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11 Best BlueHost Hosting Alternatives 2020- Full Comparison Guide

11 Best Bluehost Hosting Alternatives?

Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links and purchases made through these links will result in a small commission back to our site at no additional cost to you.

Webhosting is essential to running an online business or website as it provides the infrastructure for your site’s performance, stability, security, and growth. Bluehost is one of the most recognized hosting companies in the world, but we know sometimes you want other options, so, in this article, we look at 11 of the best hosting alternatives outside of Bluehost and compare them across a plethora of categories so you can make the best decision for your business.

Web hosts own a large number of powerful servers that provide reliable service to thousands of websites. Effectively, you rent server space when you sign up for a hosting plan. But a good web host isn’t just in the business to sell that server space – they are also selling their expertise in keeping their technology (thus, your website) running seamlessly, efficiently, and securely.

Bluehost is one such service provider. In fact, Bluehost is one of the biggest and most popular hosting companies in the industry. Naturally, though, some users want to know about the best Bluehost alternatives. If you want to pick up Bluehost, use our affiliate link to get some great bonuses.

It’s just good business sense and, besides, different businesses have unique requirements. In this article, we will give you a complete review of the top hosting BlueHost alternatives for 2020 and, possibly, beyond.

What are the best Bluehost hosting alternatives? At a quick glance, the best Bluehost hosting alternatives for 2020 are:

The functionality and overall quality of a website depend heavily on the software used to keep everything together. The software your web host uses can determine the range of features your website can have, your website’s user interface, and how your web content is updated. This is why the number one consideration in choosing a web host should be its ability to support all necessary applications, scripts, or software your website will be running.

Now that we’ve given you a quick list of top Bluehost alternatives, read on through the rest of this article to see exactly how each stack up in the areas that really matter to your website’s success. Do not worry if you aren’t familiar with all the hosting jargon or if you are not totally fluent about the different features mentioned here.

We have included a quick glossary of terms related to hosting features at the end of the article. You will surely become acquainted with and understand better which hosting features are relevant to the success of your website.

Our goal is to help you make the right web hosting decision. And as you decide on the right hosting provider for your website, make sure to do so through our links in order for you to receive our amazing bonuses, such as:

  • A free custom logo for your company designed by our team of graphics professionals
  • A free e-book: 27 FREE Website Tools that will Save You Time and Money
  • Video training courses on how to launch a successful website (more traffic and more income!)

BLUEHOST ALTERNATIVE HOSTING FEATURES

We did a deep-dive on each hosting alternative we listed and compiled their top user-interesting aspects that should help in making a decision at-a-glance.

SITE SPEED

Site Speed Hosting Feature Image

Site speed has to do with how quickly a website responds to web requests. Faster sites create happy users and studies have shown that when a site responds slowly, visitors spend less time there. Recent data show that faster sites don’t just improve user experience — but that an improved site speed translates to cost reduction. And now, site speed is no longer just a critical factor for visitors, but it’s now also a confirmed Google ranking factor. In the site speed aspect, several user tests have shown WPX Hosting and Kinsta as more consistent leaders of the pack.

11 BlueHost Alternatives Site Speed Comparison

HOSTING PRICE

Hosting Cost Money Image

Web hosting price is the aspect most (if not all) of us will first inspect when choosing a web hosting provider. But yes, it shouldn’t be THE deciding factor. When scrutinizing price differences across web host providers, it’s helpful to remember the age-old saying that we get what we pay for. Jumping on the lowest offer you see isn’t necessarily the best idea, especially if your website is relied upon to generate money. It is a much better approach to take a closer look at the features that each web host offers, and THEN compare prices.

