#logicbox

[aliewblog]

نرم افزار مدیریت کسب و کار چیست؟

سیستم های مدیریت کسب و کار کمک می کند تا کارکرد اداری، روزمره کسب و کار را به طور اتوماتیک حفظ کنید که شرکت شما را هماهنگ می کند، مانند:

مدیریت تماس مشتری

مدیریت کارکنان

سفارش و مدیریت موجودی

وظیفه و زمان ردیابی

به طور معمول، ” نرم افزار مدیریت کسب و کار ” به یک مجموعه یکپارچه اشاره دارد که شامل چندین برنامه جداگانه، اما مرتبط با آن در یک راه حل است. با این حال، سایر سیستم ها در اطراف منطقه کسب و کار خاصی مانند مدیریت ارتباط با مشتری ( CRM ) یا حسابداری تمرکز خواهند کرد.

نرم افزار مدیریت کسب و کار برای اکثر عملیات روزانه در کسب و کار طراحی شده است.

نیازهای کسب و کار به وسیله صنعت متفاوت است و ویژگی های دقیق این ابزار نیز می تواند متفاوت باشد، بنابراین برای خریداران احتمالی برای اطمینان از انتخاب سیستم با شرایط سازمانی آنها اهمیت دارد.

به عنوان مثال، نیازهای یک خرده فروش از تولید کننده متفاوت خواهد بود. به همین ترتیب، خرده فروش ممکن است نیاز به یک سیستم مدیریت کسب و کار با نقطه فروش داشته باشد، در حالی که تولید کننده احتمالا نیاز به برنامه ریزی مواد مورد نیاز ( MRP ) دارد.

مطمئنا می توان گفت که نرم افزار مدیریت کسب و کار ساخته شده از همه چیز بسیار ساده و آسان برای تجزیه و تحلیل برای خانه های کسب و کار است .

در اینجا لیستی از 10 نرم افزار مدیریت کسب و کار در سال 2018 است.

10. Wylie systems :

این یکی از بهترین نرم افزار مدیریت کسب و کار برای خانه های کسب و کار کوچک است و بر اساس cloud based است. این پشتیبانی از چندین توابع مانند مدیریت داده های فروش، داده های مالی، اطلاعات موجودی، نقطه فروش اطلاعات، سوابق مشتری و … می باشد. این نرم افزار به طور کامل تمام اطلاعات مربوط به مشتری مانند گزارش پیشرفت، رزرو و لغو را ��دیریت می کند و برای برنامه ریزی های ایمیل مفید است. هر دو فروش، آنلاین و همچنین خرید POS می توانند از طریق این نرم افزار ردیابی شوند و این ویژگی شگفت انگیز است که با ادغام این نرم افزار با بلوتوث می توانید یک رکورد مستقیم از تمام اطلاعات مبتنی بر موجودی داشته باشید.

9. Logicbox :

 این نرم افزار همچنین مدیریت کسب و کار مبتنی cloud based است. این ایده آل برای نیازهای شرکت های متوسط کسب و کار مناسب است. بهتر است برای پشتیبانی از CRM شناخته شود. تمام توابع مدیریت ارتباط با مشتری را می توان در یک مکان واحد با استفاده از این نرم افزار که اجازه می دهد دسترسی به اطلاعات حیاتی در کوتاه مدت زمان یکپارچه شود، صورت گیرد. ویژگی استثنایی این نرم افزار این است که می توان آن را طبق الزامات خاص هر کسب و کار، سفارشی کرد زیرا تمام ماژول های آن به سادگی قابل تغییر هستند. یکی به راحتی به یک پایگاه داده سفارشی، اطلاعیه های سفارشی، گزارش های سفارشی، اطلاعات تحلیلی و خیلی بیشتر دسترسی پیدا می کند. جهت اطلاع از Odoo در ایران، به سایت دیباگ مراجعه کنید.

8. Booker :

7. BP Logix Process Director :

BPlogix یک نوع نرم افزار مدیریت رعایت شده است و می توان بدون هیچ مشکلی به آسانی آن را یکپارچه کرد. این مناسب برای هر دو بخش دولتی و همچنین شرکت های خصوصی است. این می تواند بر اساس cloud based  یا مبتنی بر پیش فرض باشد. ابزار فرم ساز، عالی با این نرم افزار پشتیبانی می شود که از طریق آن می توان فرم ها را نیز ایجاد و اصلاح کرد و همچنین پشتیبانی از اعتبار سنجی داده ها نیز وجود دارد. سپس امضا ها انجام می شود، و در نهایت، تمام تناقض ها در زمان با این نرم افزار هوشمندانه برآورده می شوند. گزارش های حسابرسی می تواند به راحتی با این نرم افزار مدیریت و رمزگذاری داده ها و چند سطح احراز هویت نیز وجود دارد.  جهت اطلاع از Odoo در ایران، به سایت دیباگ مراجعه کنید.

6. Wrike :

5. mHelpDesk :

4. iBE.net :

این نرم افزار همچنین یک محیط برای مدیریت مبتنی بر پروژه است، اما خدمات مبتنی بر وب است که امکان ادغام آسان تمام جزئیات پروژه و در نتیجه تسهیل حسابداری پروژه را فراهم می کند. این می تواند یک انتخاب مناسب برای شرکت های متوسط باشد و ویژگی هایی مانند ردیابی زمان و هزینه، مدیریت صورتحساب، گزارش های صورتحساب، دسترسی به اطلاعات تحلیلی، گردش کارهای قابل تنظیم، به روز رسانی مالی، پشتیبانی از CRM و خیلی موارد دیگر می باشد. این نرم افزار در زمینه هایی مانند مدیریت، بازاریابی، خدمات مشاوره ای، مهندسی و غیره استفاده می شود.

3. BizAutomation :

2. MINDBODY :

این نرم افزار مبتنی بر cloud based است و برای کسب و کارهای کوچک و متوسط که در آن بسیاری از قرار ملاقات ها و رزروها به صورت روزانه انجام می شود. برخی از مشتریانی که این نرم افزار را دوست دارند، افرادی هستند که در کسب و کارهایی مانند آبگرم ها ، ورزشگاه ها، مدارس رقص، مراکز تناسب اندام و غیره … مشغول به کار هستند، زیرا آنها نیاز به نرم افزار دارند تا برنامه های روزانه مشتریان را به صورت موثر مدیریت کنند. ویژگی های این نرم افزار پشتیبانی مانند رزرو، برنامه ریزی خودکار، مدیریت لیست انتظار، کمپین های تبلیغاتی، تولید گزارش، اطلاعیه ها و تنظیم هشدار، مدیریت حقوق و دستمزد برای کارکنان، ثبت و چک کردن چک و بسیاری از ویژگی های دیگر… می باشد.

1. Workfront :

نرم افزار Workfront هم مدیریت پروژه مبتنی بر cloud based است و قبلا توسط نام At Task محبوب شده است. با استفاده از این نرم افزار، هر پروژه می تواند کارآمد و با استفاده از انواع مختلف خانه های کسب و کار مانند کسانی که با IT، حسابداری، مشاوره و دامنه های دیگر استفاده می کنند ، کارآمد می شود. بیشترین ویژگی ها شامل نگهداری برنامه های پروژه، سفارش سازی گزارش های پروژه، سازمان مدیریت گردش کار صحیح، ابزار ارتباطی عالی برای تعامل در سطوح مختلف سازمان، تخصیص آسان وظایف، تخصیص منابع و خیلی موارد دیگر است. این نوع انعطاف پذیری و سازگاری از نرم افزار است که می تواند برای کسب و کار بسیار مفید باشد.

منبع:

نرم افزار مدیریت کسب و کار چیست؟

[williamlwolf89]

WordPress Hosting: A Brutally Honest Guide (to Save You $)

This is painful to say, but…

Most of what’s published out there about WordPress hosting is total crap.

Not just incomplete information. Not just half-truths.

I’m talking outright lies and boldfaced scams.

You can’t even get straightforward answers to basic questions like…

Should you go to the trouble of setting up a WordPress site or just start a blog for free on Medium?

Which company is good? Who can you trust?

Are there any decent free WordPress hosting services?

What’s the difference between all the different options?

It’s infuriating, but listen…

I make money blogging because I have built and run some of the most popular blogs in the world, scaling them from nothing to millions of visitors per month. During that process, I learned a lot of valuable lessons — often the hard way — about what makes a good WordPress host.

And today, I’m publishing the guide I wish somebody had given me.

It’s brutally honest. It’s full of technical details (that I do my best to explain). It’ll also save you tons of time and money.

The Different Levels of WordPress Hosting Plans

To start, here’s an infographic explaining the typical path most bloggers take:

They start with a shared hosting plan, and then they grow to a Virtual Private Server, and then they grow to a Dedicated Server.

Wondering how that applies to you?

Here’s the short answer:

TLDR: The Best WordPress Hosting Right Now (In My Opinion)

If you’re under 100,000 visitors per month, don’t torture yourself by getting a VPS or dedicated server. Just grab a cheap, no-frills shared hosting account and install WordPress. Most hosting providers these days offer one-click WordPress installation, which makes the whole process a breeze.

Is it the best WordPress hosting in the world?

No, but it’s way better value than the alternatives. Here’s a pricing comparison:

The more expensive things get, the more complicated and frustrating it gets too. You’ve never experienced misery until you try to optimize a dedicated server for the first time.

My advice?

Keep it simple and cheap. Use a shared host.

Now, that begs the question…

What’s the Most Cost-Effective Hosting for WordPress?

Personally, I use SiteGround (affiliate link) for all my new WordPress websites. Here’s why:

It’s the best balance I’ve found of quality and price. You can find cheaper hosts, but you can’t find anyone cheap that’s as good as them.

They are optimized for WordPress. The load times for your site will be faster there than on many hosts

I use them personally to host most of our sites, and both their servers and support have always been excellent.

That being said, I’ll be straight with you…

SiteGround isn’t the only great host in the world. They’re just the one I personally use and recommend to our 3+ million readers. I wouldn’t endorse them publicly without having a lot of confidence in them.

But there other good companies with a different approach.

Who Is the Best WordPress Host, Regardless of Price?

WP Engine (affiliate) has an impeccable reputation for flawless hosting, high performance, great uptime, and a dynamite support team. In my opinion, there’s no question they are better than SiteGround, but they are also 10X more expensive.

Is it worth it?

If you want a managed WordPress host that can take unlimited traffic, offer perks like site migration and WordPress staging, and has WordPress experts standing by to help you with pretty much anything you need (plus you’re hosting an e-commerce website with a significant budget), maybe it’s worth the extra cost.

Quite a few big blogs host with them, and they believe it’s worth every penny.

I’ve also been to their offices in downtown Austin and met with the executive team. It’s a solid company that’ll be around for years to come.

The bottom line:

If you want to skip the rest of this post and just choose a host, go with SiteGround (affiliate link) if you have a small budget and WP Engine (affiliate) if you have a large one. You won’t regret going with other company.

Before you choose any WordPress host though, here’s an important point you should understand:

Most Reviews Are Bought and Paid for

Pretty much every blogger making a hosting recommendation is getting compensated by the host. And yes, that includes me.

The difference?

I’m not hiding anything. I’m proud of the partnerships I have with SiteGround (affiliate link) and WP Engine (affiliate), because I have personal experience with both companies, many of my students are customers, and they treat everyone extremely well. I would happily recommend them even if they weren’t paying me a penny.

And that’s NOT true for other bloggers.

Most don’t even use the host they are recommending. In my opinion, that’s just unethical.

Especially when it comes to one particular company…

Many Hosts are Owned by the Same Terrible Company

Do any of these sound familiar?

2slick.com AccountSupport A Small Orange ApolloHosting AptHost Arvixe Berry Information Systems BigRock BizLand BlueDomino BlueFur Bluehost BuyDomains Cirtex Hosting Cloud by IX Constant Contact Directi Dollar2Host Domain.com DomainHost Dot5Hosting Dotster easyCGI eHost EntryHost Escalate Internet FastDomain FatCow FreeYellow Glob@t Homestead HostCentric HostClear Host Excellence HostGator HostMonster HostNine HostYourSite.com HostV HyperMart IdeaHost IMOutdoors Impress.ly Intuit Websites iPage IPOWER/iPowerWeb IX Web Hosting JustCloud JustHost LogicBoxes MojoMarketplace MyDomain MyResellerHome NetFirms Networks Web Hosting Nexx PowWeb PureHost ReadyHosting ResellerClub SEOGears SEO Hosting Site5 SiteBuilder.com Sitelio Sitey Southeast Web Spry StartLogic SuperGreen Hosting TypePad USANetHosting vDeck Verio VirtualAvenue VPSLink WebHost4Life WebHosting.info WebsiteBuilder.com Webstrike Solutions Webzai World Wide Web Hosting Xeran YourWebHosting

Ever heard of Bluehost?

Or maybe Hostgator?

Both hosts are owned by a conglomerate called Endurance International Group (EIG). In fact, EIG runs most of the big hosting companies, and it continues to buy new ones all the time.

So what makes them so awful?

After they purchase a host, they lay off support staff, stop investing in new technology, and funnel the money into increased advertising and payouts to shareholders. Sure, they usually try to entice customers by offering perks such as free domain names or unlimited websites, but these relatively small perk aren’t worth it. In every case, the reputation of the host plummets.

Of course, you might be wondering how you find out if they own your host. Or for that matter, how do you know if your host is a good one if nearly every review is bought and paid for?

The answer:

The Best Way to Get Unbiased Reviews

Web Hosting Talk is the biggest forum on the web about hosting platforms, and it has literally millions of hosting reviews. They don’t allow affiliate links either, so you can count on the reviews to be unbiased.

Granted, every host — be it SiteGround or WPEngine, DreamHost or A2 Hosting, GoDaddy or InMotion hosting, or one of the less-than-ideal hosts mentioned above — gets a bad review now and again, but you can comb through dozens of reports to get a much better feel for the reputation of the host, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

Also, here’s a little hack to save you some time…

Instead of using the search tool built into their forum, which can be a little clunky, grab the URL of the forum you want to search, and then put the following in Google:

site:URL “host name”

For example, if you wanted to verify the reputation of SiteGround (affiliate link), you can go to their list of forums, right click on the one that seems most appropriate, and copy the link:

From there, use the search parameter above in Google. In this case, it would be:

site:http://www.webhostingtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1 “SiteGround”

And voilà, you have a listing of reviews you can easily look through for reliable information.

In particular, here’s the biggest factor that should influence your decision:

How to Evaluate Customer Support

Customer support. When you’re a beginner or small business, it’s more important than anything.

No surprise there, right?

But here’s the big lesson…

It’s not just about wait times or the intelligence of the technicians. It’s also about the method of support, what the host supports, and the helpdesk schedule.

For instance:

Do you have to submit tickets through their helpdesk and wait for a response, or can you do a live chat or phone call with a technician and actually have a conversation?

Do they offer WordPress support, including the most popular WordPress themes and plug-ins? It’s shocking, but unless they specifically mention it, many don’t.

Do they offer support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or is it only during normal business hours?

Do they do daily backups?

Personally, I want a host with technicians I can interact with in real time (either through phone or chat), have a thorough knowledge of WordPress.org, and are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And that’s actually relatively difficult to find at an affordable price.

That’s why I think SiteGround (affiliate link) is the best host for most beginners. They give you all those things for an entire year for less than the cost of a dinner at a nice restaurant.

And here’s what’s even cooler…

Their servers are also configured especially for WordPress. Let’s talk about that next.

The Configuration Matters More Than Tech

Chances are, you’ve seen a hosting package that looks something like this:

Almost like a foreign language, right? Disk space, RAM, page views, MySQL, cPanel (control panel), data centers, unlimited email accounts, SFTP, WooCommerce, downtime, CMS, WP-CLI, Git integration, add-ons, SSDs — what’s it all mean? And for that matter, how are you supposed to know which hosting plan is right for you?

Actually… you don’t have to. If you’re running a relatively simple WordPress site, none of those technical details matter much. You can ignore them.

Here’s proof:

In 2012, a fellow named Ewen Leith managed to get a $15 server to run a WordPress site receiving 10 million hits a day.

Granted, it was an extremely simple site using a set up that would be tough for a novice to manage, but it’s still proof the configuration of your web host matters much more than having high-end hardware or a free CDN (Content Delivery Network) like Cloudflare.

That’s another reason why I recommend SiteGround (affiliate link) ��� their servers are configured specifically for WordPress. Your site will be able to handle far more traffic with far fewer resources. Over the long term, it translates into significant savings, because you have to upgrade less often.

