Tips, Expertise, Articles and Advice from the Pro's for Your Website or Blog to Succeed
Are you looking to customize the Minecraft game setup or add players to your fantasy world? If this is the case, you’ll need a Minecraft server hosting provider. However, due…
The post 5 Best Minecraft Server Hosting Providers (And How to Choose One) first appeared on WPArena and is written by Editorial Staff.
Recently, one of our users asked what the recommended server requirements are for running a WordPress website.
The best thing about WordPress is that it will work in almost any kind of environment. However, when you’re picking a hosting solution for your site, it’s important to check whether it meets the basic prerequisites or not.
In this article, we will share important WordPress server requirements you should know.
All WordPress websites on the internet need a server to function. They are used to store and use website files, databases, media files, content, and other important data.
When it comes to running WordPress smoothly, there are some server requirements you should look into. Technically, WordPress will work in minimalist conditions, like on outdated versions of PHP or basic hardware, but it’s not ideal.
WordPress server plays a big role in your site’s performance. Limited server specifications can slow down your site, which can have a negative impact on user experience and keyword rankings.
It will also make it difficult to handle large spikes in traffic. If you run multiple WordPress plugins and third-party tools, then meeting server requirements is critical. Otherwise, you’ll risk breaking your site or experiencing sluggish performance.
That said, let’s look at the server requirements for WordPress. You can click the links below to jump ahead to any section:
To run WordPress, you will need to check some prerequisites. These include the PHP version, MySQL or MariaDB version, HTTPS support, web server type, storage space, and other hardware specifications.
Let’s take a closer look at each of these requirements.
WordPress currently requires PHP version 7.4 or higher to work smoothly. PHP is a programming language for creating dynamic interactive websites. It is open source and WordPress is written using PHP.
Just like any other programming language, there are many versions of PHP you can use. Each version receives updates and fixes for up to 2 years. While WordPress officially recommends PHP version 7.4, it no longer gets any security updates.
That’s why we would suggest using the latest version. If you already have a WordPress site, then it’s better to update the PHP version at the earliest.
This will protect your site from security vulnerabilities, bugs, malware, and hackers. Plus, it will improve performance by running processes much faster and reducing memory usage.
You can also check the PHP version of your server by going to Tools » Site Health from the WordPress dashboard. From here, switch to the ‘Info’ tab.
Next, you can scroll down to the ‘Server’ tab.
Go ahead and click the tab to expand the Server section and view the server’s system information along with the PHP version.
Besides that, you should also check the PHP memory allocated by the WordPress server. PHP memory is the amount of memory reserved for running PHP-based processes.
The standard PHP memory used by WordPress is 64MB, but this is often not high enough. If a task or process requires more memory to work, then it could lead to the WordPress memory exhausted error.
A simple fix is to increase the PHP memory by manually editing the wp-config.php file or .htaccess file. Or you can reach out to your web hosting provider and increase the limit.
WordPress recommends MySQL version 5.7 or greater and MariaDB version 10.4 or higher to function.
MySQL and MariaDB are database management systems used by WordPress to store and retrieve blog information. You only need any one of the systems to install and use WordPress on a server.
You can easily access the databases from your hosting provider’s cPanel. For instance, simply use phpMyAdmin to access the MySQL database in your web browser.
However, when checking the WordPress server requirements, make sure that the database is stored on a solid-state drive (SSD). It is the fastest storage technology currently available and offers quick performance.
You should also see if the server offers automated database optimization and if there is an option for automated database backups.
The optimal web server software recommended by WordPress is NGINX or Apache. While it is not mandatory to run WordPress, using either software has certain advantages.
For instance, Apache is an open-source server software that is fast, reliable, and secure. It powers almost 31% of web servers and is highly customizable. You can use different extensions and modules to meet the needs of any environment.
On the other hand, NGINX is newer and faster and requires fewer resources to run than Apache. It runs more than 34% of web servers and is developed to address performance issues. However, it doesn’t offer the flexibility that you’d get with Apache.
When looking for a web server for your WordPress site, either Apache or NGINX is a great choice.
PRO TIP: Many users have had great success with Litespeed server software as well. If you’re interested in checking it out, we recommend using Hostinger because they have optimized Litespeed hosting for as low as $2.99 per month.
HTTPS, or hypertext transfer protocol secure, is an encryption method that secures the connection between your server and your user’s browser. It is an extension of HTTP, and all web addresses begin with HTTPS.
HTTPS makes it harder for hackers to eavesdrop on your connection, and it helps make your site more secure. Plus, it also sends a positive signal to search engines like Google and helps improve your WordPress SEO.
That’s why it’s important to check if your WordPress server supports HTTPS and offers SSL certificates.
For more details, you can see our guide on how to get a free SSL certificate for your WordPress website.
When choosing a WordPress server, you should also look into some basic hardware specifications.
That’s because a web server is actually a physical server that stores and shares websites with people on the internet. If the hardware requirements are limited, then you could run into storage issues, poor performance, and other WordPress errors.
Some important hardware requirements include checking the disk space available for storage, RAM (random access memory), and CPU (central processing unit).
To learn more, please see our guide on how to determine the ideal size of a web server for your website.
The physical distance between your site’s server location and the user’s location can affect the loading speed of your website. If a user is located near your server, then your site will load faster compared to someone living further away.
To speed up your WordPress site, many web servers offer a content delivery network (CDN).
It is a network of servers spread across the globe, and they store static versions of your site. When a user wants to view your content, the closest server in the CDN will instantly load the website.
Even though it’s not a technical server requirement, when you’re looking at hosting companies for your site’s needs and requirements, there is an added advantage if the one you choose offers a CDN.
You may want to see our list of the best WordPress CDN services.
Now that you know some important WordPress server specifications, the next step is to pick a hosting solution that meets these requirements.
In our 16+ years of experience, we’ve tested multiple website hosts. And to help you out, here are some of the best hosting providers you can choose from.
Bluehost is the oldest web host in the market, and they’re an official WordPress-recommended hosting provider.
It offers a free domain for 1 year, a free SSL certificate, and a 1-click WordPress installation with every plan. Plus, you get SSD web storage space starting from 10 GB and going all the way up to 100 GB.
Besides that, it offers free CDN with every pricing plan. If you opt for dedicated hosting, then you get a minimum of 4 CPU cores (2.3 GHz) and 1TB HDD storage.
SiteGround is one of the most popular and highest-rated hosting providers. They provide a unique in-house speed and security solution for WordPress.
With SiteGround, you get free WordPress installation, 10 GB of web storage space that goes up to 40 GB, a free SSL certificate for HTTPS support, free CDN, and more.
It easily meets the minimum WordPress server requirements and offers advanced solutions. For instance, it automatically updates the PHP version once it is stable, and lets you create unlimited MySQL databases, offers SSD storage, and more.
Hostinger is one of the fastest WordPress hosting services in the industry. It offers automatic 1-click WordPress install, free CDN, free domain name, and 24/7 customer support.
The best part about Hostinger is that the minimum storage space it offers is 100 GB, which goes up to 200 GB. Plus, it offers the fastest SSD technology currently available.
Besides that, you get free SSL, unlimited bandwidth, regular backups, unlimited databases, and multiple PHP version support. Their shared plans also run on Litespeed web server software, a popular alternative to Apache and NGINX.
If you want more options for picking a website server, then please see our guide on how to choose the best WordPress hosting.
We hope this article helped you learn about important WordPress server requirements you should know about. You may also want to see our guide on the difference between a domain name and web hosting and how to move WordPress from HTTP to HTTPS.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
The post 6 Important WordPress Server Requirements You Should Know first appeared on WPBeginner.
If you’re looking to set up a business website, you’ll need a host to store important site files on a live server. You can find providers that offer a free business email with domain. Let's discuss some essential factors to consider before securing a free business email with domain and explore five of the top hosting companies that offer this solution.
Are you trying to pick the ideal web server size for your website?
The size of a web server depends on different components and resources. More popular websites will need a larger web server, but lower-traffic websites can get by with a smaller one.
In this article, we will show you how to determine the size of a web server best suited to your website.
Here is a quick overview of the topics we will cover in this guide:
A web server is a computer that stores and shares websites with people on the internet.
You can think of it like a librarian who keeps websites neatly organized and gives them to anyone who requests them so that they can see the information on their computer or phone.
To do all this, these computers have specialized web server software installed on them. The most common web server software currently in use are Apache and Nginx.
A web server can have different configurations just like a home computer, making it less or more powerful.
You can rent out web servers from companies specializing in website hosting. These service providers offer web servers in different configurations and pricing to cater to a wide variety of needs.
As a customer, you can choose the web server size you want to start with. Later on, you can upgrade your web server with more powerful components as needed. These upgrades can be more storage space, processing power, memory, and more.
The size of a web server is determined by the capacity of the components installed on it.
Higher capacity components increase the web server size, making it faster and more powerful.
By contrast, lower capacity components reduce the web server size, making it less capable of working efficiently under peak traffic.
Here are some of the most important components of a web server that determine its size and performance.
Processing Power (CPU)
Each web server has a computer processor or CPU (central processing unit). This processor is the brain of your web server and helps it put all the website’s pieces together quickly.
It grabs the text, pictures, and videos, mixes them up, and serves them to a user’s computer or phone so they can see the website.
The faster and more powerful the processor is, the quicker the web server can do this job. This is super important because it makes websites load faster and work smoothly.
More powerful processors may have multiple cores (dual-core, quadcore, and higher). Each core adds a separate brain to your processor, making it faster by allowing it to do many tasks at once.
Memory (RAM)
Memory or RAM (random access memory) is a super-fast memory area where a web server can temporarily store needed files.
RAM allows your web server to temporarily collect all the files needed to display a webpage for quicker access.
More memory gives your web server more temporary storage for those files, allowing it to work faster and more efficiently.
Storage (Disk Space)
Storage or disk space is the physical storage the computer has. A higher storage size allows you to keep more data on your website.
You can think of storage as a big, digital closet where the server keeps all the website’s files, like pictures, text, and videos.
If your closet is well organized, it helps you find things more quickly and easily. Similarly, having more space allows you to store more items and quickly find them.
Like the closet analogy, having plenty of well-organized storage for your WordPress website makes it more efficient.
Internet Speeds & Bandwidth
A web server needs to be connected to the internet so that it can receive user requests and send back data.
If your website is hosted on an internet server with high bandwidth, that will help it send data more quickly.
Bandwidth is the amount of data your website can send. You can think of bandwidth as a straw. A narrow straw doesn’t have much space (low bandwidth), so you will not be able to drink much water. However, a wider straw (higher bandwidth) allows you to sip more water.
Increasing the internet and bandwidth size can make your website respond to user requests more quickly and send data much more efficiently.
Now that we know what makes up the web server, you will need to calculate the size that fits your needs.
This is important because web hosting costs money, and bigger web servers with many resources are expensive.