Bluehost Alternatives Comparing 11 Webhost Pricing Plans

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

customer support call-centre-image

One of the web hosting features we need to look at first in a host is their reputation for customer support. What are the channels to contact them should you need support – chat, toll-free phone, email? All of the above? Are they staffed 24/7? Various user reviews have ranked WPX Hosting, SiteGround, InMotion Hosting, and WP Engine as the ones with the strongest customer support structure.

bluehost alternatives customer service comparison chart

WEBSITE MIGRATION

website Data Hosting Migration Image

Website Migration. Broadly, site migration is a term used by SEO professionals to describe any activity wherein a website undergoes key changes in areas that can significantly impact search engine visibility. Typically, these changes are related to the site’s location, platform, structure, content, design, or user interface. HostGator, Kinsta, and WPX Hosting have ranked well on top web hosts that offer free site transfers by user reviews.

11 bluehost alternatives migration services comparison chart

SITE BACK UP

Site Backup Image

 

Site Backup. Beyond taking the necessary security precautions to protect one’s website, regularly backing up your website is just good sense. That way, if something unfortunate and unforeseen does occur, you won’t have to start over from scratch. Instead, you can simply restore your site from a previous backup. In a nutshell, a website backup is a copy of all of your website data. Generally, the more data included in the data backup policy, the better. And website backups are ideally done on a regular basis. This way, you are able to restore your site from a backup that’s updated. Hostinger, HostGator, and InMotion Hosting made it to a Best Web Hosting Providers for 2020 list of a leading IT blog site.

11 bluehost alternatives site back up services comparison chart

SSL CERTIFICATE

SSL certificate image

SSL Certificate. A survey was conducted among 425 users to find out which web hosting features were a priority in choosing a web host provider. 25% named security as the most valued, citing security over other features like uptime and disk space. HostGator, InMotion Hosting, and GreenGeeks were among the Top 10 Best Free SSL Hosting Providers in the said study.

11 bluehost competitors SSL certificate policy comparison chart

WORDPRESS OPTIMIZATION

wordpress-optimized hosting image

WordPress Optimization. Whichever host you’re going to choose, keep in mind the 3 most important factors of what makes for a solid WordPress hosting: Speed (or “load time”), Uptime (at least 99.94% reliability), and Customer Support (WordPress expertise). With all three elements prioritized, Hostgator, Hostinger, and SiteGround were ranked as being among 10 Best WordPress Hosting Services.

11 bluehost competitor wordpress optimization comparison

SITE UPTIME

under maintenance image for site uptime

Uptime. By definition, uptime is the amount of time that the server hosting your website is up and running. A hosting provider that has a strong uptime reliability rate indicates that their servers perform well. Imagine a user lands on your website and it doesn’t load. Research has found that 88% of online consumers are less likely to re-visit a website after a negative experience earlier. Experts recommend overlooking a hosting provider offering anything less than 99.9% uptime rate, which is the industry benchmark these days. User reviews have listed HostGator, SiteGround, and DreamHost as top web host providers to consider for their near-excellent uptime.

11 web hosting uptime percentages comparison chart

FREE DOMAIN NAMES OFFERED

free domain-names-offered

A domain name, simply put, is the human-readable version of your website’s address. If you purchased your domain through your hosting provider, it is likely that you already have your website set up for you, as well. A number of web hosting providers offer domain names for free. Though this might sound like a good deal right off-the-bat, do not just jump at the offer. Take a closer look at the free options. It’s been studied that a URL that people trust AND remember is more likely to get clicked on, linked to, and shared, thus making it easier to build a brand with a trusted domain name extension (.com, .org, .net, etc.). BLUEHOST, HostGator, and DreamHost are consistently popular among web hosts that offer a free domain with their hosting plans.

11 webhosts offering free domain name comparison

CDN CONTENT DELIVERY NETWORK

CDN Content Delivery Network Map Image

CDN or Content Delivery Network is another important factor to consider when deciding on a web host.  CDNs that store website files, videos, and images as close as possible to end-users reduce load times and increase a website’s chances at conversions. Several web hosting providers include a free CDN when you sign up for their services, typically in the form of a plugin found within the user control panel. In this aspect, SiteGround and Liquid Web are leaders in balancing performance boost with optimized hardware, programming languages, and caching tools.

