Businesses using WordPress as a CMS are constantly worried about performance and ease of use but the majority of them are not technical. Although there are tons of resources available, which can guide you to tweak your WordPress website for optimum performance but the challenge, is WordPress hosting which majority of the website owner’s neglect.
The Challenge of choosing hosting for your clients
If you are a WordPress developer or agency, you must have asked by your clients to choose the right web host for their WordPress website. Also, it is your job to get the right kind of solution, which satisfies their requirements as well as their budget.
It has been observed that small businesses and startups struggle in managing their web hosting and instead of spending time in building the actual product or service, they exhaust their resources in setting their hosting.
Being the website developer, you manage to develop an amazing modern website for your client, but all your efforts go in vain when a website does not behave the way you expected it to due to the bad hosting choice you made. The result is more frustration, a possible financial loss that takes the whole project behind schedule.
The client does not understand the technicalities, and he expects to receive running and problem free website from the development company he hired. It is mainly because hiring a full-time system admin can cost many dollars, which is not ideal for startups and small businesses in many cases.
So, how to choose a web hosting service? Let us try to explore the ways, which can help you in suggesting the right kind of hosting to your client.
Types of Web Hosting
Instead of writing down the definitions for each, I am going to list down the most popular types of web hosting and how they are different from one another and what kind of hosting is suitable for which type of client?
Shared Web Hosting
Resources
As the name suggests, in shared hosting, all the resources are shared, and one server has multiple websites hosted. Some websites could be in hundreds and thousands depending on the server. These websites share the same server resources like RAM and CPU.
Security
Since resources are shared, security is always an issue with shared hosting. If one site is hacked on the server, it might as well affect other sites hosted on the same machine. However, if website level security is properly implemented then the chances of being hit by a vulnerability are less.
Performance
This type of web hosting is suitable for small sites with less traffic. If you expect high performance while hosted on shared hosting, then I am afraid you will get disappointed.
Another reason for poor performance is that one big site with high traffic volume consumes more juice and affects the rest hosted on the same server.
Expertise
Shared hosting is easy to manage which is why many new site owners and individual bloggers who do not expect much traffic, in the beginning, prefer it.
Scalability
It is not scalable as resources are shared.
Pricing
It starts from $5/mo to $10/mo
Clients with limited budget and expertise can opt for this who do not expect high performance and security. Best suited for brochure and sites built just for online presence.
VPS Web Hosting
Resources
In Virtual Private Server (VPS) websites are shared on one single server, but each website has its own allocated space and resources. It is a solution, which resides in between shared and dedicated hosting. Consider it as an apartment in a building. Your apartment is your space, but many apartments share the whole building.
Security
It is more segregated than shared hosting, therefore, is more secure as other users have a minimum impact on your website.
Performance
It gives more control to the site owner and let them install their software and packages. It can handle high traffic volume depending on your plan.
Expertise
Suitable for people who do not have the expertise to run a dedicated server but likes more control than shared hosting. It requires some level of technical skills to manage a VPS server.
Scalability
VPS is scalable.
Pricing
VPS plans start from $25 to $75 depending on the hardware you get.
This type of hosting is suitable for clients who are serious about performance and security and expect high traffic volume. However, they will require expertise to manage their VPS server.
Dedicated Web Hosting
Resources
It is like renting a physical server with root access. You can configure your server the way you like and add more RAM and SSD hard drive if needed. All of these resources will serve only your websites.
Security
Since you have the root access, you can implement a firewall and other security measures best suited for your business. Security is tight as there is no interference from another user.
Performance
It let you install any software or OS best suited for your website. Hosting as such provides high performance as everything is configurable the way your client requires.
Expertise
It requires an expert level of expertise in server management as the server itself has no interface to manage it, and the majority of the things are controlled by command line.
Scalability
It can be scaled by requesting the provider to add additional RAM and storage disk.