Here is our formula to calculate the ideal web server size for your WordPress website.
1. Average Bandwidth and the Amount of Data Your Website Serves
Each time a user makes a request, your web server sends them data. More data means using more server resources.
You can calculate how much data your WordPress uses by first seeing your average page size.
This is easy to do by running your 10 most popular pages through website speed checker tools like GTMetrix.
You then need to multiply the average page size by your website’s monthly page views.
Google Analytics collects data about the traffic to your website, including page views, average session duration, and more. While you can go directly to Google Analytics to see your page views, it’s much easier to use a WordPress Google Analytics plugin.
You can get the total number of page views using MonsterInsights. It is the best Google Analytics plugin, and it helps you track your website traffic and see all the data from your WordPress dashboard.
Simply go to Insights » Reports in your WordPress dashboard.
Then, you can use our sample formula to calculate the average amount of data your website consumes:
Average page size x total monthly pageviews = average bandwidth consumed
For example, it might be:
200KB x 60,000 views = 12,000,000 KB bandwidth used
You can then convert it into MB or GB for convenience:
12,000,000 KB / 1,000 = 12000 MB
12,000 MB / 1,000 = 12 GB bandwidth consumed per month
2. How Much Storage You Will Need
You will also need to know how much storage space your website requires. You can calculate this by tracking the storage your website is currently using.
The easiest way to find this is by using the Site Health tool. Just go to the Tools » Site Health page in your WordPress admin dashboard and switch to the ‘Info’ tab.
From here, you can calculate the disk space used by your WordPress files and database.
As you can see in the screenshot above, our test site’s Total installation size is 1.30 GB. The ‘Total installation size’ shows how much storage space your website currently needs.
However, as your website grows, you also need to estimate how much data it will upload each month.
The easiest way to calculate this is by monitoring the total installation size each month and noticing the difference from the one before.
For instance, if your total installation size was 1.0 GB last month, and this month it is 1.4 GB, then you uploaded 0.4 GB or 400 MB of data.
We recommend choosing a web server that has at least 3 times the storage your website currently uses.
Now that you have calculated the web server size you need, you can shop around for web hosting services to meet your requirements.
On shared hosting plans, your website shares its server resources with other sites. This allows the hosting company to offer cheap hosting plans for smaller websites and blogs.
Suitable For: Small websites and blogs under 10,000 page views per month.
Web server size: Most good shared hosting companies spend a lot of money to ensure that their shared servers have fast processors, sufficient RAM, and plenty of storage.
The resources provided by a host vary a lot. If you cannot find this information on their website, then you can ask individual hosts before signing up.
Typically, you get a single-core CPU with 1 GB of RAM and 10 GB of disk storage for a starter shared plan.
However, the amount of web server resources available to your website will depend on the number of sites sharing those resources.
Our Recommendation
We recommend Bluehost as the best WordPress hosting company offering shared hosting plans.
Their web servers use state-of-the-art components, unlimited bandwidth, and highly optimized software to manage resources so that your site gets 99.9% uptime.
Depending on which plan you choose, you will get access to either 10 GB, 40 GB, or 100 GB of disk storage.
Alternatives: Hostinger and HostGator
Managed WordPress hosting is an upgrade from shared hosting services. It allows users to use a custom-built platform for WordPress websites.
Managed WordPress hosting companies offer automatic updates, additional security, and easy options to scale your website as it grows.
You can think of it as a concierge service for your WordPress website.
Suitable For: eCommerce websites, growing blogs, and small to medium-sized businesses. Starting from 25,000 page views.
Web Server Size: The web server size varies based on your plan. Managed WordPress hosting companies also have strict disk and bandwidth limits to ensure fair usage.
Typically, you can expect at least 10 GB storage, 50 GB bandwidth, single or dual-core CPU, and 1 GB RAM.
Our Recommendation:
We recommend WP Engine as the best managed WordPress hosting provider.
They are the pioneers in the managed WordPress space and consistently raise the bar with state-of-the-art infrastructure.
Their plans range from 10 GB of storage and 50 GB of bandwidth to 50 GB of storage and 500 GB of bandwidth per month.
Alternative: SiteGround
A VPS hosting plan allows you to create a virtual private server and use it as your site’s web server. It is an upgrade from managed and shared WordPress hosting plans.
The advantage of VPS hosting is that you can choose your web server size and scale it as your website grows.
This ensures that you get the amount of resources you need without upgrading to a dedicated server or enterprise hosting plan.
Suitable For: eCommerce stores, large and content-rich websites with a lot of multimedia files like hosted audio or video files. Ideal for 30,000 to 100,000 page views, depending on the server configuration.
Web Server Size: Server configurations vary among companies and are priced accordingly. You can choose from different configurations or create your own from a hosting control panel.
Our Recommendation:
We recommend SiteGround VPS hosting plans. They offer generous web server sizes starting from 4-core processors with 8 GB memory and 40 GB storage space.
They have a powerful hosting infrastructure built on top of Google Cloud. Plus, you get all the features of managed WordPress hosting with access to additional developer tools.
Alternatives: Bluehost VPS
Dedicated or enterprise hosting is the ultimate upgrade, with custom-made web server sizes designed for the highest performance and massive amounts of traffic.
On a dedicated server, your website doesn’t share any of its web server resources. You can choose the processor speed and cores, RAM size, disk storage, and the bandwidth you need.
Enterprise hosting plans are the last tier of dedicated hosting plans. One of these plans gives you access to the hosting company’s engineering team. They will manage the hosting infrastructure according to your needs, with 24/7 phone support from your dedicated support team.
Suitable For: Big-name brands, mission-critical websites with massive traffic, and larger eCommerce stores. Ideal for 200,000 to millions of page views.
Web Server Size: Companies offer dedicated servers with different configurations. Typically, you can expect dual or quad-core CPUs with 4-8 GB RAM and 500 GB to 1TB disk storage. You can also configure your own dedicated server with different components.
Our Recommendation:
We recommend SiteGround’s dedicated hosting plans. Hosted on the Google Cloud platform, you can choose up to 33 core processing power, 130 GB memory, and 1TB of SSD storage.
Alternatives: DreamHost dedicated servers
Following are some of the most commonly asked questions about choosing a web server size.
1. How much disk space does a web server need?
The amount of disk space a web server needs depends on how much data you will be uploading to your website. Typically, starter hosting plans start with 5-10 GB of disk storage, which is enough for a small business website or a starter blog.
2. What is the average size of a web hosting server?
Most websites are hosted on shared hosting web servers. The average size of a starter shared hosting web server is under 10 GB of disk storage, 1 GB of RAM, and a single or dual-core processor.
3. What does unlimited bandwidth mean?
Normally, shared hosting companies advertise unlimited bandwidth with their hosting plans. However, bandwidth costs money, and there are usually restrictions on how much bandwidth your website can use based on a fair usage policy. You can get further information by asking your hosting provider about their fair usage policy for bandwidth limitations.
We hope this article helped you learn how to choose the ideal size of a web server for your WordPress website. You may also want to see our WordPress performance guide to make sure your WordPress website is ready for peak traffic and our expert pick of the best monthly web hosting plans.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
The post How to Determine the Ideal Size of a Web Server for Your Website first appeared on WPBeginner.
Are you looking for the fastest WordPress hosting?
Fast hosting can help your website load more quickly. Fast-loading pages improve user experience, increase your pageviews, and help with your WordPress SEO.
In this article, we will share our performance test results to help you find the fastest WordPress hosting for your website.
Do you want a fast WordPress website? One way to do that is to choose a reputable WordPress hosting provider that is optimized for speed.
The most important performance indicator is your website’s speed. It not only affects user experience, but it can also hurt your site’s search engine optimization (SEO). Users may leave a slow website before it even loads.
According to a case study that involved Amazon, Google, and other larger sites, a 1-second delay in website speed can reduce your conversions by 7%. A delay of 3 seconds can cost you 50% of your traffic.
On top of that, Google and other search engines penalize slower websites by pushing them down in the search results.
This means slow sites get less traffic, while a fast WordPress website will help you get more traffic, subscribers, and revenue.
One reason that WPBeginner is the most trusted WordPress resource site is that our reviews are based on actual data and experience.
To find the fastest WordPress hosting providers, we actually signed up with each provider and thoroughly tested their services.
We wanted to accurately measure performance across all WordPress hosting companies, so we created the same sample WordPress site on each hosting provider and used the default WordPress theme.
Next, we imported dummy content for theme development, including images and media, so our test resembles an average user website.
Then, we used independent third-party tools to test the performance of our sample website on each hosting provider:
Now that you know our testing process, let’s compare the performance of different hosting companies to see which is the fastest WordPress hosting company on the market.
Hostinger is a popular web hosting provider with a reliable and user-friendly platform to launch websites. They offer affordable shared hosting plans with great customer support, a free domain name, a free SSL certificate, and more.
You can learn more in our complete Hostinger review.
Pingdom Website Speed Test
Here are the Pingdom speed testing tool results for Hostinger.
Our test site loading speed was a fraction of a second at 757 milliseconds, which is great. But keep in mind that this test was performed when the website had no traffic. Let’s take a look at how that speed is affected by more visitors.
k6 Load Impact Test
Here are the k6 performance overview results for Hostinger. To see how more visitors would impact the site’s speed, we gradually built up to 50 unique visitors at once.
As you can see, Hostinger performed really well on this test. As we increased virtual users (purple line), the response time (blue line) remained steady, with an average of 66 milliseconds.
This means that if you have a small business website, an online store, or a growing blog, your Hostinger website will easily handle sudden traffic spikes.
Bitcatcha Server Response Time
The web server’s response time will vary depending on how far your visitors are from the server. The Bitcatcha test measures how fast the Hostinger server actually responds from different locations around the world without loading the web page.
You can see that the response times were great across the board. They were particularly fast in Europe and North America.
Hostinger Pros and Cons
Hostinger is a robust platform to host your website. Now that you have seen their performance test results, you might like to see some of their other pros and cons.
Pros:
Cons:
Why We Chose Hostinger
Hostinger is a great option for beginners who want to start a website without spending too much money. Their low-price shared hosting options offer good value for money with great performance and an extremely easy-to-use control panel.
Hostinger Pricing Plans
Hostinger offers many hosting plans with different features starting at $2.69/month. These plans include shared hosting, eCommerce hosting, VPS hosting, cloud hosting, a website builder, and more.
Pro Tip: WPBeginner users can get the best price using our Hostinger coupon code.
DreamHost is a popular, award-winning hosting company and one of WordPress.org’s officially recommended hosts. Their plans include automatic daily backups, a free SSL certificate, a free domain name, WordPress privacy features, and more.
Learn more in our complete DreamHost review.
Pingdom Website Speed Test
Here are the Pingdom speed testing tool results for DreamHost.
