The Pros and Cons of Managed WordPress Hosting
Are you new to WordPress and want to know if managed WordPress hosting is beneficial for you? The answer to this is Yes and No as there are both advantages and disadvantages.
One of the main disadvantages is the price. Shared hosting can be purchased for as little as $3.95 per month, but with managed WordPress hosting, the price is usually much higher!
So, why is the pricing so different? Is managed hosting really that much better? And do you need managed hosting for your website?
In this article we will look at the pros and cons of managed hosting and also look at what it is and when you may need it.
Managed WordPress Hosting – What Is It?
Because WordPress is extremely popular, many hosting providers have decided to specialize in this platform and offer something known as managed WordPress hosting. This type of hosting is a concierge service and means that the technical side of running WordPress is looked after and managed by the host themselves.
This includes the following:
- Site Speed
- Security
- Daily Backups
- WordPress Updates
- Website Uptime
- Scalability
The idea behind this type of hosting is that it offers a completely hassle-free user experience allowing you to focus on managing and running your business instead.
The great thing about managed hosting is that you receive premium support. The support you receive comes from real WordPress experts instead of someone who gets their answers from a manual.
Think of it as a Five-Star Hotel for WordPress with a host of experts by your side!
What Are The Pros And Cons?
Whilst all of this may sound amazing to you, it does not mean that it is right for everyone. Below we will look at the pros and cons of managed WordPress hosting:
Advantages
- Super-Fast – The managed servers will have been configured specially for the WordPress platform. This makes them super-fast even if your site received a lot of traffic.
- Expert Support – The support you receive will be from experts knowledgeable in WordPress. They will be able to give you advice relating to plugins, help you solve problems faster, improve performance, and much more. You will have an army of experts right by your side.
- Security – Your website will practically be hack-proof! Managed WordPress Hosting has a very tight security layer that blocks all attempts at hacking the site and actively scans for malware.
- Backups Daily – Daily backups take place which offers to restore points in case you ever need to revert.
- No Downtime – Your website will likely never go down, irrelevant of how much traffic you receive.
- Automatic Updates – All WordPress updates are done automatically for you.
Disadvantages
- Price – Compared to shared hosting; managed hosting can be significantly more expensive. A basic plan will often start at around $29 per month, whereas you can get a basic plan with shared hosting for just $3.95. To mitigate the price difference, factor in the cost of running your website and the costs of paying a system admin. It may now seem like a pretty good deal right?
- Less Control – Because someone else is managing all of the technical aspects of your website you may feel that you have less control over it. But isn’t that the whole point? You don’t want that responsibility yourself.
- Limitations – With managed WordPress hosting the architecture of the server is specialized for WordPress only. This means that you can only run WordPress-based websites. But this is what most people want to do anyway. You are also limited on the types of plugins that you can use. This is because managed hosting providers will block any plugins that have a negative effect on your site such as slowing it down. This is not necessarily a disadvantage but could be if you are a large company.
So now that you know the pros and cons of managed hosting, let’s take a look at whether it is the best solution for you.
When You Might Require Managed WordPress Hosting
If you are just a beginner and want to create a WordPress blog, then you will not require managed hosting. Regular WordPress hosting is much more affordable and provides everything you need to start your own blog.
Bluehost is a good one to start with as they are also one of the official providers of WordPress hosting.
If you have a high-traffic website or are a small business starting out, it would make sense to use managed WordPress hosting. However, it may boil down to your particular needs.
If you are not skilled in WordPress then basic hosting can become an issue as your business and site grow. Which basic hosting you will be responsible for all updates, security, uptime, speed, and so on.
Being a business owner you have two options: You could hire someone to be your system admin and manage your website, or you can make use of a managed WordPress hosting provider.
If you are looking for something that is hassle-free, super-fast, and offers superb support, then I think you have your answer.
Basically, if your business is mostly online and you can’t afford to have the site going down if there are technical issues, you should pay the extra dollar as it will be worth it in the long run.