11 hosting providers CDN offers comparison chart

SECURITY & MALWARE REMOVAL

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Security and Malware Removal. Keeping a website secure and protected from malware should be prime for any web hosting provider. In reality, though, not all web hosts offer free malware scans. And the ones that do might not automatically clean up infections that are detected. WPX Hosting and WP Engine are notable for being good WordPress hosts that offer free malware scans and clean-up.

comparing 11 bluehost alternatives in malware removal features

BANDWIDTH

bandwidth icon

Bandwidth. It is the amount of data you are allowed to transfer to and from your web server each month. This includes uploads and downloads, both HTTP and FTP. Bandwidth depends on your web page size, as well as the number of visitors to your website and the number of pages they visit. In a number of user reviews of web hosting providers who offer high bandwidth (balanced with quality of service and security), Liquid Web and InMotion Hosting are both excellent scorers.

compare 11 hosting providers for bandwidth limitations

STORAGE

storage image

Storage. A hosting plan that offers unlimited storage will allow you to host an unlimited number of files on your website’s server. This is ideal for large websites or sites that upload a high amount of images and media. Most of the Terms and Conditions of these plans will state, however, that bandwidth and storage are “unlimited” in so far as customers can use as many resources as is ‘reasonable’ or ‘normal’ for a small business website or blog. InMotion Hosting and DreamHost have been rated as top web hosting providers with above-par unlimited or unmetered offerings.

11 hosting providers storage comparison chart

 

BlueHost Hosting Alternatives Key Highlights

11 Web Hosting Companies Comparison Table

WPX Hosting boasts of their ability to provide its users with superior page loading speed through their OWN high-speed, custom Content Delivery Network (CDN, free for ALL WPX customers) and brand new and cutting edge SSD servers (all of which are owned, not rented) that are deliberately never overloaded with web accounts and sites. WPX Hosting’s optimized machines come with the guarantee that these perform very well, even under heavy traffic loads.

Kinsta is a fully-managed WordPress hosting provider that offer superior speed, daily backups, reliable security, and free site migrations, among many other features. Users are given the liberty to focus on growing their respective sites or businesses, as Kinsta hosting is always running, monitored, and scalability on-demand.

SiteGround offers reliable web hosting, managed WordPress hosting, high-performance WooCommerce hosting, and auto-scalable cloud hosting. SiteGround prides itself of providing starters with a full solution, including their choice of site builder, premium features, and reliable support. SiteGround also provides free automated WordPress migration with a user-friendly plug-in or expert-assisted migration for professional websites.

WP Engine Their commitment is to help users’ businesses forward faster with the first and only WordPress Digital Experience Platform. This platform provides a suite of site-building and management tools; cloud hosting and security; and optimization tools to help keep websites dynamic. WP Engine remains one of the top hosting providers because of their unparalleled speed, scalability, and security for websites that they host.

DreamHost. Known as one of the fastest and more reliable web host providers, DreamHost boasts of multiple data center locations, redundant cooling, emergency generators, and constant monitoring. With such, DreamHost offers a 100% Uptime Guarantee. They also have what they refer to as Custom Control Panel – an intuitive interface giving its users admin access to all applicable DreamHost products. Here, one can easily update domain information, add users, adjust email settings, gain access to promotions, and more.

Hostinger has been touted as a reliable, affordable web host that helps you get your business online quickly. Downsides to Hostinger, though, is that it lacks Windows servers, phone support, and dedicated hosting plans. With shared hosting, your website “lives” on a server with other websites. In other words, the sites share a single server’s resources. The disadvantage is that shared hosting is not very powerful, so your site may lag or even become unavailable. The benefit of this type of hosting is that costs are split, resulting in low-cost web hosting. This might be more ideal for blog start-ups and similar.

HostGator hosts over 8 million domains and is one of the most popular web hosts in the industry. With one-click WordPress installation, 99.9% uptime guarantee, and 24/7 customer support, HostGator is a smart choice for every website owner. HostGator is considered as one of the best web hosting for businesses.