Our test site loaded in less than two seconds, which is good. This test was done during low traffic, so let’s now see how DreamHost responds during peak traffic times.
k6 Load Impact Test
Here are the k6 performance overview results for DreamHost. We built up to 25 unique virtual visitors at once to see how the server would handle more requests and connections at the same time.
While our site remained available throughout the test, the response time fluctuated as users increased. The average response time was 2,343 milliseconds.
This poor result happened because we turned off DreamHost’s pre-installed WordPress caching solution. So, we tried enabling a caching plugin, and the stress test result improved dramatically. Notice how much lower the light blue line is in the graph below.
This time, our test site handled 40 requests per second (6,600 requests total), and the average response time was a fast 255 milliseconds.
This means that WordPress blogs, small business websites, and eCommerce stores hosted on Dreamhost can easily handle sudden traffic spikes.
Bitcatcha Server Response Time
Next, we used Bitcatcha to test our Dreamhost test site’s response time from different geographic locations.
DreamHost’s response times remained consistent around the world and were fastest in North America and Europe.
DreamHost Pros and Cons
DreamHost has been around for 26 years and is known for making web hosting easy. Now that you have seen their performance test results, you might like to see some other pros and cons.
Pros:
Cons:
Why We Chose DreamHost
DreamHost is highly rated for their fast and reliable hosting, which is great for bloggers, online store owners, developers, and web designers. They have won many awards and get excellent reviews from their customers. But they may not be the right choice if you need a lot of help getting started.
DreamHost Pricing Plans
DreamHost’s shared hosting plans start at $2.59 per month (for a 1-year billing period). You can also pay monthly for the Shared Starter plan, which costs $4.95 per month.
WPBeginner users can get the best price on shared hosting using our DreamHost coupon code and managed hosting using our DreamPress coupon code.
WP Engine specializes in VIP managed WordPress hosting, which is an ideal choice for people looking for hassle-free, premium WordPress hosting. They provide automatic backups, security updates, caching, WordPress security, and more.
You can learn more in our complete WP Engine review.
Pingdom Website Speed Test
Here are the Pingdom speed testing tool results for WP Engine.
Our WP Engine test site loaded in just over half a second (656 milliseconds) without any performance optimizations on our end. This is a good result.
k6 Load Impact Test
Next, we tested how WP Engine servers respond under peak traffic using a tool called k6. Here are the results as we gradually built the test up to 50 unique visitors at once.
As you can see, our test WP Engine website maintained an incredible response rate throughout the test, with an average response time of 47 milliseconds. It performed really well with only minor spikes.
Bitcatcha Server Response Time
The Bitcatcha test measures how fast a server responds from different locations around the world. Here are the results for WP Engine:
WP Engine’s server response time was fastest on the east coast of the United States (29 milliseconds), and even its slowest speed of 237 milliseconds in Mumbai is very fast at less than one-quarter of a second.
WP Engine Pros and Cons
WP Engine offers fast servers, security, and peace of mind that users need from a managed WordPress host. Now that you have seen their performance test results, you might like to see some of their other pros and cons.
Pros:
Cons:
Why We Chose WP Engine
WP Engine can be a great option if you are looking for a completely hassle-free web host for your WordPress site. Their advanced features will save you time, and there is plenty of room to scale as your traffic increases.
WP Engine Pricing Plans
WP Engine only offers managed WordPress hosting, and 5 different levels are available, starting at $13/month and going up to $145/month.
WPBeginner users can get the best price using our WP Engine coupon code.
SiteGround is one of the most recommended WordPress hosting companies, and we use them ourselves on WPBeginner. Among other features, they allow customers to choose between 6 different datacenters worldwide.
Learn more in our complete SiteGround review.
Pingdom Website Speed Test
Here are the Pingdom speed testing tool results for SiteGround.
Our SiteGround test site loaded in 417 milliseconds, which is less than half a second. This speed is incredible, but the website had no traffic during this test. Let’s see how more visitors will affect the speed.
k6 Load Impact Test
To test how SiteGround servers would respond to increased traffic, we used a tool called k6 to gradually send up to 50 users to our test website.
Here are the results:
This test shows that SiteGround is a good choice if you are looking for a really fast website. It performed consistently throughout the test without any hiccups and an average response time of 107 milliseconds.
This is partly because of some of the innovations they use. For example, most of their servers are hosted on the Google Cloud Platform, and they have a custom plugin for optimization called SG Optimizer.
Bitcatcha Server Response Time
We also ran a Bitcatcha test to see the response time around the world. Here are the results:
The server responded in just a fraction of a second in the United States, making SiteGround a great choice if your target audience is mostly in North America.
It responded quickly in other locations as well. Plus, SiteGround lets you choose a data center closer to your target audience so you can get the best response times in a particular region.
SiteGround Pros and Cons
We found SiteGround to be fast and reliable. Here are some of their other pros and cons.
Pros:
Cons:
Why We Chose SiteGround
SiteGround offers fast and reliable web hosting with great customer support. They have hosting plans for every budget, and each plan comes with super-fast servers and the option to pick your datacenter.
SiteGround Pricing Plans
SiteGround’s shared hosting packages are available in three levels to match different budgets. The Startup plan is limited to one website and costs $2.99/month. The GrowBig plan costs $4.99/month, and the GoGeek plan costs $7.99/month. These plans offer unlimited websites.
WPBeginner users get up to an 83% discount and free SSL with our SiteGround coupon code.
GreenGeeks is a web hosting provider whose goal is to be as environmentally friendly as possible. Their hosting plans also offer great performance, managed updates, a choice of 5 datacenters, and more.
You can learn more in our complete GreenGeeks review.
Pingdom Website Speed Test
Here are the Pingdom speed testing tool results for GreenGeeks.
Without additional traffic, our test site loaded in about half a second (646 milliseconds), which is great. Next, we ran a k6 stress test to see how extra traffic affects the site performance.
k6 Load Impact Test
We used the k6 tool to measure how GreenGeeks performs during peak traffic, gradually building up to 50 unique visitors.
Here are the results:
GreenGeeks performed well under this stress test. Our site remained responsive, and the response time remained steady. There were minor fluctuations as the number of users increased.
When you install WordPress, GreenGeeks automatically installs the Litespeed cache plugin to speed up your website. However, we disabled the cache when we ran our tests.
Bitcatcha Server Response Time
We also tested GreenGeeks’ response time around the world using Bitcatcha. Here are the results:
Our test GreenGeeks site responded quickly for visitors in North America. It was slower in other parts of the world, such as India and the Asia Pacific region, but these times are still quite fast.
GreenGeeks Pros and Cons
GreenGeeks is affordable, and their plans include plenty of useful features. Now that you have seen their performance test results, you might like to see some pros and cons.
Pros:
Cons:
Why We Chose GreenGeeks
GreenGeeks is the most eco-friendly web hosting. It is a good hosting solution for anyone who is just starting out. For higher traffic volumes, you may need to upgrade to a high-performance plan or move to a managed WordPress hosting provider.
GreenGeeks Pricing Plans
GreenGeeks has a wide range of hosting plans for customers of every size, starting at $2.95/month.
WPBeginner users can get the best price using our GreenGeeks coupon code.
Rocket.net is a managed WordPress hosting company offering super-fast and fully managed WordPress hosting solutions. Their plans come with a custom, user-friendly hosting dashboard, a CDN, automated backups, and more.
You can learn more in our complete Rocket.net review.
Pingdom Website Speed Test
Here are the Pingdom speed testing tool results for Rocket.net.
Our test website loaded in 588 ms, which is just over half a second.
k6 Load Impact Test
We then used the k6 tool to test how Rocket.net would hold up under traffic spikes. We slowly increased the number of virtual users to 100, sending multiple page requests.
This is an excellent result. Our test site responded quickly, regardless of the number of users and page requests. It also had an average response time of 13.91 milliseconds.
Bitcatcha Server Response Time
Next, we used Bitcatcha to measure response times for Rocket.net from different geographic locations.
These results are incredibly fast. Our test site responded in just a couple of milliseconds for all locations.
That’s because Rocket.net uses a CDN and cloud edge network. Users are sent to the closest server for the fastest response time.
Rocket.net Pros and Cons
Rocket.net offers a fast and reliable platform to host your website. Now that you have seen their performance test results, here are some of their other pros and cons.
Pros:
Cons:
Why We Chose Rocket.net
Rocket.net’s servers are fast and highly optimized for WordPress websites. You also get peace of mind with enhanced security, automatic updates, and knowledgeable support. This is why we recommend Rocket.net as one of our best choices for a managed WordPress hosting provider.
Rocket.net Pricing Plans
Rocket.net offers 4 levels of managed WordPress hosting plans starting at $30/month (billed annually).
WPBeginner users can get the best pricing using our Rocket.net coupon.
HostGator is one of the largest and most popular hosting companies in the world. They offer all kinds of hosting plans, including shared, managed, and VPS hosting.
You can learn more in our complete HostGator review.
Pingdom Website Speed Test
Here are the Pingdom speed testing tool results for HostGator.
Our test site loaded in less than a second. This is a great result without traffic, so we also ran a k6 stress test to see how extra users affect our site’s performance.
k6 Load Impact Test
We sent up to 50 users at once to our test site using the k6 tool to see how HostGator performs under load. Here are the results:
The average response time of 132 milliseconds is particularly good for a shared hosting account.
Bitcatcha Server Response Time
Response time is also affected by how far your visitors are from the server. We ran a Bitcatcha test to measure response time from 10 locations around the world.
In the United States, our HostGator testing site responded in just 26 milliseconds. Times from other locations were also fast, and the slowest speed in India was still a respectable 261 milliseconds.
You can be confident that a HostGator website will load quickly around the world.
HostGator Pros and Cons
HostGator has grown quickly due to their great shared hosting plans, reliable web hosting, and quality customer service. Here are some of their pros and cons.
Pros:
Cons:
Why We Chose HostGator
Over 2 million customers trust HostGator. They offer a variety of fast hosting plans that fit all budgets and requirements, as well as the user-friendly tools you will need to build a website.
HostGator Pricing Plans
HostGator plans include shared hosting, VPS hosting, cloud hosting, reseller hosting, and dedicated hosting. The Hatchling plan starts at $2.56 per month and allows you to host only one website.
WPBeginner users get up to 81% off with our HostGator coupon code.
Bluehost is one of the biggest web hosting companies in the world and an official WordPress-recommended hosting provider. They are a great option for beginners, and their budget-friendly plans are suitable for all kinds of websites.
Learn more in our complete Bluehost review.
Pingdom Website Speed Test
Here are the Pingdom speed testing tool results for Bluehost.
Our test site loaded in about a second. However, this test was performed when the site had little traffic.
k6 Load Impact Test
We then used the k6 tool to test how Bluehost servers respond to increased traffic. We gradually sent up to 50 visitors to the site to see how it would handle increased requests from multiple connections at once.
