Because of the popularity of WordPress, many hosts have taken the route of creating specialized plans and services that are aimed at WordPress users.
Managed WordPress Hosting is like a concierge service, where all the technical aspects of running your WordPress website is managed by the host. This includes security, performance, updates, daily backups, uptime, and scalability. In most cases, this also includes premium level support for WordPress.
Pricing Differences
Why is there such a big price difference between regular or shared hosting, and Managed WordPress Hosting?
The idea behind managed WordPress hosting is to offer completely hassle-free user experiences, so a business owner can focus on running their business and doing what they are good at.
The infrastructure needed to accomplish this level of service usually requires a lot of backend work for things like a high performance caching system, management interface and streamlined user experience. There are front-facing implications as well, such as Support knowledge level.
The average entry-level price for Managed WordPress Hosting begins around $20 to $30 per month and can go up into the hundreds based on things like traffic, resource usage, and high availability. Another phenomenon of this trend includes hosting providers leveraging 3rd party Cloud infrastructures to host their customers, such as AWS, Azure or Google Cloud.
So what does Managed WordPress include?
Performance
Managed WordPress hosting servers are built with WordPress in mind. It may vary by host, but the caching services that come with these types of accounts are usually very sophisticated, and are constantly being improved.
Security
The security layer is usually a major focus of attention when creating these types of products, and you will see that Managed WordPress providers offer services that help maintain your site’s security, blocking potential hacks and attempts at accessing your site’s private information in most, if not all cases. Most providers offer some level of security scan and repair, and in some cases will even blacklist certain 3rd party Plugins.
Backups and Restorations
Managed WordPress web hosts usually have a daily backup schedule that is hands off on the users part, and in most cases, allow them to easily and quickly restore from their backup archives with just a few clicks, should problems arise.
Automatic WordPress Updates
Updates on Managed WordPress Hosting are handled primarily by the host, and new updates are thoroughly tested by their team for WordPress core, and many major plugins and/or themes. This is extremely valuable if your business demands your attention elsewhere.
Uptime
No matter how much traffic your site gets, your website should have 100% uptime – or close to it. Having a Managed WordPress web host helps significantly with this because of the caching and optimization being done outside of the users WordPress site. Most Managed WordPress Hosts boast of 100% uptime, or very close.
Workflow tools and automation
Workflow tools can vary by provider, but companies such as WPEngine, Flywheel, Kinsta and others offer development tooling such as one-click staging, version control, and many more developer or agency focused options. Flywheel, for instance, offers a white label billing system in conjunction with their local development workflow tooling, with the goal of moving towards becoming a freelancer or agency’s one-stop shop.
Expert Level WordPress Support
This is much different than the type of Support traditionally offered by Web Hosting companies. Support staff answering these questions and issues are usually much experienced when it comes to WordPress, with some hosts even advertising the fact that their Support team members also contribute to the WordPress open source project. This allows hosting companies to offer a far superior product support to their customers when it comes to helping troubleshoot issues that were traditionally not handled on the hosting level.
Conclusion
As the Hosting Industry progresses more into the Managed WordPress atmosphere, the offering is also becoming more like a Software as a Service model. A modern site owner will trust a provider that takes care of the tedious and technical maintenance tasks associated with a commercial WordPress site, and it makes sense these providers are gaining more traction every day because of it.
If you are looking for the best WordPress Hosting, we have some great information for you and a few recommendations. Be sure to check out our WordPress Hosting reviews.