—TechRound does not recommend any services, products or business practices. All articles are purely informational—
Course creators and e-commerce stores frequently turned to platforms hosted on WordPress, but not all such platforms are created equal. Small online shops and educational programmes have traditionally grappled with challenges like site speed, scalability and reliability when it comes to hosting.
Speed and load time can be critical for a small shop or course; slow websites can negatively impact the customer or client experience and sales. Growing organisations that invest in a website platform will need to be sure that as they move more products or course registrations, they can also use online operations to keep up with their growth.
What to Look For in a Hosting Provider
So, what do you look for when considering different hosting providers for your WordPress site?
Performance and speed will top the list, naturally. You need lightning-fast load times; studies suggest that users will give up on a webpage that takes longer than 400 milliseconds to load. It takes the human eye between 100 and 400 milliseconds to blink. In other words, if the user blinks and the page still hasn’t loaded, they are gone.
Second, scalability is essential to accommodate growth in customers or enrollments and to secure your site’s usability in the event of traffic spikes. Server crashes during high-traffic periods will not help your operations. Check, too, for hidden costs that a traffic spike might trigger.
Also, if your website has a particularly complex structure, ensure your potential hosting provider is up to the challenge.
Third, vet potential hosting providers for security vulnerabilities. You need to ensure your site is safe from cyberattacks and that your users’ personal and financial data will be secure.
Fourth, consider ease of use. There are often trade-offs between the bells and whistles, the features that can make a new website “pop” and stand out and simplicity of use (for both the company and the user). Look for hosting providers who offer one-click installations and intuitive back-end management.
Finally, don’t overlook customer support. Selecting a provider that offers 24/7 expert assistance can make a world of difference, not only if something goes wrong during a cyberattack or a high traffic spike but also if, six months in, you want to do something daring with your website that requires some delicate back-end adjustments. Just as you want to provide your clients or customers with speedy, available, and efficient customer service, ensure that your hosting provider is prepared to provide you with the same.
Taking The Leap
In short, you are probably looking for a provider specialising in high-performance hosting and managed hosting; a service such as Rapyd Cloud. This service is customised for course creators and online stores, with advanced security features and web speeds optimised specifically for WordPress.
You also want a hosting plan that scales easily and a demonstrated security and data protection record. You will want to compare plans and pricing, check for performance benchmarks and customer reviews of the hosting provider, and know in advance what level of customer support to expect.
It can be exhilarating to look through the options for hosting a WordPress site. However, before getting caught up in the excitement, doing some research can lead to more significant returns and lower costs later.
—TechRound does not recommend any services, products or business practices. All articles are purely informational—