You can see that the blue server load time line remained stable even though traffic and page requests increased. There was an average response time of 135 milliseconds.
Bitcatcha Server Response Time
We also used the Bitcatcha server response test to see how the server response time varies around the world.
The fastest response times were for users in the United States and Canada. In other parts of the world, the time was higher, but still acceptable.
Note that this test was performed with a Bluehost server in the United States. If your users come from other parts of the world, then you can change the server location to improve the response time.
Bluehost Pros and Cons
Bluehost is reliable, fast, and affordable, with friendly 24/7 customer support. Now that you have seen the Bluehost performance test results, you can check out their pros and cons.
Pros:
Cons:
Why We Chose Bluehost
Bluehost is often ranked the #1 web hosting provider by many websites. They offer a wide range of hosting options with tons of features that help you easily build your website. All their hosting plans include expert 24/7 customer support from knowledgeable staff. Most importantly, they offer affordable starter plans that fit any budget requirement.
Bluehost Pricing Plans
Bluehost offers a shared hosting package suitable for starter websites. Their shared plan is available at 4 different levels starting at just $1.99/month.
WPBeginner users can get the best price using our exclusive Bluehost coupon code.
Now that we’ve shared our performance test results for each hosting provider, let’s take a look at which services are the fastest.
Page Load Time
Pingdom assigned a performance grade to each service to give you an idea of how optimized the hosting is for speed. The grade is based on how well the service implemented its recommended performance optimization strategies.
Half the services in this review were given an A, and the rest a B.
| Hosting Provider | Performance Grade | Page Load Time |
|---|---|---|
| Dreamhost | A 95 | 1,690 ms |
| SiteGround | A 95 | 417 ms |
| Bluehost | A 92 | 1,030 ms |
| Hostinger | A 91 | 757 ms |
| WP Engine | B 90 | 656 ms |
| GreenGeeks | B 90 | 646 ms |
| Rocket.net | B 87 | 588 ms |
| HostGator | B 81 | 691 ms |
A more important metric is the page load time. Here, SiteGround was quickest, with the page loading in just 417 milliseconds.
Most other services had loading times of less than a second, which is very good.
Response Time During Peak Times
The page load times above were tested during low-traffic periods. So, we also tested how each provider’s response time changed when we sent multiple users to the site.
Note that this test didn’t time how long it took the page to load, just how long it took until the server could respond. It also measured how that response time changed as we sent more and more users.
Here are the average response times for each provider during our stress test.
| Hosting Provider | Average Response Time |
|---|---|
| Rocket.net | 14 ms |
| WP Engine | 47 ms |
| Hostinger | 66 ms |
| SiteGround | 107 ms |
| HostGator | 132 ms |
| Bluehost | 135 ms |
| Dreamhost | 255 ms |
| GreenGeeks | 272 ms |
Rocket.net performed especially well in the stress test, and the other services maintained a stable load during the test.
Response Time Around the World
We also tested each provider’s response times from different locations around the world. That’s because the response time will be slower the further your users are away from the company’s web servers.
Here are the response times (measured in milliseconds) for each provider from 8 locations around the world.
| Hosting Provider | US (W) | US (E) | UK | Singapore | Brazil | India | AU | Japan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hostinger | 146 | 22 | 9 | 228 | 2 | 71 | 109 | 93 |
| Dreamhost | 16 | 78 | 136 | 202 | 233 | 276 | 264 | 129 |
| WP Engine | 47 | 29 | 96 | 205 | 143 | 237 | 185 | 147 |
| SiteGround | 44 | 35 | 106 | 203 | 142 | 246 | 177 | 135 |
| GreenGeeks | 61 | 31 | 87 | 229 | 146 | 225 | 195 | 160 |
| Rocket.net | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| HostGator | 26 | 53 | 156 | 196 | 194 | 261 | 170 | 128 |
| Bluehost | 46 | 35 | 107 | 212 | 140 | 226 | 179 | 159 |
Rocket.net recorded blazing-fast speeds around the world.
SiteGround and Bluehost are good options anywhere in the world because you can choose a data center location where most of your users are.
Besides these hosting providers, if most of your visitors are in the United States, then your best options include DreamHost, HostGator, and WP Engine.
Your visitors in Europe will have the fastest experience with Rocket.net and Hostinger, and the Asia Pacific users will enjoy the fastest speeds with Rocket.net.
Fastest Overall WordPress Hosting Providers
Our top web hosting recommendations are:
Based on our performance tests, these are all good choices for fast hosting.
However, if website speed and performance are your highest priority, then you should also look carefully at Rocket.net. They have a better response time under load and around the world than any other provider.
Having helped over 2 million+ users start their websites, we have answered quite a lot of questions. Below are some of the answers to the most frequently asked questions about WordPress hosting.
Do I need WordPress hosting to start a website?
If you want to build a WordPress website, then you need web hosting. Your hosting server is where your website files are stored.
Every website that you see online uses a web hosting provider.
Are there any free WordPress hosting providers?
Yes, there are several free website hosting companies out there, but we highly recommend that you stay away from them.
In most cases, free WordPress hosting providers put advertisements on your website. They may even distribute malware to your users. Last but not least, they can shut down your website at any time without any notification.
Avoid anyone who offers to give you free WordPress hosting, especially if you are serious about your site. Here are reasons why having a ‘free website’ is a bad idea.
How much does it cost to build a WordPress site?
The cost of building a WordPress website varies based on your needs. It can range from $100 to as high as $30,000. We have created a detailed guide explaining how much it really costs to build a WordPress website.
How do I install WordPress on my WordPress hosting account?
Every WordPress hosting provider that we recommend comes with a 1-click WordPress install. You can follow our step-by-step guide on how to install WordPress on your host.
Can I switch my WordPress hosting provider later?
Yes, you can absolutely switch if you are unhappy with your WordPress hosting company.
Most WordPress hosting companies offer free migration services, which makes the process fairly smooth. However, if you want to do the migration yourself, then you can follow our step-by-step guide on how to move WordPress to a new host with no downtime.
Want to learn more about WordPress hosting? Here are our best guides on the topic:
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
The post 8 Fastest WordPress Hosting in 2024 (Performance Tests) first appeared on WPBeginner.
Do you want to host multiple WordPress websites on a single server?
You can easily manage multiple domains from a single place by hosting them on one server. Plus, it helps save costs as you won’t need to purchase separate servers for each website.
In this article, we will show you how to host multiple websites on one server.
If you’re planning on expanding your business from one website to more, then it’s a feasible option to host them on a single server.
That’s because it is easier to manage them from a single place. It can be time-consuming and inconvenient to log in and out of multiple WordPress websites on different servers. If all your websites are on one server, then you can simply switch between them from the same dashboard.
Hosting multiple sites on a single server will also help save and be more economical for your business.
Many hosting providers offer dedicated hosting where you have full control over the server and allow you to set up more than 1 website.
Instead of purchasing individual hosting plans for each site, you can choose a plan that allows multiple WordPress sites on one server. This will also allow you to fully utilize your server resources.
That said, let’s see how you can host multiple websites on one server.
Before you can add any website to a server, the first step is to purchase a hosting service and domain names for your websites.
Choosing a WordPress Hosting Provider
There are many services to choose from, but we recommend Hostinger. It is a fast-growing web hosting provider that offers different types of hosting options.
For instance, you can get premium shared hosting, WordPress hosting, VPS hosting, cloud hosting, managed hosting, and more.
In the Hostinger WordPress Starter plan, you can add up to 100 websites, get free email, an SSL certificate, unlimited bandwidth, managed WordPress, and more. You also get 1 free domain name, but you’ll need to purchase other domains.
The best part is that WPBeginner users can get up to 81% OFF on WordPress hosting plans. Simply click the link below to claim the offer.
Another advantage of using Hostinger WordPress plans is that WordPress comes pre-installed. You don’t have to manually install WordPress for your websites.
If you’re looking for alternatives, then you can also use Bluehost or SiteGround to add multiple sites to one server.
Purchasing Domain Names for Your Website
After choosing a web hosting platform, the next step is to purchase domain names that you’ll need to host on a server.
Hostinger lets you buy a new domain or transfer an existing domain. To purchase a domain, simply go to the ‘Domains’ tab from your Hostinger dashboard.
From here, simply select the ‘Get a new domain’ option.
Next, you can search for a domain name.
Go ahead and enter a keyword or brand name in the search bar.
From here, you’ll see a list of URL options along with different domain extensions and prices.
Simply select an option you want and click the ‘Buy domain’ button.
Next, a popup will open with different billing periods for your domain name.
Go ahead and choose a billing period.
After that, you can complete the checkout process by choosing a payment method and purchasing the domain name.
You can repeat this process to purchase as many additional domains as you’d like.
Alternative Method: If you don’t want to buy a domain from Hostinger, then there are many domain registrars that allow you to register a domain name with ease. For instance, you can use Domain.com as it offers top-level extensions, an easy domain registration process, and a bunch of features.
After selecting a hosting provider and buying domain names, you can add multiple sites to one server.
From your Hostinger dashboard, you can go to the ‘Websites’ tab and click on the + Create or migrate a website option.
Next, Hostinger will walk you through the process of creating a new website on the same server.
For instance, you can select a website type. This includes an online store, blog, business, portfolio, and other types.
After that, you’ll need to select whether you’d like to create or migrate a website.
If you already have a website on another hosting platform, then you can transfer it to Hostinger. Simply select the ‘Migrate my website’ option and follow the steps.
For this tutorial, we will select the ‘Create a new website’ option.
Next, you can select a platform to build a new website. Hostinger will offer 2 methods, where you can use WordPress with artificial intelligence (AI) or use Hostinger’s website builder with AI to create a site.
Go ahead and choose the ‘WordPress with AI’ option.
From here, you’ll need to enter login details for your account.
Simply choose a language, select an administrator email, enter a password, and click the ‘Continue’ button.
In the next step, Hositnger will ask you to add WordPress plugins to your site.
You can simply select the plugins you want to install and click the ‘Continue’ button.
After that, you will need to select a website design.
Hostinger will load the default theme, but you can click the ‘Browse more templates’ option to view more designs.
From here, you can choose a different theme for your website.
You can also click the ‘Show More’ button at the bottom to load more templates.
Once you’re done, simply choose a design and click the ‘Select’ button.
Next, Hostinger will ask you to enter a brand name and a description of your business.
It uses ChatGPT to generate a few pieces of content for your website. Once you are done, simply click the ‘Continue’ button.
You can also skip this step by entering a name and brief description and then clicking the ‘Skip, I will write content later’ option at the bottom.
After that, you’ll need to enter a name for your website. Hostinger will show 2 options, you can either select the ‘buy a domain or ‘use an existing domain’ option.
If you haven’t purchased a domain name yet, then you can select the ‘Buy a Domain’ option and get one with Hostinger.