GreenGeeks is a hosting platform that prides itself on delivering eco-friendly service at affordable prices. They offer a WordPress-specific plan with plenty of features. GreenGeeks is certainly an appealing option for environmentally conscious website owners. GreenGeeks achieves this by designing its platform to be extremely energy efficient and by investing heavily in renewable energy.

InMotion Hosting has been a known industry brand with reliable performance for business class web hosting. InMotion performs well on three big areas of uptime, speed, and support. They also provide a few additional features which can make user experience more convenient and enjoyable.

Cloudways’ hosting infrastructure allows users to focus on building great websites, rather than on the complexities of web hosting. Their managed hosting platform gives ecommerce businesses and digital agencies the flexibility and control in how their websites are hosted. They are known for flexible cloud hosting plans, rapid set-up times, excellent uptime, and as being backed by 24/7/365 support.

Liquid Web, signing up and launching a new WordPress website is very straightforward. Therefore, if what you need is a web host that will allow you to have your new site up and running without delay, Liquid Web is a way to go. Reasonably priced, yet they are known for their exceptional server speed and stability. Liquid Web likewise provides top-notch customer support in the industry.

 

Glossary Of Webhosting Terms

Not everyone is fluent in internet language but this should never deter any enterprising spirit from attempting to create an online presence. Very quickly, here is a review of the important technical terms that we touched upon throughout this article.

Bandwidth – In computing, bandwidth is the maximum rate of data transfer across a given path. It is the maximum amount of data transmitted over an internet connection over an amount of time. Bandwidth may be speaking about network bandwidth, data bandwidth, or digital bandwidth. Bandwidth is often confused for internet speed when, really, it’s the volume of information that can be sent over a connection calculated in megabits per second (Mbps).

CDN – Short for Content Delivery Network. It is a system consisting of multiple servers, placed in different locations around the world. When you utilize a CDN with your site, all those servers across the globe will be loaded with static versions of your website’s files. This typically includes code like CSS and JavaScript, images, documents, videos, and other data. Not only will this make your site faster, but it can also help secure it and reduce bandwidth usage. In other words, one way to maintain a website’s speed and performance consistent is by using a CDN.

SSL Certificates – SSL (or Secure Sockets Layer) encrypts information being passed through your website. It keeps your visitor’s confidential information, such as their payment details, safe and protected. SSL certificates vary in security level and price.

WordPress optimization – This is the process of enhancing, tweaking, and customizing the WordPress set up in order to improve the website’s performance, make it faster, and more easily found. It consists of many elements, including having the right specifications, updates, optimizing databases, managing plugins, and others.

Uptime – The amount of time that a server has stayed up and functional. This is usually listed as a percentage rate, such as “99.9%” and such. Uptime is a good indicator of how good a web hosting provider is at keeping their systems up and running.

 

Indeed, there are many different factors to consider when looking for and finally deciding on a web host. The most critical elements are those that have to do with your website’s functionality, performance, and reliability. We should always remember that studies have shown that a slow-loading or unresponsive website drives visitors (and thus, potential clients) away. A website’s performance, reliability, and usefulness all can significantly affect the success of your website. If you choose the right web hosting service provider right out the gate, you are likewise saving yourself the headache of having to migrate your site to a different provider down the road. We hope we have been a big help in your journey to the finding the web hosting provider that’s best for you and your website’s needs. And remember, when you sign up with our web host partners through our links on our website, you get amazing bonuses such as free domain name, free custom logo for your company, free e-Book, and video training courses!

