What Is WordPress Managed Hosting?

WordPress Managed Hosting Explained in Less Than 5 Minutes

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WordPress managed hosting allows you to build a website without any coding or programming abilities, while also taking care of website security and maintenance.

If you need a website for your business and don't have the time or experience to create and host your own server, WordPress managed hosting can help you reduce the costs of creating and maintaining one.

Learn more about hosting—and the options you can choose from—to determine the types of services you might need for your business.

Definition and Examples of WordPress Managed Hosting

WordPress managed hosting allows anyone to build a website without any coding or programming abilities. If you want to create a website for your small business, you'll need to find somewhere to host it, unless you are able to provide the hardware, software, security, and technical knowledge needed to build and manage your own. WordPress takes care of this for you with their managed hosting option.

Note

Web hosts provide a place for you to create a website without the additional expenses of hosting your own site. Managed hosting does all of the behind-the-scenes work to keep your website running and secure—giving you time to focus on your business.

Of the services provided by hosting companies, such as WordPress, security and technical support are considered two of the most important ones.

Security requires constant effort and monitoring that can be difficult for a small business owner. Fixing hardware and software problems that contribute to website downtime is an entirely different area of expertise that many business owners do not have.

How Does WordPress Managed Hosting Work?

WordPress is a platform designed for easier web publishing. Several web hosting providers offer WordPress managed hosting, which means they allow people to create websites on their servers using the WordPress platform. These hosting companies provide an assortment of services that you can purchase, which can come with different levels of support.

Hosting companies provide support teams to deal with any technical issues you may experience. Issues could take the form of slow load times, unscheduled downtimes, corrupt files, lost data, or any other number of issues.

One popular WordPress hoster is WP Engine. They offer different packages designed for various types of businesses and needs. You're able to choose the options that work best for you: storage, which dictates the size of your website; bandwidth, which determines how much data can be transferred per month to and from visitors; and how many sites you would like to create.

Types of WordPress Managed Hosting

While there are many hosting companies, there are generally only a few types of managed host types. Individuals can purchase beginner-targeted packages, which offer tutorials and assistance in publishing a website for the first time.

Small businesses can find managed hosts designed for their needs, with different levels of bandwidth and storage as well as quick technical support. WP Engine promises 50 gigabytes (GB) of bandwidth per month and 10GB of storage in its startup package, while the growth package offers 20GB of storage and 200GB of bandwidth.

Other packages are designed for corporate and enterprise WordPress-based websites with top-notch hardware, security, speed, and management. These are designed for high-traffic, large websites with lots of pictures and content. WP Engine also offers customizable packaging for businesses that need specific services.

Benefits of WordPress Managed Hosting

Support is probably the feature that will make the biggest difference in your hosting experience. When you need help with your site, you want to talk to tech-savvy people who can solve your technical issues quickly.

Since you're hosting on WordPress, a support team is generally comprised of WordPress experts, so they can fix not just the servers, but help you with your site as well.

Most hosts' customer service is available 24/7. Business accounts, which many companies opt for, include phone support and the option for a dedicated account manager who provides guidance and assistance.

Tip

Many managed hosts have their own backups that get created nightly. Even if you work with them, you should opt for redundant backups, like Backup Buddy, to further cover yourself.

Many hosts are able to migrate WordPress-based websites. For instance, if your site is already hosted but you decide you want to use WP Engine, they can do it for you—for a fee. However, many businesses choose to migrate on their own or have their developers handle it.

Managed hosts provide guaranteed uptime. Uptime is defined as is the measure of the uninterrupted time that a hosting system experiences. Hosts usually advertise somewhere between 99% to 99.999% uptime.

Assuming a 365-day cycle, 99% uptime could mean several days of unscheduled downtime, or non-scheduled maintenance, for your sites. Sites that average 99.999% uptime experience only a few hours of downtime per year. The difference in uptime can mean thousands of dollars of revenue gained or lost.

Key Takeaways

  • WordPress managed hosting allows you to build a website without any coding or programming abilities, while also taking care of website security and maintenance for you.
  • No matter the size of your business, you can find managed hosts designed for your needs, with different levels of bandwidth and storage as well as quick technical support.
  • Managed hosting can mean the difference between revenue lost or gained if websites experience problems.