When you begin to look around at different hosting providers, you will quickly come across some that offer managed WordPress hosting and others that offer shared hosting.
If you are newer to WordPress that might leave you wondering, what is managed WordPress hosting?
Did you know over 30% of the websites currently on the internet are powered by WordPress?
Because of this fact, many hosting companies have chosen to specialize in hosting WordPress to better suit the needs of their customers.
This offers the added benefit of having a server environment where all technical aspects of running your WordPress installation are managed by the host.
Under the hood, managed WordPress hosting is similar to shared hosting except the hosting provider has added in extra services and software to help manage your WordPress installation.
What features do you get with managed WordPress hosting?
Managed WordPress hosting providers include solutions for common WordPress needs. These can vary between hosting providers but typically include:
- Speed – Managed WordPress servers are specifically designed for running WordPress. Only the software that is meant for running WordPress is loaded and you are left with a super-fast server environment without all of the unnecessary extras. Many managed WordPress hosts also offer server caching and CDNs as part of their hosting packages which help boost your overall site performance.
- Security – You don’t need to worry about firewalls, setting up security rules, vulnerabilities, and patches with managed WordPress hosting. All of that is taken care of for you by the host while you sit back and enjoy the benefits.
- Automatic updates – It can be a security issue if you are running an older or out of date version of WordPress or plugins. Updates often include security patches that keep unwanted hackers and malware from breaching your site. Managed WordPress hosts take the hassle out of updating by doing it for you whenever a new version is released.
- Backups – Managed WordPress hosts in most cases offer free daily backups. This is important if anything ever goes wrong with your site. Having a backup will quickly get your site to a working state again.
- Uptime – Most managed WordPress hosts boast next to perfect or 100% uptime for their servers. Never worry about your site going down due to maintenance or running out server resources. Hosts manage this for you and expand and reduce server resources whenever necessary.
- Premium Support – One of the best advantages of managed WordPress hosting is that you are working with a team of WordPress experts. Because the host specializes in WordPress hosting, you will be assisted by someone who has extensive knowledge and experience of running WordPress sites and will be able to answer any questions.
These included perks make managed WordPress hosting an ideal situation for those looking to run a website without putting their focus on the day to day maintenance that comes along with it.
Once you have your website up and running, you simply focus on doing what you’re good at and growing your site.
What does managed WordPress hosting cost?
Depending on which managed WordPress host you choose will determine your price.
Plans start out as low as $15/month with hosts like Flywheel and SiteGround and as high as $499/month with hosts like Pagely which offers enterprise-level managed WordPress hosting.
Those prices vary widely but there are plenty of additional hosts with monthly prices in between.
Are there any downsides to managed WordPress hosting?
As with any hosting service, there are downsides to consider when making your choice.
Like we mentioned above, managed WordPress hosting is pricier than shared hosting plans. You will be paying a premium for the additional services and features included in the plan.
When choosing managed WordPress hosting you also lose a little bit of control you would otherwise have with shared hosting. However, if you end up going with a managed WordPress host, this is probably the least of your worries, since you would be most likely looking for a hands-off experience.
You may also be limited in how many WordPress installs you can run with a managed WordPress host. The more sites you run, the more likely you are to pay. However, with shared hosting, you are only limited by the amount of resources available on your server.
Now that you know the ups and downs of WordPress hosting you are probably wondering how to decide.
Who should use managed WordPress hosting?
We recommend choosing managed WordPress hosting if you have an established site or company and are looking for a way to focus on growing your business instead of maintaining the technical details of your website from day-to-day.
We recommend SiteGround or WPEngine for those willing to shell out a little more for hosting and expect a great experience in return.
If you are just starting out, we recommend going with a shared hosting provider since these plans typically start out much cheaper. Providers like BlueHost and SiteGround are great places to start out and grow your business while you pick up the ins and outs.
Conclusion
Managed WordPress hosting can be a great option if you want a hassle-free and great support experience. The price can be a bit intimidating at first but we hope that now you understand what features you will be getting in return.
There might be a little bit of a learning curve if you are just starting out but hang in there.
If you run into any problems or issues be sure to check out our guides on running your website with WordPress.
Matt is the owner of WPGuide.co. He has been working in web development since 2012 and now teaches beginners to advanced users how to create WordPress websites using the best tools, services, and guides available today. When he’s not managing WPGuide.co you can find him playing board games, spending time with his family and friends, and daydreaming about his next beach vacation.