Granted, SiteGround isn’t the only host who does this. If you decide to search for someone else, here’s what to look for:

Litespeed or Apache NGINX

Database caching through Memcached

Support for PHP version 7 and HTTP/2

RAM, SSD storage, bandwidth — for a normal WordPress site, none of those specs really matter much. Ignore them and focus on the three above details.

But, also remember:

Installing Too Many Plugins Can Mess up Any WordPress Host

So, you found a host that’s perfectly optimized for WordPress. Your site should be nice and zippy, right?

Actually… not necessarily.

If you install too many WordPress plugins (or even just one really bad one), you can slow down your site or even cause your host to cancel your account. It’s the most common source of problems. (Plus, an out-of-date plugin can make your site vulnerable to malware and other attacks, so the more you have, the greater your risk.)

So, how do you know which plugins to install and which ones to avoid?

The short answer: install as few as possible, and if you ever have problems with your site, the first thing you should always do is try deactivating plugins. For a detailed answer, take a look at our post on essential WordPress plug-ins.

Make Sure You Get a Free SSL Certificate

Ever since Google announced that having an SSL certificate is now a ranking factor, it’s become essential for you to have one if you’re serious about your content being seen in search engines.

What’s an SSL certificate?

It’s an extra layer of security and reporting around the safety of your WordPress website. Any site using SSL will have the prefix “https” in the URL.

In the past, you had to pay a yearly fee to register your SSL certificate, but most of the top web hosting services are now offering one for free via services like Let’s Encrypt. You should take advantage of that savings and have your site on https from day one.

The 7 Things That Really Matter When Choosing the Best WordPress Host

By this point, I wouldn’t blame you if your head is spinning.

We’ve covered a lot of technical details in this post, so I thought I would conclude with a quick checklist to help you choose the best WordPress host for you. Here are the seven most important things to remember:

Unless your site is massive, you don’t need a VPS or dedicated server. Stick with shared WordPress hosting.

For the love of God, avoid any hosting company owned by EIG.

When evaluating customer support, look for 24/7 live chat and/or phone support.

The configuration of your web host matters more than the technical specs

Go easy on the WordPress plugins. They can slow down your site.

You should expect to get a free SSL certificate. Use it.

If you’re tired of thinking about all this stuff, go with a managed WordPress hosting solution like SiteGround (cheap but good) or WP Engine (premium). SiteGround offers a hassle-free, 30-day money-back guarantee, and WP Engine offers 60 days for new customers.

Follow those recommendations, and you’ll save yourself tons of time, money, and headaches. I speak from experience.

Ultimately though, the decision is yours. Choose wisely, my friend.

The post WordPress Hosting: A Brutally Honest Guide (to Save You $) appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from SEO and SM Tips https://smartblogger.com/wordpress-hosting/

[ananovareviews]

LogicBoxes Review

LogicBoxes Elite Reseller Program Type: Technology & Consultancy Company Key Selling Points: leading provider of web presence automation… http://bit.ly/2k3ymEN

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Four Classes From an Entrepreneur Who Turned a Self-Made Billionaire Earlier than Turning 40

Bhavin Turakhia and his brother Divyank began their billion-dollar journey with a $375 mortgage.

April 16, 2019 5 min learn

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their very own.

Lately I had the pleasure of spending time with self-made billionaire Bhavin Turakhia. Bhavin is 39 years outdated, he was born in India to middle-class dad and mom and has constructed and offered two corporations for greater than $1 billion. 

He and his brother Divyank launched their first tech enterprise, Directi, with a $375 mortgage from their father in 1998. They offered 4 of their internet presence corporations — BigRock, LogicBoxes, ResellerClub, and Webhosting.information — to Nasdaq-listed web-hosting agency Endurance Worldwide Group, for $160 million in 2014. The brothers’ subsequent enterprise was an adtech enterprise known as Media.web that offered for $900 million lower than seven years after its launch. 

What units Turakhia other than most know-how entrepreneurs working at this scale is that he has by no means raised exterior funding. Bhavin is a large advocate of bootstrapping a enterprise until it’s completely important to hunt funding. He says, “Once you really consider within the worth of what you might be creating, diluting the fairness is the most costly solution to develop.” 

Associated: 6 Cash Ideas From Self-Made Billionaires

His ardour for constructing know-how corporations runs deep. Regardless of having made more cash than most entrepreneurs dream of, he has thrown himself into three extra know-how ventures that he’s personally concerned within the day-to-day. 

He’s creating Flock, a collaboration app that permits groups to coordinate their work and boasts over 500,00zero customers. He’s the Co-Founding father of Zeta which presents software program options for worker tax advantages, automated cafeterias and worker gifting, and has over 1.eight million customers. His third enterprise known as Radix, presently the world’s third largest area registry. Radix owns and operates generic top-level area extensions like .retailer, .tech, .on-line, .web site, .website and lots of others.

Bhavin shared with me his 4 core enterprise beliefs which have led to such outstanding success throughout a number of industries and geographies.

Lesson 1: Worth creation over valuation

Moderately than specializing in how a lot the corporate is price to traders, Bhavin believes founders should intensely deal with the worth they supply to their prospects.

Moderately than fussing over metrics that don’t really matter like eyeballs, visitors and worker headcount, he recommends specializing in net-promoter-score (NPS), buyer satisfaction and revenue. 

His background of bootstrapping so many ventures offers him a pure tendency to make sure that every enterprise is making prospects pleased sufficient that they wish to pay for the product. 

He warns that if entrepreneurs deal with valuation, they are going to optimize every little thing in the direction of that purpose and should miss the potential for true worth creation. And that’s finally what determines the chance of realizing a revenue or an exit. “Valuation is a side-effect, not a purpose,” he says.

Lesson 2: Creativity over money 

Corporations which have huge funding early on are likely to throw cash at issues moderately than looking for artistic options. The world of entrepreneurship rewards real innovation that’s finely tuned to resolve an issue. 

With an excessive amount of cash, you find yourself overpaying for buyer acquisition moderately than discovering the guerilla advertising strategy that provides you an edge. You’ll be able to rent an company to conduct market analysis at arm’s size, moderately than getting nose to nose along with your prospects and recognizing refined insights the company would miss.  

A money buffer can truly forestall entrepreneurs from tuning into the true problems with the market. “Adversity causes innovation,” says Bhavin. “If a enterprise is simply too properly funded, there’s all the time a temptation to throw cash at issues moderately than digging deep for an modern answer.”

Associated: eight Tricks to Turn out to be a Millionaire This Yr

Lesson 3: High quality of individuals over amount of individuals

The subsequent challenge is intently linked to having an excessive amount of funding too quickly. It brings the temptation to develop the crew quickly in order that the corporate seems to be massive and profitable moderately than maintaining a small, elite crew that may be extra nimble and proactive. 

Amount doesn’t substitute for high quality. You’ll find 100 common athletes and put them onto a sporting crew however you’re no nearer to profitable a gold medal, Bhavin believes.

Each new rent provides complexity to your tradition. Every individual brings with them baggage and expertise. In the event you rent common folks, they dilute the main target of the rock stars. Corporations that wouldn’t have deep pockets ought to recruit just some sensible folks and they’ll most likely have an edge over the 100-person firm that expanded their crew too rapidly. 

Lesson 4: Staying targeted

“Success is straight proportional to the extent of focus you may put into fixing an issue,” says Bhavin. Buyers who aren’t in command of the working of the corporate have to diversify their danger throughout many corporations, however entrepreneurs want to decide on an enormous drawback and focus all their power into fixing it higher than anybody else can. 

Associated: 9 On a regular basis Habits of the Common Millionaire

“One of many greatest issues that kill startups is defocusing,” Bhavin explains. Startup corporations try too many issues too quickly and fail to be sensible at any of them. A small firm merely can’t be distinctive at ecommerce and funds and social networking and logistics. Entrepreneurs should rigorously select the issue they’re finest positioned to resolve and run deep into the habit-hole to resolve it. 

As a boy, Bhavin remembers his father telling him and his brother nearly day by day, “You are able to do something you set your thoughts to.” That sense of perception has actually come to full fruition and Bhavin is beneficiant in sharing that message with as many entrepreneurs as potential. 

Supply hyperlink

source https://webart-studio.com/four-classes-from-an-entrepreneur-who-turned-a-self-made-billionaire-earlier-than-turning-40/

[laurylyonus]

WordPress Hosting: A Brutally Honest Guide That’ll Save You Money

This is painful to say, but…

Most of what’s published out there about WordPress hosting is total BS.

Not just incomplete information. Not just half-truths.

I’m talking outright lies and boldfaced scams.

You can’t even get straightforward answers to basic questions like…

Should you go to the trouble of setting up a WordPress site or just start a blog for free on Medium?

Which company is good? Who can you trust?

What’s the difference between all the different options?

It’s infuriating, but listen…

I’ve helped build and run some of the most popular blogs in the world, scaling them from nothing to millions of visitors per month. During that process, I learned a lot of valuable lessons — often the hard way — about what makes a good WordPress host.

And today, I’m publishing the guide I wish somebody had given me.

It’s brutally honest. It’s full of technical details (that I do my best to explain). It’ll also save you tons of time and money.

The Different Levels of WordPress Hosting

To start, here’s an infographic explaining the typical path most bloggers take:

They start with a shared host, and then they grow to a Virtual Private Server, and then they grow to a Dedicated Server.

Wondering how that applies to you?

Here’s the short answer:

TLDR: The Best WordPress Hosting Right Now (In My Opinion)

If you’re under 100,000 visitors per month, don’t torture yourself by getting a VPS or dedicated server. Just grab a cheap, no-frills shared hosting account.

Is it the best hosting in the world?

No, but it’s way better value than the alternatives. Here’s a pricing comparison:

The more expensive things get, the more complicated and frustrating it gets too. You’ve never experienced misery until you try to optimize a dedicated server for the first time.

My advice?

Keep it simple and cheap. Use a shared host.

Now, that begs the question…

What’s the Most Cost-Effective Hosting for WordPress?

  Personally, I use SiteGround (affiliate link) for all my new sites. Here’s why:

It’s the best balance I’ve found of quality and price. You can find cheaper hosts, but you can’t find anyone cheap that’s as good as them.

They are optimized for WordPress. Your site will run faster there than on many hosts.

I use them personally to host most of our sites, and both their servers and support have always been excellent.

That being said, I’ll be straight with you…

SiteGround isn’t the only great host in the world. They’re just the one I personally use and recommend to our 2.6 million readers. I wouldn’t endorse them publicly without having a lot of confidence in them.

But there other good companies with a different approach.

Who Is the Best WordPress Host, Regardless of Price?

  WP Engine (affiliate) has an impeccable reputation for flawless hosting and support. In my opinion, there’s no question they are better than SiteGround, but they are also 10X more expensive.

Is it worth it?

If you want a host that can take unlimited traffic and has WordPress experts standing by to help you with pretty much anything you need, plus you’re hosting a business website with a significant budget, maybe it’s worth the extra cost. Quite a few big blogs host with them, and they believe it’s worth every penny.

I’ve also been to their offices in downtown Austin and met with the executive team. It’s a solid company that’ll be around for years to come.

The bottom line:

If you want to skip the rest of this post and just choose a host, go with SiteGround (affiliate link) if you have a small budget and WP Engine (affiliate) if you have a large one. You won’t regret going with other company.

Before you choose any WordPress host though, here’s an important point you should understand:

Most Reviews Are Bought and Paid for

Pretty much every blogger making a hosting recommendation is getting compensated by the host. And yes, that includes me.

The difference?

I’m not hiding anything. I’m proud of the partnerships I have with SiteGround (affiliate link) and WP Engine (affiliate), because I have personal experience with both companies, many of my students are customers, and they treat everyone extremely well. I would happily recommend them even if they weren’t paying me a penny.

And that’s NOT true for other bloggers.

Most don’t even use the host they are recommending. In my opinion, that’s just unethical.

Especially when it comes to one particular company…

Many Hosts are Owned by the Same Terrible Company

2slick.com FreeYellow PowWeb AccountSupport Glob@t PureHost A Small Orange Homestead ReadyHosting ApolloHosting HostCentric ResellerClub AptHost HostClear SEOGears Arvixe Host Excellence SEO Hosting Berry Information Systems HostGator Site5 BigRock HostMonster SiteBuilder.com BizLand HostNine Sitelio BlueDomino HostYourSite.com Sitey BlueFur HostV Southeast Web BlueHost HyperMart Spry BuyDomains IdeaHost StartLogic Cirtex Hosting IMOutdoors SuperGreen Hosting Cloud by IX Impress.ly TypePad Constant Contact Intuit Websites USANetHosting Directi iPage vDeck Dollar2Host IPOWER/iPowerWeb Verio Domain.com IX Web Hosting VirtualAvenue DomainHost JustCloud VPSLink Dot5Hosting JustHost WebHost4Life Dotster LogicBoxes WebHosting.info easyCGI MojoMarketplace WebsiteBuilder.com eHost MyDomain Webstrike Solutions EntryHost MyResellerHome Webzai Escalate Internet NetFirms World Wide Web Hosting FastDomain Networks Web Hosting Xeran FatCow Nexx YourWebHosting

Ever heard of Bluehost?

Or maybe Hostgator?

Both hosts are owned by a conglomerate called Endurance International Group (EIG). In fact, EIG runs most of the big hosting companies, and it continues to buy new ones all the time.

So what makes them so awful?

After they purchase a host, they lay off support staff, stop investing in new technology, and funnel the money into increased advertising and payouts to shareholders. In every case, the reputation of the host plummets.

Of course, you might be wondering how you find out if they own your host. Or for that matter, how do you know if your host is a good one if nearly every review is bought and paid for?

The answer:

The Best Way to Get Unbiased Reviews

  Web Hosting Talk is the biggest forum on the web about hosting, and it has literally millions of reviews. They don’t allow affiliate links either, so you can count on the reviews to be unbiased.

Granted, every host gets a bad review now and again, but you can comb through dozens of reports to get a much better feel for the reputation of the host, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

Also, here’s a little hack to save you some time…

Instead of using the search tool built into their forum, which can be a little clunky, grab the URL of the forum you want to search, and then put the following in Google:

site:URL “host name”

For example, if you wanted to verify the reputation of SiteGround (affiliate link), you can go to their list of forums, right click on the one that seems most appropriate, and copy the link:

From there, use the search parameter above in Google. In this case, it would be:

site:http://www.webhostingtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1 “SiteGround”

And voilà, you have a listing of reviews you can easily look through for reliable information.

In particular, here’s the biggest factor that should influence your decision:

How to Evaluate Customer Support

Customer support. When you’re a beginner, it’s more important than anything.

No surprise there, right?

But here’s the big lesson…

It’s not just about wait times or the intelligence of the technicians. It’s also about the method of support, what the host supports, and the helpdesk schedule.

For instance:

Do you have to submit tickets through their helpdesk and wait for a response, or can you do a live chat or phone call with a technician and actually have a conversation?

Do they offer support for WordPress and the most popular themes and plug-ins? It’s shocking, but unless they specifically mention it, many don’t.

Do they offer support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or is it only during normal business hours?

Personally, I want a host with technicians I can interact with in real time (either through phone or chat), have a thorough knowledge of WordPress, and are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And that’s actually relatively difficult to find at an affordable price.

That’s why I think SiteGround (affiliate link) is the best host for most beginners. They give you all those things for an entire year for less than the cost of a dinner at a nice restaurant.

And here’s what’s even cooler…

Their servers are also configured especially for WordPress. Let’s talk about that next.

The Configuration Matters More Than Tech

Chances are, you’ve seen a page on a hosting website that looks something like this:

Almost like a foreign language, right? Disk space, RAM, page views, uniques, SSDs — what’s it all mean? And for that matter, how are you supposed to know which plan is right for you?

Actually… you don’t have to. If you’re running a relatively simple WordPress site, none of those technical details matter much. You can ignore them.

Here’s proof:

In 2012, a fellow named Ewen Leith managed to get a $15 server to run a WordPress site receiving 10 million hits a day. Granted, it was an extremely simple site using a set up that would be tough for a novice to manage, but it’s still proof the configuration of your web host matters much more than having high-end hardware.

That’s another reason why I recommend SiteGround (affiliate link) – their servers are configured specifically for WordPress. Your site will be able to handle far more traffic with far fewer resources. Over the long term, it translates into significant savings, because you have to upgrade less often.

