We’ve worked with a large number of hosting providers over the years. This is something we know for certain makes a significant difference for your website performance. Let our experience be a guide in choosing your next WordPress website hosting provider.

Here are some important things for you to consider when choosing a hosting provider for your WordPress website:

1. Cost

With the large number of hosting providers out there you will notice the biggest draw is through competitive low monthly pricing. Keep in mind, not all hosting packages can be compared apples-to-apples just based on pricing. Many hosts will also offer low promotional rates and discounts for 24-36 month commitments.

2. Speed

With all of today’s digital distraction we have less time to ourselves, less focus, and less patience for slow websites. Especially for sites that contain video content. The faster your site, the better your conversions. The better your on-page performance, the higher your audience’s level of engagement. Choosing a reputable hosting provider and developing a well built and optimized website can improve overall efficiency.

3. Reliability

Your website is the first point of access to your customers, and we know making a first good impression is important. If your website is frequently down, has been hacked, or proves to be less than user-friendly, users will likely take their business elsewhere. While there is always the possibility that websites may crash, it is far less likely with a good hosting provider, as they’re consistently backing up data or cloning websites in order to provide a quick solution to getting your website back online.

4. Security

It doesn’t matter how well you secure your website if it is placed on an unsecure server. A good hosting provider will take preventative measures in order to limit risk of privacy violations, provided firewalls and other electronic barriers between your website and those attempting to access your website with malicious intent. If your website is compromised due to a hosting issue with a reputable provider, a speedy recovery is more likely.

5. Support

Getting to know the customer service team of your hosting platform is paramount, but the difference between good and bad hosts becomes how quickly issues get resolved. With a good host, a knowledgeable representative will assist you with your problem and answer your questions to the best of their ability, whether by chat or call. With a growing number of online shops and e-commerce websites, 24 hour support is beneficial.

The hosts listed below are, in our opinion, the very best available to the self-hosted WordPress user. For more information please visit their sites and feel free to contact us with any questions.

Bluehost offers the ultimate WordPress platform. Offering user-friendly dashboards and tools along with 1-click WordPress installation, FREE domain name, email, FTP, SSL and more. Including 24/7 support with in-house WordPress experts.

BlackSun Hosting is affordable and scalable to fit any hosting need from basic sites to intricate e-commerce storefronts. BlackSun delivers fast and reliable web hosting to Canada and around the world. Including FREE domain, SSL, multi-layer security, cPanel, One-click WordPress installation and more.

GoDaddy offers generous server resources, a free domain with all plans, and easy cPanel hosting management. Its hosting performance is also reliable and speedy. The downside is that only basic security features are included and SSL certificates are missing in cheaper plans. These features can be added to your plan at an additional cost.