SOURCES

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluehost

https://www.bluehost.com/

https://www.hostgator.com/blog/what-to-look-for-in-web-host/

https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/factors-consider-when-choosing-web-hosting-provider

https://www.matthewwoodward.co.uk/blogging/fastest-wordpress-hosting/

https://www.wpkube.com/wpx-hosting-review/

https://wpxhosting.com/knowledgebase/article/35/does-wpx-hosting-sell-ssl-certificates-or-can-help-with-ssl-integration-/?affid=375

https://www.matthewwoodward.co.uk/blogging/reviews/wpx-hosting/

https://wpxhosting.com/knowledgebase/article/163/does-wpx-hosting-offer-managed-wordpress-hosting-what-exactly-does-that-cover-/

https://www.lifewire.com/uptime-in-web-hosting-3467355

https://blog.resellerclub.com/what-is-wordpress-optimization/

https://kinsta.com/plans/?plan=visits-starter&interval=month

https://www.matthewwoodward.co.uk/blogging/reviews/kinsta/

https://www.verizon.com/info/definitions/bandwidth/

https://hostingfacts.com/hosting-reviews/siteground/

https://www.sitepoint.com/review-sitegrounds-migration-service/

https://www.websitebuilderexpert.com/web-hosting-services/wpengine-pricing/

https://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/hosting-review/wp-engine-review/

https://www.dreamhost.com/wordpress/guide-using-a-cdn-with-wp/

https://sea.pcmag.com/hostinger-web-hosting/32141/hostinger-web-hosting

https://hostingfacts.com/hosting-reviews/hostinger/#:~:text=If%20a%20website%20takes%20more,that%20loading%20times%20are%20stable.

https://www.cloudwards.net/hostinger-review/

https://www.bitcatcha.com/hosting-reviews/hostgator/

https://themeisle.com/blog/greengeeks-review-for-wordpress/

https://hostingfacts.com/hosting-reviews/greengeeks/

https://hostingfacts.com/hosting-reviews/inmotion/

https://winningwp.com/liquid-web-hosting-review/

https://moz.com/blog/website-migration-guide#:~:text=A%20site%20migration%20is%20a,content%2C%20design%2C%20or%20UX.

https://www.cnet.com/news/best-web-hosting-providers-for-2020-dreamhost-bluehost-a2hosting-more/

https://www.websitebuilderexpert.com/web-hosting-services/best/ssl/

https://websitesetup.org/best-wordpress-hosting-performance/

https://www.hostingadvice.com/how-to/best-cdn-hosting/

https://berkaweb.com/hosting/free-malware-detection/

https://mybloghosting.com/high-bandwidth-web-hosting-providers/

https://themeisle.com/blog/best-unlimited-hosting-plans/

https://sea.pcmag.com/hostinger-web-hosting/32141/hostinger-web-hosting

https://www.shoutmeloud.com/top-wordpress-hosting-offers-free-wordpress-host-migration-service.html

https://www.wpbeginner.com/hosting/inmotion-hosting/#:~:text=InMotion%20hosting%20has%20been%20a,they%20are%20a%20user%20favorite.&text=They’re%20offer%20our%20users,free%20domain%20and%20free%20SSL.

https://www.whoishostingthis.com/hostingreviews/liquidweb/#:~:text=Our%20Verdict%3A%20Outstanding%20Choice%20for,they%20offer%20very%20reasonable%20prices

 

 

 

 

Categories
Domain Names How To Guides Resources Web Hosting

Can I Buy a Domain From One Company and Use It at Another Web Host?

The first step in beginning a website is choosing a good business domain name. Step two is getting a web host. But what if your domain registrar and web hosts are different? Did you just waste money paying for these website building essentials? Or is there a workaround?

Can you buy a domain name from one company and use it at another web host? The short answer – Yes. You can purchase a domain name from one company and point it to another web hosting provider. Doing so is all possible since domain names and website hosting plans can be purchased separately, and also if you own both the domain and the hosting plan.

Paying for a domain name from one registrar and then using that domain at another web host may sound complicated. But don’t worry. In this article, we will guide you on the process and answer more relevant questions about domain names, hosting, and website building.

What Is the Difference Between a Domain and Hosting?

Let us clear up the confusion about domain names and web hosting.

First, a domain name is the series of letters, numbers, and hyphens typed in the search bar of a browser and then redirects you to a website or web page. A domain name is unique to each website. It is also called a URL (uniform resource locator).

In contrast, web hosting refers to the service provided by companies (web hosts) where server space is allocated to a specific website. Web hosts allow its users to store, record and manage files relevant to running a website.

