Why the question comes between choosing the right managed WordPress web-host? There are a so many WordPress hosting providers out there that choosing the best one can be overwhelming. You may not know where to even begin. There are many things you should consider before choosing the right host. These tips are designed to help you narrow down the search for managed hosts.

Choosing the Right Managed WordPress Web-host:

Traffic VS Cost

Before committing to a managed server think about how much you have to budget and weigh that with your needs. You will need to ask yourself: how much traffic are you expecting? If you are just starting out, brand new, just out of the gate it would not be a bad idea to start with a VPS first. You will have the opportunity to upgrade in order to improve reliability later. VPS will give you a decent balance which will save you money while also giving you the power to do what you want.

However if you are expecting a heavy bit of traffic from the start, it might be best to go right with a managed server. Managed servers cost more, but they will provide you with more support. In addition to this, it will be easier for you to find a managed server that specializes in WordPress and the benefit to this will be tremendous. Having a host with that specialized knowledge will allow you to get your questions answered when it comes to any issues you have with your WordPress blog. They will also know how to optimize your site for the best performance. In this regard the investment will definitely pay off.

Multiple Domains

You may need to ask yourself will I need multiple domains? It all depends on what you are trying to accomplish, but it would not hurt to find a hosting plan that will allow you more than one domain at a time. That way there is room to grow if you need to.

If you are going to be using multiple domains you are definitely going to want to choose a managed WordPress hosting provider. Managed servers will give you daily backups to your blogs as well as easy updates to your WordPress instal. This will allow for less maintenance and no manual updates on your end, making your domains easier to manage.

So lets say you decide to go ahead and go the route of managed servers. There are still many options to choose from, here’s some things to look for to help you narrow down your choice of managed hosts.

You can also read my blog “How to Move WordPress Database to a New Server?“

THINGS TO LOOK FOR

Ease of access

Avoid hosts that do not support 1-click WordPress script installs. Time is money after all, and if you are going to create an awesome webpage, you do not want to waste time jumping through hoops. Look for a managed host that is going to give you this option, or even update for you.

Security

Do your research, and find a host that is up to date with the latest security. This is an issue of the time that you are investing as well. You do not want to spend precious time working on a page that is wide open to web attacks. Do some research and look for reviews on your host based on security.

Reliability

Another thing you will want to research is your hosts reliability. Do you find many complaints about downtime? If so, you should be leery about hosting with the said provider. Again, this goes back to the issue of traffic vs cost, but you’ll want to narrow down your search to the hosts that are worth your time, and those are the ones with reliable servers.

Customer Service

Hopefully problems you may have will be kept to a minimum. But you want to make sure that the company you choose is easy to contact in case you do have problems. Managed servers may be better at assisting you with problems, but you still want to make sure they are just a call or e-mail away if you experience anything you don’t know how to fix. So definitely check reviews and see which managed host is the most helpful.

Keeping all the above points in mind and experiencing the best service, I am using a shared hosting plan for my blog. If any new blogger wants to start their blog in WordPress, I recommend them the hatchling plan of Hostgator shared hosting. If any new business owner wants to open a new website for their business either the Hostgator baby plan or hatching plan is great for hosting. Here you will also find a step by step guide to install WordPress in HostGator cPanel How to Install WordPress in HostGator cPanel

Like always, it all boils down to time. So do your research and find a hosting company with excellent customer service. Never rely on one source, find as many testimonials complains, and other information as possible.