However, if you already have multiple domains on another provider, then you can select the ‘Use an Existing Domain’ option.
For this tutorial, let’s choose the ‘Use an Existing Domain’ option.
Next, you will need to enter the domain name and click the ‘Continue’ button.
A popup window will now open with details for pointing the domain to Hostinger nameservers.
You can see your domain’s existing nameservers and the required nameservers you’d need to change in the domain registration service. The instructions will vary depending on the domain registrar you’re using.
If you need help with domain transfer, then Hostinger offers step-by-step guides and documentation. You can also reach out to their support for further assistance.
Note: You’ll also need to ensure that the domain you’re transferring is not locked by the current registrar and that 60 days have passed since initial registration.
After noting down the nameservers, you can click the ‘Continue’ button.
Hostinger will then start to set up your website. It will take a few minutes for the setup to complete.
The final step is to click the ‘Connect’ button under the Connect Your Domain option after you’ve set nameservers in your domain registrar.
Once connected, you can view your website from the Hostinger dashboard.
Simply visit the ‘Websites’ tab to see your newly added site.
You can now repeat these steps and click the ‘+ Create or migrate a website’ option to add as many websites as you want to a single server.
A WordPress multisite allows you to run and manage multiple websites from a single WordPress installation. You’ll see multisite networks used by large corporations that need separate domains for each department, universities and schools, news outlets, online businesses, and more.
There is a slight difference between hosting multiple sites on a single server and a WordPress multisite.
In a multisite, you have the same parent domain (example.com), and the new sites are subdomains (blog.example.com). They can share plugins, users, and other elements based on your settings.
On the other hand, hosting multiple sites on a single server means you have different domain names for each website. They’re all completely separate from one another.
You can easily set up a WordPress multisite using any web hosting service, including Hostinger. Once it’s set up, you’ll be able to add multiple sites to the network and manage them from the same dashboard on one server.
To learn more, please see our guide on how to install and setup a WordPress multisite network.
We hope this article helped you learn how to host multiple websites on one server. You may also want to see our guide on how much does it cost to build a WordPress website and the best GoDaddy alternatives.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
The post How to Host Multiple Websites on One Server (Beginner’s Guide) first appeared on WPBeginner.
Are you wondering what is HTTP/2 and how you can use it in WordPress?
HTTP/2 is the major revision of the HTTP technology used by all websites.
In this article, we’ll explain HTTP/2 and how to enable it on your WordPress site.
HTTP/2 is the revised version of the original HTTP protocol. It was developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and is based on an experimental SPDY protocol developed by Google.
HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is like a language that allows computers to talk to each other on the internet. It’s how information gets sent back and forth when you use websites or apps.
When you visit a WordPress website, your web browser sends a message called a request to the server that stores the website. The request asks for specific information, like the page’s text, images, or videos.
Tip: See our article on how WordPress works behind the scenes for more details.
The server receives the user’s request and sends back a response. This response is like a package containing the information you asked for. It includes things like the text you see, the pictures you look at, or even the videos you watch on the website.
HTTP 0.9 was first launched in 1991. A significant revision to that, HTTP 1.1, was published in 1999 and most websites ran on that until 2015, when the HTTP/2 protocol launched.
HTTP/2 is supported by all modern web server software and browsers, though many websites still run on HTTP 1.1 if they do not have an SSL certificate installed.
The IETF currently proposes the upcoming version of HTTP/3. It will use QUIC (Quick UDP Internet Connections) instead of TCP and is expected to be much faster than HTTP/2.
The HTTP 1.1 protocol sent data requests without prioritization. This means if a website has a reference to a JavaScript file in the head, it will load before any other content.
This makes a website appear slower to the users who could not see the content they were expecting to see.
HTTP/2 protocol uses a binary single stream to send and receive requests with prioritization support. This means developers can tell the server which data to send first.
The HTTP/2 protocol also uses compression for HTTP headers and multiplexing. Both of them further improve the page load performance.
The newer protocol also comes with HTTP/2 Server Push support. This allows developers to push data to the users’ browsers without them requesting it.
To summarize, HTTP/2 is faster than HTTP 1.1 and significantly improves your WordPress speed and performance.
First, you need a hosting company offering the latest server software with HTTP/2 support. You’ll also need to install an SSL certificate on your WordPress website.
Most of the top WordPress hosting companies already use cutting-edge web server software.
We recommend using Bluehost, which uses the latest Apache web server software with HTTP/2 support enabled by default.
Luckily, the folks at Bluehost are offering WPBeginner users an exclusive discount with a free domain name and SSL certificate.
Other hosting companies we recommend include SiteGround, Hostinger, and WP Engine. They all offer free SSL certificates and the latest server software with HTTP/2 support.
The only requirement to enable HTTP/2 support in WordPress is installing an SSL certificate.
It is not an official requirement. However, major browsers like Google Chrome don’t support HTTP/2 on non-secure URLs.
If your website uses SSL, your URLs will have the https:// prefix like this:
https://wpbeginner.com
Visiting your website will also show a padlock icon in the browser’s address bar.
If your website does not use an SSL certificate, you can ask your WordPress hosting provider to install it for you.
Need more help? See our tutorial on how to move from HTTP to HTTPS in WordPress.
Once you have enabled SSL, your WordPress website will almost certainly be served via HTTP/2 protocol.
If you want to see if your WordPress website is serving pages via HTTP/2, then there are two ways you can test it.
First, you can visit HTTP2.Pro and enter your website’s URL. This free online tool will then tell you whether your website supports HTTP/2.
Another more effective way to check if your website serves pages on HTTP/2 is using the Chrome developer tools.
Simply open a new browser window in Google Chrome and visit your website. After that, open a new browser tab and enter the chrome://net-export URL in the address bar.
Chrome will then ask you to save a JSON file to your computer.
After saving the file, visit the netlog viewer app and click on the ‘Choose File’ button.
Select the netlog file you downloaded earlier to continue.
The app will then present the file in a readable format. Click on the HTTP/2 tab in the left column, and it will show you all the websites you visited that were using the HTTP/2 protocol as h2.
We hope this article helped you learn about HTTP/2 and how to enable it in WordPress. You may also want to see our complete WordPress speed and performance guide or look at our beginner’s guide to WordPress SEO.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
The post What is HTTP/2 and How to Enable It in WordPress? first appeared on WPBeginner.
Sometimes you want to create a website, but you don’t want your personal information to be connected to it in any way. This might be because you’re planning to host controversial content that might get you in trouble with certain governments, or simply because you want to maintain your privacy. Either way, the solution is offshore web hosting.
Do you want to create an anonymous website?
Some users may need to create a website anonymously to protect their privacy and additional security.
In this step-by-step guide, we’ll show you how to easily create a truly anonymous website. We’ll also talk about protecting your identity online.
An anonymous website conceals the identity of who runs or owns a particular website.
Some users may want to remain anonymous for a number of reasons.
Creating an anonymous website makes it difficult to find out who created and runs the website.
Important: Please keep in mind that there is no guaranteed way to remain completely anonymous. While you can make it difficult to trace, there is still a chance that it can be tracked.
You’ll need the following items to create a basic anonymous website.
Now, let us explain why you’ll need those things.
First, you will need to create a new separate email account. You’ll be using that account to manage your website.
To remain anonymous we recommend creating an email account using privacy-focused email services like Proton Mail.
Next, you will need to hide is your IP address. The easiest way to do that is by using a VPN service. We recommend using IPVanish.
Once you have created an email account and turned on the VPN on your computer, you can go ahead and buy a hosting plan.
Normally, you can just go to any of the top hosting companies and start a website in a few minutes.
However, many of these companies require credit card information. This means your personal information will be stored and can be traced back to you.
That’s why we recommend using Hostinger.
Currently, they are giving WPBeginner users a generous discount and a FREE domain name. Basically, you can get started for $2.78 per month.
→ Click Here to Claim This Exclusive Hostinger Deal ←
Hostinger is one of the best WordPress hosting companies on the market and allows you to pay using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to keep your purchase as anonymous as possible.
First, you need to make sure you have VPN turned on whenever you are working on your anonymous website.
After that, you need to visit the Hostinger website and click on the ‘Start Now’ button.
This will bring you to the pricing and plans selection page.
We recommend choosing a 48-month plan which gives you the best discount. Plus, you wouldn’t need to worry about future payments for a long time.
Click to select the plan you want to buy, and then go to the payment section.
From here, first, you need to provide the anonymous email account you created earlier.
After that, you need to select ‘Coingate’ as the payment method and then click on the ‘Submit Secure Payment’ button.
This will take you to the payment wizard.
First, you need to select a cryptocurrency that you want to pay with and click Continue.
Next, you need to enter your anonymous email address and click on the ‘Continue’ button.
Note that you don’t need to create a Coingate account to pay using this method.
On the next screen, you’ll see the QR code to make the payment through your Bitcoin wallet app.
You can also pay manually, by sending the amount to the Bitcoin wallet address mentioned on the screen.
Upon completion of the transaction, you will be redirected back to the Hostinger website.
You will receive an email from Hostinger with a link to log in to the hosting control panel.
Once you log in to your hosting account control panel, you’ll see a notification to claim your free domain name.
During domain registration, ICANN requires website owners to provide their personal information such as name, address, email, and phone number.
You need to provide at least the email address you created earlier so that you can be reached for verification.
During the registration, you may also see an option to turn on Domain Privacy.
This feature hides any information you provide during domain registration from WHOIS searches. Anyone who checks will see Hostinger’s proxy info.
After domain registration, you may receive an email to verify your registration.
Now that you have completed the domain name and hosting setup, it is time to install WordPress.
Hostinger allows you to easily create a WordPress website. Click on the ‘Manage’ button next to your URL under the hosting panel.
This will bring you to your back-end dashboard.
From here, you need to visit the Website » Auto Installer page and then click on the ‘Select’ button under WordPress.
This will launch the auto-installer wizard.
Simply follow the on-screen instructions to finish the setup.
After that, you will see your new website options under the Hostinger control panel.
From here, first, you need to click on the ‘Install’ button next to the ‘SSL Certificate’ option.
After that, you need to click on the toggle next to ‘Force HTTPs’ option.
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) allows your website to use secure HTTPs. Using it improves your WordPress security by encrypting all traffic to and from your website.
Having an SSL certificate is also a factor in ranking well in search engines and a part of a solid website SEO plan.
Finally, click on the ‘Edit Website’ button to launch and start editing your new WordPress website.
By design, WordPress is privacy-conscious software to the extent that you can choose what information you want to share on your website.
First, you may want to visit the Users » Profile page and choose a pseudonym for the default admin or author of your website.
Don’t forget to click on the ‘Update Profile’ button to save your changes.
Next, you need to decide whether you want to allow users to comment on posts and pages across your website.
Simply go to Settings » Discussion page to configure comments. Uncheck all options under the ‘Default Post Settings’ section to disable comments, trackbacks, and pingbacks.
