site.
Thats powerful point,of consideration choosing web hosting.
And also Live support is needed.
And can anyone share me what plugin should i use to fasten my website ?
There are certainly a lot of tactics out there to creative, informative, and especially eye-catching posts.
Really helpful tips, and it is actually what I had been searching for. I’ve just started my new blog, I only have the free hosting service, but I think I’m going to switch for a professional hosting service. I don’t trust the free ones, it must be really worth for that few bucks to get a safe and secure environment.
Mariana,
While I agree with almost everything you say, I don’t agree with you when you say to allow the automatic updates. I coach NOT to auto update because I want to make sure that bloggers back-up their sites before every update.
-To your success!
Benaiah
@Benaiah Marshall,
I agree with you Benaiah. In fact whenever there is a new update I always wait, say two to three days before updating. I think it sometimes pay to take the necessary precautions.
A blogger know that web hosting allows individuals and organizations to make their website accessible via the World Wide Web.
I’ve only been running my own site for just over 2 years and have had to change hosts 3 times. The first 2 had their internal servers hacked (or something like that) due to people installing dodgy plugins on their WP. None of this was fun for me at all!!!!
@Gareth Morgan,
That is definitely an experience! I think one way to avoid such a heartache is to check how long a web hosting company has been in business. If those web host have any experience at all, they would have known to deprive those with accounts from installing unallowed scripts.
Does anybody can offer a best web hosting information site that contain detailed web hosting plans feature? I had found some, but all those web hosting sites only list a little general feature, space, bandwidth, price… It’s hard to compare those web hosting plans or review all those web hosting companies one by one. so more detailed web hosting plans information is appreciate.
Hi Mariana ,
While picking a web host, I used to read their reviews online mostly to do with downtimes. I have had terrible experiences in the past both with shared hosting and VPS. With the penguin update, I have also started focusing on the page load time. I have also noticed that website ranking can have an adverse effect depending on the location of the server data center and one must also check these details before deciding on a hosting package.
These are all great tips! Always important to have a good server!
Excellent information for web hosting.
Thanks
It is very essential to know about web hosting. At least a basic knowledge is very important. I would prefer a web host with minimal downtime.
WP is getting more and more popular and more ppl starting to use it as a new source of income. But there are also other good programs like Magento and Joomla, which are more secured and better to customize.
Very useful post about web hosting.Thank you very much for telling the most important thing to consider while choosing a web hosting company.
Great article about the web hosting.The reasons why a wordpress blogger must know about web hosting services are very relevant.
“Good” web hosting always comes with a price. However, here are a couple free ones I’ve found that look good (though I’ve never used them):
It is very important to get decent hosting for our blog. When I see the price ways web hosting companies engage in, the one though that always comes to my mind is: you will get what you pay for…
Some hosts even charge $1/month.
I honestly don’t know how one can expect to get decent hosting and support at that paltry sum!
Only if you run a cheap blog should you consider it fitting to be housed in such base quarters …
Word press is very easy thing which can install in one click. So you need to spend or waste your time in installation.
@Recruiting Solutions,
Hey, do you mean, you need not spend or waste your time in installation?
I prefer to start with shared hosting. When you traffic grows, it’s time to move to VPS or dedi hosting.
1. Absolutely. If your targeted audience is US, use a server from US. Using CDN can also increase your site performance.
2. If your hosting offers Cpanel, most probably you’ll have softaculous or other kind of software to allow you to install WP in one click.
3. Do you need to use FTP? It’s so slow. I prefer uploading files through File Manager from Cpanel. Much faster. I mean, a lot faster!
@Rudd,
I agree with you Rudd. When I started hosting sites, I used FTP but since I began blogging I simply use file manager and most times upload files from wordpress dashboard! I don’t really see the need for FTP right now.