Have you ever wondered about managed WordPress hosting? Are you curious if it’s worth the higher price than your regular or shared WordPress hosting?
When you first started your site, you might’ve chosen a regular web host or shared WordPress hosting because it was cheaper, which made sense at the time. But now that your site is popular and getting lots of traffic, it needs more attention.
Managed WordPress hosting can be the solution if you’re in this situation. In this article, we’ll explain what managed WordPress hosting is and highlight the pros and cons. Then, you can decide whether managed WordPress hosting is right for you and your site.
What Is Managed WordPress Hosting?
Managed WordPress hosting is a concierge hosting service where the hosting company manages all the technical activities of running a WordPress site. They handle the installation and upgrading of WordPress, doing regular backups, install plugins for you, ensuring website uptime, and scalability of the hosting servers to keep your site running smoothly.
The idea is to offer a hands-off WordPress experience, so you can focus on running your site and business. You handle everything on the “front” of your site, while the managed hosting company deals with the “back” end of it.
One of the reasons people like managed WordPress hosting is the premium support they get for their site. You get help from WordPress experts with a ton of experience with the platform and hosting, so they know the answer to any question you might have. It’s like having a personal WordPress mechanic and coach that’ll take care of your site before anything goes wrong with it, then explain what happened and how they fixed it.
Next, let’s look at the pros and cons of managed WordPress hosting to see if it’s right for you.
The Advantages of Managed WordPress Hosting
- A Fast Website – Managed WordPress hosting servers are configured specifically for WordPress, so your site will always be fast, even when it gets a lot of traffic.
- Regular Backups – They schedule regular backups of your WordPress site and offer restore points if you ever need to revert to an earlier version. Most companies will offer you a backup schedule, such as daily, twice a week, or weekly.
- Security – Your site is well-protected when you use a managed WordPress host. They have a tight security layer that actively scans for malware, blocks hackers, and they usually will install an SSL security certificate for free. Your site and data are safe with them.
- Automatic Updates – They handle all WordPress platform and plugin updates automatically, so you don’t have to worry about doing them.
- Expert Support – The staff at a managed host is highly knowledgeable about and skilled with WordPress. They’ll offer advice on the best plugins to install and the ones to avoid, how to speed up your site, and more.
- Development Tools – While the available options depend on your managed host, most offer some development tools to help you create or test your site. E.g. Staging areas, version control of your site, etc.
- No Downtime – Because they’re monitoring your site 24/7 year-round and use high-quality servers, your site will always be up.
That probably all sounds really good, right? But you’re wondering about the disadvantages since there are probably a few. Keep reading to find out more.
The Disadvantages of Managed WordPress Hosting
- Higher Price – Managed WordPress hosting is significantly more expensive than shared hosting. Base plans usually start around $30 a month, while a base shared hosting plan can be as little as $3.95 per month. Just remember what you get for your money, and the extra costs make more sense.
- Limitations – Because the hosting servers are specifically configured for WordPress, you can only host a WordPress-based site on them. That’s normally not an issue since you were already creating a WordPress site. Additionally, your site cannot run all WordPress plugins on a managed host. They usually block plugins that slow down your site or that duplicate features they offer to you, such as caching or backups.
- No Email Hosting – This is another limitation, but merits being called out by itself. A managed WordPress host will not offer you an email address for your website. You’ll need to sign up for private email hosting separately.
- Less Control – You don’t have as much control over the technical aspects of your site if you use a managed WordPress host, but that’s why you hired them, right? You wanted to free up your time from all the maintenance and admin work, so you could focus on your business. But if you’re the type that always wants to know what’s going on, you might not be able to with a managed host.
By now, you’ve probably got a good idea of whether managed WordPress hosting is for you, but if you need a bit more info, here you are.
Should You Choose Managed WordPress Hosting?
For most people, the price of managed WordPress hosting is the deciding factor for them. If you’re just starting with a WordPress site, shared hosting will work fine for you.
That said, there are situations where managed WordPress hosting is the better option, even from Day 1. For example:
- Freelance web designers who build WordPress sites for clients.
- Businesses, bloggers, and influencers whose reputations depend on their site.
- Online stores and eCommerce sites who need reliable uptime and advanced technical service to handle their stores.
- High-traffic websites that need reliable uptime and fast loading.
There are many reputable managed WordPress hosting companies to look at, including WP Engine, SiteGround, DreamHost, and Liquid Web. Do an online search to find one that matches your needs and budget.
As your site grows, you’ll have less time to maintain it, so getting managed WordPress hosting might be a good option for you. It’ll cost you more per month, but you’ll save time and effort so you can concentrate on your business instead. Leave the technical side of things to the WordPress experts. They’ll make sure your WordPress site is blazing fast, is always up, and always updated with the latest versions of plugins and the platform. A managed WordPress host might be the best investment you make in your online business.
Syed Balkhi is an award-winning entrepreneur and online marketing expert. He is the co-founder of OptinMonster, WPBeginner, MonsterInsights, and WPForms.