Don’t forget to click on the ‘Save Changes’ button to store your settings.
WordPress comes with two default content types called posts and pages. Posts are part of a blog and are displayed in reverse chronological order, meaning that newer posts appear first.
Pages are standalone pages that are not part of a blog. They are used to create a website structure and layout. See our list of must-have WordPress pages for all types of websites.
To add a page, simply visit the Pages » Add New to create one.
WordPress comes with a powerful editor called the Block Editor. See our complete WordPress block editor tutorial to familiarize yourself with the interface.
Similarly, to create a post you will need to visit Posts » Add New page.
WordPress comes with a powerful templating engine that allows you to change the appearance of your website by installing themes.
There are thousands of free and paid WordPress themes available. You can choose one that looks closer to what you have in mind for your website.
You can look for themes under the Appearance » Themes page. It will show you a bunch of default themes that come with your WordPress install.
For more themes, click on the ‘Add New’ button at the top to find more free themes.
For premium or paid WordPress themes, you can try trusted WordPress theme shops like SeedProd, Thrive Themes, Astra, Elegant Themes, and more.
However, there is such an abundance of WordPress themes that it may become difficult for beginners to decide which theme they want to use.
We recommend choosing a minimalist design with plenty of white space. This provides you plenty of room to customize the theme and make it your own.
For more details, see our guide on how to choose the perfect theme for your website.
Plugins are like apps for your WordPress website. They allow you to add new features and extend the functionality of WordPress.
There are more than 60,000 free plugins available in the WordPress.org plugin directory alone. Plus, there are premium WordPress plugins sold by third-party developers with priority support and guaranteed updates.
However, you also need to consider which plugins you need to use to keep your WordPress website secure, private, and anonymous.
Following are our top picks for the best WordPress plugins to install on your anonymous website.
For more plugin recommendations, see our full list of essential WordPress plugins for any kind of website.
Following are some of the most commonly asked questions about creating an anonymous website.
1. Is it possible to create a fully anonymous website?
Yes, it is possible to create a fully anonymous website. However, you’ll need to be very vigilant about it. Each internet activity creates an information trail leading back to the person who initiated the activity. This trail can be traced by hackers, government agencies, and ISPs. As an anonymous website owner, it will be your job to anonymize all activities.
You can do this by minimizing the activities around your website and using a VPN to hide your IP address. Be careful about any social interactions as they may reveal personally identifiable information.
2. What is anonymous offshore hosting?
Anonymous offshore hosting is a website hosting service that allows users to purchase hosting and domain name without providing real name or credit card information.
Some of these lesser-known companies host their servers in countries with stricter privacy laws. These companies also promise to not store user logs or share them with third-country agencies.
However, these anonymous offshore hosting companies often have very bad customer service and outdated technology.
3. Can a website owner be traced?
Yes, a website owner can be traced even if they are trying to remain anonymous. However, an anonymous website owner can use privacy tools to make it harder to be traced.
Even then if someone is determined to figure out and has the technology, tools, and resources, then they may be able to find out who is running an anonymous website.
4. Can I buy a domain name anonymously?
Yes, you can buy a domain name anonymously from a domain name registrar that accepts cryptocurrencies as a payment method.
Hostinger, also allows you to register additional domain names using cryptocurrencies. During the registration, you can use a separate anonymous email account as the contact address for your domain name.
We hope this article helped you learn how to create a truly anonymous website. You may also want to see our guide on how to create a private blog or take a look at our complete WordPress security guide to keep your anonymous website secure.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
The post How to Create a Truly Anonymous Website (Step by Step) first appeared on WPBeginner.
Web hosts tend to push customers into long-term payment plans. But not everyone needs to pay for a year in advance to build a website. Unfortunately, not all web hosts offer reasonable pricing plans for monthly users. That’s why we hunted down the ones with the best monthly web hosting plans. Keep reading to see them all.
Video is a great tool for businesses that are keen on brand building and customer engagement. In fact, one source puts video as the leading source of information for 66% of people. Of course, if you hope to benefit from the broad appeal of video content, the crucial thing is to work with the best streaming video provider that you can afford.
Are you wondering how much traffic WordPress can handle?
When equipped with the right set of tools, WordPress can handle virtually unlimited traffic. We have seen it handle billions of impressions every month.
In this article, we’ll talk about how much traffic can a WordPress website handle, and how to prepare for heavy traffic on your WordPress site.
Here is a quick list of topics we’ll cover in this article.
A WordPress website stores content in a database. When a user visits a page on your site, WordPress fetches that content and generates the page which then appears on the user’s screen.
As you get more traffic, WordPress has to repeat this process for every user.
As software, WordPress is just code, and it needs some hardware to run on. This hardware is provided by your WordPress hosting company.
It includes a type of computer called a server with software to handle website traffic (Apache and Nginx tend to be the most popular server software). This machine is connected to the internet 24/7 to make sure that your website is always online.
A faster web hosting server allows WordPress to process more requests faster.
A slower web hosting server limits WordPress’ ability to generate those pages quickly.
For more information, take a look at our tutorial on how WordPress really works (behind-the-scenes infographic).
WordPress can handle virtually unlimited website traffic, depending on your hosting platform and caching setup.
The only limit on how much traffic your WordPress website can handle is your hosting platform.
And that’s not just WordPress. All websites, regardless of what website builder they are using, need to rely on the hosting provider to handle more traffic.
Depending on how much traffic you are getting, you can then add more resources to your hosting plan to manage more traffic.
That being said, let’s take a look at some real numbers.
We’ll break it down into different types of hosting plans and how much traffic your WordPress website can manage on those platforms.
Shared hosting is the most common type of hosting plan used by the majority of WordPress websites.
It is suitable for small business websites, new blogs, and low-traffic websites.
Shared hosting plans are budget-friendly because they split sever resources among several customers.
To make sure that all customers get good service, shared hosting companies place different limits on how much traffic a customer can get on their websites.
These limits vary from one hosting provider to another, and they are not made public to prevent abuse.
Some shared hosting providers have incredibly fast servers, and access to larger data centers with high bandwidth. This allows them to provide generous resources to their shared hosting customers.
Other providers may cut costs by choosing low-cost data centers with restrictive bandwidth caps. They may not be able to offer much flexibility and will start blocking requests more frequently during peak hours.
Our top pick for shared hosting providers include Bluehost, SiteGround, and Hostinger.
All three of these companies provide generous resources for small businesses, and they each have hosting plans to grow with you as your business grows while keeping the costs affordable.
They have ultra-fast servers operated by state-of-the-art data centers, higher bandwidth, and superior technical expertise to provide a much better user experience to their customers.
They deploy in-house solutions to handle traffic, with built-in caching and behind the scene server tweaks.
We ran our own tests on Bluehost servers to see how much peak traffic they can handle. Here are the results:
We gradually increased traffic to 100 users at a time within a 5-minute period. As you can see that it didn’t crash and remained quite stable throughout the test.
The folks at Bluehost are offering WPBeginner users a generous discount on hosting with a free domain name. You can start with just $2.75 / month.
How Much Traffic Can Shared WordPress Hosting Handle?
A good shared hosting company can comfortably handle traffic between 10,000 pageviews to 100,000 pageviews per month.
However, you’ll need to optimize WordPress performance to get better results. Some hosts automatically add WordPress acceleration and optimization to help you handle more traffic.
For example, Hostinger on their shared Pro plan can handle up to 200,000 visitors monthly.
Whereas, SiteGround on their GoGeek plan can handle upwards of 400,000 visitors monthly.
Your experience may still differ from the estimates above based on how complex your website is and what resources it requires, but the above estimates are true for vast majority of small business websites.
Don’t worry, we’ll talk later about saving those server resources to efficiently use your hosting plan.
Once you have utilized your shared hosting plan to the maximum, you will need to upgrade your hosting plan.
Managed WordPress hosting is like the concierge service for WordPress websites. Your hosting provider will take care of updates, security, backups, and more.
Since they are focused on WordPress websites, they deploy additional tweaks to their server technologies to make WordPress run faster and perform reliably under stress.
On top of that, managed WordPress hosting plans make it super easy to scale up your server resources when you get sudden huge traffic spikes.
WP Engine is our top recommendation for a managed WordPress hosting platform.
They are pioneers in the managed WordPress hosting industry and leading the way with state-of-the-art infrastructure and top-notch customer support.
We ran our own tests on WP Engine by sending up to 100 virtual visitors within a short period of time. Here are the results:
As you can see, our test site remained stable throughout the period with a very low response time.
If you want to look for an alternative, then we recommend SiteGround. They are also a WordPress-recommended hosting provider.
How Much Actual Traffic Can a Managed WordPress Hosting Plan Handle?
A managed WordPress hosting plan can easily handle traffic of 400,000 visitors into millions of page views per month.
For example, SiteGround on their GoGeek plan can handle upwards of 400,000 visitors monthly.
WP Engine on their Managed Scale plan can also handle upwards of 400,000 visitors monthly.
And both of them offer custom plans for sites that are larger than this.
For example, our WPBeginner website along with other sites are hosted on SiteGround’s custom managed platform, and we receive hundreds of millions of requests each month.
We also know several super large websites that receive tens of millions of visitors that use WP Engine.
When you’re on a managed WordPress hosting platform, they can handle any amount of traffic needed. You just have to pay the additional hardware costs.
For shared and managed WordPress hosting, you share server resources with other customers.
On a cloud hosting platform, you get guaranteed resources on a cloud platform made up of several servers. If one server fails, your website will remain available on other servers.
Due to this redundancy, guaranteed resources, and enterprise-grade availability, cloud hosting is suitable for large businesses, busier eCommerce stores, and other enterprise clients.
We recommend using SiteGround Cloud Hosting. They use the Google Cloud Platform and offer free CDN, unique IP address, enhanced security, and priority support 24/7.
WP Engine, Kinsta, Rocket.net, and others can also create custom cloud platforms based on your hosting needs.
How Much Actual Traffic Can WordPress Handle on Cloud Hosting?
A proper cloud hosting platform can allow WordPress to handle millions of pageviews per month without any hiccups.
For example, Rocket.net public pricing shows that they can handle upwards of 5,000,000 visitors on their Enterprise plan because they use 20+ server locations along with a smart Cloudflare cache.
You can see our performance test results in our detailed Rocket.net hosting review.
Now when most people think about WordPress, they think of it as a blogging platform, but the reality is that WordPress is the most popular website building platform on the planet with over 43% market share.
There are even full-blown SaaS apps that are built using WordPress.
For example, we built a popular conversion optimization software OptinMonster which underneath is powered by WordPress.
We process billions of requests each month, and that’s all WordPress.
So when someone says WordPress doesn’t scale, they are clearly misinformed, or simply lack the expertise themselves to do it.