Can You Buy a Domain Without Hosting?

Yes, you can purchase a domain without a web host and vice versa. However, with only a domain name, there is no way for you to save and manage the files needed to run a website.

You can still keep the domain name as yours by turning the domain into a parked domain.

Where Do I Buy a Domain? And How Much Does it Cost?

Domain names are sold through domain name registrars. These registrars are accredited by ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), and they will list your personal information as the owner of the domain in the ICANN registry. A few examples are BlueHost, GoDaddy, NameCheap, DreamHost, FatCoz, and many more.

When buying a domain name, you are essentially paying for the domain registration fee. The yearly fee can be as low as $1 to $20 or more. The domain name registration fee will increase depending on the top-level domain (whether .com, .org, .co.uk, or other country-specific domains), keyword, and whether or not the site has an existing owner.

Where Do I Buy a Web Host? And How Much Does it Cost?

A quick Google search will tell you that there are multiple web hosting providers available today. In fact, most domain name registrars also offer web hosting services, and vice versa. Web hosts typically bill every month, but you can still pay yearly or biennially. Some web hosts even include free domain names.

To save you time searching for the best web hosting provider, feel free to check our web hosting options that can save you money and offer as much as $1,474 in bonuses!

Tips For Buying a Domain

Before you take the plunge of buying a domain, keep in mind these best practices when choosing a suitable domain name:

1. Choose a Short Domain

Shorter domain names are quicker to type and easier to remember. Go for two to three words in your domain name. If you are using your business name as your domain, omit words like Inc, corp, or company.

2. Go for a Brandable Domain

A brandable domain name is a memorable one. Pick a domain name that matches your business image or your personality. You may also choose a domain composed of made-up words that can be distinctly associated with your brand or site.

3. Select a Top-Level Domain

Next, always go for top-level domains like .com, .net, or .org. These are the most popular TLDs, and, often, website visitors trust websites with these top-level domains more.

Also, if you are opening a local online store or an area-specific blog whose target audience are people living in a specific location, you may choose a geographic domain or TLDs like .au, .co.uk, or .kr.

4. Match With Your Website and Business Names

Choose a domain name that matches your website and company names. Doing so is especially important if you want to establish or if you already have a good branding identity for your business.

Matching website URL and website names also make it more convenient for your page visitors to remember. Check out this article for more tips on choosing the best domain name for your business.

How to Point a Domain Name to Another Web Host

Now that you have picked a good domain name and subscribed to a web hosting plan, the next step is to make sure that your domain is pointed to the right web host.

Here are the steps to do that:

1. Find Out Your DNS Servers or Name Servers from Your Web Host

To accomplish this step, you can either ask your web host’s support team or tinker around your web hosting account’s Control Panel.

A name server will look like ns1.domainsample.com, ns2.domainsample.com. Web hosts may have two to three name servers, so make sure to note them down exactly as they were written.

2. Go to Your Domain Registrar Account to Update the Settings

Next, log in to your domain name registrar account. Then, go to the Settings page and look for the Domain Manager option. Click the option to modify or change it and enter the DNS Servers or Name Servers you’ve noted earlier.

Remember that different domain registrars will have different button names and process of changing the DNS servers. To ensure that you are updating the correct setting, you may directly consult your registrar’s Help Page or ask the support team.

And that’s it! When done right, typing your domain name or URL in a browser’s search bar will redirect you to your website.

Now that you’ve learned that purchasing domain names and web hosting plans from different companies is okay, you can finally start building your website (if you haven’t begun yet!). If you need help in choosing a domain name, use of online domain name generator. It’s free.

Naming Generator Domain Search Image

Related Questions

Can You Buy a Domain Owned by Someone Else?

Yes, you may purchase a domain owned by someone else. But be prepared to pay more for the domain. As of 2019, the most expensive domain name sold was for Voice.com at $30 million.

Can You Buy an Expired Domain Name?

