There are many benefits of WordPress hosting. As the world’s top Content Management System (CMS), WordPress empowers nearly 43% of websites worldwide. It is a household name in the development industry, being free of charge for nearly 20 years.
In this article, we will discuss the benefits of WordPress hosting and how the platform has gained its popularity. From the reasons it has stayed on top of the market, to the different hosting options users have available.
A Brief Overview of the History of WordPress
WordPress was first created after the blogging platform b2 cafe log stopped being updated. Its first version was released in 2004, an introduction that changed the web design community.
Created primarily as a blogging platform, WordPress’ first appeared in the web design community as a minimal interface with ways to upload text, images, and links.
With time, WordPress added new features such as plugins, themes, and the Gutenberg block editor.
As WordPress grew, so did its audience. Thanks to the project’s open source infrastructure, the growing community began contributing to the WordPress core, creating innovative plugins, and crafting modern themes.
This community is what has brought new teams such as the Performance Team.
Because of this flexibility, including being able to download WordPress locally, designers and developers began favoring WordPress compared to other CMS. It also became one of the main focuses for a lot of hosting companies.
WordPress is very easy to install, and oftentimes easy to troubleshoot. It also allows for site health monitoring and much more which makes managing WordPress sites ideal for new owners.
Website Ownership
Something important to note is that today some hosting platforms have proprietary rights over their website builders, such as Wix or Squarespace, which prevents users from transferring their site if they decide to change their hosting provider.
As an open source software, WordPress is transferable if the hosting provider you choose can host WordPress, so your content is always yours.
WordPress Features
As previously discussed, plugins and themes are some of the appealing factors for WordPress, but three are many more reasons why the CMS is so popular.
- Quick Installation: WordPress can be installed fairly easily manually, however, a lot of hosts are now offering one-click installation for WordPress with tools such as Softaculous or with a different installation tool that allows users to create their site.
- Ease of Use: WordPress has an easy-to-learn and easy-to-use interface from plugin and theme installations to block and widget editors.
- Collaboration: WordPress allows for different administrative roles which provide options for developers to collaborate on one single site.
- Themes: There are thousands of themes in the WordPress repository. Themes are a great way to personalize your website without having to code it, and a lot of them can be customized with no cost added.
- Plugins: One of WordPress’ most popular assets, plugins, allow third parties and developers to add the tools you might need for your personal website. This can go from adding a more refined block editor to full-on eCommerce capabilities.
The Benefits of WordPress Hosting
While you can download and design a WordPress website locally, you will need a hosting provider in order to have that site live on the internet. With a hosting plan, you will be able to manage your websites as well as make modifications to their environments.
Types of Hosting For WordPress
Depending on the type of hosting plan you choose, your experience with WordPress will be slightly different. Below are the types of traditional hosting that are usually available with most hosts, something to note is that each hosting provider will name their plans differently.
- Shared Hosting – A server used by multiple users. Usually, the most economical option is perfect for businesses that are just starting out or if you are a small blogger.
- VPS Hosting – A server separated in slots amongst a few users. This provides higher resources for your website and gives you access to tools such as root access, where you can make changes to your server. This is a great option for eCommerce and more established WordPress websites. Freelancers will also have the power to host multiple accounts for clients.
- Dedicated Hosting – A dedicated server is a complete physical server dedicated to your account. This is recommended for larger corporations with a lot of traffic that will have a developer or team for the setup and maintenance of your server.
What Makes Traditional Hosting Different?
With traditional WordPress hosting, you will oftentimes be managing the server settings for your account with a control panel, such as cPanel. The control a user has over how much they can modify their server will depend on their hosting plan.
Managed WordPress Hosting
Managed WordPress Hosting has grown in popularity, and it eliminates the worry of managing your server. Your hosting provider will ensure that your environment is at optimal settings for WordPress and remove the need for users to modify things such as the PHP version, caching settings, and more.
This allows users to focus on building their professional website without having to worry about other factors that might affect their server. This is an excellent option for freelancers and agencies that have to focus on their projects and clients.
InMotion Hosting offers Managed WordPress Plans on fully-isolated Cloud VPSs. With an all-in-one platform, you can access an entire ecosystem of tools, projects, and expert support. Build, test, automate, and deploy WordPress within seconds, and share your project sites for review with clients.
Final Thoughts
The benefits of WordPress Hosting are endless. From its ease of use to design beautiful websites in a matter of minutes, its collaboration capabilities, and having the peace of mind that you truly own your content.
If you do choose to build your website with WordPress, the best next step is investing in an optimized hosting platform.
InMotion Hosting provides a wide range of hosting plans including Managed WordPress plans created with users’ WordPress needs in mind.
