So what is Managed WordPress Hosting? Which should you choose, and do you really need it?
Managed WordPress hosting is different then regular hosting in that with managed hosting you are getting expert service on one platform as opposed to all in one hosting that runs several other platforms such as Joomla and Drupal.
Shared hosting is your website being shared on a server with other websites. It is least expensive thus being a good option for beginning bloggers.
The Benefits of Managed WordPress Hosting
There are many benefits to having your site powered with managed WordPress Hosting.
Advantages of Managed WordPress Hosting
Service: Staff is highly knowledgeable with WordPress. And you are supported 24/7. Many hosting companies that are not Managed WordPress Hosts generally only offer email support which can mean a few days before you get serviced.
Security: With the best security in place by having managed hosting, malware and hacking attempts are prevented. You generally don’t need an additional security plugin with managed hosting.
Speed: Speed is one of the most important needs for a website. If your site is slow, users are gone. Managed hosting keeps your site moving fast. Which helps with your ranking higher in Google.
Daily Backups: Daily backups are part of WordPress Managed Hosting. There is no need for a backup plugin. Depending on your host they are generally performed daily and you also have the option to create additional backups.
Automatic Updates: With WordPress constantly being updated, managed hosting will automatically update to the latest version. And if you choose you can have your plugins set to automatic updates also.
Disadvantages of Managed WordPress Hosting
I can only think of 2 disadvantages.
1 being cost.
But if you weigh the pros and cons of managed versus shared you would be coming out ahead financially.
The many things that are taken care of on the backend of your website with managed hosting saves so much time, thus saving you money and allowing you the time to run your business.
Another is that you can only run WordPress with managed hosting.
So really, are there any disadvantages?
Choosing a Hosting Company
SiteGround
SiteGround is the company I use. They are trusted by over 2,000,000 domains.
They have 3 plans to choose from:
All plans include:
Automated WordPress installation, superb customer support, 24/7 Chat available,FREE SSL, Daily backups, FREE CDN, FREE email, Unlimited databases, 100% renewable energy and unmetered traffic.
With their free SiteGround migrator plugin you can easily transfer your site from another hosting company. Or you have the option of having one of SiteGrounds experts transfer your site.
Security is managed by automatically updating through their server firewall. With their dedicated team of security experts continuously write security patches and enhancements, they constantly monitor and prevent attacks.
Their free SG Optimizer plugin pumps powerful caching, optimizing images at the front-end, PHP version control and more. Built on the Google Cloud platform dramatically increases the speed of your WordPress website.
WP Engine
WP Engine is another top Managed WordPress Hosting provider. I have worked with WP Engine through a previous client of mine.
They have 3 plans to choose from and Custom hosting for larger businesses:
All plans include:
A big deal with WP Engine is that they acquired StudioPress back in 2018. The Genesis Framework is highly regarded as the best WordPress Framework out there. And all 35+ StudioPress themes are included with all plans.
Also included is 24/7 chat support, Dev/Stage/Prod Environments, transferrable sites, PHP 7.4 ready, Evercache, global cdn, automated SSL Certificates, SSH Gateway, auto migration for moving from your old host to WP Engine.
They offer a local development tool for working on your WordPress website locally (on your computer) and then when ready you would deploy your site back to staging and production. You can also pull a copy of a live site to local for developing. One big thing You have the ability to share a link with customers from local for previewing their site.
They handle all major wordpress updates and test minor updates. Users have commented on increased speed by switching to WP Engine.
They take security very seriously with detecting and blocking malicious behavior.
And with their page performance tool you can see which pages are getting the most traffic and which need help.
BlueHost
And finally based on many reviews, BlueHost is also a top Managed WordPress Hosting company. I have not used them but they are popular with many WordPress users.
They have 3 plans to choose from:
All plans include:
Unlimited websites, unlimited web storage, staging environment, no traffic limits, instant WordPress install, FREE SSL, SPAM protection, CDN enabled, 24/7 customer support, SSD disk space, advanced security.
They feature SSDs (solid state drives) which optimized loading times and fewer customers per server.
They have a single dashboard for their all-in-one marketing center.
Do you really need Managed WordPress Hosting?
For the technical person that wants control of the security and optimization of their own site will likely prefer to not have their site running with managed hosting.
Managed hosting providers block installation of certain plugins and keep users out of certain areas in the back end.
Many will say if you are just starting out you don’t need managed hosting.
I disagree. For the beginner who isn’t technically savvy, managed WordPress hosting will save you loads of time should anything go wrong with your site. These plans have support readily available to you at any given time.
Again, managed hosting is more expensive but the peace of mind you get with this type of hosting outweighs the cost.