Granted, SiteGround isn’t the only host who does this. If you decide to search for someone else, here’s what to look for:

Litespeed or Apache NGINX

Database caching through Memcached

Support for PHP 7 and HTTP/2

RAM, SSD space, bandwidth — for a normal WordPress site, none of those specs really matter much. Ignore them and focus on the three above details.

Installing Too Many Plugins Can Mess up Any WordPress Host

So, you found a host that’s perfectly optimized for WordPress. Your site should be nice and zippy, right?

Actually… not necessarily.

If you install too many WordPress plugins (or even just one really bad one), you can slow down your site or even cause your host to cancel your account. It’s the most common source of problems.

So,how do you know which plugins to install and which ones to avoid?

The short answer: install as few as possible, and if you ever have problems with your site, the first thing you should always do is try deactivating plugins. For a detailed answer, take a look at our post on essential WordPress plug-ins.

Make Sure You Get a Free SSL Certificate

Ever since Google announced that having an SSL certificate is now a ranking factor, it’s become essential for you to have one.

What’s an SSL certificate?

It’s an extra layer of security and reporting around the safety of your website. Any site using SSL will have the prefix “https” in the URL.

In the past, you had to pay a yearly fee to register your SSL certificate, but most of the top web posts are now offering one for free. You should take advantage of that savings and have your site on https from day one.

The 7 Things That Really Matter When Choosing the Best WordPress Host

By this point, I wouldn’t blame you if your head is spinning.

We’ve covered a lot of technical details in this post, so I thought I would conclude with a quick checklist to help you choose the best WordPress host for you. Here are the seven most important things to remember:

Unless your site is massive, you don’t need a VPS or dedicated server. Stick with a shared host.

For the love of God, avoid any hosting company owned by EIG.

When evaluating customer support, look for 24/7 live chat and/or phone support.

The configuration of your web host matters more than the technical specs

Go easy on the WordPress plugins. They can slow down your site.

You should expect to get a free SSL certificate. Use it.

If you’re tired of thinking about all this stuff, go with either SiteGround (affiliate link) (cheap but good) or WP Engine (affiliate) (premium).

Follow those recommendations, and you’ll save yourself tons of time, money, and headaches. I speak from experience.

Ultimately though, the decision is yours. Choose wisely, my friend.

About the Author: Jon Morrow has asked repeatedly to be called “His Royal Awesomeness” but no one listens to him. So, he settles for CEO of Smart Blogger. Poor man. 🙂

The post WordPress Hosting: A Brutally Honest Guide That’ll Save You Money appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from SEO and SM Tips https://smartblogger.com/wordpress-hosting/

[stevenshartus]

WordPress Hosting: A Brutally Honest Guide That’ll Save You Money

This is painful to say, but…

Most of what’s published out there about WordPress hosting is total BS.

Not just incomplete information. Not just half-truths.

I’m talking outright lies and boldfaced scams.

You can’t even get straightforward answers to basic questions like…

Should you go to the trouble of setting up a WordPress site or just start a blog for free on Medium?

Which company is good? Who can you trust?

What’s the difference between all the different options?

It’s infuriating, but listen…

I’ve helped build and run some of the most popular blogs in the world, scaling them from nothing to millions of visitors per month. During that process, I learned a lot of valuable lessons — often the hard way — about what makes a good WordPress host.

And today, I’m publishing the guide I wish somebody had given me.

It’s brutally honest. It’s full of technical details (that I do my best to explain). It’ll also save you tons of time and money.

The Different Levels of WordPress Hosting

To start, here’s an infographic explaining the typical path most bloggers take:

They start with a shared host, and then they grow to a Virtual Private Server, and then they grow to a Dedicated Server.

Wondering how that applies to you?

Here’s the short answer:

TLDR: The Best WordPress Hosting Right Now (In My Opinion)

If you’re under 100,000 visitors per month, don’t torture yourself by getting a VPS or dedicated server. Just grab a cheap, no-frills shared hosting account.

Is it the best hosting in the world?

No, but it’s way better value than the alternatives. Here’s a pricing comparison:

The more expensive things get, the more complicated and frustrating it gets too. You’ve never experienced misery until you try to optimize a dedicated server for the first time.

My advice?

Keep it simple and cheap. Use a shared host.

Now, that begs the question…

What’s the Most Cost-Effective Hosting for WordPress?

  Personally, I use SiteGround (affiliate link) for all my new sites. Here’s why:

It’s the best balance I’ve found of quality and price. You can find cheaper hosts, but you can’t find anyone cheap that’s as good as them.

They are optimized for WordPress. Your site will run faster there than on many hosts.

I use them personally to host most of our sites, and both their servers and support have always been excellent.

That being said, I’ll be straight with you…

SiteGround isn’t the only great host in the world. They’re just the one I personally use and recommend to our 2.6 million readers. I wouldn’t endorse them publicly without having a lot of confidence in them.

But there other good companies with a different approach.

Who Is the Best WordPress Host, Regardless of Price?

  WP Engine (affiliate) has an impeccable reputation for flawless hosting and support. In my opinion, there’s no question they are better than SiteGround, but they are also 10X more expensive.

Is it worth it?

If you want a host that can take unlimited traffic and has WordPress experts standing by to help you with pretty much anything you need, plus you’re hosting a business website with a significant budget, maybe it’s worth the extra cost. Quite a few big blogs host with them, and they believe it’s worth every penny.

I’ve also been to their offices in downtown Austin and met with the executive team. It’s a solid company that’ll be around for years to come.

The bottom line:

If you want to skip the rest of this post and just choose a host, go with SiteGround (affiliate link) if you have a small budget and WP Engine (affiliate) if you have a large one. You won’t regret going with other company.

Before you choose any WordPress host though, here’s an important point you should understand:

Most Reviews Are Bought and Paid for

Pretty much every blogger making a hosting recommendation is getting compensated by the host. And yes, that includes me.

The difference?

I’m not hiding anything. I’m proud of the partnerships I have with SiteGround (affiliate link) and WP Engine (affiliate), because I have personal experience with both companies, many of my students are customers, and they treat everyone extremely well. I would happily recommend them even if they weren’t paying me a penny.

And that’s NOT true for other bloggers.

Most don’t even use the host they are recommending. In my opinion, that’s just unethical.

Especially when it comes to one particular company…

Many Hosts are Owned by the Same Terrible Company

2slick.com FreeYellow PowWeb AccountSupport Glob@t PureHost A Small Orange Homestead ReadyHosting ApolloHosting HostCentric ResellerClub AptHost HostClear SEOGears Arvixe Host Excellence SEO Hosting Berry Information Systems HostGator Site5 BigRock HostMonster SiteBuilder.com BizLand HostNine Sitelio BlueDomino HostYourSite.com Sitey BlueFur HostV Southeast Web BlueHost HyperMart Spry BuyDomains IdeaHost StartLogic Cirtex Hosting IMOutdoors SuperGreen Hosting Cloud by IX Impress.ly TypePad Constant Contact Intuit Websites USANetHosting Directi iPage vDeck Dollar2Host IPOWER/iPowerWeb Verio Domain.com IX Web Hosting VirtualAvenue DomainHost JustCloud VPSLink Dot5Hosting JustHost WebHost4Life Dotster LogicBoxes WebHosting.info easyCGI MojoMarketplace WebsiteBuilder.com eHost MyDomain Webstrike Solutions EntryHost MyResellerHome Webzai Escalate Internet NetFirms World Wide Web Hosting FastDomain Networks Web Hosting Xeran FatCow Nexx YourWebHosting

Ever heard of Bluehost?

Or maybe Hostgator?

Both hosts are owned by a conglomerate called Endurance International Group (EIG). In fact, EIG runs most of the big hosting companies, and it continues to buy new ones all the time.

So what makes them so awful?

After they purchase a host, they lay off support staff, stop investing in new technology, and funnel the money into increased advertising and payouts to shareholders. In every case, the reputation of the host plummets.

Of course, you might be wondering how you find out if they own your host. Or for that matter, how do you know if your host is a good one if nearly every review is bought and paid for?

The answer:

The Best Way to Get Unbiased Reviews

  Web Hosting Talk is the biggest forum on the web about hosting, and it has literally millions of reviews. They don’t allow affiliate links either, so you can count on the reviews to be unbiased.

Granted, every host gets a bad review now and again, but you can comb through dozens of reports to get a much better feel for the reputation of the host, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

Also, here’s a little hack to save you some time…

Instead of using the search tool built into their forum, which can be a little clunky, grab the URL of the forum you want to search, and then put the following in Google:

site:URL “host name”

For example, if you wanted to verify the reputation of SiteGround (affiliate link), you can go to their list of forums, right click on the one that seems most appropriate, and copy the link:

From there, use the search parameter above in Google. In this case, it would be:

site:http://www.webhostingtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1 “SiteGround”

And voilà, you have a listing of reviews you can easily look through for reliable information.

In particular, here’s the biggest factor that should influence your decision:

How to Evaluate Customer Support

Customer support. When you’re a beginner, it’s more important than anything.

No surprise there, right?

But here’s the big lesson…

It’s not just about wait times or the intelligence of the technicians. It’s also about the method of support, what the host supports, and the helpdesk schedule.

For instance:

Do you have to submit tickets through their helpdesk and wait for a response, or can you do a live chat or phone call with a technician and actually have a conversation?

Do they offer support for WordPress and the most popular themes and plug-ins? It’s shocking, but unless they specifically mention it, many don’t.

Do they offer support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or is it only during normal business hours?

Personally, I want a host with technicians I can interact with in real time (either through phone or chat), have a thorough knowledge of WordPress, and are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And that’s actually relatively difficult to find at an affordable price.

That’s why I think SiteGround (affiliate link) is the best host for most beginners. They give you all those things for an entire year for less than the cost of a dinner at a nice restaurant.

And here’s what’s even cooler…

Their servers are also configured especially for WordPress. Let’s talk about that next.

The Configuration Matters More Than Tech

Chances are, you’ve seen a page on a hosting website that looks something like this:

Almost like a foreign language, right? Disk space, RAM, page views, uniques, SSDs — what’s it all mean? And for that matter, how are you supposed to know which plan is right for you?

Actually… you don’t have to. If you’re running a relatively simple WordPress site, none of those technical details matter much. You can ignore them.

Here’s proof:

In 2012, a fellow named Ewen Leith managed to get a $15 server to run a WordPress site receiving 10 million hits a day. Granted, it was an extremely simple site using a set up that would be tough for a novice to manage, but it’s still proof the configuration of your web host matters much more than having high-end hardware.

That’s another reason why I recommend SiteGround (affiliate link) – their servers are configured specifically for WordPress. Your site will be able to handle far more traffic with far fewer resources. Over the long term, it translates into significant savings, because you have to upgrade less often.

Granted, SiteGround isn’t the only host who does this. If you decide to search for someone else, here’s what to look for:

Litespeed or Apache NGINX

Database caching through Memcached

Support for PHP 7 and HTTP/2

RAM, SSD space, bandwidth — for a normal WordPress site, none of those specs really matter much. Ignore them and focus on the three above details.

Installing Too Many Plugins Can Mess up Any WordPress Host

So, you found a host that’s perfectly optimized for WordPress. Your site should be nice and zippy, right?

Actually… not necessarily.

If you install too many WordPress plugins (or even just one really bad one), you can slow down your site or even cause your host to cancel your account. It’s the most common source of problems.

So,how do you know which plugins to install and which ones to avoid?

The short answer: install as few as possible, and if you ever have problems with your site, the first thing you should always do is try deactivating plugins. For a detailed answer, take a look at our post on essential WordPress plug-ins.

Make Sure You Get a Free SSL Certificate

Ever since Google announced that having an SSL certificate is now a ranking factor, it’s become essential for you to have one.

What’s an SSL certificate?

It’s an extra layer of security and reporting around the safety of your website. Any site using SSL will have the prefix “https” in the URL.

In the past, you had to pay a yearly fee to register your SSL certificate, but most of the top web posts are now offering one for free. You should take advantage of that savings and have your site on https from day one.

The 7 Things That Really Matter When Choosing the Best WordPress Host

By this point, I wouldn’t blame you if your head is spinning.

We’ve covered a lot of technical details in this post, so I thought I would conclude with a quick checklist to help you choose the best WordPress host for you. Here are the seven most important things to remember:

Unless your site is massive, you don’t need a VPS or dedicated server. Stick with a shared host.

For the love of God, avoid any hosting company owned by EIG.

When evaluating customer support, look for 24/7 live chat and/or phone support.

The configuration of your web host matters more than the technical specs

Go easy on the WordPress plugins. They can slow down your site.

You should expect to get a free SSL certificate. Use it.

If you’re tired of thinking about all this stuff, go with either SiteGround (affiliate link) (cheap but good) or WP Engine (affiliate) (premium).

Follow those recommendations, and you’ll save yourself tons of time, money, and headaches. I speak from experience.

Ultimately though, the decision is yours. Choose wisely, my friend.

About the Author: Jon Morrow has asked repeatedly to be called “His Royal Awesomeness” but no one listens to him. So, he settles for CEO of Smart Blogger. Poor man. 🙂

The post WordPress Hosting: A Brutally Honest Guide That’ll Save You Money appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from SEO and SM Tips https://smartblogger.com/wordpress-hosting/

[simonegaleanaus]

WordPress Hosting: A Brutally Honest Guide That’ll Save You Money

This is painful to say, but…

Most of what’s published out there about WordPress hosting is total BS.

Not just incomplete information. Not just half-truths.

I’m talking outright lies and boldfaced scams.

You can’t even get straightforward answers to basic questions like…

Should you go to the trouble of setting up a WordPress site or just start a blog for free on Medium?

Which company is good? Who can you trust?

What’s the difference between all the different options?

It’s infuriating, but listen…

I’ve helped build and run some of the most popular blogs in the world, scaling them from nothing to millions of visitors per month. During that process, I learned a lot of valuable lessons — often the hard way — about what makes a good WordPress host.

And today, I’m publishing the guide I wish somebody had given me.

It’s brutally honest. It’s full of technical details (that I do my best to explain). It’ll also save you tons of time and money.

The Different Levels of WordPress Hosting

To start, here’s an infographic explaining the typical path most bloggers take:

They start with a shared host, and then they grow to a Virtual Private Server, and then they grow to a Dedicated Server.

Wondering how that applies to you?

Here’s the short answer:

TLDR: The Best WordPress Hosting Right Now (In My Opinion)

If you’re under 100,000 visitors per month, don’t torture yourself by getting a VPS or dedicated server. Just grab a cheap, no-frills shared hosting account.

Is it the best hosting in the world?

No, but it’s way better value than the alternatives. Here’s a pricing comparison:

The more expensive things get, the more complicated and frustrating it gets too. You’ve never experienced misery until you try to optimize a dedicated server for the first time.

My advice?

Keep it simple and cheap. Use a shared host.

Now, that begs the question…

What’s the Most Cost-Effective Hosting for WordPress?

  Personally, I use SiteGround (affiliate link) for all my new sites. Here’s why:

It’s the best balance I’ve found of quality and price. You can find cheaper hosts, but you can’t find anyone cheap that’s as good as them.

They are optimized for WordPress. Your site will run faster there than on many hosts.

I use them personally to host most of our sites, and both their servers and support have always been excellent.

That being said, I’ll be straight with you…

SiteGround isn’t the only great host in the world. They’re just the one I personally use and recommend to our 2.6 million readers. I wouldn’t endorse them publicly without having a lot of confidence in them.

But there other good companies with a different approach.

Who Is the Best WordPress Host, Regardless of Price?

  WP Engine (affiliate) has an impeccable reputation for flawless hosting and support. In my opinion, there’s no question they are better than SiteGround, but they are also 10X more expensive.

Is it worth it?

If you want a host that can take unlimited traffic and has WordPress experts standing by to help you with pretty much anything you need, plus you’re hosting a business website with a significant budget, maybe it’s worth the extra cost. Quite a few big blogs host with them, and they believe it’s worth every penny.

I’ve also been to their offices in downtown Austin and met with the executive team. It’s a solid company that’ll be around for years to come.

The bottom line:

If you want to skip the rest of this post and just choose a host, go with SiteGround (affiliate link) if you have a small budget and WP Engine (affiliate) if you have a large one. You won’t regret going with other company.

Before you choose any WordPress host though, here’s an important point you should understand:

Most Reviews Are Bought and Paid for

Pretty much every blogger making a hosting recommendation is getting compensated by the host. And yes, that includes me.

