Is Managed WordPress Hosting for You?
If you have been comparing managed WordPress hosting companies, then you most likely noticed that the price for managed WordPress hosting services is much more expensive than the $3.95 per month fee charged for standard shared hosting.
The price difference would naturally cause you to wonder what features or services justify the difference in price. Knowing if managed WordPress hosting is that much better shared hosting will help you to determine if you need managed WordPress hosting for your site and if it is worth the cost. This article will help you to understand the differences between the two options while examining the advantages and disadvantages they offer. You can take advantage of our hard-learned lessons and knowledgeable experiences with managed WordPress hosting and decide for yourself if it is worth switching to.
Managed WordPress Hosting
WordPress is the dominant leader in blogging platforms, which is why prominent web hosting many providers exclusively specialize in WordPress and offer managed WordPress hosting services.
Think of managed WordPress hosting as a one-stop concierge where all of the various elements involved in hosting a blog is handled by the host. That means that they handle the security, website uptime, scalability, speed, updates and daily backups for you. The entire concept revolves around delivering a hassle-free experience that allows you to take a hands-off approach when it comes to the hosting, and focus your energy and efforts towards your business operations.
One of the features that most people are impressed by is the premium level of WordPress support that is provided. With your managed WordPress hosting, you gain immediate access to engineers and technicians who are experienced experts in WordPress, as opposed to a customer service representative who was trained to work in a call center.
Customers who provide their feedback about managed WordPress hosting say that it is “a Five-Star Hotel for WordPress”, describing the experience as it is “like having an army of WordPress experts on your side”.
Managed WordPress Hosting Pros and Cons
Even though managed WordPress hosting sounds like it is an astounding solution, the fact is it is not made for everybody. Examine the pros and cons before you decide whether it is a good fit for your business.
Advantages Of Managed WordPress Hosting
Flash Speeds– The most obvious, and often most important advantage of managed WordPress hosting is the accelerated and rapid speed. Because the managed WordPress hosting servers are specifically configured to be used with WordPress, they are built with the capabilities of handling a large amount of traffic with exuberant speed.
Protection– The advanced security features that are equipped within a managed WordPress hosting server is practically hacker-proof. The proprietary security software has an active layer that is constantly scanning for malware while defensively blocking any hacking attempts.
Top Notch Support– The expert level of WordPress support that is offered with managed WordPress hosting providers is utterly superior to other forms of web hosting, given their extended level of knowledge and WordPress. They can adequately warn you against plugins that would negatively influence the performance of your blog. They can diagnose and remedy technical problems much faster, along with a list of other services. Having access to their experts is like having your own you meet technical assistance team that are so knowledgeable that they can fix virtually any problem.
Keep Current– Another great benefit of having a managed WordPress hosting service are automatic updates that keep you from having to take time from your busy schedule to manually update your site.
Lose Nothing– Daily backups that allow you to restore your website if there’s ever the need to revert.
Become Downtime Resistant– You never have to worry about experiencing significant downtimes with the managed hosting server – in fact, it will probably never go down.
Tools for Devs– And even though each host offers additional services that are unique to the company, a managed WordPress hosting provider will normally offer development tools that allow you to modify intricate details such as version control and staging area.
Disadvantages of Managed WordPress Hosting
Cost Effectiveness– Even though there are many powerful and effective benefits to having a managed WordPress hosting provider, there are some disadvantages as well. The most significant, and probably most prohibitive disadvantage is the extremely more expensive price when compared to shared hosting plans. Base plans with limited features can usually be purchased for $29 per month, which is several times more than the $3.95 per month costs of a simple featureless shared hosting plan. But when you consider that you do not have to pay for other costs associated with operating a blog that has an infinite amount of data and heavy Internet traffic, nor do you have to cover the salary of a system administrator, you will find that you are actually saving a lot more money than what it should cost you.
Caps– When using managed WordPress hosting services, there are limitations. First and foremost, you are only able to run a blog on WordPress. Second, you do not have the ability to operate and support all WordPress plug-ins. What I can be a complication for larger companies, the managed hosting providers purposely block these plugins in order to prevent your blog from slowing down, so it is not necessarily a disadvantage for everyone.
Give Up Control– Another disadvantage to consider is the fact that you will lose control over the management of the individual technical aspects that affect your blog. That means that you have no say so or influence on the elements that may or may not be changed.
Nevertheless, that is the point, isn’t it? The whole purpose of using managed services is so that someone else manages everything for you to that you know it’s done correctly without you having to oversee it. Unless you are an expert in WordPress yourself, there is no dollar amount that compares to the comfort offered by managed services. Now that you understand the pros and cons involved, it is time for you to decide whether the solution is right for you.
When is managed WordPress hosting right for you?
If you are just getting your blog started, then managed WordPress hosting is not for you. You should get started with the more affordable option, which is shared hosting. To make it more affordable, look for a provider that allows you to pay monthly as opposed to paying for the whole year upfront.
However, if you have an established blog or your website gets a lot of traffic, then it is more than sensible to invest in a managed WordPress hosting plan. The bottom line of making your decision is centered on your needs.
If you only have basic knowledge about web hosting, then you will find out that operating your blog will become increasingly difficult as your blog expands. That is because when using shared, dedicated or VPS hosting, it is your responsibility to maintain the updates, security, speed, and uptime of your site.
As a business owner with a blog, you are presented with two options. Either higher a system administrator who is dedicated to managing a website, or employ a managed WordPress hosting provider to help reduce the workload.
If your goal is to have a hassle-free experience, you need instantaneously fast speed and require advanced technical WordPress support, then the decision is easy to make. Simply put, if you depend on your blog’s performance for income, then it is detrimental to your business that you pay for services that will sure that it is always running properly, and with managed WordPress hosting you will receive those services at an exceptional level.
In the end, the justification of the costs will help determine your final decision. If costs are her main concern, then do not go for the managed WordPress hosting provider.