I’m often asked to recommend hosting options for new website projects. I always recommend the following 3 options.
Note: The recommendations below contain affiliate links, so if you use the services I will make a small commission.
Option 1: Siteground Hosting
Siteground are one of WordPress.org’s top 3 recommended hosting platforms. For a relatively low price, you get a lot of value.
The cheapest package allows a single install, a free SSL certificate (for secure HTTPS) and comes with Cloudflare CDN to improve site speed. The next level up gives you access to unlimited email accounts / domains and caching for extra speed.
The hosting is not managed, but they do have a very helpful live chat which is 24/7. The live chat is a little hard to find (hidden behind documentation recommendations), but it is always available. They don’t offer updates, so you will need to update your WordPress core, themes and plugins yourself to keep your websites secure and up to date.
They do create temporary backups of your site at set intervals, but you will be responsible for actively backing up your site.
For low-medium level traffic sites, this is a very reliable, go-to solution.
Option 2: WP Engine
WP Engine is a level above Siteground in terms of service (it’s a managed hosting solution) and comes with a premium price tag.
The live chat is extremely accessible and any problem you present them with generally gets fixed right away. The service is optimised for WordPress, so they are fast and secure.
All packages come with their proprietary caching service called Evercache. You also get MaxCDN and SSL security. They will run active security scans to keep your site virus-free, and take responsibility for backing up your site.
They also update your WordPress core, but will not update themes and plugins for you. You will need to update those yourself.
It’s important to note that WP Engine do not offer email hosting of any kind. They do this to keep their servers protected from spam, and focus on their core service which is website hosting. You’ll need to find a separate solution for email hosting and forwarding.
There is also a list of disallowed plugins, due to conflicts with WP Engine’s core functionality.
WP Engine offer a fast, secure and managed service with a premium price tag.
Option 3: Let Me Host It For You
Siteground and WP Engine do not offer theme and plugin updates or comment spam clean up. I do. WP Engine doesn’t host emails, but Siteground does.
By hosting with me, you’ll get WP core, theme and plugin updates, active security monitoring, backups and comment spam clean up. It also may provide peace of mind to know you have someone in your network that is personally responsible for maintaining your website.
I only host websites that I’ve built, or have recently rebuilt. This allows me to offer free bug fixing (such as broken links, pages not loading) for work that I did (doesn’t include new additions to the site that I didn’t work on).
I cannot offer 24/7 live chat at this time – but it is something I’m considering for the future. You will get priority email support directly with me.
Key Takeaways
The 3 hosting solutions I recommend are:
1) Siteground: a high value, low cost option suitable for most website projects
2) WP Engine: a fast, secure option with a premium price tag
3) RussellSmith.net Hosting: a managed solution that includes plugin & theme updates
Looking for a website hosting provider? Check these 3 recommended options. Click To Tweet