The difference?

I’m not hiding anything. I’m proud of the partnerships I have with SiteGround (affiliate link) and WP Engine (affiliate), because I have personal experience with both companies, many of my students are customers, and they treat everyone extremely well. I would happily recommend them even if they weren’t paying me a penny.

And that’s NOT true for other bloggers.

Most don’t even use the host they are recommending. In my opinion, that’s just unethical.

Especially when it comes to one particular company…

Many Hosts are Owned by the Same Terrible Company

2slick.com FreeYellow PowWeb AccountSupport Glob@t PureHost A Small Orange Homestead ReadyHosting ApolloHosting HostCentric ResellerClub AptHost HostClear SEOGears Arvixe Host Excellence SEO Hosting Berry Information Systems HostGator Site5 BigRock HostMonster SiteBuilder.com BizLand HostNine Sitelio BlueDomino HostYourSite.com Sitey BlueFur HostV Southeast Web BlueHost HyperMart Spry BuyDomains IdeaHost StartLogic Cirtex Hosting IMOutdoors SuperGreen Hosting Cloud by IX Impress.ly TypePad Constant Contact Intuit Websites USANetHosting Directi iPage vDeck Dollar2Host IPOWER/iPowerWeb Verio Domain.com IX Web Hosting VirtualAvenue DomainHost JustCloud VPSLink Dot5Hosting JustHost WebHost4Life Dotster LogicBoxes WebHosting.info easyCGI MojoMarketplace WebsiteBuilder.com eHost MyDomain Webstrike Solutions EntryHost MyResellerHome Webzai Escalate Internet NetFirms World Wide Web Hosting FastDomain Networks Web Hosting Xeran FatCow Nexx YourWebHosting

Ever heard of Bluehost?

Or maybe Hostgator?

Both hosts are owned by a conglomerate called Endurance International Group (EIG). In fact, EIG runs most of the big hosting companies, and it continues to buy new ones all the time.

So what makes them so awful?

After they purchase a host, they lay off support staff, stop investing in new technology, and funnel the money into increased advertising and payouts to shareholders. In every case, the reputation of the host plummets.

Of course, you might be wondering how you find out if they own your host. Or for that matter, how do you know if your host is a good one if nearly every review is bought and paid for?

The answer:

The Best Way to Get Unbiased Reviews

  Web Hosting Talk is the biggest forum on the web about hosting, and it has literally millions of reviews. They don’t allow affiliate links either, so you can count on the reviews to be unbiased.

Granted, every host gets a bad review now and again, but you can comb through dozens of reports to get a much better feel for the reputation of the host, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

Also, here’s a little hack to save you some time…

Instead of using the search tool built into their forum, which can be a little clunky, grab the URL of the forum you want to search, and then put the following in Google:

site:URL “host name”

For example, if you wanted to verify the reputation of SiteGround (affiliate link), you can go to their list of forums, right click on the one that seems most appropriate, and copy the link:

From there, use the search parameter above in Google. In this case, it would be:

site:http://www.webhostingtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1 “SiteGround”

And voilà, you have a listing of reviews you can easily look through for reliable information.

In particular, here’s the biggest factor that should influence your decision:

How to Evaluate Customer Support

Customer support. When you’re a beginner, it’s more important than anything.

No surprise there, right?

But here’s the big lesson…

It’s not just about wait times or the intelligence of the technicians. It’s also about the method of support, what the host supports, and the helpdesk schedule.

For instance:

Do you have to submit tickets through their helpdesk and wait for a response, or can you do a live chat or phone call with a technician and actually have a conversation?

Do they offer support for WordPress and the most popular themes and plug-ins? It’s shocking, but unless they specifically mention it, many don’t.

Do they offer support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or is it only during normal business hours?

Personally, I want a host with technicians I can interact with in real time (either through phone or chat), have a thorough knowledge of WordPress, and are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And that’s actually relatively difficult to find at an affordable price.

That’s why I think SiteGround (affiliate link) is the best host for most beginners. They give you all those things for an entire year for less than the cost of a dinner at a nice restaurant.

And here’s what’s even cooler…

Their servers are also configured especially for WordPress. Let’s talk about that next.

The Configuration Matters More Than Tech

Chances are, you’ve seen a page on a hosting website that looks something like this:

Almost like a foreign language, right? Disk space, RAM, page views, uniques, SSDs — what’s it all mean? And for that matter, how are you supposed to know which plan is right for you?

Actually… you don’t have to. If you’re running a relatively simple WordPress site, none of those technical details matter much. You can ignore them.

Here’s proof:

In 2012, a fellow named Ewen Leith managed to get a $15 server to run a WordPress site receiving 10 million hits a day. Granted, it was an extremely simple site using a set up that would be tough for a novice to manage, but it’s still proof the configuration of your web host matters much more than having high-end hardware.

That’s another reason why I recommend SiteGround (affiliate link) – their servers are configured specifically for WordPress. Your site will be able to handle far more traffic with far fewer resources. Over the long term, it translates into significant savings, because you have to upgrade less often.

Granted, SiteGround isn’t the only host who does this. If you decide to search for someone else, here’s what to look for:

Litespeed or Apache NGINX

Database caching through Memcached

Support for PHP 7 and HTTP/2

RAM, SSD space, bandwidth — for a normal WordPress site, none of those specs really matter much. Ignore them and focus on the three above details.

Installing Too Many Plugins Can Mess up Any WordPress Host

So, you found a host that’s perfectly optimized for WordPress. Your site should be nice and zippy, right?

Actually… not necessarily.

If you install too many WordPress plugins (or even just one really bad one), you can slow down your site or even cause your host to cancel your account. It’s the most common source of problems.

So,how do you know which plugins to install and which ones to avoid?

The short answer: install as few as possible, and if you ever have problems with your site, the first thing you should always do is try deactivating plugins. For a detailed answer, take a look at our post on essential WordPress plug-ins.

Make Sure You Get a Free SSL Certificate

Ever since Google announced that having an SSL certificate is now a ranking factor, it’s become essential for you to have one.

What’s an SSL certificate?

It’s an extra layer of security and reporting around the safety of your website. Any site using SSL will have the prefix “https” in the URL.

In the past, you had to pay a yearly fee to register your SSL certificate, but most of the top web posts are now offering one for free. You should take advantage of that savings and have your site on https from day one.

The 7 Things That Really Matter When Choosing the Best WordPress Host

By this point, I wouldn’t blame you if your head is spinning.

We’ve covered a lot of technical details in this post, so I thought I would conclude with a quick checklist to help you choose the best WordPress host for you. Here are the seven most important things to remember:

Unless your site is massive, you don’t need a VPS or dedicated server. Stick with a shared host.

For the love of God, avoid any hosting company owned by EIG.

When evaluating customer support, look for 24/7 live chat and/or phone support.

The configuration of your web host matters more than the technical specs

Go easy on the WordPress plugins. They can slow down your site.

You should expect to get a free SSL certificate. Use it.

If you’re tired of thinking about all this stuff, go with either SiteGround (affiliate link) (cheap but good) or WP Engine (affiliate) (premium).

Follow those recommendations, and you’ll save yourself tons of time, money, and headaches. I speak from experience.

Ultimately though, the decision is yours. Choose wisely, my friend.

About the Author: Jon Morrow has asked repeatedly to be called “His Royal Awesomeness” but no one listens to him. So, he settles for CEO of Smart Blogger. Poor man. 🙂

The post WordPress Hosting: A Brutally Honest Guide That’ll Save You Money appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from SEO and SM Tips https://smartblogger.com/wordpress-hosting/

[ronaldsmcrae86]

WordPress Hosting: A Brutally Honest Guide That’ll Save You Money

This is painful to say, but…

Most of what’s published out there about WordPress hosting is total BS.

Not just incomplete information. Not just half-truths.

I’m talking outright lies and boldfaced scams.

You can’t even get straightforward answers to basic questions like…

Should you go to the trouble of setting up a WordPress site or just start a blog for free on Medium?

Which company is good? Who can you trust?

What’s the difference between all the different options?

It’s infuriating, but listen…

I’ve helped build and run some of the most popular blogs in the world, scaling them from nothing to millions of visitors per month. During that process, I learned a lot of valuable lessons — often the hard way — about what makes a good WordPress host.

And today, I’m publishing the guide I wish somebody had given me.

It’s brutally honest. It’s full of technical details (that I do my best to explain). It’ll also save you tons of time and money.

The Different Levels of WordPress Hosting

To start, here’s an infographic explaining the typical path most bloggers take:

They start with a shared host, and then they grow to a Virtual Private Server, and then they grow to a Dedicated Server.

Wondering how that applies to you?

Here’s the short answer:

TLDR: The Best WordPress Hosting Right Now (In My Opinion)

If you’re under 100,000 visitors per month, don’t torture yourself by getting a VPS or dedicated server. Just grab a cheap, no-frills shared hosting account.

Is it the best hosting in the world?

No, but it’s way better value than the alternatives. Here’s a pricing comparison:

The more expensive things get, the more complicated and frustrating it gets too. You’ve never experienced misery until you try to optimize a dedicated server for the first time.

My advice?

Keep it simple and cheap. Use a shared host.

Now, that begs the question…

What’s the Most Cost-Effective Hosting for WordPress?

  Personally, I use SiteGround (affiliate link) for all my new sites. Here’s why:

It’s the best balance I’ve found of quality and price. You can find cheaper hosts, but you can’t find anyone cheap that’s as good as them.

They are optimized for WordPress. Your site will run faster there than on many hosts.

I use them personally to host most of our sites, and both their servers and support have always been excellent.

That being said, I’ll be straight with you…

SiteGround isn’t the only great host in the world. They’re just the one I personally use and recommend to our 2.6 million readers. I wouldn’t endorse them publicly without having a lot of confidence in them.

But there other good companies with a different approach.

Who Is the Best WordPress Host, Regardless of Price?

  WP Engine (affiliate) has an impeccable reputation for flawless hosting and support. In my opinion, there’s no question they are better than SiteGround, but they are also 10X more expensive.

Is it worth it?

If you want a host that can take unlimited traffic and has WordPress experts standing by to help you with pretty much anything you need, plus you’re hosting a business website with a significant budget, maybe it’s worth the extra cost. Quite a few big blogs host with them, and they believe it’s worth every penny.

I’ve also been to their offices in downtown Austin and met with the executive team. It’s a solid company that’ll be around for years to come.

The bottom line:

If you want to skip the rest of this post and just choose a host, go with SiteGround (affiliate link) if you have a small budget and WP Engine (affiliate) if you have a large one. You won’t regret going with other company.

Before you choose any WordPress host though, here’s an important point you should understand:

Most Reviews Are Bought and Paid for

Pretty much every blogger making a hosting recommendation is getting compensated by the host. And yes, that includes me.

The difference?

I’m not hiding anything. I’m proud of the partnerships I have with SiteGround (affiliate link) and WP Engine (affiliate), because I have personal experience with both companies, many of my students are customers, and they treat everyone extremely well. I would happily recommend them even if they weren’t paying me a penny.

And that’s NOT true for other bloggers.

Most don’t even use the host they are recommending. In my opinion, that’s just unethical.

Especially when it comes to one particular company…

Many Hosts are Owned by the Same Terrible Company

2slick.com FreeYellow PowWeb AccountSupport Glob@t PureHost A Small Orange Homestead ReadyHosting ApolloHosting HostCentric ResellerClub AptHost HostClear SEOGears Arvixe Host Excellence SEO Hosting Berry Information Systems HostGator Site5 BigRock HostMonster SiteBuilder.com BizLand HostNine Sitelio BlueDomino HostYourSite.com Sitey BlueFur HostV Southeast Web BlueHost HyperMart Spry BuyDomains IdeaHost StartLogic Cirtex Hosting IMOutdoors SuperGreen Hosting Cloud by IX Impress.ly TypePad Constant Contact Intuit Websites USANetHosting Directi iPage vDeck Dollar2Host IPOWER/iPowerWeb Verio Domain.com IX Web Hosting VirtualAvenue DomainHost JustCloud VPSLink Dot5Hosting JustHost WebHost4Life Dotster LogicBoxes WebHosting.info easyCGI MojoMarketplace WebsiteBuilder.com eHost MyDomain Webstrike Solutions EntryHost MyResellerHome Webzai Escalate Internet NetFirms World Wide Web Hosting FastDomain Networks Web Hosting Xeran FatCow Nexx YourWebHosting

Ever heard of Bluehost?

Or maybe Hostgator?

Both hosts are owned by a conglomerate called Endurance International Group (EIG). In fact, EIG runs most of the big hosting companies, and it continues to buy new ones all the time.

So what makes them so awful?

After they purchase a host, they lay off support staff, stop investing in new technology, and funnel the money into increased advertising and payouts to shareholders. In every case, the reputation of the host plummets.

Of course, you might be wondering how you find out if they own your host. Or for that matter, how do you know if your host is a good one if nearly every review is bought and paid for?

The answer:

The Best Way to Get Unbiased Reviews

  Web Hosting Talk is the biggest forum on the web about hosting, and it has literally millions of reviews. They don’t allow affiliate links either, so you can count on the reviews to be unbiased.

Granted, every host gets a bad review now and again, but you can comb through dozens of reports to get a much better feel for the reputation of the host, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

Also, here’s a little hack to save you some time…

Instead of using the search tool built into their forum, which can be a little clunky, grab the URL of the forum you want to search, and then put the following in Google:

site:URL “host name”

For example, if you wanted to verify the reputation of SiteGround (affiliate link), you can go to their list of forums, right click on the one that seems most appropriate, and copy the link:

From there, use the search parameter above in Google. In this case, it would be:

site:http://www.webhostingtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1 “SiteGround”

And voilà, you have a listing of reviews you can easily look through for reliable information.

In particular, here’s the biggest factor that should influence your decision:

How to Evaluate Customer Support

Customer support. When you’re a beginner, it’s more important than anything.

No surprise there, right?

But here’s the big lesson…

It’s not just about wait times or the intelligence of the technicians. It’s also about the method of support, what the host supports, and the helpdesk schedule.

For instance:

Do you have to submit tickets through their helpdesk and wait for a response, or can you do a live chat or phone call with a technician and actually have a conversation?

Do they offer support for WordPress and the most popular themes and plug-ins? It’s shocking, but unless they specifically mention it, many don’t.

Do they offer support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or is it only during normal business hours?

Personally, I want a host with technicians I can interact with in real time (either through phone or chat), have a thorough knowledge of WordPress, and are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And that’s actually relatively difficult to find at an affordable price.

That’s why I think SiteGround (affiliate link) is the best host for most beginners. They give you all those things for an entire year for less than the cost of a dinner at a nice restaurant.

And here’s what’s even cooler…

Their servers are also configured especially for WordPress. Let’s talk about that next.

The Configuration Matters More Than Tech

Chances are, you’ve seen a page on a hosting website that looks something like this:

Almost like a foreign language, right? Disk space, RAM, page views, uniques, SSDs — what’s it all mean? And for that matter, how are you supposed to know which plan is right for you?

Actually… you don’t have to. If you’re running a relatively simple WordPress site, none of those technical details matter much. You can ignore them.

Here’s proof:

In 2012, a fellow named Ewen Leith managed to get a $15 server to run a WordPress site receiving 10 million hits a day. Granted, it was an extremely simple site using a set up that would be tough for a novice to manage, but it’s still proof the configuration of your web host matters much more than having high-end hardware.

That’s another reason why I recommend SiteGround (affiliate link) – their servers are configured specifically for WordPress. Your site will be able to handle far more traffic with far fewer resources. Over the long term, it translates into significant savings, because you have to upgrade less often.

Granted, SiteGround isn’t the only host who does this. If you decide to search for someone else, here’s what to look for:

Litespeed or Apache NGINX

Database caching through Memcached

Support for PHP 7 and HTTP/2

RAM, SSD space, bandwidth — for a normal WordPress site, none of those specs really matter much. Ignore them and focus on the three above details.

Installing Too Many Plugins Can Mess up Any WordPress Host

So, you found a host that’s perfectly optimized for WordPress. Your site should be nice and zippy, right?

Actually… not necessarily.

If you install too many WordPress plugins (or even just one really bad one), you can slow down your site or even cause your host to cancel your account. It’s the most common source of problems.

So,how do you know which plugins to install and which ones to avoid?

The short answer: install as few as possible, and if you ever have problems with your site, the first thing you should always do is try deactivating plugins. For a detailed answer, take a look at our post on essential WordPress plug-ins.

