Most web hosts offer special hosting packages for WordPress an. Those who rely on a professional web hoster can usually install the CMS with just one click. Those who choose a web hoster should not worry about compatibility: With special hosting packages, this risk is vanishingly small. After all, most web hosts specialize in the infrastructure needed for the popular content management system. Nevertheless, some special features should be considered when choosing the right web host for WordPress.
The right webhoster for WordPress
Many people choose their web hoster at will or according to financial aspects. However, web hosts should be searched for specifically and their services should be adapted to individual needs. Some website owners are not at all aware of the technical requirements for content management systems. WordPress is a software that can be used to run blogs. The content management system is very easy to use and allows the design of blogs without any special knowledge. The CMS was written in the script language PHP. The content is stored in a MySQL database. The official homepage of the developer recommends the following requirements:
- mod_rewrite module (Apache web server)
- MySQL 5.5 or higher
- PHP 5.6 or higher
Sufficient storage space is required for uploading data, which must be accessed using an FTP program. We will inform you about the further hosting requirements. In addition to the special requirements for WordPress, there are other functions that should be fulfilled by every web host.
Required storage space
WordPress is a content management system that requires very little storage space (usually a few megabytes). How much storage space is needed in total is difficult to estimate. If the blog is almost exclusively filled with texts, a few megabytes are already sufficient. If you upload videos, images, PDFs and other media with large memory requirements, you may need several gigabytes. If the CMS is "fed" with images, images are automatically created in multiple sizes and versions, requiring twice the size of the original image. In terms of storage space, it should be noted that many other factors can lead to increased storage requirements. If you need a copy of the blog to test new content, you will need twice as much storage space again. Regular backups and the saving of additional websites can significantly increase the need for storage space. The general rule of thumb is to reserve a few hundred megabytes of storage space. However, the actual requirement must always be geared to individual goals and needs. Many web hosters now offer packages with a wide range of storage, e.g. five to ten gigabytes.
Performance and power
In general, a blog should be quickly accessible from all end devices. This applies to laptops and tablets as well as to smartphones with a slow internet connection. The suitable web host should have a high bandwidth and fast reaction time. A blog can - if interesting content is available - quickly attract hundreds to thousands of visitors. If you can guess in advance how many people will visit the blog, you should adjust your web hosting offer accordingly. Smaller blogs can be provided with inexpensive shared hosting packages, where many users share a server. For larger blogs, a dedicated or virtual server should be used. These guarantee a defined performance in terms of computing power and memory and are protected against failures and unauthorized access. People who want to set up several blogs should also choose Virtual Server: There, additional extras such as SSH access, a high PHP memory limit and cron jobs can be used. The PHP memory limit sets a maximum amount of memory that PHP can use for processing scripts. A RAM of 50 megabyte is already enough to install WordPress with a few plugins. If you need additional plugins like GravityForms, WPML and Themes, you can expect 50 to 100 megabytes. A PHP memory limit should therefore be booked in packages with at least 100 megabytes - just to be on the safe side. The actual memory usage can be displayed via plugins like "Plugin Server IP & Memory Usage Display".
E-mails via webhosters
Conventional web hosters offer a wide range of services, which also includes the hosting of e-mails. The common hosting packages contain e-mail addresses with their own domain, which can be used via a webmailer, POP or IMAP. Although many hosters advertise with the creation of hundreds of email addresses, this should not be fixed. Who needs more than three to five email addresses? When choosing a suitable webhoster, you should first and foremost make sure that the mailbox offers sufficient storage space and can be configured as desired. Mailboxes should have at least four to five gigabytes of storage space. Furthermore, it should be possible to enlarge the mailbox flexibly. It should be noted that e-mails should always be transmitted encrypted via TLS/SSL.
customer support
An often unconsidered, but certainly important argument for or against a web host is the existence of a customer service. Many web hosters offer 24-hour support, which can be reached by e-mail, telephone or chat. Minor and major problems can be solved immediately by a contact person who is available at any time. Although the advertising promises of webhosters are great, the support does not always act highly professional. Therefore, the problem should be dealt with a little. Recommendations from friends, acquaintances and customers can help you to get a factual picture of the services of a customer support. An upscale support should be able to answer an e-mail inquiry within one day. A telephone support service that is available around the clock is indispensable for many people. Whether or not support must be permanently available is of course a question of the individual case. By the way: Most support employees are usually also familiar with WordPress.
Recommended features for WordPress
If you decide on a webhoster, you should decide in advance what services you need. Their necessity can be quite different in individual cases. In general, the principle applies that a web hoster should provide backups of all files from the last two weeks. If you need backups, you can also create them yourself using a plugin. If you are looking for errors, you should have access to the log files of the last few days: This is very convenient. Cronjobs can be used to perform regular tasks like database backups. With a console like SSH access, many tasks can be done quickly and easily. This includes copying, unpacking and moving files and directories. Web hosters with a name server are preferable: Such a name server may be necessary if the domain and website data are with different providers or if an external e-mail service is used. Of course, every web host should offer the possibility to create several FTP accounts. It should be possible to assign any rights to the respective users. A directory protection via .htaccess is a matter of course. With a SSL certificate a secure transmission of data is guaranteed. Furthermore it should be ensured that only those webhosters are selected whose software is updated promptly, e.g. Apache, MySQL and PHP. The updates guarantee a consistently high level of security and ensure that customers are provided with new functions. Before signing a hosting contract, it is important to consider how long the project will be maintained. For good web hosts, monthly or quarterly cancellation should be possible.
Find the right web host for WordPress
When choosing the right webhoster for CMS systems, there are some special features to consider. We recommend that you use our above-mentioned key points and explanations as a guide. Basically, however, the choice of a suitable web hoster still depends on many individual factors. The type of materials used (image, video, text) and the size of the blog are extremely important. Furthermore, attention should be paid to reliable support and the availability of basic functions. Special offers and cheap web hosters seem to be tempting at first glance: For medium and large web projects, however, a professional web host with a balanced price-performance ratio should be preferred. Apparently cheap hosters often turn out to be inefficient in retrospect.
