Choose a host for WordPress is a crucial decision that affects the performance, security and management of your sites. Whether you're rolling out new sites or changing host, we're going to cover the really important criteria to avoid disappointment.
Here's my opinion, both biased and relevant, as a sysadmin expert in secure web hosting for WordPress. Relevant, because being an expert in the field, I know the real important criteria and have very high standards. Biased, because as a web host myself, the conflict of interest is obvious; nevertheless, I apply my own criteria to the services I offer, and I host LRob services myself with this same solution, so it's proof that I find it completely relevant.
Difficulty in choosing a hosting provider
The main problem is that most hosting companies are opaque about their infrastructure, their security policy and their management. Update policy is unknown. The policy for filling machines is unknown. The architecture of the machines is unknown... In short, little relevant information is provided. Only the sales pitch is often provided.
But we're talking about a technical service, so we need precise technical information.
Without accurate information, it's very difficult, if not impossible, to make an informed choice of hosting provider. So you have to dig deep, until you find those who are transparent enough to tick all the boxes. To help you, and at the same time to encourage the whole web hosting world to be more transparent, here are the 10 most important criteria to consider, in my opinion.
We're off! 🚀🚀
Geographical location and peering
Importance of location
Geographical proximity of servers to your core audience reduces latency and thus improves loading times. Hosting located in Europe for a European audience, for example, will guarantee better performance. The closer the better. But that's not all: peering is even more important than raw distance.
The importance of peering
Peering is the network interconnection between different Internet providers. In other words, the Internet network "pipes".
Peering takes place between server and network providers (datacenters, professional network providers, etc.) and Internet service providers (Orange, Bouygues, Free, SFR, etc.).
Good peering, with redundant connections and multiple points of presence (PoPs), means greater resilience and faster response times, even in the event of heavy Internet traffic. In principle, this is the case with any datacenter-hosted solution, but in practice, it's more or less solid.
Furthermore, peering must be correctly dimensioned to absorb even the biggest traffic peaks, or even the biggest network attacks: the service must remain fluid in all circumstances.
Whichever hosting provider you choose and where it's located, you need to make sure it has an excellent interconnection with the major French public networks, to ensure optimum bandwidth for both your visitors' loading speed and your own administration.
We know that France's interconnection with the UK is generally poor, but that Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands, on the other hand, are very well connected to France.
However, this can vary according to each provider and ISP. From experience, I've observed that Free tends to be the least well interconnected, while Orange tends to be the best in this respect. Even between Free and OVH, both of which are French, I've observed saturation during my most frequent downloads and backups. So even if you stay in France, good peering isn't guaranteed, but for sure, if you choose a server too far away like Latvia, latency and reliability will be altered.
Performance
Material resources
Opt for servers equipped with NVMe SSDs in RAID, which offer ultra-fast read/write speeds. Redis cache also improves database performance.
Visit hosting performance is the guarantee of smooth visits: an asset for your SEO.
Importance of oversize
Oversized servers, which are not overloaded, guarantee constant performance. Avoid hosting companies that overload their servers, as this can lead to slowdowns.
Support
Responsiveness and competence
24/7 technical support is essential. Check response times and support availability. Incompetent support can turn a minor breakdown into a catastrophe.
Continuous monitoring
Proactive service monitoring allows you to detect and resolve problems before they affect your site. Make sure your hosting provider offers this feature.
Ease of use and interface
Intuitive interfaces
A clear, intuitive user interface simplifies site management. Look for tools like Plesk's WordPress Toolkit, which make it easy to manage installations, updates and security configurations.
Automatic installations and updates
One-click installations and automatic WordPress updates reduce the risk of security breaches due to outdated versions.
Security
Advanced security measures
Make sure your hosting provider offers firewalls, anti-bruteforce protection, vulnerability monitoring and daily backups. These measures protect your site against common attacks.
Regular backups
Regular, automated backups are essential if you are to restore your site quickly in the event of a problem.
Improved management tools
Simplified management
WordPress-specific tools, such as centralized dashboards for managing multiple sites, site cloning options for testing modifications, and staging tools are very useful.
Optimization and caching
Caching plugins and WordPress-specific optimizations, such as appropriate server configurations, considerably improve your site's performance.
Reliability and user experience
Reliability of major hosting providers
Even major hosting companies are not immune to major incidents. OVH, for example, suffered a fire that affected numerous sites. This kind of event underlines the importance of choosing a hosting provider with a good redundancy and disaster recovery policy.
Limits of large hosting providers
Large hosting providers can suffer from inertia, with outdated systems and general security measures that are often insufficient. Choose a specialized hosting provider that offers solutions tailored to the specific needs of WordPress.
Conclusion
Choosing a WordPress hosting provider requires careful evaluation of several criteria: geographical location, performance, technical support, security, management tools and, increasingly, ecological impact.
Take the time to compare offers and check the opinions of other users to make an informed choice.
For an optimized, specialized and reliable solution, a eco-friendly accommodationconsider hosting providers as LROB who offer services tailored to WordPress, with a particular focus on performance and security.
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