Make Sure You Get a Free SSL Certificate

Ever since Google announced that having an SSL certificate is now a ranking factor, it’s become essential for you to have one.

What’s an SSL certificate?

It’s an extra layer of security and reporting around the safety of your website. Any site using SSL will have the prefix “https” in the URL.

In the past, you had to pay a yearly fee to register your SSL certificate, but most of the top web posts are now offering one for free. You should take advantage of that savings and have your site on https from day one.

The 7 Things That Really Matter When Choosing the Best WordPress Host

By this point, I wouldn’t blame you if your head is spinning.

We’ve covered a lot of technical details in this post, so I thought I would conclude with a quick checklist to help you choose the best WordPress host for you. Here are the seven most important things to remember:

Unless your site is massive, you don’t need a VPS or dedicated server. Stick with a shared host.

For the love of God, avoid any hosting company owned by EIG.

When evaluating customer support, look for 24/7 live chat and/or phone support.

The configuration of your web host matters more than the technical specs

Go easy on the WordPress plugins. They can slow down your site.

You should expect to get a free SSL certificate. Use it.

If you’re tired of thinking about all this stuff, go with either SiteGround (affiliate link) (cheap but good) or WP Engine (affiliate) (premium).

Follow those recommendations, and you’ll save yourself tons of time, money, and headaches. I speak from experience.

Ultimately though, the decision is yours. Choose wisely, my friend.

About the Author: Jon Morrow has asked repeatedly to be called “His Royal Awesomeness” but no one listens to him. So, he settles for CEO of Smart Blogger. Poor man. 🙂

The post WordPress Hosting: A Brutally Honest Guide That’ll Save You Money appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from SEO and SM Tips https://smartblogger.com/wordpress-hosting/

[sandranelsonuk]

WordPress Hosting: A Brutally Honest Guide That’ll Save You Money

This is painful to say, but…

Most of what’s published out there about WordPress hosting is total BS.

Not just incomplete information. Not just half-truths.

I’m talking outright lies and boldfaced scams.

You can’t even get straightforward answers to basic questions like…

Should you go to the trouble of setting up a WordPress site or just start a blog for free on Medium?

Which company is good? Who can you trust?

What’s the difference between all the different options?

It’s infuriating, but listen…

I’ve helped build and run some of the most popular blogs in the world, scaling them from nothing to millions of visitors per month. During that process, I learned a lot of valuable lessons — often the hard way — about what makes a good WordPress host.

And today, I’m publishing the guide I wish somebody had given me.

It’s brutally honest. It’s full of technical details (that I do my best to explain). It’ll also save you tons of time and money.

The Different Levels of WordPress Hosting

To start, here’s an infographic explaining the typical path most bloggers take:

They start with a shared host, and then they grow to a Virtual Private Server, and then they grow to a Dedicated Server.

Wondering how that applies to you?

Here’s the short answer:

TLDR: The Best WordPress Hosting Right Now (In My Opinion)

If you’re under 100,000 visitors per month, don’t torture yourself by getting a VPS or dedicated server. Just grab a cheap, no-frills shared hosting account.

Is it the best hosting in the world?

No, but it’s way better value than the alternatives. Here’s a pricing comparison:

The more expensive things get, the more complicated and frustrating it gets too. You’ve never experienced misery until you try to optimize a dedicated server for the first time.

My advice?

Keep it simple and cheap. Use a shared host.

Now, that begs the question…

What’s the Most Cost-Effective Hosting for WordPress?

  Personally, I use SiteGround (affiliate link) for all my new sites. Here’s why:

It’s the best balance I’ve found of quality and price. You can find cheaper hosts, but you can’t find anyone cheap that’s as good as them.

They are optimized for WordPress. Your site will run faster there than on many hosts.

I use them personally to host most of our sites, and both their servers and support have always been excellent.

That being said, I’ll be straight with you…

SiteGround isn’t the only great host in the world. They’re just the one I personally use and recommend to our 2.6 million readers. I wouldn’t endorse them publicly without having a lot of confidence in them.

But there other good companies with a different approach.

Who Is the Best WordPress Host, Regardless of Price?

  WP Engine (affiliate) has an impeccable reputation for flawless hosting and support. In my opinion, there’s no question they are better than SiteGround, but they are also 10X more expensive.

Is it worth it?

If you want a host that can take unlimited traffic and has WordPress experts standing by to help you with pretty much anything you need, plus you’re hosting a business website with a significant budget, maybe it’s worth the extra cost. Quite a few big blogs host with them, and they believe it’s worth every penny.

I’ve also been to their offices in downtown Austin and met with the executive team. It’s a solid company that’ll be around for years to come.

The bottom line:

If you want to skip the rest of this post and just choose a host, go with SiteGround (affiliate link) if you have a small budget and WP Engine (affiliate) if you have a large one. You won’t regret going with other company.

Before you choose any WordPress host though, here’s an important point you should understand:

Most Reviews Are Bought and Paid for

Pretty much every blogger making a hosting recommendation is getting compensated by the host. And yes, that includes me.

The difference?

I’m not hiding anything. I’m proud of the partnerships I have with SiteGround (affiliate link) and WP Engine (affiliate), because I have personal experience with both companies, many of my students are customers, and they treat everyone extremely well. I would happily recommend them even if they weren’t paying me a penny.

And that’s NOT true for other bloggers.

Most don’t even use the host they are recommending. In my opinion, that’s just unethical.

Especially when it comes to one particular company…

Many Hosts are Owned by the Same Terrible Company

2slick.com FreeYellow PowWeb AccountSupport Glob@t PureHost A Small Orange Homestead ReadyHosting ApolloHosting HostCentric ResellerClub AptHost HostClear SEOGears Arvixe Host Excellence SEO Hosting Berry Information Systems HostGator Site5 BigRock HostMonster SiteBuilder.com BizLand HostNine Sitelio BlueDomino HostYourSite.com Sitey BlueFur HostV Southeast Web BlueHost HyperMart Spry BuyDomains IdeaHost StartLogic Cirtex Hosting IMOutdoors SuperGreen Hosting Cloud by IX Impress.ly TypePad Constant Contact Intuit Websites USANetHosting Directi iPage vDeck Dollar2Host IPOWER/iPowerWeb Verio Domain.com IX Web Hosting VirtualAvenue DomainHost JustCloud VPSLink Dot5Hosting JustHost WebHost4Life Dotster LogicBoxes WebHosting.info easyCGI MojoMarketplace WebsiteBuilder.com eHost MyDomain Webstrike Solutions EntryHost MyResellerHome Webzai Escalate Internet NetFirms World Wide Web Hosting FastDomain Networks Web Hosting Xeran FatCow Nexx YourWebHosting

Ever heard of Bluehost?

Or maybe Hostgator?

Both hosts are owned by a conglomerate called Endurance International Group (EIG). In fact, EIG runs most of the big hosting companies, and it continues to buy new ones all the time.

So what makes them so awful?

After they purchase a host, they lay off support staff, stop investing in new technology, and funnel the money into increased advertising and payouts to shareholders. In every case, the reputation of the host plummets.

Of course, you might be wondering how you find out if they own your host. Or for that matter, how do you know if your host is a good one if nearly every review is bought and paid for?

The answer:

The Best Way to Get Unbiased Reviews

  Web Hosting Talk is the biggest forum on the web about hosting, and it has literally millions of reviews. They don’t allow affiliate links either, so you can count on the reviews to be unbiased.

Granted, every host gets a bad review now and again, but you can comb through dozens of reports to get a much better feel for the reputation of the host, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

Also, here’s a little hack to save you some time…

Instead of using the search tool built into their forum, which can be a little clunky, grab the URL of the forum you want to search, and then put the following in Google:

site:URL “host name”

For example, if you wanted to verify the reputation of SiteGround (affiliate link), you can go to their list of forums, right click on the one that seems most appropriate, and copy the link:

From there, use the search parameter above in Google. In this case, it would be:

site:http://www.webhostingtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1 “SiteGround”

And voilà, you have a listing of reviews you can easily look through for reliable information.

In particular, here’s the biggest factor that should influence your decision:

How to Evaluate Customer Support

Customer support. When you’re a beginner, it’s more important than anything.

No surprise there, right?

But here’s the big lesson…

It’s not just about wait times or the intelligence of the technicians. It’s also about the method of support, what the host supports, and the helpdesk schedule.

For instance:

Do you have to submit tickets through their helpdesk and wait for a response, or can you do a live chat or phone call with a technician and actually have a conversation?

Do they offer support for WordPress and the most popular themes and plug-ins? It’s shocking, but unless they specifically mention it, many don’t.

Do they offer support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or is it only during normal business hours?

Personally, I want a host with technicians I can interact with in real time (either through phone or chat), have a thorough knowledge of WordPress, and are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And that’s actually relatively difficult to find at an affordable price.

That’s why I think SiteGround (affiliate link) is the best host for most beginners. They give you all those things for an entire year for less than the cost of a dinner at a nice restaurant.

And here’s what’s even cooler…

Their servers are also configured especially for WordPress. Let’s talk about that next.

The Configuration Matters More Than Tech

Chances are, you’ve seen a page on a hosting website that looks something like this:

Almost like a foreign language, right? Disk space, RAM, page views, uniques, SSDs — what’s it all mean? And for that matter, how are you supposed to know which plan is right for you?

Actually… you don’t have to. If you’re running a relatively simple WordPress site, none of those technical details matter much. You can ignore them.

Here’s proof:

In 2012, a fellow named Ewen Leith managed to get a $15 server to run a WordPress site receiving 10 million hits a day. Granted, it was an extremely simple site using a set up that would be tough for a novice to manage, but it’s still proof the configuration of your web host matters much more than having high-end hardware.

That’s another reason why I recommend SiteGround (affiliate link) – their servers are configured specifically for WordPress. Your site will be able to handle far more traffic with far fewer resources. Over the long term, it translates into significant savings, because you have to upgrade less often.

Granted, SiteGround isn’t the only host who does this. If you decide to search for someone else, here’s what to look for:

Litespeed or Apache NGINX

Database caching through Memcached

Support for PHP 7 and HTTP/2

RAM, SSD space, bandwidth — for a normal WordPress site, none of those specs really matter much. Ignore them and focus on the three above details.

Installing Too Many Plugins Can Mess up Any WordPress Host

So, you found a host that’s perfectly optimized for WordPress. Your site should be nice and zippy, right?

Actually… not necessarily.

If you install too many WordPress plugins (or even just one really bad one), you can slow down your site or even cause your host to cancel your account. It’s the most common source of problems.

So,how do you know which plugins to install and which ones to avoid?

The short answer: install as few as possible, and if you ever have problems with your site, the first thing you should always do is try deactivating plugins. For a detailed answer, take a look at our post on essential WordPress plug-ins.

Make Sure You Get a Free SSL Certificate

Ever since Google announced that having an SSL certificate is now a ranking factor, it’s become essential for you to have one.

What’s an SSL certificate?

It’s an extra layer of security and reporting around the safety of your website. Any site using SSL will have the prefix “https” in the URL.

In the past, you had to pay a yearly fee to register your SSL certificate, but most of the top web posts are now offering one for free. You should take advantage of that savings and have your site on https from day one.

The 7 Things That Really Matter When Choosing the Best WordPress Host

By this point, I wouldn’t blame you if your head is spinning.

We’ve covered a lot of technical details in this post, so I thought I would conclude with a quick checklist to help you choose the best WordPress host for you. Here are the seven most important things to remember:

Unless your site is massive, you don’t need a VPS or dedicated server. Stick with a shared host.

For the love of God, avoid any hosting company owned by EIG.

When evaluating customer support, look for 24/7 live chat and/or phone support.

The configuration of your web host matters more than the technical specs

Go easy on the WordPress plugins. They can slow down your site.

You should expect to get a free SSL certificate. Use it.

If you’re tired of thinking about all this stuff, go with either SiteGround (affiliate link) (cheap but good) or WP Engine (affiliate) (premium).

Follow those recommendations, and you’ll save yourself tons of time, money, and headaches. I speak from experience.

Ultimately though, the decision is yours. Choose wisely, my friend.

About the Author: Jon Morrow has asked repeatedly to be called “His Royal Awesomeness” but no one listens to him. So, he settles for CEO of Smart Blogger. Poor man. 🙂

The post WordPress Hosting: A Brutally Honest Guide That’ll Save You Money appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from Julia Garza Social Media Tips https://smartblogger.com/wordpress-hosting/

[alanajacksontx]

WordPress Hosting: A Brutally Honest Guide That’ll Save You Money

This is painful to say, but…

Most of what’s published out there about WordPress hosting is total BS.

Not just incomplete information. Not just half-truths.

I’m talking outright lies and boldfaced scams.

You can’t even get straightforward answers to basic questions like…

Should you go to the trouble of setting up a WordPress site or just start a blog for free on Medium?

Which company is good? Who can you trust?

What’s the difference between all the different options?

It’s infuriating, but listen…

I’ve helped build and run some of the most popular blogs in the world, scaling them from nothing to millions of visitors per month. During that process, I learned a lot of valuable lessons — often the hard way — about what makes a good WordPress host.

And today, I’m publishing the guide I wish somebody had given me.

It’s brutally honest. It’s full of technical details (that I do my best to explain). It’ll also save you tons of time and money.

The Different Levels of WordPress Hosting

To start, here’s an infographic explaining the typical path most bloggers take:

They start with a shared host, and then they grow to a Virtual Private Server, and then they grow to a Dedicated Server.

Wondering how that applies to you?

Here’s the short answer:

TLDR: The Best WordPress Hosting Right Now (In My Opinion)

If you’re under 100,000 visitors per month, don’t torture yourself by getting a VPS or dedicated server. Just grab a cheap, no-frills shared hosting account.

Is it the best hosting in the world?

No, but it’s way better value than the alternatives. Here’s a pricing comparison:

The more expensive things get, the more complicated and frustrating it gets too. You’ve never experienced misery until you try to optimize a dedicated server for the first time.

My advice?

Keep it simple and cheap. Use a shared host.

Now, that begs the question…

What’s the Most Cost-Effective Hosting for WordPress?

  Personally, I use SiteGround (affiliate link) for all my new sites. Here’s why:

It’s the best balance I’ve found of quality and price. You can find cheaper hosts, but you can’t find anyone cheap that’s as good as them.

They are optimized for WordPress. Your site will run faster there than on many hosts.

I use them personally to host most of our sites, and both their servers and support have always been excellent.

That being said, I’ll be straight with you…

SiteGround isn’t the only great host in the world. They’re just the one I personally use and recommend to our 2.6 million readers. I wouldn’t endorse them publicly without having a lot of confidence in them.

But there other good companies with a different approach.

Who Is the Best WordPress Host, Regardless of Price?

  WP Engine (affiliate) has an impeccable reputation for flawless hosting and support. In my opinion, there’s no question they are better than SiteGround, but they are also 10X more expensive.

Is it worth it?

If you want a host that can take unlimited traffic and has WordPress experts standing by to help you with pretty much anything you need, plus you’re hosting a business website with a significant budget, maybe it’s worth the extra cost. Quite a few big blogs host with them, and they believe it’s worth every penny.

I’ve also been to their offices in downtown Austin and met with the executive team. It’s a solid company that’ll be around for years to come.

The bottom line:

If you want to skip the rest of this post and just choose a host, go with SiteGround (affiliate link) if you have a small budget and WP Engine (affiliate) if you have a large one. You won’t regret going with other company.

Before you choose any WordPress host though, here’s an important point you should understand:

Most Reviews Are Bought and Paid for

Pretty much every blogger making a hosting recommendation is getting compensated by the host. And yes, that includes me.

The difference?

I’m not hiding anything. I’m proud of the partnerships I have with SiteGround (affiliate link) and WP Engine (affiliate), because I have personal experience with both companies, many of my students are customers, and they treat everyone extremely well. I would happily recommend them even if they weren’t paying me a penny.

And that’s NOT true for other bloggers.

Most don’t even use the host they are recommending. In my opinion, that’s just unethical.

