WordPress Website Hosting : Handy Guide for the Dummies

WordPress Website Hosting to many beginner Bloggers is a scary episode of life. Follow our tips, learn and understand before renting a web server for WordPress. Although a year ago, we posted an article on WordPress Website Hosting, but in this one year many things on Internet has been changed, plus this guide to WordPress Website Hosting is really for the dummies who has no idea about either WordPress or WordPress Website Hosting.

WordPress Website Hosting : Understand the Basic Requirements

The most important website for information about WordPress is WordPress.org. The best setup needed for WordPress Grossly is a LAMP setup. We wrote about LAMP before. LAMP stands for Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP. Please read each of the linked parts if you have no idea what these are.

Basically these PHP and MySQL should be at current version for running WordPress.

WordPress can be installed on Windows Server too, but we do not recommend for various reasons :

• It is quite difficult to install WordPress on a Windows Server than a LAMP setup.
• Windows Server usually costs more as Windows is not a Open Source Software (read – not a free software)
• Apache is an important part for many plugin’s function, Apache might not run on Windows server (depends on configuration).
• .htaccess is usually not available as Apache Mod Rewrite module can not run
•  WordPress,  Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP all are Open Source and has a huge supportive communities.
• Windows Servers by nature more prone to security vulnerabilities of the core, for Linux the situation is different.

WordPress Website Hosting : Understanding the Interface

In old days and still today, cPanel, Plesk etc. interface based web hosting were in huge usage. However, running WordPress from a blank server has a big advantage – that control panel like cPanel, Plesk etc. will run for 24 x 7 x 365 and will eat your server’s resources.

If you have fear about Linux commands from a Blank screen, please read our full guide on how to install WordPress on a blank Virtual Dedicated Cloud Server.

The biggest advantages are – a blank server can be optimized as you can install all the needed softwares on Linux, it is less costly than those  cPanel, Plesk interface hosting as they are actually not free and falsely increases the Shared server’s cost.

If you still hate the blank black screen of shell and need a control panel, only choose between Rackspace Cloud Sites and Media Template’s Grid. They cost a premium.

WordPress Website Hosting : Dedicated, Virtual Dedicated, Shared

There is no meaning of using a risky Shared Hosting today if you can afford $11 per month for a blank Cloud Virtual Dedicated Server. The most important advantage of Cloud Server is – you can increase or decrease the RAM, Disk space as per your need.

Dedicated is not advised, specially for Cloud, we wrote many times before about it. You can simply forget about dedicated as a new user.

We have all articles on these terminologies. Please use the search function on the top right of any webpage of this website.

WordPress Website Hosting : Never Compromise

Choose between only three top picks Wordpress Website Hosting : Rackspace Cloud, Media Template and Amazon. These are used by Industries top notch brands. Never compromise on this point. They are really not costly as they were 2 years before (thanks to competition).

WordPress Website Hosting guide based on monthly budget

< 10 $ / month = Laughing Squid or any good reseller of Rackspace Cloud. Has a interface.

> 10 $ / month to < 100 $ = Rackspace Cloud’s Cloud Servers (unmanaged VPS), Media Template (wide options), Amazon (unmanaged VPS). All are Cloud Hosting.

> 100 $ /month to 200 $ / month =  Rackspace Cloud’s Cloud Servers (managed VPS), Media Template (wide options), Amazon, Rackspace Cloud Sites. All are Cloud Hosting. Some has load balancers, CDN included (or at a reduced price), Cloud DNS etc.

> 200 $ / Month = The Rackspace Cloud or Media Template.

WordPress Website Hosting : Conclusion

Do not fear the black screen of shell. For this fear, there are millions of crap web hosting services are waiting with a control panel and poor hardware, poor support.  The Rackspace Cloud, Media Template or Amazon will never keep their infrastructure unsecured or allow a back door entry. More over, shifting from these servers are quite easy as you can scale up the RAM and take the backup fast.

Try a Cloud VPS just as we wrote how to install WordPress on it, or may be you can hire someone for onetime, in long run, it will be a far better setup than using a Shared Server as Wordpress Website Hosting.