WordPress has made the creation of a blog/website simple and fast. During the initial stages, most websites opt for a cheaper hosting plan since their requirements from the host are usually basic. However, as the website grows and starts attracting more visitors, the need for a more efficient host arises. Further, WordPress needs regular updates, database optimization and regular security checks to ensure that the performance of the website is seamless. Managed WordPress Hosting offers a hosting plan specifically designed for WordPress sites.
Typically, a Managed WordPress Hosting plan includes:
- Automatic updates of WP core, plugins and themes.
- Latest security tools
- Faster page load speed
- Resource scalability
- Database backup, etc.
These plans take care of most of the technical aspects of running and managing a website. While many providers offer these plans and they all seem similar on the surface, it is important to ask the right questions to find the best plan for your site’s requirements. Here are four such important questions:
Q1. Do you offer automatic updates of the WordPress core, plugins and themes?
WordPress, being an open-source platform, has a worldwide community of developers who work tirelessly to keep it secure, fix bugs (when reported/found), add new features, and enhance its performance. These fixes/enhancements are made available to WordPress users via updates – which are really frequent. Keeping your WordPress/plugins/themes updated at all times is essential for the performance of your website. Updating it manually can be time-consuming and expose you to the chance of missing an important update leading to unforeseen problems. Hence, it is important to check if the hosting provider takes care of these updates.
Q2. What backup solutions do you have?
While backing up your website is your responsibility, good hosting providers also have a tool like CodeGuard integrated with the plan to allow them to set up automatic backups of your site to the Cloud. This adds an extra layer of comfort for data retrieval in case you need it. Check what backup measures are used by the provider.
Q3. Can you explain the security measures deployed by you?
Security of your website and data is of utmost importance. Ensure that the provider understands it well and explains the measures taken by him to keep your site/data secure.
Q4. How long does it take to increase or decrease resources for my website?
In today’s market, predicting traffic is a difficult task. Hence, it is important to sign up with a host who allows you to scale your resources up or down as required with the minimum delay. This ensures that you offer an uninterrupted service to your customers.
Conclusion
I understand that running and managing a website is a tedious and time-consuming task. However, despite the additional cost, Managed WordPress Hosting ensures that you don’t have to worry about most of the technical aspects anymore and can focus on running and growing your business. Apart from the questions mentioned above, you might have a few specific questions based on your site’s requirements that you may want to ask the host. Make a list of them and ensure that you find the best WP Hosting for your website. Good Luck!
Uchenna Ani-Okoye is a former IT Manager who now runs his own computer support website https://www.compuchenna.co.uk.