Especially when it comes to one particular company…

Many Hosts are Owned by the Same Terrible Company

2slick.com FreeYellow PowWeb AccountSupport Glob@t PureHost A Small Orange Homestead ReadyHosting ApolloHosting HostCentric ResellerClub AptHost HostClear SEOGears Arvixe Host Excellence SEO Hosting Berry Information Systems HostGator Site5 BigRock HostMonster SiteBuilder.com BizLand HostNine Sitelio BlueDomino HostYourSite.com Sitey BlueFur HostV Southeast Web BlueHost HyperMart Spry BuyDomains IdeaHost StartLogic Cirtex Hosting IMOutdoors SuperGreen Hosting Cloud by IX Impress.ly TypePad Constant Contact Intuit Websites USANetHosting Directi iPage vDeck Dollar2Host IPOWER/iPowerWeb Verio Domain.com IX Web Hosting VirtualAvenue DomainHost JustCloud VPSLink Dot5Hosting JustHost WebHost4Life Dotster LogicBoxes WebHosting.info easyCGI MojoMarketplace WebsiteBuilder.com eHost MyDomain Webstrike Solutions EntryHost MyResellerHome Webzai Escalate Internet NetFirms World Wide Web Hosting FastDomain Networks Web Hosting Xeran FatCow Nexx YourWebHosting

Ever heard of Bluehost?

Or maybe Hostgator?

Both hosts are owned by a conglomerate called Endurance International Group (EIG). In fact, EIG runs most of the big hosting companies, and it continues to buy new ones all the time.

So what makes them so awful?

After they purchase a host, they lay off support staff, stop investing in new technology, and funnel the money into increased advertising and payouts to shareholders. In every case, the reputation of the host plummets.

Of course, you might be wondering how you find out if they own your host. Or for that matter, how do you know if your host is a good one if nearly every review is bought and paid for?

The answer:

The Best Way to Get Unbiased Reviews

  Web Hosting Talk is the biggest forum on the web about hosting, and it has literally millions of reviews. They don’t allow affiliate links either, so you can count on the reviews to be unbiased.

Granted, every host gets a bad review now and again, but you can comb through dozens of reports to get a much better feel for the reputation of the host, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

Also, here’s a little hack to save you some time…

Instead of using the search tool built into their forum, which can be a little clunky, grab the URL of the forum you want to search, and then put the following in Google:

site:URL “host name”

For example, if you wanted to verify the reputation of SiteGround (affiliate link), you can go to their list of forums, right click on the one that seems most appropriate, and copy the link:

From there, use the search parameter above in Google. In this case, it would be:

site:http://www.webhostingtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1 “SiteGround”

And voilà, you have a listing of reviews you can easily look through for reliable information.

In particular, here’s the biggest factor that should influence your decision:

How to Evaluate Customer Support

Customer support. When you’re a beginner, it’s more important than anything.

No surprise there, right?

But here’s the big lesson…

It’s not just about wait times or the intelligence of the technicians. It’s also about the method of support, what the host supports, and the helpdesk schedule.

For instance:

Do you have to submit tickets through their helpdesk and wait for a response, or can you do a live chat or phone call with a technician and actually have a conversation?

Do they offer support for WordPress and the most popular themes and plug-ins? It’s shocking, but unless they specifically mention it, many don’t.

Do they offer support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or is it only during normal business hours?

Personally, I want a host with technicians I can interact with in real time (either through phone or chat), have a thorough knowledge of WordPress, and are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And that’s actually relatively difficult to find at an affordable price.

That’s why I think SiteGround (affiliate link) is the best host for most beginners. They give you all those things for an entire year for less than the cost of a dinner at a nice restaurant.

And here’s what’s even cooler…

Their servers are also configured especially for WordPress. Let’s talk about that next.

The Configuration Matters More Than Tech

Chances are, you’ve seen a page on a hosting website that looks something like this:

Almost like a foreign language, right? Disk space, RAM, page views, uniques, SSDs — what’s it all mean? And for that matter, how are you supposed to know which plan is right for you?

Actually… you don’t have to. If you’re running a relatively simple WordPress site, none of those technical details matter much. You can ignore them.

Here’s proof:

In 2012, a fellow named Ewen Leith managed to get a $15 server to run a WordPress site receiving 10 million hits a day. Granted, it was an extremely simple site using a set up that would be tough for a novice to manage, but it’s still proof the configuration of your web host matters much more than having high-end hardware.

That’s another reason why I recommend SiteGround (affiliate link) – their servers are configured specifically for WordPress. Your site will be able to handle far more traffic with far fewer resources. Over the long term, it translates into significant savings, because you have to upgrade less often.

Granted, SiteGround isn’t the only host who does this. If you decide to search for someone else, here’s what to look for:

Litespeed or Apache NGINX

Database caching through Memcached

Support for PHP 7 and HTTP/2

RAM, SSD space, bandwidth — for a normal WordPress site, none of those specs really matter much. Ignore them and focus on the three above details.

Installing Too Many Plugins Can Mess up Any WordPress Host

So, you found a host that’s perfectly optimized for WordPress. Your site should be nice and zippy, right?

Actually… not necessarily.

If you install too many WordPress plugins (or even just one really bad one), you can slow down your site or even cause your host to cancel your account. It’s the most common source of problems.

So,how do you know which plugins to install and which ones to avoid?

The short answer: install as few as possible, and if you ever have problems with your site, the first thing you should always do is try deactivating plugins. For a detailed answer, take a look at our post on essential WordPress plug-ins.

Make Sure You Get a Free SSL Certificate

Ever since Google announced that having an SSL certificate is now a ranking factor, it’s become essential for you to have one.

What’s an SSL certificate?

It’s an extra layer of security and reporting around the safety of your website. Any site using SSL will have the prefix “https” in the URL.

In the past, you had to pay a yearly fee to register your SSL certificate, but most of the top web posts are now offering one for free. You should take advantage of that savings and have your site on https from day one.

The 7 Things That Really Matter When Choosing the Best WordPress Host

By this point, I wouldn’t blame you if your head is spinning.

We’ve covered a lot of technical details in this post, so I thought I would conclude with a quick checklist to help you choose the best WordPress host for you. Here are the seven most important things to remember:

Unless your site is massive, you don’t need a VPS or dedicated server. Stick with a shared host.

For the love of God, avoid any hosting company owned by EIG.

When evaluating customer support, look for 24/7 live chat and/or phone support.

The configuration of your web host matters more than the technical specs

Go easy on the WordPress plugins. They can slow down your site.

You should expect to get a free SSL certificate. Use it.

If you’re tired of thinking about all this stuff, go with either SiteGround (affiliate link) (cheap but good) or WP Engine (affiliate) (premium).

Follow those recommendations, and you’ll save yourself tons of time, money, and headaches. I speak from experience.

Ultimately though, the decision is yours. Choose wisely, my friend.

About the Author: Jon Morrow has asked repeatedly to be called “His Royal Awesomeness” but no one listens to him. So, he settles for CEO of Smart Blogger. Poor man. 🙂

The post WordPress Hosting: A Brutally Honest Guide That’ll Save You Money appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from Internet Marketing Tips https://smartblogger.com/wordpress-hosting/

[felixdgreen]

WordPress Hosting: A Brutally Honest Guide That’ll Save You Money

This is painful to say, but…

Most of what’s published out there about WordPress hosting is total BS.

Not just incomplete information. Not just half-truths.

I’m talking outright lies and boldfaced scams.

You can’t even get straightforward answers to basic questions like…

Should you go to the trouble of setting up a WordPress site or just start a blog for free on Medium?

Which company is good? Who can you trust?

What’s the difference between all the different options?

It’s infuriating, but listen…

I’ve helped build and run some of the most popular blogs in the world, scaling them from nothing to millions of visitors per month. During that process, I learned a lot of valuable lessons — often the hard way — about what makes a good WordPress host.

And today, I’m publishing the guide I wish somebody had given me.

It’s brutally honest. It’s full of technical details (that I do my best to explain). It’ll also save you tons of time and money.

The Different Levels of WordPress Hosting

To start, here’s an infographic explaining the typical path most bloggers take:

They start with a shared host, and then they grow to a Virtual Private Server, and then they grow to a Dedicated Server.

Wondering how that applies to you?

Here’s the short answer:

TLDR: The Best WordPress Hosting Right Now (In My Opinion)

If you’re under 100,000 visitors per month, don’t torture yourself by getting a VPS or dedicated server. Just grab a cheap, no-frills shared hosting account.

Is it the best hosting in the world?

No, but it’s way better value than the alternatives. Here’s a pricing comparison:

The more expensive things get, the more complicated and frustrating it gets too. You’ve never experienced misery until you try to optimize a dedicated server for the first time.

My advice?

Keep it simple and cheap. Use a shared host.

Now, that begs the question…

What’s the Most Cost-Effective Hosting for WordPress?

  Personally, I use SiteGround (affiliate link) for all my new sites. Here’s why:

It’s the best balance I’ve found of quality and price. You can find cheaper hosts, but you can’t find anyone cheap that’s as good as them.

They are optimized for WordPress. Your site will run faster there than on many hosts.

I use them personally to host most of our sites, and both their servers and support have always been excellent.

That being said, I’ll be straight with you…

SiteGround isn’t the only great host in the world. They’re just the one I personally use and recommend to our 2.6 million readers. I wouldn’t endorse them publicly without having a lot of confidence in them.

But there other good companies with a different approach.

Who Is the Best WordPress Host, Regardless of Price?

  WP Engine (affiliate) has an impeccable reputation for flawless hosting and support. In my opinion, there’s no question they are better than SiteGround, but they are also 10X more expensive.

Is it worth it?

If you want a host that can take unlimited traffic and has WordPress experts standing by to help you with pretty much anything you need, plus you’re hosting a business website with a significant budget, maybe it’s worth the extra cost. Quite a few big blogs host with them, and they believe it’s worth every penny.

I’ve also been to their offices in downtown Austin and met with the executive team. It’s a solid company that’ll be around for years to come.

The bottom line:

If you want to skip the rest of this post and just choose a host, go with SiteGround (affiliate link) if you have a small budget and WP Engine (affiliate) if you have a large one. You won’t regret going with other company.

Before you choose any WordPress host though, here’s an important point you should understand:

Most Reviews Are Bought and Paid for

Pretty much every blogger making a hosting recommendation is getting compensated by the host. And yes, that includes me.

The difference?

I’m not hiding anything. I’m proud of the partnerships I have with SiteGround (affiliate link) and WP Engine (affiliate), because I have personal experience with both companies, many of my students are customers, and they treat everyone extremely well. I would happily recommend them even if they weren’t paying me a penny.

And that’s NOT true for other bloggers.

Most don’t even use the host they are recommending. In my opinion, that’s just unethical.

Especially when it comes to one particular company…

Many Hosts are Owned by the Same Terrible Company

2slick.com FreeYellow PowWeb AccountSupport Glob@t PureHost A Small Orange Homestead ReadyHosting ApolloHosting HostCentric ResellerClub AptHost HostClear SEOGears Arvixe Host Excellence SEO Hosting Berry Information Systems HostGator Site5 BigRock HostMonster SiteBuilder.com BizLand HostNine Sitelio BlueDomino HostYourSite.com Sitey BlueFur HostV Southeast Web BlueHost HyperMart Spry BuyDomains IdeaHost StartLogic Cirtex Hosting IMOutdoors SuperGreen Hosting Cloud by IX Impress.ly TypePad Constant Contact Intuit Websites USANetHosting Directi iPage vDeck Dollar2Host IPOWER/iPowerWeb Verio Domain.com IX Web Hosting VirtualAvenue DomainHost JustCloud VPSLink Dot5Hosting JustHost WebHost4Life Dotster LogicBoxes WebHosting.info easyCGI MojoMarketplace WebsiteBuilder.com eHost MyDomain Webstrike Solutions EntryHost MyResellerHome Webzai Escalate Internet NetFirms World Wide Web Hosting FastDomain Networks Web Hosting Xeran FatCow Nexx YourWebHosting

Ever heard of Bluehost?

Or maybe Hostgator?

Both hosts are owned by a conglomerate called Endurance International Group (EIG). In fact, EIG runs most of the big hosting companies, and it continues to buy new ones all the time.

So what makes them so awful?

After they purchase a host, they lay off support staff, stop investing in new technology, and funnel the money into increased advertising and payouts to shareholders. In every case, the reputation of the host plummets.

Of course, you might be wondering how you find out if they own your host. Or for that matter, how do you know if your host is a good one if nearly every review is bought and paid for?

The answer:

The Best Way to Get Unbiased Reviews

  Web Hosting Talk is the biggest forum on the web about hosting, and it has literally millions of reviews. They don’t allow affiliate links either, so you can count on the reviews to be unbiased.

Granted, every host gets a bad review now and again, but you can comb through dozens of reports to get a much better feel for the reputation of the host, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

Also, here’s a little hack to save you some time…

Instead of using the search tool built into their forum, which can be a little clunky, grab the URL of the forum you want to search, and then put the following in Google:

site:URL “host name”

For example, if you wanted to verify the reputation of SiteGround (affiliate link), you can go to their list of forums, right click on the one that seems most appropriate, and copy the link:

From there, use the search parameter above in Google. In this case, it would be:

site:http://www.webhostingtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1 “SiteGround”

And voilà, you have a listing of reviews you can easily look through for reliable information.

In particular, here’s the biggest factor that should influence your decision:

How to Evaluate Customer Support

Customer support. When you’re a beginner, it’s more important than anything.

No surprise there, right?

But here’s the big lesson…

It’s not just about wait times or the intelligence of the technicians. It’s also about the method of support, what the host supports, and the helpdesk schedule.

For instance:

Do you have to submit tickets through their helpdesk and wait for a response, or can you do a live chat or phone call with a technician and actually have a conversation?

Do they offer support for WordPress and the most popular themes and plug-ins? It’s shocking, but unless they specifically mention it, many don’t.

Do they offer support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or is it only during normal business hours?

Personally, I want a host with technicians I can interact with in real time (either through phone or chat), have a thorough knowledge of WordPress, and are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And that’s actually relatively difficult to find at an affordable price.

That’s why I think SiteGround (affiliate link) is the best host for most beginners. They give you all those things for an entire year for less than the cost of a dinner at a nice restaurant.

And here’s what’s even cooler…

Their servers are also configured especially for WordPress. Let’s talk about that next.

The Configuration Matters More Than Tech

Chances are, you’ve seen a page on a hosting website that looks something like this:

Almost like a foreign language, right? Disk space, RAM, page views, uniques, SSDs — what’s it all mean? And for that matter, how are you supposed to know which plan is right for you?

Actually… you don’t have to. If you’re running a relatively simple WordPress site, none of those technical details matter much. You can ignore them.

Here’s proof:

In 2012, a fellow named Ewen Leith managed to get a $15 server to run a WordPress site receiving 10 million hits a day. Granted, it was an extremely simple site using a set up that would be tough for a novice to manage, but it’s still proof the configuration of your web host matters much more than having high-end hardware.

That’s another reason why I recommend SiteGround (affiliate link) – their servers are configured specifically for WordPress. Your site will be able to handle far more traffic with far fewer resources. Over the long term, it translates into significant savings, because you have to upgrade less often.

Granted, SiteGround isn’t the only host who does this. If you decide to search for someone else, here’s what to look for:

Litespeed or Apache NGINX

Database caching through Memcached

Support for PHP 7 and HTTP/2

RAM, SSD space, bandwidth — for a normal WordPress site, none of those specs really matter much. Ignore them and focus on the three above details.

Installing Too Many Plugins Can Mess up Any WordPress Host

So, you found a host that’s perfectly optimized for WordPress. Your site should be nice and zippy, right?

Actually… not necessarily.

If you install too many WordPress plugins (or even just one really bad one), you can slow down your site or even cause your host to cancel your account. It’s the most common source of problems.

So,how do you know which plugins to install and which ones to avoid?

The short answer: install as few as possible, and if you ever have problems with your site, the first thing you should always do is try deactivating plugins. For a detailed answer, take a look at our post on essential WordPress plug-ins.

Make Sure You Get a Free SSL Certificate

Ever since Google announced that having an SSL certificate is now a ranking factor, it’s become essential for you to have one.

What’s an SSL certificate?

It’s an extra layer of security and reporting around the safety of your website. Any site using SSL will have the prefix “https” in the URL.

In the past, you had to pay a yearly fee to register your SSL certificate, but most of the top web posts are now offering one for free. You should take advantage of that savings and have your site on https from day one.

The 7 Things That Really Matter When Choosing the Best WordPress Host

By this point, I wouldn’t blame you if your head is spinning.

We’ve covered a lot of technical details in this post, so I thought I would conclude with a quick checklist to help you choose the best WordPress host for you. Here are the seven most important things to remember:

Unless your site is massive, you don’t need a VPS or dedicated server. Stick with a shared host.

