Choosing the right hosting service is a critical decision for any website. While WordPress, the world’s most popular content management system, is open source and freely available, you must set up your website through a hosting service and purchase a domain.
We plan to shed some light on two common types of hosting services: Shared hosting and WordPress hosting. By presenting a side-by-side comparison, we aim to simplify the technical details, highlighting the features, pricing, and suitability of each. Whether you’re starting a new project or contemplating a change in hosting, this guide is meant to help. Let’s get started…
The Pros and Cons of Shared Hosting
Many businesses and individuals will first consider shared hosting. This involves hosting your website on a server that also hosts other websites. This setup means that resources like CPU power, PHP workers, disk space, and memory are shared among all the websites hosted on that server. One of the primary benefits of this approach is cost efficiency, as the expenses for server maintenance are split among all users, leading to lower hosting fees.
Pros:
- A significant advantage of shared hosting is its lower cost.
- It is user-friendly and comes with convenient management tools and customer support, making it an accessible option for those without extensive technical knowledge.
- Shared hosting is quite appealing for beginners and those with small-scale needs, such as small businesses or personal blogs.
Cons:
- Slower website speeds can be a common issue due to the shared resources.
- Limited resources can mean that high-traffic periods for other websites on the server can negatively impact your site’s performance.
- Security can also be a concern: Vulnerabilities in one site could potentially pose risks to others sharing the same server.
- Customization and control options are usually limited as well, which might not suit all businesses’ needs.
It’s worth noting that many of these disadvantages, particularly those related to resource limitations, may be less significant for smaller, resource-light websites.
When is Shared Hosting a Good Fit?
Shared hosting can be a fine choice for small businesses, personal blogs, small non-profit organizations, hobby sites, and independent publications.
Shared hosting is a good fit for these sites because:
- Primarily, these websites are not high-traffic platforms. Their visitor numbers are manageable, which means the shared resources of a hosting server can adequately support their online presence.
- They are more likely to be resource-light, without the need for a multitude of functions and widgets.
- Financial constraints are another critical consideration. These websites often operate on smaller budgets, making the cost-effectiveness of shared hosting an attractive feature.
- Shared hosting’s ability to support various content management systems beyond WordPress is beneficial for users who need to host diverse types of content under the same account.
However, shared hosting might not be the best choice for certain types of websites:
- High-traffic sites – those heavily laden with widgets, extensive images, forms, and other resource-intensive features – may find shared hosting limiting.
- Similarly, retail shops with large product catalogs could struggle with the resource constraints of shared hosting.
- Most importantly, websites that handle sensitive data, such as Personally Identifying Information (PII) or Sensitive Personal Information (SPI), might find the security risks associated with shared hosting too significant to overlook.
In all these cases, the performance and security limitations inherent in shared hosting environments render it an unsuitable option.
Tailored Support with WordPress Hosting
WordPress hosting simply means hosting specifically designed for WordPress. This type of hosting typically operates as a managed service, which means the hosting provider takes on a range of maintenance tasks, which can include running backups, setting up website security, assisting with site migration, performance monitoring, and optimization, and providing on-demand tech support.
The distinction between WordPress-specific hosts and general hosts offering WordPress as part of a broader suite of services is significant, as outlined below:
- Industry knowledge: WordPress-specific hosts possess a deep, specialized understanding of WordPress, enabling them to offer a more customized and efficient service. These hosts are deeply involved in the WordPress community, staying abreast of the platform’s continuous evolution and updates.
- Speed concerns: Performance is a primary concern for WordPress site owners. Certain issues, such as specific plugin use and theme compatibility, are unique to WordPress. A WordPress-specific host can provide expert guidance and solutions to these performance-related challenges.
- Security vulnerabilities: WordPress’s popularity attracts significant attention from cybercriminals. WordPress-specific hosting services are equipped with tailor-made protections to mitigate known vulnerabilities related to the platform.
- Tech support: While shared hosting services may offer general tech support, they might lack the deep WordPress knowledge necessary to resolve specific issues. In contrast, a WordPress hosting service should be staffed with experts who are intimately familiar with the platform.
Pressable stands as one of the foremost and most established managed WordPress hosts. Owned by Automattic, the same company behind WordPress.com and WooCommerce, Pressable provides its customers with access to a vast network of WordPress-specific knowledge and infrastructure.
The Pros and Cons of WordPress Hosting
While WordPress hosting comes with a host of benefits, particularly for those deeply invested in the WordPress ecosystem, it’s important to weigh both sides of the equation to make an informed decision.
Pros:
- Industry expertise: WordPress hosts are not just service providers; they are experts in the WordPress platform. This specialized knowledge translates into a better, more efficient website for you. WordPress-specific hosts stay up-to-date with the content management system’s latest updates, ensuring that your website benefits from the newest features and strongest security.
- Platform-specific support: General hosting services may not always be equipped to address WordPress-specific concerns. WordPress hosts, on the other hand, are tailored to handle such issues, providing a significant advantage in maintaining and troubleshooting your WordPress site.
