Which One is Right for Your Business?

Shared and Managed WordPress Hosting are two of the most common forms of hosting you will find when you are a WordPress site owner looking for a hosting solution.

When it comes to making the decision of what type of hosting you require it may not always be straightforward.

The critical difference between Shared and Managed WordPress Hosting is often resources but let’s take a closer look at the two main WordPress hosting services on offer.

What is Shared WordPress Hosting?

Often the initial choice for start-ups is shared WordPress hosting. This involves housing your website on a shared server which houses hundreds if not thousands of other sites too.

As part of this, your website shares not only the server itself but all other resources including memory and bandwidth with those neighbours and it is not always shared equally!

One of the main reasons businesses choose Shared WordPress hosting is because its the cheaper option. Prices can start from as little as £0.99 per month and they usually come with tempting headline offers such as unlimited email accounts and one-click WordPress installs too. But often all is not what it seems, so read the small print!

Shared hosting is not an ideal hosting solution for WordPress websites as they are not usually content management system (CMS) specific. This means you will also be in charge of all of your maintenance where a single slip up can lead to security problems, as well as taking site backups regularly and doing updates as soon as they are released.

Furthermore, there is little to no assistance offered. When there is support the help is not from WordPress experts who are specific in the technology which means they are often reluctant to help.

A common problem with shared hosting is the “bad neighbour effect”. In basic terms, this means that the actions of other users on the server can negatively affect your website’s speed, security and uptime. All of which are key to your website’s success.

What is Managed WordPress Hosting?

Managed WordPress hosting provides businesses with a dedicated hosting solution. Your website is maintained by a support team who should provide value-added extras such as;

  • Increased security
  • Fast website speeds
  • Regular WordPress updates
  • Regular backups
  • Reliable customer support.

It is precisely for WordPress websites. You would expect a managed service to handle all of the technical aspects of your WordPress site including the necessary maintenance and security which helps to avoid big security issues for the site owner and visitors alike.

Many Managed WordPress hosts also offer support packages. This means you do not only have help at the backend, but you can get help with optimising your content in such a way that it improves aspects of your website such as its speed. Managed WordPress hosts will often have dedicated support lines where you are taken straight through to a WordPress expert.

A consideration for businesses, however, may be the slight increase in monthly costs. For example our packages start from £14.99 per month. But for a few extra quid, you get 100% peace of mind!

Choosing between Shared Hosting and Managed WordPress Hosting?

There is no right or wrong answer but there are considerations that you should make before purchasing:

  • How large your site is?
  • How many visitors do you get?
  • How much technical support do you need?
  • What is your technical knowledge and understanding of web development and hosting?
  • Are you collecting data on your site?

When making the decision between Shared or Managed WordPress Hosting you need to ask yourself the question of whether the additional support, security and improved site performance is worth the time it will take you to do it by yourself, or whether your time is better spent elsewhere.

For further guidance on the best option for you and your business please feel free to contact our customer service team.