Shared Hosting vs. WordPress Hosting: The Differences Explained

If you're a digital agency, the decision of what type of hosting to choose for your website can feel overwhelming. There are a lot of different types of hosting services out there. This makes it difficult to choose the right one when it’s time to launch and run your website.

Do you go with shared hosting or WordPress hosting? Is there any difference between the two? Those are both great questions that we're about to answer for you.

In this article, we'll compare shared hosting vs. WordPress hosting and explain the differences between the two options. Then, we'll help you understand what kind of maintenance services to look out for.

What is Shared Hosting?

Shared hosting is a type of web hosting service where one server hosts multiple websites. This is in contrast to other types of hosting services like dedicated hosting, where each website has its own server.

Shared hosting is often much cheaper than other types of hosting due to the fact that multiple customers share the cost of that one server. However, it can also be less reliable, since any problems with the server will affect all of the websites that use it.

This is a problem when it comes to your site’s speed. Working on shared servers can increase downtime and reduce speed. But if you’re not expecting tons of traffic to your website, you likely won't feel the speed issue too much.

That being said, there are some definite pros when it comes to shared hosting. When you opt for shared hosting, for example, you usually get a nice little dashboard to log into where you can set up and manage your web hosting account.

Do you run a business that is dependent on your website? If so, it will definitely serve you to hire a WordPress maintenance company to help you with updates and personalized maintenance.

What is WordPress Hosting?

WordPress hosting is a type of web hosting that is designed for WordPress sites. While traditional web hosting is often slow and unreliable, WordPress hosting offers a number of benefits. All of those benefits can help your site run more smoothly.

And, here, it’s important to clarify something. When you see WordPress hosting, it’s the same thing as managed WordPress hosting.

So, managed WordPress hosting providers will offer managed updates, meaning that they will handle installing new WordPress updates for you. This can save you a lot of time and hassle, as well as ensure that your site is always running on the latest version of WordPress.

In addition, managed WordPress hosting providers often offer other features such as enhanced security, daily backups, and email support that are specifically geared towards issues with WordPress itself.

And, best of all, this type of WordPress hosting is designed to work with WordPress plugins and the updates they require to function properly. These added features can give you peace of mind knowing that your site is in good hands.

If you're looking for a top-notch web hosting experience for WordPress sites, managed WordPress hosting is the way to go.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Shared Hosting

Shared hosting is one of the most popular types of hosting services available, and there are several distinct advantages that come with this type of hosting.

First and foremost, shared hosting allows multiple websites to be housed on a single server, which helps to keep costs down. This is the biggest benefit of a shared hosting service.

In addition, shared hosting provides a high level of scalability, so it can easily accommodate website growth.

This means that if you’re planning on creating ten more websites for various locations of your beauty salon, for example, a shared hosting service would allow you to do that quite easily.

As a result, shared hosting is often the best option for small businesses and startups.

However, there are also some disadvantages to shared hosting. One of the biggest concerns is security; because multiple sites are hosted on the same server, an attack on one site could affect all of the others.

In addition, shared hosting can also be less reliable than other types of hosting, as high traffic levels on one site can lead to slower speeds and reduced uptime for the other sites sharing the same server.

Overall, shared hosting has both its advantages and disadvantages, and it is important to weigh these before choosing this type of web hosting for your site.

Advantages and Disadvantages of WordPress Hosting

For businesses using WordPress, managed WordPress hosting offers all of the benefits of shared hosting, plus much more.

This managed environment includes automatic updates, daily backups, managed security, and managed performance. automatic updates keep your website up-to-date with the latest software which can include new features, security fixes, and performance enhancements.

Daily backups create a duplicate copy of your website in case something goes wrong. Managed security means that your website will be monitored for potential threats and malware so you can rest assured that your site is safe.

Lastly, managed performance provides a smooth experience for visitors by optimizing WordPress itself as well as any plugins or themes you may be using.

However, one major disadvantage is that managed WordPress hosts typically do not offer email or domain name services, so you will need to purchase these separately.

Overall, managed WordPress hosting is a great option for those who want to invest in their online presence and are willing to pay for the added convenience and support.

However, we do find that most businesses require additional support and maintenance than the general offers that are included with a cheap managed WordPress hosting plan.

Shared Hosting Providers

Thinking that a shared hosting provider is the best option for you? If you're not sure which shared hosting service to go with, here are some of the best choices.

SiteGround is one of the most popular shared hosting providers. They offer fast speeds, good uptime, and great customer support. Plus, their plans start at just $3.95 per month.

Another great option is InMotion Hosting. They offer unlimited storage and bandwidth, plus free SSL and website backups. Their plans start at $2.95 per month.

A2 Hosting is another top choice for shared web hosting. They offer an anytime money-back guarantee, unlimited storage and bandwidth, and free website migration. Plans start at $3.92 per month.

Managed WordPress Hosting Providers

There are a few different managed WordPress hosting providers out there, but the three main ones are WP Engine, Flywheel, and SiteGround. Each one offers a different set of features and prices, so it's important to choose the one that's right for you.

WP Engine is the most popular managed WordPress hosting provider and offers a variety of features, including automatic backups, security scanning, and staging environments.

Flywheel is another popular managed WordPress hosting provider that offers similar features to WP Engine, but at a lower price point.

SiteGround is the third major managed WordPress hosting provider and offers a wide range of features, including unlimited storage and bandwidth, free SSL certificates, and managed updates.

Should You Look for a WordPress Maintenance Agency?

As you know by now, managed WordPress hosting is usually the best option for businesses with websites that are built in WordPress. However, are the basic maintenance features offered in those plans enough?

We don’t think so, and here’s why.

The basic maintenance features included in a regular WordPress hosting plan are great for keeping your website up and running properly. But, you don’t want it to just run, you want it to be fully optimized and high-converting for your business.

When you work with a WordPress maintenance agency, you get all of that. Services include full website audits to ensure that there are no disruptions in conversions and SEO maintenance services that help ensure every page is optimized for your target audience.

As the lifeblood of many businesses these days, it pays to invest in these types of additional services to ensure that your website is fully optimized to work for you, almost acting as a 24/7 sales assistant whenever anybody reaches your site.

Get WordPress Maintenance Assistance

As a busy agency owner, you likely don’t really need to understand more than the basics of shared hosting vs. WordPress hosting. Instead, you should be focusing on more important things, like running your business!

At Work Hero, we help you do just that. We take care of your WordPress and website issues so you can focus on growing your business. We provide 24/7 maintenance and optimization for a flat monthly fee.

Want to see just how beneficial this could be for you? Book your demo today.

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