For the love of God, avoid any hosting company owned by EIG.

When evaluating customer support, look for 24/7 live chat and/or phone support.

The configuration of your web host matters more than the technical specs

Go easy on the WordPress plugins. They can slow down your site.

You should expect to get a free SSL certificate. Use it.

If you’re tired of thinking about all this stuff, go with either SiteGround (affiliate link) (cheap but good) or WP Engine (affiliate) (premium).

Follow those recommendations, and you’ll save yourself tons of time, money, and headaches. I speak from experience.

Ultimately though, the decision is yours. Choose wisely, my friend.

About the Author: Jon Morrow has asked repeatedly to be called “His Royal Awesomeness” but no one listens to him. So, he settles for CEO of Smart Blogger. Poor man. 🙂

The post WordPress Hosting: A Brutally Honest Guide That’ll Save You Money appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from IM News And Tips https://smartblogger.com/wordpress-hosting/

[janesnodgrass]

WordPress Hosting: A Brutally Honest Guide That’ll Save You Money

This is painful to say, but…

Most of what’s published out there about WordPress hosting is total BS.

Not just incomplete information. Not just half-truths.

I’m talking outright lies and boldfaced scams.

You can’t even get straightforward answers to basic questions like…

Should you go to the trouble of setting up a WordPress site or just start a blog for free on Medium?

Which company is good? Who can you trust?

What’s the difference between all the different options?

It’s infuriating, but listen…

I’ve helped build and run some of the most popular blogs in the world, scaling them from nothing to millions of visitors per month. During that process, I learned a lot of valuable lessons — often the hard way — about what makes a good WordPress host.

And today, I’m publishing the guide I wish somebody had given me.

It’s brutally honest. It’s full of technical details (that I do my best to explain). It’ll also save you tons of time and money.

The Different Levels of WordPress Hosting

To start, here’s an infographic explaining the typical path most bloggers take:

They start with a shared host, and then they grow to a Virtual Private Server, and then they grow to a Dedicated Server.

Wondering how that applies to you?

Here’s the short answer:

TLDR: The Best WordPress Hosting Right Now (In My Opinion)

If you’re under 100,000 visitors per month, don’t torture yourself by getting a VPS or dedicated server. Just grab a cheap, no-frills shared hosting account.

Is it the best hosting in the world?

No, but it’s way better value than the alternatives. Here’s a pricing comparison:

The more expensive things get, the more complicated and frustrating it gets too. You’ve never experienced misery until you try to optimize a dedicated server for the first time.

My advice?

Keep it simple and cheap. Use a shared host.

Now, that begs the question…

What’s the Most Cost-Effective Hosting for WordPress?

  Personally, I use SiteGround (affiliate link) for all my new sites. Here’s why:

It’s the best balance I’ve found of quality and price. You can find cheaper hosts, but you can’t find anyone cheap that’s as good as them.

They are optimized for WordPress. Your site will run faster there than on many hosts.

I use them personally to host most of our sites, and both their servers and support have always been excellent.

That being said, I’ll be straight with you…

SiteGround isn’t the only great host in the world. They’re just the one I personally use and recommend to our 2.6 million readers. I wouldn’t endorse them publicly without having a lot of confidence in them.

But there other good companies with a different approach.

Who Is the Best WordPress Host, Regardless of Price?

  WP Engine (affiliate) has an impeccable reputation for flawless hosting and support. In my opinion, there’s no question they are better than SiteGround, but they are also 10X more expensive.

Is it worth it?

If you want a host that can take unlimited traffic and has WordPress experts standing by to help you with pretty much anything you need, plus you’re hosting a business website with a significant budget, maybe it’s worth the extra cost. Quite a few big blogs host with them, and they believe it’s worth every penny.

I’ve also been to their offices in downtown Austin and met with the executive team. It’s a solid company that’ll be around for years to come.

The bottom line:

If you want to skip the rest of this post and just choose a host, go with SiteGround (affiliate link) if you have a small budget and WP Engine (affiliate) if you have a large one. You won’t regret going with other company.

Before you choose any WordPress host though, here’s an important point you should understand:

Most Reviews Are Bought and Paid for

Pretty much every blogger making a hosting recommendation is getting compensated by the host. And yes, that includes me.

The difference?

I’m not hiding anything. I’m proud of the partnerships I have with SiteGround (affiliate link) and WP Engine (affiliate), because I have personal experience with both companies, many of my students are customers, and they treat everyone extremely well. I would happily recommend them even if they weren’t paying me a penny.

And that’s NOT true for other bloggers.

Most don’t even use the host they are recommending. In my opinion, that’s just unethical.

Especially when it comes to one particular company…

Many Hosts are Owned by the Same Terrible Company

2slick.com FreeYellow PowWeb AccountSupport Glob@t PureHost A Small Orange Homestead ReadyHosting ApolloHosting HostCentric ResellerClub AptHost HostClear SEOGears Arvixe Host Excellence SEO Hosting Berry Information Systems HostGator Site5 BigRock HostMonster SiteBuilder.com BizLand HostNine Sitelio BlueDomino HostYourSite.com Sitey BlueFur HostV Southeast Web BlueHost HyperMart Spry BuyDomains IdeaHost StartLogic Cirtex Hosting IMOutdoors SuperGreen Hosting Cloud by IX Impress.ly TypePad Constant Contact Intuit Websites USANetHosting Directi iPage vDeck Dollar2Host IPOWER/iPowerWeb Verio Domain.com IX Web Hosting VirtualAvenue DomainHost JustCloud VPSLink Dot5Hosting JustHost WebHost4Life Dotster LogicBoxes WebHosting.info easyCGI MojoMarketplace WebsiteBuilder.com eHost MyDomain Webstrike Solutions EntryHost MyResellerHome Webzai Escalate Internet NetFirms World Wide Web Hosting FastDomain Networks Web Hosting Xeran FatCow Nexx YourWebHosting

Ever heard of Bluehost?

Or maybe Hostgator?

Both hosts are owned by a conglomerate called Endurance International Group (EIG). In fact, EIG runs most of the big hosting companies, and it continues to buy new ones all the time.

So what makes them so awful?

After they purchase a host, they lay off support staff, stop investing in new technology, and funnel the money into increased advertising and payouts to shareholders. In every case, the reputation of the host plummets.

Of course, you might be wondering how you find out if they own your host. Or for that matter, how do you know if your host is a good one if nearly every review is bought and paid for?

The answer:

The Best Way to Get Unbiased Reviews

  Web Hosting Talk is the biggest forum on the web about hosting, and it has literally millions of reviews. They don’t allow affiliate links either, so you can count on the reviews to be unbiased.

Granted, every host gets a bad review now and again, but you can comb through dozens of reports to get a much better feel for the reputation of the host, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

Also, here’s a little hack to save you some time…

Instead of using the search tool built into their forum, which can be a little clunky, grab the URL of the forum you want to search, and then put the following in Google:

site:URL “host name”

For example, if you wanted to verify the reputation of SiteGround (affiliate link), you can go to their list of forums, right click on the one that seems most appropriate, and copy the link:

From there, use the search parameter above in Google. In this case, it would be:

site:http://www.webhostingtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1 “SiteGround”

And voilà, you have a listing of reviews you can easily look through for reliable information.

In particular, here’s the biggest factor that should influence your decision:

How to Evaluate Customer Support

Customer support. When you’re a beginner, it’s more important than anything.

No surprise there, right?

But here’s the big lesson…

It’s not just about wait times or the intelligence of the technicians. It’s also about the method of support, what the host supports, and the helpdesk schedule.

For instance:

Do you have to submit tickets through their helpdesk and wait for a response, or can you do a live chat or phone call with a technician and actually have a conversation?

Do they offer support for WordPress and the most popular themes and plug-ins? It’s shocking, but unless they specifically mention it, many don’t.

Do they offer support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or is it only during normal business hours?

Personally, I want a host with technicians I can interact with in real time (either through phone or chat), have a thorough knowledge of WordPress, and are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And that’s actually relatively difficult to find at an affordable price.

That’s why I think SiteGround (affiliate link) is the best host for most beginners. They give you all those things for an entire year for less than the cost of a dinner at a nice restaurant.

And here’s what’s even cooler…

Their servers are also configured especially for WordPress. Let’s talk about that next.

The Configuration Matters More Than Tech

Chances are, you’ve seen a page on a hosting website that looks something like this:

Almost like a foreign language, right? Disk space, RAM, page views, uniques, SSDs — what’s it all mean? And for that matter, how are you supposed to know which plan is right for you?

Actually… you don’t have to. If you’re running a relatively simple WordPress site, none of those technical details matter much. You can ignore them.

Here’s proof:

In 2012, a fellow named Ewen Leith managed to get a $15 server to run a WordPress site receiving 10 million hits a day. Granted, it was an extremely simple site using a set up that would be tough for a novice to manage, but it’s still proof the configuration of your web host matters much more than having high-end hardware.

That’s another reason why I recommend SiteGround (affiliate link) – their servers are configured specifically for WordPress. Your site will be able to handle far more traffic with far fewer resources. Over the long term, it translates into significant savings, because you have to upgrade less often.

Granted, SiteGround isn’t the only host who does this. If you decide to search for someone else, here’s what to look for:

Litespeed or Apache NGINX

Database caching through Memcached

Support for PHP 7 and HTTP/2

RAM, SSD space, bandwidth — for a normal WordPress site, none of those specs really matter much. Ignore them and focus on the three above details.

Installing Too Many Plugins Can Mess up Any WordPress Host

So, you found a host that’s perfectly optimized for WordPress. Your site should be nice and zippy, right?

Actually… not necessarily.

If you install too many WordPress plugins (or even just one really bad one), you can slow down your site or even cause your host to cancel your account. It’s the most common source of problems.

So,how do you know which plugins to install and which ones to avoid?

The short answer: install as few as possible, and if you ever have problems with your site, the first thing you should always do is try deactivating plugins. For a detailed answer, take a look at our post on essential WordPress plug-ins.

Make Sure You Get a Free SSL Certificate

Ever since Google announced that having an SSL certificate is now a ranking factor, it’s become essential for you to have one.

What’s an SSL certificate?

It’s an extra layer of security and reporting around the safety of your website. Any site using SSL will have the prefix “https” in the URL.

In the past, you had to pay a yearly fee to register your SSL certificate, but most of the top web posts are now offering one for free. You should take advantage of that savings and have your site on https from day one.

The 7 Things That Really Matter When Choosing the Best WordPress Host

By this point, I wouldn’t blame you if your head is spinning.

We’ve covered a lot of technical details in this post, so I thought I would conclude with a quick checklist to help you choose the best WordPress host for you. Here are the seven most important things to remember:

Unless your site is massive, you don’t need a VPS or dedicated server. Stick with a shared host.

For the love of God, avoid any hosting company owned by EIG.

When evaluating customer support, look for 24/7 live chat and/or phone support.

The configuration of your web host matters more than the technical specs

Go easy on the WordPress plugins. They can slow down your site.

You should expect to get a free SSL certificate. Use it.

If you’re tired of thinking about all this stuff, go with either SiteGround (affiliate link) (cheap but good) or WP Engine (affiliate) (premium).

Follow those recommendations, and you’ll save yourself tons of time, money, and headaches. I speak from experience.

Ultimately though, the decision is yours. Choose wisely, my friend.

About the Author: Jon Morrow has asked repeatedly to be called “His Royal Awesomeness” but no one listens to him. So, he settles for CEO of Smart Blogger. Poor man. 🙂

The post WordPress Hosting: A Brutally Honest Guide That’ll Save You Money appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from SEO and SM Tips https://smartblogger.com/wordpress-hosting/

[robertrluc85]

WordPress Hosting: A Brutally Honest Guide That’ll Save You Money

This is painful to say, but…

Most of what’s published out there about WordPress hosting is total BS.

Not just incomplete information. Not just half-truths.

I’m talking outright lies and boldfaced scams.

You can’t even get straightforward answers to basic questions like…

Should you go to the trouble of setting up a WordPress site or just start a blog for free on Medium?

Which company is good? Who can you trust?

What’s the difference between all the different options?

It’s infuriating, but listen…

I’ve helped build and run some of the most popular blogs in the world, scaling them from nothing to millions of visitors per month. During that process, I learned a lot of valuable lessons — often the hard way — about what makes a good WordPress host.

And today, I’m publishing the guide I wish somebody had given me.

It’s brutally honest. It’s full of technical details (that I do my best to explain). It’ll also save you tons of time and money.

The Different Levels of WordPress Hosting

To start, here’s an infographic explaining the typical path most bloggers take:

They start with a shared host, and then they grow to a Virtual Private Server, and then they grow to a Dedicated Server.

Wondering how that applies to you?

Here’s the short answer:

TLDR: The Best WordPress Hosting Right Now (In My Opinion)

If you’re under 100,000 visitors per month, don’t torture yourself by getting a VPS or dedicated server. Just grab a cheap, no-frills shared hosting account.

Is it the best hosting in the world?

No, but it’s way better value than the alternatives. Here’s a pricing comparison:

The more expensive things get, the more complicated and frustrating it gets too. You’ve never experienced misery until you try to optimize a dedicated server for the first time.

My advice?

Keep it simple and cheap. Use a shared host.

Now, that begs the question…

What’s the Most Cost-Effective Hosting for WordPress?

  Personally, I use SiteGround (affiliate link) for all my new sites. Here’s why:

It’s the best balance I’ve found of quality and price. You can find cheaper hosts, but you can’t find anyone cheap that’s as good as them.

They are optimized for WordPress. Your site will run faster there than on many hosts.

I use them personally to host most of our sites, and both their servers and support have always been excellent.

That being said, I’ll be straight with you…

SiteGround isn’t the only great host in the world. They’re just the one I personally use and recommend to our 2.6 million readers. I wouldn’t endorse them publicly without having a lot of confidence in them.

But there other good companies with a different approach.

Who Is the Best WordPress Host, Regardless of Price?

  WP Engine (affiliate) has an impeccable reputation for flawless hosting and support. In my opinion, there’s no question they are better than SiteGround, but they are also 10X more expensive.

Is it worth it?

If you want a host that can take unlimited traffic and has WordPress experts standing by to help you with pretty much anything you need, plus you’re hosting a business website with a significant budget, maybe it’s worth the extra cost. Quite a few big blogs host with them, and they believe it’s worth every penny.

I’ve also been to their offices in downtown Austin and met with the executive team. It’s a solid company that’ll be around for years to come.

The bottom line:

If you want to skip the rest of this post and just choose a host, go with SiteGround (affiliate link) if you have a small budget and WP Engine (affiliate) if you have a large one. You won’t regret going with other company.

Before you choose any WordPress host though, here’s an important point you should understand:

Most Reviews Are Bought and Paid for

Pretty much every blogger making a hosting recommendation is getting compensated by the host. And yes, that includes me.

The difference?

I’m not hiding anything. I’m proud of the partnerships I have with SiteGround (affiliate link) and WP Engine (affiliate), because I have personal experience with both companies, many of my students are customers, and they treat everyone extremely well. I would happily recommend them even if they weren’t paying me a penny.

And that’s NOT true for other bloggers.

Most don’t even use the host they are recommending. In my opinion, that’s just unethical.

Especially when it comes to one particular company…

Many Hosts are Owned by the Same Terrible Company

2slick.com FreeYellow PowWeb AccountSupport Glob@t PureHost A Small Orange Homestead ReadyHosting ApolloHosting HostCentric ResellerClub AptHost HostClear SEOGears Arvixe Host Excellence SEO Hosting Berry Information Systems HostGator Site5 BigRock HostMonster SiteBuilder.com BizLand HostNine Sitelio BlueDomino HostYourSite.com Sitey BlueFur HostV Southeast Web BlueHost HyperMart Spry BuyDomains IdeaHost StartLogic Cirtex Hosting IMOutdoors SuperGreen Hosting Cloud by IX Impress.ly TypePad Constant Contact Intuit Websites USANetHosting Directi iPage vDeck Dollar2Host IPOWER/iPowerWeb Verio Domain.com IX Web Hosting VirtualAvenue DomainHost JustCloud VPSLink Dot5Hosting JustHost WebHost4Life Dotster LogicBoxes WebHosting.info easyCGI MojoMarketplace WebsiteBuilder.com eHost MyDomain Webstrike Solutions EntryHost MyResellerHome Webzai Escalate Internet NetFirms World Wide Web Hosting FastDomain Networks Web Hosting Xeran FatCow Nexx YourWebHosting

Ever heard of Bluehost?

