In my experience, smaller web hosts and smaller web hosting resellers often provide superior performance for most sites, particularly on shared web hosting plans. This is particularly true for database-driven Content Management Systems – like Drupal or WordPress.
I recommend WPEngine for WordPress hosting.
However, WordPress websites can be hosted by any provider that supports its minimum MySQL and PHP requirements.
Why WPEngiine for WordPress hosting?
Modern servers, free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates, HTTP/2 support, and some of the most effective server-side caching in the industry are reasons that WPEngine outperforms many other hosts in independent performance tests of page load speeds.
Read WP Site Care’s article: Performance of the Best WordPress Hosting Companies Compared
Features to look for in a web host
- 1Gb, or more, of disc space (note: host expenses are related more to bandwidth than disc space)
- Standardized web server interface, like CPanel or Parallels Plesk
- Spam filtering, preferably that can be customized
- Toll-free phone support (live chat at a minimum)
- English-speaking support
- Unique site IP Address (for SSL, if needed)
- Webmail
- And, for WordPress: a “LAMP” (Linux Apache MySQL PHP) hosting plan
Tips for Choosing a Web Host
- Don’t buy the cheapest hosting plan offered; you’ll often end up on a server, possibly old and slow, with thousands of other sites.
- Don’t host your site with your friend, in your friend’s basement or neighbor’s garage.
- Don’t host your site with your domain registrar. Separating your domain registration from your web host makes it easier to move hosts in the event you are dissatisfied with service. Likewise, be careful hosting your site with your designer, developer, or anyone else who does not manage web servers professionally for a reasonable number of domains.
NOT recommended:
(based on my personal negative experiences with performance, usability and/or customer service)
- APlus
- Bluehost
- DreamHost
- GoDaddy
- GreenGeeks
- Hostgator
- Media Temple
- NameCheap
- NameSecure
- Network Solutions
- Newtek
- Pantheon
- SiteGround
- Verio
Expect to pay at least $20 per month for reliable shared web hosting with 24×7 customer service and tech support. Contact me for help choosing a web host, or moving web hosts to improve your site.