If a registrant or domain owner does not renew a domain after a thirty-day grace period, the domain name will go into an auction for seven (7) days. You may purchase the expired domain during the auction period. Most high-value domains will fetch a large sum during this time.

However, if the expired domain is not sold during the auction period, it is considered either a closeout domain or a dropped domain. In both cases, the domain name is listed back in the Registry.

Does Buying a Domain Name Get You an Email Address?

It depends. When you buy a domain name, some domain registrants offer packages that include free email addresses while some do not.

How Different is Domain Forwarding From Domain Masking?

Domain forwarding and domain masking both are services offered by web hosts and domain registrants. With domain forwarding, anyone entering your domain name on a web browser is redirected to your website. In this service, the entered domain name will change to your website’s domain name or URL. For example, mysampledomain.com may be redirected to mynewdomain.com, and the page visitor will see the new domain name.

In comparison, with domain masking, the originating domain name is retained once the page visitor is redirected to the new website. For example, mysampledomain.com may be redirected to mynewdomain.com, but the page visitor will still see mysampledomain.com as the domain name.

Sources:

 

https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/what-2012-02-25-en

https://domains.google/learning-center/how-to-come-up-with-a-good-domain-name/

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190618005248/en/MicroStrategy-Sells-Voice.com-Domain-30-Million

 

 

 

Categories
Web Hosting

What Is The Difference Between Web Hosting And WordPress Hosting?

Domain Name. Check.  What’s next? It’s choosing a hosting service provider. But, often, anyone who is just starting their business or personal websites are inundated with choosing between a web host and a WordPress host.

What’s really the difference between hosting and WordPress hosting. Web hosting is the umbrella term for all website storage and maintenance services provided by companies to individuals or organizations. A web host allows website owners to link their sites to the World Wide Web. WordPress hosting, on the other hand, is a type of web hosting where the hosting provider only provides web hosting services to a website that runs on the WordPress content management system (CMS).

It can be summarized that all WordPress Hosting services are web hosting services, but not all web hosting services can be a WordPress Hosting service.

At first glance, there may not be that much of a difference between these types of web hosting. That’s why we’ve dug deeper into the pros and cons of using each type of hosting service. Read on to find out more and help you decide whether choosing a regular web host is better (or not) than a WordPress host.

Check out our list of preferred hosting and WP hosting service providers here, each of which qualifies you for $1,474 in FREE bonuses.

What Are the Advantages of Web Hosting Providers?

1. Centralized Website Management

Internet web hosting offers its users access to a Control Panel where you can make backend changes to your site. You can do things like change your site’s theme, appearance, domain access, add plugins, and even create URL redirects. There are more things you can do, and the degree of customization will depend on your web hosting provider.

2. Website Uptime

Another advantage of using web hosting is the increase in website uptime. With a web hosting subscription, you do not have to manually check and maintain your website’s uptime, as this will be monitored by your web host.

3. Website Security

Most web hosting companies today include another layer of security to your website. Web hosts will track spam, logins, and other forms of inauthentic behavior for you.

4. Storage Space and Bandwidth

Storage space and bandwidth are all taken care of when you have a web host. This means you do not have to personally monitor how much bandwidth or file storage your site needs.

5. Peace of Mind

The most important edge of using a web host is the peace of mind it offers. With it, you can focus on content creation or marketing while your web host manages the backend stuff.

What Are the Advantages of WordPress Hosting?

As we have mentioned earlier, WordPress Hosting is another type of web hosting. So this means that when you get WordPress Hosting, you will also enjoy all the advantages of using a website.

The upside is that if you choose further pick WordPress Hosting, you also get the following benefits:

1. Resource Allocation

When web hosting companies offer WordPress hosting, they do so by making sure that only other WordPress-run websites are maintained within a server. This means that with a WordPress web hosting plan, your website is stored with other WordPress-run websites — and all resources (i.e., bandwidth, storage, security, etc.) are shared and allocated for the same types of sites.

2. Website Security and Uptime

Regular web hosting services already offer increased security and uptime. But, with WordPress Hosting, your web host can readily manage, update, and protect your site since they will be dealing with the same types of databases or content management systems.

