Last Updated on October 23, 2022 by Sunny Staff
WordPress powers more than 40 percent of all websites across the internet. Because there are so many websites using it, there are more add-ons and support for it than any other website platform.
You can even get specialized website hosting that’s designed for running WordPress sites. So, what is managed WordPress hosting, and what sets it apart? Let’s take a look.
What is Managed WordPress Hosting vs. Unmanaged WordPress Hosting?
The main difference between managed and unmanaged hosting is the level of support you get from the hosting provider.
With unmanaged hosting, the web host doesn’t provide any support beyond the basics of getting your hosting account up and running and things like the server going down. They only offer support for things that are directly related to the hosting account itself.
If you install WordPress or any other software on your server, they don’t provide any assistance with getting it up and running or with ongoing maintenance.
On the other hand, with a managed hosting account, the hosting provider helps with the management of your website. This can include things like:
- Software installation
- Updates and security patches
- Troubleshooting
- Instruction in how to use the software installed on your server
Managed WordPress hosting takes this further by offering specific server tweaks and configurations that make WordPress-based sites more efficient.
Here’s a great primer on how to use WordPress for your organization.
What Makes WordPress Different Than Other Websites
At its core, WordPress is software that you install on your web server. It uses a database to store all the content you post to your site — text, images, video, audio, etc.
When a visitor loads a page on your website, WordPress pulls the content from the database and assembles the page that your visitor sees. This means there can be more server overhead than with some other types of websites.
There are several differences as a result, including the following.
Performance
WordPress builds the page each time a visitor lands on it uses more server resources than some other types of sites. If you’re hosting your website on a slower server, this can result in slow-loading pages for your visitors.
There are ways to cache the pages on a WordPress site, so it doesn’t have to build the page each time a visitor lands on it. Instead, it saves a cached copy of the page and sends that to the visitors, reducing the overhead. The cached copy only gets updated if the page changes.
Security
WordPress is like any other software — it gets updated regularly, both with new features and security patches. You need to keep your WordPress installation up to date to reduce the chance of getting hacked.
The large install base for WordPress makes it an attractive target for hackers, so this is an important consideration. You need to be sure you’re hosting it on a secure server.
Backups
Because WordPress stores all of your website’s content in a database, you need to make regular backups of that data. If there’s a hardware failure in your server or another problem that causes data loss, your website could be lost if you don’t have an up-to-date backup.
Staging Sites
One of the benefits of how WordPress works is that it separates your website’s content from the design. You can update the design by installing a new theme or other add-ons, and the content won’t change.
It’s not a good idea to make changes to a live website, though. If something breaks, visitors coming to your site may not be able to access it.
WordPress hosting offers a “staging” feature that lets you test changes without affecting the live site. Once you’re sure everything is working correctly, then you can update the public website.
Benefits of Managed WordPress Hosting
Managed WordPress hosting addresses most of the factors we listed above.
First, it’s tuned to get the best possible performance for WordPress-based sites. Your site will load faster, which provides a better experience for your visitors and can also help with search engine optimization (SEO).
Good WordPress hosting is also configured to be as secure as possible. The security is optimized for the way WordPress works and to block some of the most common attack vectors for WordPress-based sites.
Managed WordPress hosting can also scan your site for security threats and react to any issues that come up. Depending on the threat, this could be an automatic process or it could alert your hosting provider’s support team so they can address it quickly.
WordPress hosting is set up to run regular backups of your website. This can be configured for almost any schedule, depending on how often you update your website.
Better Technical Support
One of the biggest advantages of working with professional WordPress management is the level of support you’ll get. They’re experts in WordPress so they’ll be able to answer many of the questions you’ll have about setting up your website and using the WordPress back-end.
They’ll be able to help with ongoing maintenance tasks such as:
- Core WordPress updates
- Theme and plug-in installation and updates
- Custom website design
- Custom coding
- Form creation
These things need some specialized knowledge, so unless you’re a WordPress expert or want to spend the time learning to become one, you’ll be much happier when someone else can take care of it for you.
And even if you do know enough about WordPress, is that really the best use of your time? Chances are good that your time is better spent focusing on your core business.
Where to Get Help With Your WordPress Hosting Needs
Now that you have a better idea of what is managed WordPress hosting, you can make an educated decision about whether it’s right for you. If so, Sunny HQ can help.
We offer a range of fully managed hosting plans for WordPress-based sites. Get in touch with us today to find out how we can help you get the most from your WordPress site!