Pricing
Dedicated servers are expensive and start from $100/mo to $300/mo. On top of that, add the salary of the system admin who will be managing the server for you.
Clients who expect high volumes of traffic on their site and require a high level of security and performance can opt for this hosting. Who also have the budget to afford system administrator to manage everything on the server.
Cloud Hosting
Resources
In this hosting, many servers are linked together to form one giant computing resource. This resource in the shape of hardware can be added to accommodate the growing load of the sites hosted on the network.
Security
Cloud infrastructure is secured due to its complex structure. Data is distributed across the network of servers, which is protected, by a firewall and other security protocols to ensure the maximum safeguard of the data.
Performance
Performance and high availability is the essence of cloud hosting. It can entertain a large volume of traffic without shutting down your site as it has the capability of growing its computing power when needed.
Expertise
Cloud hosting is just like VPS. It does require you to have a basic understanding of server architecture and software used for utilities. However, managed cloud hosting providers make the management a lot easier. I will discuss such provider later in this article.
Scalability
Cloud hosting is completely scalable, and resources can be increased instantly.
Pricing
It is pay-as-you-go, and you only pay for the resources you utilize.
Cloud hosting is ideal for small and midsize businesses as well as for bloggers, developers, and agencies.
Let us bring this information into the simple tabular form for comparison. Also, rate each element out for 5 to determine which is more suitable and for what kind of a client.
| Web Hosting | Resources | Security | Performance | Expertise | Pricing |
| Shared | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 3/5 | 4.5/5 |
| VPS | 3/5 | 2.5/5 | 3/5 | 2.5/5 | 4/5 |
| Dedicated | 5/5 | 4.8/5 | 4.8/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 |
| Cloud | 4/5 | 4/5 | 4.5/5 | 4.5/5 | 4/5 |
After going through each type of web hosting, we have now established that cloud hosting is your best bet when choosing a web hosting service to your client. It is affordable, high performing and easy to manage to leave your client stress-free.
Cloud hosting works like VPS, but there are a few managed cloud hosting solutions like Cloudways that takes care of your server. It is best suited for the people who do not want to manage their servers and instead like to stay focused on their business.
In managed cloud hosting all the complex server related tasks are handled by the provider. Managed Cloud hosting platform like Cloudways offers more than just server management and today we will explore this platform.
Let us look at the features Cloudways offers! Also, what makes it the most reliable and one of the fastest cloud hosting platform for any WordPress website?
Global Data Centers
This is a physical location of your server. Data centers are spread across the globe, but it is important to choose the one, which is nearest to your targeted audience to avoid latency and other performance-related issues.
It doesn’t matter where your target audience exists; if you are a Cloudways user, then you can choose from 60+ locations for your hosting server.
Powerful Hosting Stack
Having the server placed at a right location is not enough. WordPress cloud hosting requires a powerful stack to support the latest technology and to withstand any unexpected events.
SSD-Based Hosting
SSD is both reliable and lightning fast when it comes to data exchange and storing. This simple technology can boost your WordPress site without any hassle at your end.
Built-in Advanced Caching Mechanism
Another highlighted feature is the advanced caching mechanism they have incorporated in Cloudways’ Stack. It comprises of Varnish for server-level caching and Memcached for handling database calls made by a WordPress website.
PHP 7 Ready Servers
WordPress is a PHP-based application; therefore, running the latest version of PHP is vital for the optimum performance. PHP 7 is more stable and it can give your website a performance boost as officially WordPress also recommends to use the latest PHP versions.
As one of the fastest WordPress hosting providers, Cloudways supports the latest PHP versions and it is very easy to switch between different versions of PHP on their platform.
Database Caching with Redis
To keep things smooth Cloudways also incorporated database caching with their stack. Redis improves the performance of your database by handling a high volume of reading and writing statements.
Pre-Configured PHP-FPM
- PHP-FPM enhances the performance of the web server and boosts the PHP environment for fast loading websites.