3. Ease of Use

According to a survey by W3Techs, WordPress is the most popular content management system in 2019 for the tenth year. It’s estimated that about 30% of the world’s websites run using WordPress. By choosing WordPress hosting, you get an intuitive and easy way to post, edit, and share content online.

How to Choose a Web Host

So now that you’ve chosen a personal or business URL and bought a domain name. (If you do not have a domain name yet, check out our free Domain Generation Tool). The next logical step is to choose a Web Host. But if you’re stumped on how to do that, here are a few tips on how to get the web host selection a breeze.

1. Determine what type of website you want to run.

To land the best web host, you must know what type of website you want to run. Is it a personal blog? An eCommerce site? Or a membership site?

2. Find out the type of server you need.

After being clear on what type of website you want to run, you must next decide on what kind of hosting server will best fit your needs. Often, shared hosting servers will suffice blogs and small niche sites, while dedicated servers are ideal for eCommerce and membership sites.

3. Set a budget.

Don’t forget to set a budget along the way. This is especially important for new entrepreneurs or website owners as you do not want to overspend. Look into different web hosts that offer hosting plans.

4. Choose a content management system.

Next, choose website-building and content management systems. You may select a web host that offers these two services in a bundle and save you money and time in setting up a website. On the other hand, you may choose a web host that only offers web hosting while you will be on your own in creating your website. Do what works for your skills and site.

5. Choose a domain.

Don’t forget to select the best personal or business domain name. Most web hosts bundle a free domain with a hosting plan, saving you money. Just make sure you choose a domain name that is brandable, short, and memorable.

6. Research different web hosting platforms.

There are hundreds of web hosting companies available today. And choosing just one may easily overwhelm you. That’s why you must take the time to research each web host’s available plans and offerings.

What are the different WordPress hosting platforms?

As the number of sites increases every day, so does the number of platforms that host them. Narrow down your choices and take a look at our thoughtfully crafted list of reliable web hosting platforms:

1. Kinsta

If you’re looking for a premium web host for a WordPress site, Kinsta is the way to go. With its Google Cloud-powered servers, you can host blogs to enterprise websites from as low as $30 per month.

2. WP Engine

WP Engine offers a robust hosting infrastructure that is perfect for business owners and companies. The web hosting company’s main draw is its managed WordPress hosting service. The company also offers free website migration, CDN, cloud hosting, development tools, and a lot more.

3. WPX Hosting

Looking for increased speed for your WordPress website? Then, WPX Hosting may be the WordPress hosting service you are looking for. Each plan includes free malware removal, free unlimited email addresses, free SSL certificates, up to 5 WordPress website installs, and free website migrations.

4. Siteground

Siteground offers both regular website hosting and managed WordPress hosting. Both types of web hosting are available in three pricing tiers — costing between $6.99 and $14.99 per month. With a managed WordPress hosting plan, you will also get automatic WordPress installation, a WordPress migration plugin, managed security and updates, and site speed optimizations (courtesy of Google Cloud).

Now that you know the difference between WordPress web hosting and regular web hosting, you can pick out the most optimal hosting plan for your website. Heed the tips and choose from the best WordPress hosting platforms we’ve shared above. It’ll only be a matter of time, and you’ll see your site’s success.

Related Questions

What is the difference between shared WordPress hosting and managed/dedicated WordPress hosting?

With a shared WordPress host, your WordPress-run website is stored in a server with other sites that also runs using the WordPress CMS. While with a managed WordPress host, only your website or set of websites is stored and managed within a specific server. The latter typically costs more since your website/s is the sole user of the server’s space, bandwidth, and other resources.

Is WordPress hosting free?

No, WordPress hosting is not free. Hosting providers charge between $3 to $15 or more per month depending on the server type, bandwidth, number of sites, storage, etc.

Sources:

https://w3techs.com/blog/entry/web_technologies_of_the_year_2019

https://domains.google/learning-center/how-to-choose-a-web-host-in-4-steps/