Or maybe Hostgator?

Both hosts are owned by a conglomerate called Endurance International Group (EIG). In fact, EIG runs most of the big hosting companies, and it continues to buy new ones all the time.

So what makes them so awful?

After they purchase a host, they lay off support staff, stop investing in new technology, and funnel the money into increased advertising and payouts to shareholders. In every case, the reputation of the host plummets.

Of course, you might be wondering how you find out if they own your host. Or for that matter, how do you know if your host is a good one if nearly every review is bought and paid for?

The answer:

The Best Way to Get Unbiased Reviews

  Web Hosting Talk is the biggest forum on the web about hosting, and it has literally millions of reviews. They don’t allow affiliate links either, so you can count on the reviews to be unbiased.

Granted, every host gets a bad review now and again, but you can comb through dozens of reports to get a much better feel for the reputation of the host, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

Also, here’s a little hack to save you some time…

Instead of using the search tool built into their forum, which can be a little clunky, grab the URL of the forum you want to search, and then put the following in Google:

site:URL “host name”

For example, if you wanted to verify the reputation of SiteGround (affiliate link), you can go to their list of forums, right click on the one that seems most appropriate, and copy the link:

From there, use the search parameter above in Google. In this case, it would be:

site:http://www.webhostingtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1 “SiteGround”

And voilà, you have a listing of reviews you can easily look through for reliable information.

In particular, here’s the biggest factor that should influence your decision:

How to Evaluate Customer Support

Customer support. When you’re a beginner, it’s more important than anything.

No surprise there, right?

But here’s the big lesson…

It’s not just about wait times or the intelligence of the technicians. It’s also about the method of support, what the host supports, and the helpdesk schedule.

For instance:

Do you have to submit tickets through their helpdesk and wait for a response, or can you do a live chat or phone call with a technician and actually have a conversation?

Do they offer support for WordPress and the most popular themes and plug-ins? It’s shocking, but unless they specifically mention it, many don’t.

Do they offer support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or is it only during normal business hours?

Personally, I want a host with technicians I can interact with in real time (either through phone or chat), have a thorough knowledge of WordPress, and are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And that’s actually relatively difficult to find at an affordable price.

That’s why I think SiteGround (affiliate link) is the best host for most beginners. They give you all those things for an entire year for less than the cost of a dinner at a nice restaurant.

And here’s what’s even cooler…

Their servers are also configured especially for WordPress. Let’s talk about that next.

The Configuration Matters More Than Tech

Chances are, you’ve seen a page on a hosting website that looks something like this:

Almost like a foreign language, right? Disk space, RAM, page views, uniques, SSDs — what’s it all mean? And for that matter, how are you supposed to know which plan is right for you?

Actually… you don’t have to. If you’re running a relatively simple WordPress site, none of those technical details matter much. You can ignore them.

Here’s proof:

In 2012, a fellow named Ewen Leith managed to get a $15 server to run a WordPress site receiving 10 million hits a day. Granted, it was an extremely simple site using a set up that would be tough for a novice to manage, but it’s still proof the configuration of your web host matters much more than having high-end hardware.

That’s another reason why I recommend SiteGround (affiliate link) – their servers are configured specifically for WordPress. Your site will be able to handle far more traffic with far fewer resources. Over the long term, it translates into significant savings, because you have to upgrade less often.

Granted, SiteGround isn’t the only host who does this. If you decide to search for someone else, here’s what to look for:

Litespeed or Apache NGINX

Database caching through Memcached

Support for PHP 7 and HTTP/2

RAM, SSD space, bandwidth — for a normal WordPress site, none of those specs really matter much. Ignore them and focus on the three above details.

Installing Too Many Plugins Can Mess up Any WordPress Host

So, you found a host that’s perfectly optimized for WordPress. Your site should be nice and zippy, right?

Actually… not necessarily.

If you install too many WordPress plugins (or even just one really bad one), you can slow down your site or even cause your host to cancel your account. It’s the most common source of problems.

So,how do you know which plugins to install and which ones to avoid?

The short answer: install as few as possible, and if you ever have problems with your site, the first thing you should always do is try deactivating plugins. For a detailed answer, take a look at our post on essential WordPress plug-ins.

Make Sure You Get a Free SSL Certificate

Ever since Google announced that having an SSL certificate is now a ranking factor, it’s become essential for you to have one.

What’s an SSL certificate?

It’s an extra layer of security and reporting around the safety of your website. Any site using SSL will have the prefix “https” in the URL.

In the past, you had to pay a yearly fee to register your SSL certificate, but most of the top web posts are now offering one for free. You should take advantage of that savings and have your site on https from day one.

The 7 Things That Really Matter When Choosing the Best WordPress Host

By this point, I wouldn’t blame you if your head is spinning.

We’ve covered a lot of technical details in this post, so I thought I would conclude with a quick checklist to help you choose the best WordPress host for you. Here are the seven most important things to remember:

Unless your site is massive, you don’t need a VPS or dedicated server. Stick with a shared host.

For the love of God, avoid any hosting company owned by EIG.

When evaluating customer support, look for 24/7 live chat and/or phone support.

The configuration of your web host matters more than the technical specs

Go easy on the WordPress plugins. They can slow down your site.

You should expect to get a free SSL certificate. Use it.

If you’re tired of thinking about all this stuff, go with either SiteGround (affiliate link) (cheap but good) or WP Engine (affiliate) (premium).

Follow those recommendations, and you’ll save yourself tons of time, money, and headaches. I speak from experience.

Ultimately though, the decision is yours. Choose wisely, my friend.

About the Author: Jon Morrow has asked repeatedly to be called “His Royal Awesomeness” but no one listens to him. So, he settles for CEO of Smart Blogger. Poor man. 🙂

The post WordPress Hosting: A Brutally Honest Guide That’ll Save You Money appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from SEO and SM Tips https://smartblogger.com/wordpress-hosting/

[moffixxey]

WordPress Hosting: A Brutally Honest Guide That’ll Save You Money

This is painful to say, but…

Most of what’s published out there about WordPress hosting is total BS.

Not just incomplete information. Not just half-truths.

I’m talking outright lies and boldfaced scams.

You can’t even get straightforward answers to basic questions like…

Should you go to the trouble of setting up a WordPress site or just start a blog for free on Medium?

Which company is good? Who can you trust?

What’s the difference between all the different options?

It’s infuriating, but listen…

I’ve helped build and run some of the most popular blogs in the world, scaling them from nothing to millions of visitors per month. During that process, I learned a lot of valuable lessons — often the hard way — about what makes a good WordPress host.

And today, I’m publishing the guide I wish somebody had given me.

It’s brutally honest. It’s full of technical details (that I do my best to explain). It’ll also save you tons of time and money.

The Different Levels of WordPress Hosting

To start, here’s an infographic explaining the typical path most bloggers take:

They start with a shared host, and then they grow to a Virtual Private Server, and then they grow to a Dedicated Server.

Wondering how that applies to you?

Here’s the short answer:

TLDR: The Best WordPress Hosting Right Now (In My Opinion)

If you’re under 100,000 visitors per month, don’t torture yourself by getting a VPS or dedicated server. Just grab a cheap, no-frills shared hosting account.

Is it the best hosting in the world?

No, but it’s way better value than the alternatives. Here’s a pricing comparison:

The more expensive things get, the more complicated and frustrating it gets too. You’ve never experienced misery until you try to optimize a dedicated server for the first time.

My advice?

Keep it simple and cheap. Use a shared host.

Now, that begs the question…

What’s the Most Cost-Effective Hosting for WordPress?

  Personally, I use SiteGround (affiliate link) for all my new sites. Here’s why:

It’s the best balance I’ve found of quality and price. You can find cheaper hosts, but you can’t find anyone cheap that’s as good as them.

They are optimized for WordPress. Your site will run faster there than on many hosts.

I use them personally to host most of our sites, and both their servers and support have always been excellent.

That being said, I’ll be straight with you…

SiteGround isn’t the only great host in the world. They’re just the one I personally use and recommend to our 2.6 million readers. I wouldn’t endorse them publicly without having a lot of confidence in them.

But there other good companies with a different approach.

Who Is the Best WordPress Host, Regardless of Price?

  WP Engine (affiliate) has an impeccable reputation for flawless hosting and support. In my opinion, there’s no question they are better than SiteGround, but they are also 10X more expensive.

Is it worth it?

If you want a host that can take unlimited traffic and has WordPress experts standing by to help you with pretty much anything you need, plus you’re hosting a business website with a significant budget, maybe it’s worth the extra cost. Quite a few big blogs host with them, and they believe it’s worth every penny.

I’ve also been to their offices in downtown Austin and met with the executive team. It’s a solid company that’ll be around for years to come.

The bottom line:

If you want to skip the rest of this post and just choose a host, go with SiteGround (affiliate link) if you have a small budget and WP Engine (affiliate) if you have a large one. You won’t regret going with other company.

Before you choose any WordPress host though, here’s an important point you should understand:

Most Reviews Are Bought and Paid for

Pretty much every blogger making a hosting recommendation is getting compensated by the host. And yes, that includes me.

The difference?

I’m not hiding anything. I’m proud of the partnerships I have with SiteGround (affiliate link) and WP Engine (affiliate), because I have personal experience with both companies, many of my students are customers, and they treat everyone extremely well. I would happily recommend them even if they weren’t paying me a penny.

And that’s NOT true for other bloggers.

Most don’t even use the host they are recommending. In my opinion, that’s just unethical.

Especially when it comes to one particular company…

Many Hosts are Owned by the Same Terrible Company

2slick.com FreeYellow PowWeb AccountSupport Glob@t PureHost A Small Orange Homestead ReadyHosting ApolloHosting HostCentric ResellerClub AptHost HostClear SEOGears Arvixe Host Excellence SEO Hosting Berry Information Systems HostGator Site5 BigRock HostMonster SiteBuilder.com BizLand HostNine Sitelio BlueDomino HostYourSite.com Sitey BlueFur HostV Southeast Web BlueHost HyperMart Spry BuyDomains IdeaHost StartLogic Cirtex Hosting IMOutdoors SuperGreen Hosting Cloud by IX Impress.ly TypePad Constant Contact Intuit Websites USANetHosting Directi iPage vDeck Dollar2Host IPOWER/iPowerWeb Verio Domain.com IX Web Hosting VirtualAvenue DomainHost JustCloud VPSLink Dot5Hosting JustHost WebHost4Life Dotster LogicBoxes WebHosting.info easyCGI MojoMarketplace WebsiteBuilder.com eHost MyDomain Webstrike Solutions EntryHost MyResellerHome Webzai Escalate Internet NetFirms World Wide Web Hosting FastDomain Networks Web Hosting Xeran FatCow Nexx YourWebHosting

Ever heard of Bluehost?

Or maybe Hostgator?

Both hosts are owned by a conglomerate called Endurance International Group (EIG). In fact, EIG runs most of the big hosting companies, and it continues to buy new ones all the time.

So what makes them so awful?

After they purchase a host, they lay off support staff, stop investing in new technology, and funnel the money into increased advertising and payouts to shareholders. In every case, the reputation of the host plummets.

Of course, you might be wondering how you find out if they own your host. Or for that matter, how do you know if your host is a good one if nearly every review is bought and paid for?

The answer:

The Best Way to Get Unbiased Reviews

  Web Hosting Talk is the biggest forum on the web about hosting, and it has literally millions of reviews. They don’t allow affiliate links either, so you can count on the reviews to be unbiased.

Granted, every host gets a bad review now and again, but you can comb through dozens of reports to get a much better feel for the reputation of the host, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

Also, here’s a little hack to save you some time…

Instead of using the search tool built into their forum, which can be a little clunky, grab the URL of the forum you want to search, and then put the following in Google:

site:URL “host name”

For example, if you wanted to verify the reputation of SiteGround (affiliate link), you can go to their list of forums, right click on the one that seems most appropriate, and copy the link:

From there, use the search parameter above in Google. In this case, it would be:

site:http://www.webhostingtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1 “SiteGround”

And voilà, you have a listing of reviews you can easily look through for reliable information.

In particular, here’s the biggest factor that should influence your decision:

How to Evaluate Customer Support

Customer support. When you’re a beginner, it’s more important than anything.

No surprise there, right?

But here’s the big lesson…

It’s not just about wait times or the intelligence of the technicians. It’s also about the method of support, what the host supports, and the helpdesk schedule.

For instance:

Do you have to submit tickets through their helpdesk and wait for a response, or can you do a live chat or phone call with a technician and actually have a conversation?

Do they offer support for WordPress and the most popular themes and plug-ins? It’s shocking, but unless they specifically mention it, many don’t.

Do they offer support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or is it only during normal business hours?

Personally, I want a host with technicians I can interact with in real time (either through phone or chat), have a thorough knowledge of WordPress, and are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And that’s actually relatively difficult to find at an affordable price.

That’s why I think SiteGround (affiliate link) is the best host for most beginners. They give you all those things for an entire year for less than the cost of a dinner at a nice restaurant.

And here’s what’s even cooler…

Their servers are also configured especially for WordPress. Let’s talk about that next.

The Configuration Matters More Than Tech

Chances are, you’ve seen a page on a hosting website that looks something like this:

Almost like a foreign language, right? Disk space, RAM, page views, uniques, SSDs — what’s it all mean? And for that matter, how are you supposed to know which plan is right for you?

Actually… you don’t have to. If you’re running a relatively simple WordPress site, none of those technical details matter much. You can ignore them.

Here’s proof:

In 2012, a fellow named Ewen Leith managed to get a $15 server to run a WordPress site receiving 10 million hits a day. Granted, it was an extremely simple site using a set up that would be tough for a novice to manage, but it’s still proof the configuration of your web host matters much more than having high-end hardware.

That’s another reason why I recommend SiteGround (affiliate link) – their servers are configured specifically for WordPress. Your site will be able to handle far more traffic with far fewer resources. Over the long term, it translates into significant savings, because you have to upgrade less often.

Granted, SiteGround isn’t the only host who does this. If you decide to search for someone else, here’s what to look for:

Litespeed or Apache NGINX

Database caching through Memcached

Support for PHP 7 and HTTP/2

RAM, SSD space, bandwidth — for a normal WordPress site, none of those specs really matter much. Ignore them and focus on the three above details.

Installing Too Many Plugins Can Mess up Any WordPress Host

So, you found a host that’s perfectly optimized for WordPress. Your site should be nice and zippy, right?

Actually… not necessarily.

If you install too many WordPress plugins (or even just one really bad one), you can slow down your site or even cause your host to cancel your account. It’s the most common source of problems.

So,how do you know which plugins to install and which ones to avoid?

The short answer: install as few as possible, and if you ever have problems with your site, the first thing you should always do is try deactivating plugins. For a detailed answer, take a look at our post on essential WordPress plug-ins.

Make Sure You Get a Free SSL Certificate

Ever since Google announced that having an SSL certificate is now a ranking factor, it’s become essential for you to have one.

What’s an SSL certificate?

It’s an extra layer of security and reporting around the safety of your website. Any site using SSL will have the prefix “https” in the URL.

In the past, you had to pay a yearly fee to register your SSL certificate, but most of the top web posts are now offering one for free. You should take advantage of that savings and have your site on https from day one.

The 7 Things That Really Matter When Choosing the Best WordPress Host

By this point, I wouldn’t blame you if your head is spinning.

We’ve covered a lot of technical details in this post, so I thought I would conclude with a quick checklist to help you choose the best WordPress host for you. Here are the seven most important things to remember:

Unless your site is massive, you don’t need a VPS or dedicated server. Stick with a shared host.

For the love of God, avoid any hosting company owned by EIG.

When evaluating customer support, look for 24/7 live chat and/or phone support.

The configuration of your web host matters more than the technical specs

Go easy on the WordPress plugins. They can slow down your site.

You should expect to get a free SSL certificate. Use it.

If you’re tired of thinking about all this stuff, go with either SiteGround (affiliate link) (cheap but good) or WP Engine (affiliate) (premium).

Follow those recommendations, and you’ll save yourself tons of time, money, and headaches. I speak from experience.

Ultimately though, the decision is yours. Choose wisely, my friend.

About the Author: Jon Morrow has asked repeatedly to be called “His Royal Awesomeness” but no one listens to him. So, he settles for CEO of Smart Blogger. Poor man. 🙂

The post WordPress Hosting: A Brutally Honest Guide That’ll Save You Money appeared first on Smart Blogger.

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