You should challenge their perspective and find another WordPress consultant that has the expertise to scale WordPress.
What do you need to handle really large traffic in WordPress?
This is where you need Enterprise Custom Cloud Hosting on platforms like Amazon Web Services or Google Cloud.
These companies provide cloud servers that you can sign up for and create your own custom hosting environment.
You can add as many CPU resources, memory, storage, or geographical locations as you need.
You will be billed on a pay-as-you-go basis for the resources you have utilized. That’s why you’ll need your own team of server admins to efficiently use these resources.
Luckily, you don’t have to become a DevOps team either. Companies like WP Engine, SiteGround, and others can build and manage these custom clouds for you.
How Much Traffic Can Enterprise Cloud Hosting on AWS or Google Cloud Handle?
Enterprise custom-built cloud hosting on AWS or Google Cloud can handle extremely large volumes of traffic.
They can be configured to handle millions of hits per day or even billions of pageviews per month.
Our app OptinMonster runs on AWS and powers billions of requests without any hiccups.
You can combine it with a CDN and web-application firewall like Cloudflare for further scalability.
For example, our WPForms website is hosted on Google Cloud managed by SiteGround. We use Easy Digital Downloads to handle our eCommerce and software licensing which means for a plugin with over 5 million active installs, we’re receiving billions of requests each month across our portfolio.
Aside from Google Cloud, we’re using Cloudflare to efficiently scale our WordPress eCommerce site.
WordPress does a very good job of reducing the server load and processing requests so your users can get to your website as quickly as possible.
However, there are so many things that you can do to further optimize that performance. Below, we outline some of the most important practices that you can implement on your website for the best performance.
1. Always Get The Best WordPress Hosting for Your Budget
The web hosting industry is highly competitive, and there are tons of companies offering unlimited bandwidth, unlimited this, and unlimited that.
Don’t fall for false advertisements. Do your own research and sign up for the most trusted hosting providers in the industry. Unlimited rarely actually means unlimited.
For instance, if you were looking for a shared hosting provider, you can compare these top WordPress hosting companies as a starting point.
Choosing an unreliable WordPress hosting company will make your website slower, and it will not be able to handle much traffic.
2. Turn on a Caching Plugin
What if instead of generating pages repeatedly, you save them temporarily on your WordPress server and reuse them?
This technique is called caching. When you update something on your website, the cached version is deleted, and the newly updated content is served to your users.
Most WordPress hosting companies like Bluehost, Hostinger, and SiteGround come with their own built-in caching solutions that are turned on by default. However, if you are unsure, just ask their support staff to turn it on for your website.
Alternatively, you can use WP Rocket, which is the best WordPress caching plugin on the market.
It is beginner friendly, and once you turn it on, you don’t need to worry about the technical stuff as it automatically configures the best settings for most websites.
3. Use CDN for Static Content in WordPress
Using a CDN or content delivery network allows you to serve static files like images, javascript, and CSS, using separate servers.
This reduces the load on your WordPress server and frees up resources to process more traffic requests at faster speeds.
We recommend using Bunny.net they are one of the best CDN services on the market. Adding it to your WordPress website is super-easy even for absolute beginners.
Alternatively, you can use the Cloudflare Free CDN, which some hosting providers such as SiteGround include as a base option within their platform.
4. Filter Bad Traffic with Firewall
Bad traffic is the traffic generated by malicious spam bots, hackers, and DDoS attacks. These are not genuine website visitors, and they could waste a lot of your server resources and make WordPress slower.
A DNS-based website firewall service blocks such traffic even before it reaches your website. This saves you a ton of server resources and your WordPress website can cater to your genuine visitors.
We use Sucuri on the WPBeginner websites and Cloudflare on others. See our list of the best WordPress firewall services on the market.
We hope this article helped you learn how much traffic WordPress can handle. You may also want to follow our WordPress performance optimization handbook or take a look at these tips on making high converting sales funnel.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
The post How Much Traffic Can WordPress Handle? (+ Expert Scaling Tips) first appeared on WPBeginner.
Are you looking for the latest web hosting statistics and market share information?
Web hosting is one of the key parts of every successful website. By understanding the hosting market and all of the major players, you can choose the best provider for your WordPress website.
In this article, we’ve gathered tons of web hosting statistics and market share information.
We’ve divided this list of web hosting statistics into several different categories. You can use the links below to jump to the section you’re most interested in.
No matter whether you run an online store, a nonprofit organization, or an affiliate marketing business, every organization needs a website. That means a big demand for web hosting.
In fact, at the start of 2022, there were around 1.8 billion live websites and over 5.1 billion internet users.
When you consider the stats, we can see that web hosting is a billion-dollar industry that’s only going to grow in the future.
The Asia Pacific region is expected to grow rapidly throughout 2021-2026. Experts say this is due to the growing popularity of online platforms and improved connectivity in the region.
Governments have also invested lots of money in small and medium enterprises, startups, and side businesses, which is fueling the growth in web hosting. For example, in 2019 the Chinese government announced a special investment of $894 million for small and medium enterprises, and in 2020 it invested $140 million into developing more startups.
With that being said, we expect to see the number of websites continue to grow. By investing so much money into startups and small businesses, governments in the Asia Pacific region are creating a huge demand for web hosting in these areas.
Choosing the best domain name for your website is crucial, and many sites even use a domain name generator to pick the perfect domain, fast.
Once you’ve chosen a domain, the next step is to properly register that domain name.
The good news is that many of the top web hosting providers are also domain name registrars, so you can often get a domain and hosting from the same provider.
Interestingly, GoDaddy is both the most popular web hosting provider and the most popular domain registrar, which suggests a lot of people choose to use the same company. Since it’s such a popular choice, we expect to see more web hosting companies also offering domain registration in the future.
If you haven’t purchased a domain name yet, then please see our expert pick of the best domain registrars.
Shared hosting is where multiple websites share a server. By hosting several sites on the same server, web hosting companies can reduce their costs and offer hosting at a lower price, as the stats show.
To help you decide whether shared hosting is right for you, we’ve published this guide on the real truth about the best shared web hosting services.
Similar to shared hosting, VPS hosting runs multiple sites on the same server. However, VPS uses powerful virtualization technology to create a digital barrier between each site. This gives customers guaranteed access to a percentage of the server’s resources. They also have greater control over how their server is set up.
As we can see from the web hosting statistics, extra flexibility, security, and improved performance come at a cost. On average, even entry-level VPS plans are noticeably more expensive than shared hosting.
To help you choose the right VPS hosting plan for your budget, we’ve created a guide to the best VPS hosting.
Dedicated hosting is where a single customer has private access to an entire server. Dedicated hosting plans are mainly used by big websites that get lots of visitors and need a high level of performance and security.
Dedicated plans are expensive, but they’re not the only way to create a top-notch website.
For example, if you’re using WordPress then there are lots of ways to boost WordPress speed and performance. Plus, you can use security plugins to help protect your site.
The web hosting stats show that over 50% of all websites use open-source server software.
Open source gives you the freedom to use, change, extend, and redistribute software without having to pay anything. Immediately, open source helps you run a website for less and creates a sense of community and collaboration that benefits everyone who uses the software. With that being said, it’s not surprising that it’s one of the major hosting trends.
As well as open-source server software, almost half of the web (43%) uses the WordPress open-source content management system. It’s clear that in 2022, the world wide web runs on open source.
For more details about open source and WordPress, you can check out our guides on why WordPress is free and how much it really costs to build a WordPress website.
Amazon has the largest market share and is also clearly a favorite among high-traffic sites.
This popularity could be down to Amazon’s reputation, as they’re known to provide robust and scalable hosting to some of the biggest companies in the world.
In fact, Netflix alone uses over 100,000 Amazon server instances to deliver high-resolution videos to their customers.
GoDaddy may have a mixed reputation, but it still has a big market share and hosts over 41 million websites.
This may be because of how much GoDaddy spends on marketing, as they invested over $100 million during the second quarter of 2022 alone.
However, it’s always smart to consider all your options. With that being said, you may want to see our expert pick of the best GoDaddy alternatives.
Namecheap is best known as a domain registrar, but they’re also a popular hosting provider since their plans are very affordable.
For example, Namecheap’s shared hosting plans start at $2.18 per month, which is low when compared to the shared hosting average of $2.51-$4.63.
As we’ve previously seen, Namecheap is also the second most popular domain registrar. For website owners who want to buy their domain and hosting from the same company, this makes Namecheap an attractive choice.
Hostinger may not have a huge share of the high-traffic market, but they have a significant slice of the wider web hosting market.
This is likely because they offer affordable, all-in-one hosting packages complete with 24/7 live chat support, managed automatic updates, a free CDN service, and free site migration. They also have a 1-click installer that makes it easy to install WordPress plus other popular software.
For a detailed look at Hostinger’s strong points and weak points, you can check out our expert Hostinger review.
WP Engine is one of the world’s leading managed WordPress hosting providers, used by 2.2% of all websites.
A managed hosting plan is perfect for busy website owners who want to avoid time-consuming admin tasks.
With its advanced security features, protection against DDoS attacks, and built-in CDN in partnership with MaxCDN, WP Engine is powerful enough to support larger businesses such as Mozilla and SoundCloud.
For more information, please see our expert review of WP Engine.
With 1-click WordPress installation, a 99.9% uptime guarantee, and 24/7 support, it’s easy to see why HostGator is used by 1.4% of all websites.
They also offer shared hosting, Virtual Private Server hosting, dedicated hosting servers, and managed WordPress hosting plans, so website owners can choose the plan that works the best for them.
To see whether HostGator is right for you, check out our expert review of HostGator.
Bluehost is an affordable hosting provider, especially when compared to the average prices we’ve seen earlier.
WPBeginner readers can get a 60% off discount with Bluehost. You can purchase a shared plan for just $2.75 per month, which is at the lower end of the $2.51-$4.63 average. Plus, it comes with a free domain name!
These affordable prices may explain why Bluehost is used by 2 million websites. As well as offering low prices, Bluehost is one of the few hosts officially recommended by WordPress.
To learn more about Bluehost, you can see an in-depth Bluehost review from our experts.
Shopify is a popular website builder, similar to Wix and Squarespace. Shopify has seen rapid growth from a 0.4% share of the web hosting market in 2016 to 4.4% in 2022. This is likely due to the rising popularity of online shopping, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With physical shops closed around the world, many businesses needed to create an online store, fast. As a fully hosted eCommerce platform, Shopify saw good conversion rates and lots of new customers during the pandemic.
However, Shopify does force you to use its Shopify Payment platform. If you want to use a different payment processing solution, then you’ll need to pay an extra 2% transaction fee which is very high compared to other eCommerce platforms.
With that in mind, we may see Shopify’s growth slow as store owners start to look for more affordable Shopify alternatives. For example, we’re starting to see more people move from Shopify to WooCommerce.
