WordPress Hosting FAQs

Having helped hundreds of users start their own websites and blogs, we have answered quite a lot of questions. Below are some of the answers to the most frequently asked questions about WordPress hosting:

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Do I need WordPress hosting to start a website?

If you want to build a WordPress website, then you need web hosting. Your hosting server is where your website files are stored. Every website that you see online uses a web hosting provider.

Are there any free WordPress hosting providers?

There probably are, but we highly recommend that you stay away from them. In most cases, free WordPress hosting providers put advertisements on your website. They may even distribute malware to your users. Last but not least, they can shut down your website at anytime without any notification. Avoid anyone who offers to give you free WordPress hosting, specially if you are serious about your site.

How much does it cost to build a WordPress site?

The cost to build a WordPress website varies based on your needs. It can range from $100 to as high as $30,000. We have created a detailed guide explaining how much does it really cost to build a WordPress website.

Do I need to have my domain and WordPress hosting from the same provider?

No. You can purchase your domain from a provider like GoDaddy and use one of the WordPress hosting providers listed above. However if you don’t have a domain already, then it’s easier to use the same provider (specially if its free).

Can I use these WordPress hosting providers for an eCommerce site?

Yes you absolutely can. All WordPress hosting companies that we recommend offer SSL certificates which is what you need for running an eCommerce website. Most of the WordPress hosting companies listed above offers free SSL with your account.

How to secure my WordPress hosting account?

Your web hosting account is where your website files are stored. So it’s very important that you secure it. The best way to secure your WordPress hosting account is to use a strong password and avoid logging in from public locations (unless you’re using a VPN). We also recommend that you follow our ultimate WordPress security guide to protect your site.

How do I install WordPress on my WordPress hosting account?

Every WordPress hosting provider that we recommend comes with 1-click WordPress install. You can follow our step by step guide on how to install WordPress on your host.

Do I need a cPanel WordPress hosting?

cPanel is a type of control panel that a lot of WordPress hosting companies use. No you do not need cPanel, but it does make things easier in terms of installation, managing email accounts, etc.

How much traffic can these WordPress hosting companies handle?

These WordPress hosting companies handle billions of impressions a month. 

The amount of traffic your website can handle really depends on the WordPress hosting plan that you’re on. Most shared hosting plans can comfortably handle 1000 to 2000 visitors per day as long as your website is optimized for performance. 

As your website grows, your WordPress hosting provider may ask you to upgrade to either VPS hosting or managed WordPress hosting plans.

Can I switch my WordPress hosting provider later?

Yes, you can absolutely switch if you’re unhappy with you WordPress hosting company. Most WordPress hosting companies offer free migration services which makes the process fairly smooth. However if you want to do the migration yourself, then you can follow our step by step guide on how to move WordPress to a new host with no downtime.

Does my WordPress hosting datacenter location matter?

Some of the WordPress hosting companies that we recommend give you an option to choose your data center. The location of your data center does make a difference on your website performance for specific geographic location.

If majority of your audience is in United States, then you want to choose a data center in U.S. If a large portion of your audience is in Europe, then you should choose a data center in Europe.

If you are not sure, then just choose U.S for now. You can always use a WordPress CDN to speed up your site for various geographic location.

Should I purchase monthly WordPress hosting plans or commit long-term?

You will notice that almost every WordPress hosting company offers huge discount for choosing long-term plans. If you are serious about your website, then you will likely keep it for more than a month. 

We always recommend against choosing monthly WordPress hosting plans because they cost almost twice as much. It’s a better deal if you choose 12 month or 24 month plan. 

Do I need any WordPress hosting addons?

Often WordPress hosting companies will try to upsell you on a wide-variety of services. You really don’t need these services when you’re starting out.

We recommend that you uncheck everything in the order process and only purchase what you really need: WordPress hosting.

You can buy WordPress hosting addons if you need them in the future.

Do WordPress hosting companies offer professional branded email address?

Yes, most WordPress hosting companies will give you the ability to create branded email address. However we recommend that you use Google Apps (also known as GSuite) because it’s more reliable. See our step by step guide on how to setup a professional email address with Google apps.

Do these WordPress hosting companies offer website backups?

Yes, every WordPress hosting company claims to keep backups of your website. However from our experience, we advise our users to install a WordPress backup plugin and keep their own backups.

Which are the best WordPress hosting companies in your opinion?

No this last question is not a joke. We seriously get this question even after referring people to our guides.

We hope that this guide answered most of your WordPress hosting questions for your website. If you have a WordPress hosting question that we didn’t cover, then please send us a message using our contact form. One of our team members will respond back within 24 hours. 

Need helping start your WordPress blog? Take advantage of our free WordPress blog setup service.

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