- HTTP/2 Supported Servers
- HTTP/2 is better than its predecessor HTTP and is capable of handling more connections result in better speed and performance. Cloudways supports HTTP/2, and its users can easily enable this feature using their platform.
Security
Whether it is a WordPress website or any other web application, security is a most important element. It is highly recommended to build an effective security shield around your business website as a simple breach can cost you dollars as well as unrecoverable data loss.
Fortunately, Cloudways already have built a strong and effective mechanism for its customers to avoid any of these hassles. Let us see how our fastest WordPress hosting provides security to its users.
Dedicated Firewalls
This is an outer shell, which is on a constant watch for intruders and other cyber threats. All Cloudways servers are firewall protected, and it eliminates any threat before it reaches to your precious data.
Automated Backups
Backups are extremely important, or I should rather say that this is your website insurance. Although your WordPress website is secure behind the firewall it also runs automatic backups for your website and when needed users can also take a backup whenever they like.
1-Click Free SSL Installation
For starters, Secure Socket Layer (SSL) is a way of authenticating the data exchange between your web server and the browser it is being served on. This encrypts the sensitive information such as your personal details or your payment information so no third party can get to it.
Cloudways offers Let’s Encrypt Free SSL Certificates to its users. Users cannot only easily integrate SSL on their WordPress websites but also using the Wildcard feature; they can integrate SSL on multiple sub-domains.
Real-Time Security Patching
To provide fastest WordPress hosting, folks at Cloudways run regular checkups and security updates on your server’s OS to avoid any vulnerabilities and performance issues.
Content Delivery Network
Content Delivery Network (CDN) is used to serve static content of your website to the end user. Remember, we talked about how data center location is important for website speed to avoid latency? Well, CDN works on a wider scale.
For example, if your market exists in multiple regions and you want to provide the same fast experience to every user around the world, then you can integrate CDN with your WordPress site. CDN network is spread across the globe, and it delivers the content to the end user from the nearest node available.
Cloudways offers CloudwaysCDN, which is powered by StackPath and can easily be integrated into a WordPress website using the platform.
Free WordPress Cache Plugin
Breeze is a free, lightweight WordPress cache plugin developed by Cloudways. This plugin comes pre-installed with WordPress installation and is very easy to configure. This can be used to configure minification, Gzip compression, and browser caching and database cleanup.
Platform Features
Staging
Every WordPress website launched on Cloudways comes with a staging environment and has its staging URL. Cloudways recently introduced its most amazing feature of WordPress staging which lets its user push or pulls the files from production to staging or vice versa. This is an extremely important feature for on-going development projects, which require testing and upgrading very often.
Through staging, developers can easily push web files, database and create backups, which can be retrieved or rolled back in case of any unwanted changes.
Team Members
Team members’ options let the admin add individuals to his project for development or any other purposes. Privileges can also be defined for the said member from the admin dashboard so he could only access the areas he is supposed to be working on.
It is also great for small businesses who outsource their development jobs and does not want the developer to gain access to their server.
Migration
WordPress users can migrate their WordPress websites to Cloudways Platform easily using their migration plugin which is completely automated. They also offer one time free assisted migration in which their expert support migrate your complete WordPress site. The process can take a few minutes to hours depending upon the size of your website.
Support
Support is essential to make it a fastest WordPress hosting. Cloudways offers 24/7 live chat support to ensure maximum support available for all of its customers.
Having 24/7 live support is a blessing in the hosting world, as the issues are resolved promptly, which is important for businesses to run smoothly.
Final Thoughts
Hosting has become a serious commodity over the last 5 years or so, and even small businesses pay attention to where their website is hosted. Being the WordPress agency and developers it is important to understand both the client’s requirements as well as various hosting options.
There are plenty of options to choose from when it comes to cloud hosting. However, choosing the fastest WordPress hosting will certainly give you an edge over your competitors. It is all about fast, secure and uninterrupted services to your users and Cloudways has come a long way to provide its customers all of this.