Similar to Shopify, Squarespace’s market share has grown very quickly. In 2016, Squarespace had just 0.3% of the market, but by 2022 it had 2.0%.
Despite this, today only a small percentage of the top 1 million sites use Squarespace. This could be because Squarespace forces customers to use its built-in drag and drop builder which can be restrictive.
Bigger organizations are more likely to choose a flexible hosting plan and open-source CMS such as WordPress, rather than a hosted solution and restrictive web builder.
For more information, you can see our guide on Square vs. WordPress – which one is better?
Sources:
Internet Live Stats, Internet World Stats, GoDaddy, Global Industry Analysts, Fortune Business Insights, W3Techs, Statista, BuiltWith, Domain Name Stat, AWS.
We hope this ultimate web hosting statistics and market share report will help you find the best hosting provider for your website. You may also want to see our research on the latest blogging statistics as well as new marketing trends and stats.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
The post Ultimate Web Hosting Statistics and Market Share Report (2022) first appeared on WPBeginner.
Are you looking for the best monthly web hosting plans?
Most popular web hosting companies offer big discounts on annual, bi-annual, and multiple-year payment terms.
These discounts may be promoted as low monthly payments, but when you go to the checkout page, you’ll pay a hefty amount upfront to buy the web hosting.
In this article, we will share some of the best monthly web hosting plans that let you truly sign up for a month-to-month hosting service.
Many web hosting companies only offer discounts if you buy hosting for a full year or multiple years. That makes it can cost hundreds of dollars just to get started.
Plus, if you don’t like the web hosting service, you may not be able to get a full refund, and you will lose your initial investment.
A true monthly web hosting plan will be cheaper to get started. With a month-to-month hosting plan, you won’t commit to a hosting provider long-term, and it’s easier to move to another web hosting company.
This allows you to choose the best hosting provider with the features you need to host your WordPress website.
And more importantly, you will only pay a low monthly cost for the web hosting service you use.
Without further delay, let’s look at some of the best monthly web hosting plans for small businesses.
DreamHost is one of the most well-known web hosting companies, and they’re an official WordPress-recommended hosting provider. They offer the cheapest month-to-month web hosting plan on the market.
They provide a custom control panel to add your domain name, manage emails, and access web hosting features.
Moreover, DreamHost comes with automated website backups. These daily backups ensure the complete safety of your content.
When it comes to DreamHost’s monthly pricing, their WordPress Starter or Shared plan costs $4.95/month with a free SSL certificate, free website migration, and more.
You will have to pay for the domain name separately, which is fair.
But if you’re willing to commit for the year, WPBeginner users can get up to a 72% discount on their Shared plan with a free domain name, website builder, SSD storage, and more.
Our DreamHost coupon code is applicable on the 1-year and 3-year payment plans.
DreamHost has other web hosting solutions, including VPS hosting, managed WordPress hosting, dedicated server hosting, WooCommerce hosting, and cloud hosting.
Don’t miss our complete DreamHost review for more details on their shared hosting options and pricing plans.
Hostinger is one of the leading web hosting companies on the global market. It offers WordPress website hosting, shared hosting, and cloud hosting plans.
The month-to-month shared hosting plan from Hostinger starts at $11.99 for a single website.
If you’re looking for a web hosting plan for multiple sites, then we recommend their WordPress Starter plan. It comes with a free domain name, a free SSL certificate, and free unlimited email accounts.
The Hostinger WordPress Starter plan costs $11.99/month.
You can use WPBeginner’s exclusive Hostinger coupon code to get a discount on your monthly web hosting plan. The Hostinger promo code offers more discounts on longer commitments.
For example, if you choose to pay for up to 12 months, the cost for the WordPress basic hosting plan reduces to $2.99/month.
And WPBeginner users get an additional discount that makes it $2.69/month.
In short, you’ll pay $32.29 at once to get WordPress hosting for the full year.
Their shared hosting plans cost similar to WordPress hosting. However, you’ll need to pay an additional setup fee.
Hostinger also offers Virtual Private Server hosting (VPS hosting) plans, Minecraft server hosting, and other solutions.
We ran several tests on Hostinger, and here’s our complete Hostinger review that may interest you.
Bluehost is one of the most popular web hosting providers and an officially recommended WordPress hosting partner.
Though they don’t offer a month-to-month web hosting plan, the initial cost is so low that we couldn’t resist adding them to this list.
And you’ll save triple your investment with a free domain name, free SSL certificate, and a BIG discount on your web hosting package.
So if you’re just starting out, we recommend Bluehost as the best web hosting for beginners, startups, and small businesses.
The initial cost for your web hosting plan will be as low as $33 for the first year.
This also includes your free domain name, free SSL certificate, and a cPanel for a one-click WordPress installation.
However, on the renewal, you’ll need to pay the full cost for your web hosting plan and domain name. But by then, you’ll be able to grow your business to afford the price.
And if you still want to switch, you can easily move your WordPress site to a new web hosting company for a month-to-month hosting plan. Some web hosting providers also offer free migration services, so you’re safe anyway.
On a side note, we thoroughly tested Bluehost for its features, speed, and uptime. And we recommend it to everyone, all the time.
Most of our WPBeginner users start their websites with Bluehost web hosting and grow their businesses to the next level.
SiteGround is one of the best WordPress hosting providers. Their web hosting is optimized for speed and security. We use SiteGround to host the WPBeginner website.
Among top features, SiteGround offers automatic WordPress updates, a free CDN network to improve page load time, a custom web application firewall to protect your web server against malware and DDoS attacks, and more.
Their customer support team is available 24/7 to help you with any of your concerns, which you may rarely have with SiteGround web hosting.
SiteGround has data centers all over the world since they use the Google Cloud network. It’s the reason they can provide a 99.9% uptime guarantee on their web hosting platform. Over the years of using their platform, we have never had downtime for the WPBeginner site.
The SiteGround’s StartUp plan costs $19.99/month.
It’s an expensive monthly web hosting plan compared to other hosting providers on the list, but it also includes functionality like free site migration, free SSL certificate, eCommerce support, basic WordPress site management, out of the box caching addons, and more.
And WPBeginner’s exclusive SiteGround coupon code lets you buy their WordPress hosting plan with an 80% discount.
This reduces the cost to up to $2.99/month for the StartUp plan.
SiteGround’s discount deal is only valid when you choose to pay for up to 12 months upfront. So you’ll pay $35.88 for 12 months and get access to all their WordPress hosting features.
The best part is that they also offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Aside from WordPress, SiteGround also has cheap web hosting for other content management systems like Drupal, Joomla, Magento, and basically any other Linux based app.
We have done a detailed SiteGround review which shared performance tests from various locations along with coverage of their additional services like Site Scanner.
WP Engine is the most popular managed WordPress hosting company in the market. They are typically the go-to choice for large websites, enterprise customers, as well as small businesses and developers who want a fully managed web hosting platform with speed, security, and support.
WP Engine offers monthly cloud hosting plans starting at $30 per month on a month-to-month billing which gives you access to 10GB of disk space, 50GB of bandwidth, 10 premium themes from StudioPress, free automated migration, automated website backups, and more.
All their plans come with advanced developer tools like one-click staging, dev & prod site environments, threat blocking & security, built-in CDN for turbo website speed, transferable sites for easy client handoff, activity log, and more.
WP Engine also offers managed hosting solutions for WooCommerce online stores starting at $50 per month as well as enterprise cloud hosting starting at $600 per month.
But if you use the WPBeginner’s WP Engine coupon code and pre-pay for annual plans, then you will get 4 months free.
WP Engine also offers additional services like automated plugin updates, extra SOC2 level security with managed WAF, site monitoring, and more which can be purchased separately.
We did a detailed performance test of their platform in our WP Engine review that we highly recommend you check out.
6. HostGator: One of the most popular web hosting providers, HostGator offers unmetered bandwidth, a 99.9% uptime guarantee, and more. Their shared hosting plan costs $7.65 for the first month (including tax) for WPBeginner readers. The plan renews at $11.95 per month from the second month.
7. GreenGeeks: The eco-friendly WordPress hosting offered by GreenGeeks comes with multiple types of hosting, including reseller hosting, dedicated hosting for websites, and more. It has built-in caching for fast performance, which costs $11.95 per month. You also need to pay a setup fee of $15 for the first time.
If you’re looking for true monthly web hosting with no long-term commitment, then DreamHost has the best monthly web hosting packages.
DreamHost’s top features include free website migration, free SSL, security, and a 97-day money-back guarantee.
With that said, when you’re starting a website, you want to get the best web hosting deal because it’s highly unlikely that you’ll be switching hosting providers every month.
Most people that choose a reliable hosting provider rarely ever switch. In over a decade of running the WPBeginner website, we have switched hosting providers only once, and that was after 10 years when we outgrew our previous provider.
So, in that case, what’s more important is that you choose a provider that’s giving you the best deal with one-year commitment.
We recommend Hostinger, SiteGround, or Dreamhost for those just starting out.
Hostinger’s WordPress Starter plan ($32.29 for the first year) is the cheapest web hosting option on paying upfront for 12 months, and you get a free domain name worth $9.99/year.
On the other hand, SiteGround’s StartUp plan on a 12-month upfront payment ($35.88/for the first year) is close to Hostinger’s pricing for the basic starter plan.
However, SiteGround servers are blazing fast since it’s hosted on Google Cloud, and you get tons of advanced performance and security features which is why we use SiteGround for the WPBeginner website.
If you’re looking for a more managed web hosting provider with enterprise support, then WP Engine is going to be your best bet since they offer monthly web hosting plans for cloud hosting.
Note: At WPBeginner, we regularly look into dozens of web hosting companies that are not listed in this article, like A2 hosting, GoDaddy, InMotion Hosting, Cloudways, Namecheap, LiquidWeb (Nexcess), and others. We decided not to list them all in this article because we don’t want to cause choice paralysis. If you choose a host from our recommended list, you won’t go wrong.
We hope this article has helped you find the best monthly web hosting plan.
You may also want to check out our other guides on related web hosting and business growth.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
The post 5 Best Monthly Web Hosting Plans (Starts at $4.95/mo.) first appeared on WPBeginner.
Whether you’re expanding your online business or starting a new one altogether, hosting multiple sites comes with a whole different set of concerns than hosting your first site. This guide to the best multiple domain hosting plans will explain everything you need to know about hosting multiple domains.
How much does it cost to host a website? If you want to launch your own website, that’s probably a question that’s at the forefront of your mind. So – what should you expect? Are we talking single digits per month? Double digits, triple digits, quadruple digits? Don’t worry – if you’re just getting started, you’re likely to be in the single digits camp, especially for a simple site.
As a web developer, you’ll need the necessary infrastructure to work on front-end, back-end, or full-stack projects. Unfortunately, entry-level web hosting rarely offers the resources and scalability you’ll require. Therefore, it’s important to look for the best web hosting for developers.
