The first thing to keep in mind is that not all WordPress optimized hosting plans are created equal. It’s important to have clear goals for your website and a thorough understanding of your site’s technical requirements. WordPress sites require different tools and resources than other content management systems. As a popular CMS, most hosts offering WP optimized services will include compatible server resources that meet the technical requirements of WordPress.
For better results, make sure your server supports the following for WordPress:
- PHP (version 7.2 or greater is recommended)
- MySQL (version 5.6 or greater is recommended)
- HTTPS support
At the bare minimum, a web host offering WordPress-optimized services means they support PHP and MySQL. Let’s be honest though, for the price of optimized WordPress hosting, you want more than just the bare minimum. When shopping for the best WP hosting option, you should consider speed, security, and support. Here’s what to look for:
Speed
WordPress sites can be more resource intensive than other content management systems. So, you want to make sure your host server can handle a WordPress site. Usually, Apache or Nginx servers are recommended for WordPress users.
Nginx
Apache servers allow configuration through your site’s .htaccess file. Nginx servers don’t offer .htaccess like Apache, but they can increase your site’s speed.
Nginx is designed for high-traffic situations. It proxies script processes like PHP so it can focus on faster connections between site visitors and your server. Apache runs script processes internally, which is why it isn’t as fast as Nginx. While Apache will work well enough for a WordPress site, Nginx was designed specifically to handle a high volume of web traffic.
If speed is your goal, you may want to look for an optimized WordPress hosting plan that provides Nginx. If you’re more interested in creating your own custom server configuration, look for Apache.
pair Networks offers both Nginx and Apache WordPress solutions. If you have a WordPress site and you want Apache, you can get a regular web hosting account with pairSIM. pairSIM is an addon that allows you to install WordPress on a Shared hosting account. pair’s optimized WP Hosting uses both Varnish and Nginx to speed up your WordPress site. WP Hosting makes managing a WordPress site easier than using a Shared account with pairSIM.
Varnish Cache
You can also increase the speed of your WordPress site with Varnish. Varnish is a caching software capable of making your site as much as 1000% faster. It uses a proxy server preloaded with your website to intercept requests from site visitors. Then, it delivers the preloaded website to users trying to access your site. Varnish also re-caches the site to keep up any with updates and changes that you make.
Security
Cyber security shouldn’t be an afterthought. Even small business and personal websites can be hacked. While exploring hosting options for your WordPress site, look for plans that offer security features in addition to a compatible server. pair includes the WordFence security plugin with all of our WP hosting plans. WordFence is a firewall and malware scanner optimized for WordPress sites.
Because WordPress updates so frequently, you should look for optimized WordPress hosting that includes update and backup management. WordPress updates often include new or upgraded security features so having automatic WP core updates will help prevent cyber attacks. (WP core refers to the files that make up the open source WordPress CMS.)
You should also look for a WordPress host that offers SSL certificates. SSL certs not only improve your site’s search ranking, but will also protect your website visitors. pair offers a variety of secure certificates as well as the free Let’s Encrypt option.
Support
WordPress is a powerful CMS, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be smooth sailing all the time. Eventually, you’ll encounter a problem that you can’t solve or aren’t sure how to diagnose. That’s where your tech support comes in. Look for a WP optimized hosting plan that comes with fully managed support. Having a special WordPress support team will help you save time when troubleshooting. There are a number of issues that could be prevented, automatically corrected, or easily resolved with fully managed WP optimized hosting such as:
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- WordPress parse or syntax error
- Internal server error
- Problems with email
- Error establishing a database connection
- Problems with WP visual editor
- Connection timed out
- Images not uploading
- Locked out of admin area
- Login page refresh/redirect issue
- Unavailable during maintenance error
- RSS feed issues
- Too many redirects issue
- Upload failed to write file disk error
- Harmful programs error
- Missed scheduled post error
- Exhausted memory error
- 404 errors, missing pages, etc.
Many of these issues can be resolved quickly with the right technical knowledge and server access. If you don’t want to deal with these issues, find a good web host with great customer service that supports more than just the basic requirements for a WordPress site.
The main benefits of web hosting optimized for WordPress are that it’s faster to implement than a regular hosting account for WordPress. Everything is already installed, set up, and ready to go so all you have to is move your site to the WP optimized server (or get someone to do it for you). It’s also easier to manage a WordPress site if it’s hosted on an optimized server because you’ll encounter fewer technical issues.
Basically, optimized WordPress hosting means a long list of things you don’t have think about.
Additional Features to Look for in Your WordPress Host
A good web host will offer in-demand WordPress features like a staging environment and configurable backups. You can use a staging area to protect your site from yourself. If you want to test changes without breaking your site, you can use your staging site. pair makes it easy to upload changes to your site without having any downtime.
Access to backups will help you keep your WordPress site safe. In the event that your site is hacked or lost for one reason or another, having up-to-date backups will make restoration easier. Regular hosting accounts may allow you to manage backups, which will give you more control over when backups are created. With pair’s hosting optimized for WordPress, you won’t even have to think about managing your backups. Once you configure them, they’ll be automatically generated for you on a regular basis.
In addition to all of these features, it shouldn’t be impossible to manage everything associated with your WordPress site. Find a host with a user-friendly interface that you can work with. The custom-built account control center (ACC) for pair WordPress accounts is streamlined to make managing domains, email, SSL certs, backups, and staging sites easier. You can seamlessly jump between your WordPress editor and the ACC with a pair WordPress account.
A good host will also make it easy to move your WordPress site. And maybe even offer some kind of WordPress site migration discount… Contact us to learn more!