Hosting a WordPress site may seem intimidating, and as a beginner, you will be faced with many doubts and questions. Before hosting sites on WordPress, let’s delve deeper into a few areas surrounding which you may get doubts.
The Necessity of WordPress Hosting
A web hosting provider handles all the technical aspects of your website, which is why you need a trustworthy hosting provider, especially if you are a beginner with little knowledge in web development. They are responsible for your site’s visibility and search engine rankings, and these are necessary if you want your work to get noticed.
Considering these factors, you need to choose a WordPress hosting service, and in this search, you may come across free WordPress hosting providers. While these are very tempting, they come with more drawbacks than advantages and may prove to be more costly than paid hosts with their hidden charges. A free hosting service is merely a form of advertising their service by the hosting provider, as they use your website to promote their products and services.
Other than that, their servers are overcrowded and give your site slow loading time, which results in loss of visitors. When it comes to running a website, you need to keep the audience’s satisfaction in mind, and with the innumerable options available, they do not have to wait for your website to load. Poor site performance also drives away the few visitors you get.
With free WordPress hosting, you have less control over your website, and at times, the service providers have the right to shut down your website whenever they want, which is a loss for you as all your efforts go down the drain. Therefore, it is necessary to invest in a trustworthy WordPress hosting provider that offers excellent quality service. One such hosting provider is WP Engine, with its impeccable service.
Domain Name
This is another area that baffles beginners, as to how to get your domain name. Most WordPress hosting providers offer domain name within your subscription, and if you opt for free hosting, then their name will be a part of your domain name. With a reliable WordPress hosting provider, you can choose a searchable domain name and make an impression on visitors, prompting them to come back.
You can also have your domain name and a WordPress site with different companies, but this leads to unnecessary complications, which you do not want to run into. Opting for the same company as your hosting helps avoid hassles.
Installing WordPress
Do I have to install WordPress? This is another common question that pops up when hosting a WordPress site. You need to install WordPress, but you do not have to install it before setting up a hosting provider. Most hosting providers have easy WordPress installation processes, such as the single click process offered by WP Engine. Choosing hosting providers that make your job easier gives you the added confidence and makes it seem like a cake piece.
E-Commerce Sites
While WordPress is more prevalent among bloggers, it can also be used for a professional website or an e-commerce platform. The best WordPress hosting providers, such as WP Engine, provide optimum security and free SSL certificates to host your e-commerce site safely. There are hosting plans that specifically cater to such needs. Moreover, opting for the right hosting provider ensures that your platform gets more visibility, more visitors, and more sales.
Is It Possible To Switch Services?
When your website grows and evolves, you may find that your current provider is not sufficient, and you need to switch to a better hosting provider. If you went for a free host, the chances are that they do not support migration even if you have already invested in another service. In this case, you will have to go for the premium plans they offer, which are more expensive than those provided by better hosting providers.
When you choose a trustworthy, paid WordPress hosting service like WP Engine, you can get these migrate for free to another web host. It is always better to choose a service that supports growth and scalability and can evolve with your site, instead of migrating later on. With WP Engine, you do not have to worry about outgrowing your hosting plan as they can accommodate all your growing needs and support the rise in traffic with success.
The Ideal Subscription Period
Any beginner looking for hosting providers will notice that plans come with periods ranging from a month to three years. Which is a better option? This depends on your goal with the blog or website. You may want to start with a monthly plan to try out the services and then shift to a more extended plan for three months, six months, etc. Starting with short plans ensures that you can cancel out and migrate if you are dissatisfied.
The benefit of going for long term plans like those of 3 years is the discount that comes along with it. If you are satisfied with the WordPress hosting provider’s services and are sure that they fit the needs of your website and provide room for growth and development, you can opt for a long-term plan to cut off expenses.