Presented at WordPress Meetup in Orlando on March 22, 2015 Shared, dedicated, virtual private, WordPress optimized, apache, nginx, SSD, cloud and the list goes on and on. With so many options, terms and technologies, it can be difficult to navigate the world of hosting to choose the perfect host for you. Which type of hosting service should you pick? How much bandwidth and storage space do you need? What is a “WordPress optimized” host? How do you know if a web host is actually any good? What technology stack really matters to me? These are the questions that will be answered in this talk. I will not recommend any particular host, however, I will give you the knowledge you need to make an educated decision on which host fits your business or personal blog.

1. CHOOSING THE RIGHT
WORDPRESS HOST
Chris Edwards
@ChrisEdwardsCE

2. @ChrisEdwardsCE
Will you tell me who I should host
with?

3. @ChrisEdwardsCE
NOI Will Not

4. @ChrisEdwardsCE

5. @ChrisEdwardsCE
I will teach you how to find the right
host for YOU

6. THE MANY TYPES
OF HOSTING

7. @ChrisEdwardsCE
Shared
Dedicated
VPS
Cloud
WordPress
HOSTING

8. @ChrisEdwardsCE
Shared Hosting
One powerful server running many websites. All resources are shared and are
sometimes oversold

9. @ChrisEdwardsCE
Dedicated Hosting
One server running one website. All resources are for your site alone. Can be costly.

10. @ChrisEdwardsCE
VPS Hosting
One server running four containers that act similar to a dedicated server. Resources
are split up and you are dedicated your share of resources.

11. @ChrisEdwardsCE
Cloud Hosting
Many servers pulling different resources as needed. The allow you have your
dedicated amount but can be upgraded on the fly to add additional resources.

12. @ChrisEdwardsCE
WordPress Managed Hosting
Normally setup as either shared hosting or cloud hosting. Your host manages your
resources and has built the hosting environment just for WordPress, normally with
special caching layers.

13. WHATTO LOOK AT
WHEN CHOOSING A HOST

14. @ChrisEdwardsCE
Let’s Talk Support

15. @ChrisEdwardsCE
Does support work when you work?

16. @ChrisEdwardsCE
Not everyone is 24/7

17. @ChrisEdwardsCE
How do you reach them?

18. @ChrisEdwardsCE
How much will they do for you?

19. @ChrisEdwardsCE
What about features?

20. @ChrisEdwardsCE
Let’s talk about what matters

21. @ChrisEdwardsCE
SSD hard drives are a big deal

22. @ChrisEdwardsCE
One-Click Staging will make updates
a breeze
(No more cowboy coding)

23. @ChrisEdwardsCE
Backups will save your bacon when
you do mess up

24. @ChrisEdwardsCE
Caching will turn your site into a
rocket

25. @ChrisEdwardsCE
Free migration will make your move
much easier
(Sorry Roy)

26. @ChrisEdwardsCE
Other Cool Things
•PHP 7 or HHVM Support
•NGINX & HTTP/2
•Security Packages
•CDNs

27. @ChrisEdwardsCE
Watch Out!

28. @ChrisEdwardsCE
CDNs are not always free, look at the
details
(Also, the free CDN may be something you can get on your own, for free)

29. @ChrisEdwardsCE
Cheap prices may only be
introductory

30. @ChrisEdwardsCE
Unlimited domains may only be
addon domains
(I’ll tell you why that is bad news)

31. @ChrisEdwardsCE
Plugins may not work with some
managed WordPress hosts.
(They could even be banned, for good reason)

32. @ChrisEdwardsCE
Free domains could make it difficult
to change hosts later

33. @ChrisEdwardsCE
cPanel is not really that big of a deal

34. WHAT DO I NEED
FOR MY SITE

35. @ChrisEdwardsCE
Analytics are key here

36. @ChrisEdwardsCE
Figure out your bandwidth needs
Bandwidth needed = Average page views x Average page size x 30 x 1.5
(Page size can be found at tools.pingdom.com)
Some plans work based off monthly traffic. This is simple, check your analytics.
(If you have huge peaks of traffic, talk to sales first)

37. @ChrisEdwardsCE
Figure out your bandwidth needs
Shared
Dedicated
VPS
Cloud
WordPress
Small website or hobby blog with lower traffic
Would not recommend anymore
If you plan to be a cheap reseller
Great for businesses or larger traffic (not 100% WordPress)
Great for Businesses or larger traffic (100% WordPress)

38. @ChrisEdwardsCE
Invest in your hosting

39. @ChrisEdwardsCE
Don’t cheap out on hosting
If you’re an online business, the web is your
storefront. Don’t cheap out on subpar hosting just to
save a few bucks.
This is the time to invest what you can spend in
hosting. Many times, the more you spend the better
service you can get.

40. @ChrisEdwardsCE
I am smart and want to setup my own
server with Digital Ocean

41. @ChrisEdwardsCE
Have fun and knock yourself out
If you want to get geeky, you can setup a cloud VPS server
with Digital Ocean or Linode for pretty cheap. If you know
what you’re doing, you can do amazing. In fact, places like
Flywheel actually run on Linode boxes.
I used to do this, but, the time, maintenance and effort were
not worth saving $15 bucks a month from a managed host.

42. @ChrisEdwardsCE
What about you? Who is your host?

43. @ChrisEdwardsCE
I now use SiteGround Cloud VPS to host a few personal blogs my wife and I own.
For clients, I use what fits their budget and business best.
I have 2 large clients on Flywheel Hosting.
I have 1 large client on WP Engine.
I have many small clients on SiteGround WordPress Shared.

44. @ChrisEdwardsCE
Great, but who do you recommend?

45. @ChrisEdwardsCE
Depends
(If I mentioned them in this presentation, they’re ones I like)

46. TIME FOR
QUESTIONS