Cons:
- Cost: While most WordPress hosts offer various pricing tiers for budget flexibility, it’s still typically more expensive than shared hosting options.
- Plugin compatibility issues: WordPress-specific hosts often have a list of disallowed plugins due to performance or security concerns. Removing and replacing such plugins, although ultimately beneficial for performance or security, can still be a drain on time and resources.
Balancing these advantages and disadvantages will help you determine if WordPress hosting is the right choice for your website’s needs.
A Side-by-Side Look at Both Hosting Options
We’ve created a table for a straightforward comparison between shared hosting and WordPress hosting so that you can work out the best option for your website:
| Aspect | Shared Hosting | WordPress Hosting |
| What it is | Multiple websites sharing resources on a single server. | Web hosting optimized for WordPress websites. |
| Advantages | Lower cost, user-friendly for beginners. | Better performance, specialized services, and knowledge. |
| Disadvantages | Potential performance issues, and security risks. | Higher cost, features may exceed the needs of smaller sites. |
| Best for | Small businesses, personal blogs, hobby sites. | Mid-size and growing businesses, resource-heavy sites, and websites handling private data. |
How Your Hosting Choice Impacts Your Website’s Success
The hosting service you choose plays a critical role in the success of your website, especially for mid-size and growing businesses where every second counts. Performance, SEO, security, and customizability are key areas where your hosting decision can have a significant impact.
- Performance: In shared hosting environments, websites compete for resources, which can lead to slower performance for everyone on the server. Choosing the right host – one that can guarantee 100% uptime and meet your site’s performance needs – is crucial for ensuring a smooth user experience.
- SEO impact: Performance doesn’t just affect user experience; it also impacts your site’s SEO. Search engines like Google consider site performance when ranking pages. Poor performance can alter user interaction with your site, negatively affecting your SEO scores. A hosting provider that offers optimized performance can therefore indirectly boost your search engine visibility.
- Site security: While WordPress comes with basic site protections, additional support from your hosting provider is beneficial. Shared hosting poses inherent security risks, since your site’s security is only as tight as the least secure site on the server. In contrast, WordPress-specific hosting often includes built-in security measures like vulnerability scanning, web application firewalls, and assistance with hack recovery, offering a far more secure environment for your website.
- Customizability: WordPress hosts typically offer more customization options, allowing greater freedom in server and site management. This is advantageous for teams with the resources and expertise to utilize these features. However, for smaller businesses or personal blogs, this level of customization can be overwhelming and unnecessary. After all, there’s a chance their website’s performance needs may not even call for these kinds of changes.
- Technical support: Although already discussed, it’s worth reiterating the value of WordPress-specific knowledge in tech support. The expertise offered by a specialized WordPress host can be invaluable in efficiently resolving issues and maintaining optimal site performance.
Switching Between Hosts
Many site owners will put off changing hosts because migrating a website is a pain. Switching hosts can be daunting, with worries about potential traffic loss, website downtime, and issues with page redirects. A well-thought out plan can help ease this transition.
- This roadmap should include key steps and timelines to minimize disruptions.
- Creating a content map of your existing site is vital. It helps ensure no content is lost or overlooked during the migration.
- Additionally, analyzing site traffic and user behavior prior to migration can provide insights into potential issues and allow for a more seamless transition.
For those considering a switch to Pressable, there’s an added advantage. Pressable offers free managed migrations as part of all site plans. This service significantly reduces the burden and complexity of the migration process, so you can focus on the big stuff.
Boosting Your Business with the Ideal Hosting Provider
Selecting the right hosting provider is a crucial decision that can significantly impact your business’s online presence and success. It’s important to consider budget, performance needs, and the range of services offered – and more importantly, the services that you will actually use. While WordPress hosting is an excellent investment for businesses requiring robust performance and specialized services, many smaller sites will find the more budget-friendly shared hosting option sufficient for their needs.
Pressable offers free managed migration for a hassle-free switch and the deep industry knowledge that comes from being one of the pioneers in managed WordPress hosting. These features, plus more, make Pressable a standout choice for those in need of a tailored WordPress solution.
If you’re considering whether your site could benefit from managed WordPress hosting, why not take a look at the services Pressable has to offer. See how we can help elevate your website’s performance and security, ensuring your online venture thrives successfully.
Amanda Tsourakis
With over a decade of experience in the tech industry, Amanda's experience demonstrates her sales expertise. Her commitment to building, training, and guiding high-performing teams has been instrumental in driving Pressable's success. Amanda's extensive background in sales and marketing, coupled with her sharp business acumen, has made her an invaluable asset to the tech community. Her ability to identify and foster talent, combined with her passion for developing winning sales strategies, has propelled her to the forefront of the industry. When she's not expertly navigating the tech sales landscape, she loves spending quality time with her family, loves travel and adventure, lounging pool/beach-side, playing tennis, working out, and meeting people/making friends all along the way!
