What is the Best WordPress Domain Host?
Making the Most Out of WordPress
Websites are awesome. You can open up your favorite internet browser and connect with old friends, order groceries or even get in a fight with a stranger about whether Dumbledore was good or bad within seconds.
Now, if you want a website for your company, to sell a product or simply get the word out about your brand, chances are you will need to choose a content management system and a web hosting service. This is how people build and maintain websites and, most importantly, make them accessible on the World Wide Web. Even the most popular websites rely on a web hosting service; in the case of X / Twitter, they use Amazon Web Services.
When it comes to choosing a content management system (CMS), there are a few options. Some of the more common options include Drupal, Shopify, Squarespace, Wix and WordPress. While there are good reasons to use each CMS, we’re going to focus on WordPress today.
Originally developed as a tool to publish blogs, WordPress has evolved to become an indispensable tool for anyone who is interested in setting up a fast, professional, reliable website. In order to get the most out of your WordPress site, you might want to consider using a WordPress domain host for your web hosting needs. These are third party services that supply servers and software specifically designed for WordPress websites. The benefits of using a WordPress domain host ranges from automatic plug-in updates to increased security for your website.
So, let’s examine some of the pros and cons of a few popular WordPress domain hosts like Bluehost, GoDaddy, WP Engine and SiteGround.
Note: the domain hosts are presented in alphabetical order under each section.
Image courtesy of Carlos Muza
Hosting Services
Bluehost: Bluehost has a variety of economical hosting services for everyone from hobbyists to professional organizations. All of their plans come with shared hosting, professional emails and custom WordPress themes.
GoDaddy: GoDaddy offers a wide range of hosting services, including shared hosting, managed WordPress hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated servers. They also have domain registration services and a website builder.
WP Engine: The benefit of WP Engine comes with their managed WordPress hosting plans. In addition to automated updates, each plan features proactive threat blocking, customizable themes and 1-click backup of your website.
SiteGround: SiteGround primarily focuses on providing high-quality shared hosting, cloud hosting, and WordPress hosting services. Like GoDaddy, they work with most content management systems (CMS) like WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal.
Performance
Bluehost: Your opinion of Bluehost’s performance will come down to what you need it to handle. Bluehost is great for beginners looking to build a simple website. However, you might run into difficulties if you’re building something more complex and are anticipating high traffic.
GoDaddy: Although often the most well-known name, thanks to their formerly ubiquitous Super Bowl ads, users have reported slower loading times compared to other hosting providers. This problem is exacerbated on shared hosting plans.
WP Engine: WP Engine claims they have the fastest WordPress hosting available. Internal statistics advertise website speeds increasing up to 40% after migration.
SiteGround: SiteGround is often praised for its performance and speed. They use technologies like SSD storage, HTTP/2, and NGINX server setups to optimize website loading times.
Image courtesy of Luca Bravo
Pricing
Bluehost: It is hard to beat the price point for Bluehost when it comes to smaller projects. Experienced web developers might feel limited by the base level plans, but most small businesses should have everything they need.
GoDaddy: Don’t be fooled by GoDaddy’s aggressive marketing strategy. They have almost unbelievably low prices for the initial term, but renewal prices can be significantly higher and features beyond the base level may cost extra.
WP Engine: You won’t find flashy discounts at WP Engine, but you also won’t be hit with higher rates each time you renew. The higher end plans may seem steep, but you will receive a high quality service at industry standard rates.
SiteGround: Similar to GoDaddy, SiteGround’s initial pricing is competitive but their renewal prices can be much higher after the first year.
Customer Support
Bluehost: Users report different levels of satisfaction with Bluehost’s customer service. While some praise the phone support, other reviewers say they had to look elsewhere for explanations of simple functions for the website.
GoDaddy: Customer support with GoDaddy is a mixed bag. There are some options, including 24/7 support, but the quality of support can vary greatly.
WP Engine: People speak highly of WP Engine’s customer support. They have 24/7 support, for all clients, via telephone and live chat.
SiteGround: SiteGround sets the gold standard for customer support. Their 24/7 support can be reached through live chat, over the phone and via a ticketing system. Their support staff is knowledgeable, helpful and friendly.
Image courtesy of Webfactory
Ease of Use
Bluehost: We have touched on this already, but Bluehost is great for those with little experience. The navigation is simple and setting up a simple website can be done quickly. However, the simplicity has its limitations and there is some functionality and plugins that Bluehost is incapable of providing.
GoDaddy: GoDaddy has a website builder with drag-and-drop functionality, which can be helpful for anyone with no previous experience. Their navigation is easy to understand. However, we would never recommend GoDaddy for website design.
WP Engine: WP Engine is made specifically to work with WordPress, so it’s no surprise it ranks highly when it comes to ease of use. Free migration plugins and automated WordPress updates make maintaining your website with WP Engine a breeze.
SiteGround: SiteGround has a user-friendly interface that is accessible for beginners and experienced developers. The real highlight is the one-click installation they offer for WordPress.
Security
Bluehost: Most users will find Bluehost more than satisfactory for their security needs, but there have been a few reported security breaches.
GoDaddy: GoDaddy provides security features like SSL certificates and malware scanning. Unfortunately, the level of security for your website is dependent on the level of your hosting plan.
WP Engine: Practically every user will feel safe with WP Engine’s security. Every plan, even the lowest tiers, are equipped with advanced security features, including proactive threat blocking. For example, WP Engine blocks all plugins that have a history of slowing down or crashing websites.
SiteGround: SiteGround places a strong emphasis on security, offering features like daily backups and firewalls. Like WP Engine, SiteGround boasts proactive monitoring for malware.
Need Help Deciding Which WordPress Domain Host is Right For You?
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