Is managed WordPress hosting or shared hosting right for you? For many developers, business owners and digital agencies, this question creates a pain point. It unearths further questions about website speed, traffic, security and backup. Can you manage these yourself? Or would you prefer peace of mind knowing a provider has taken care of everything?
It is crucial to understand the difference between managed WordPress hosting vs shared hosting before putting your website in the hands of a provider. You should research each solution and consider the option best suited to your business as both have their advantages and disadvantages.
What is managed WordPress hosting vs shared hosting?
Managed WordPress hosting
Managed WordPress hosting is a service that offers scalability, security, and high availability for your website. Managed WordPress providers often have a team of WordPress experts to manage core updates, backups, server configurations, support and security monitoring. Managed WordPress hosting is a service for those looking to keep their site running smoothly, even when traffic increases dramatically.
Managed WordPress hosting delivers more control over your WordPress website. Many providers offer dashboards that can help you improve security and manage core, plugin and theme updates. Your provider’s experienced team can also manage your dashboard to ensure automated updates and backups occur as they should.
For example, Conetix offers a dedicated server plan, which includes complete management of your WordPress site, an SSL certificate, the Plesk WordPress Toolkit, and the SEO tools you need to ensure your target audience finds you.
Shared hosting
Shared hosting is another type of website hosting service where several businesses share one server for hundreds, if not thousands, of websites. If you need a budget-friendly hosting plan, then shared WordPress hosting might be a better option to consider.
Shared hosting costs less as it hosts multiple websites at once. However, it is less reliable than managed WordPress hosting because you share resources with other users on the server. If one website on the server experiences a traffic spike and slows down, it will cause problems for all the websites in that environment.
Similarities between managed WordPress hosting vs shared hosting
Managed WordPress hosting and shared hosting are not completely opposing products; they essentially provide a server to store your website’s files and content.
For example, a Managed WordPress provider might manage all of the elements of your website but host it on a shared server with other websites they manage. Before selecting a managed WordPress host to work with, you should research whether they host your site on an individual server.
The case for managed WordPress hosting
Shared hosting providers generally will not offer to manage your site for you. If you are a busy freelance developer, digital agency, or managing your own site, spending money on a service without website maintenance may not make sense when a provider can manage it for you.
A managed WordPress provider can monitor your site 24/7 and quickly fix any issues or restore a backup copy of your site. At Conetix, our golden rule is: ‘Backup, backup, backup!’ WordPress requires constant updates to keep it safe and secure; a managed WordPress provider will monitor your site’s security and uptime.
Automated updates are a great WordPress feature, but they are often the culprits of website issues. The support team behind managed WordPress hosting monitors automatic updates and resolves any problems caused by updates so that you do not have to pinpoint and resolve the issue.
Managed WordPress hosting gives you an optimal environment to run your website, which regular shared hosting services often cannot provide. Managed WordPress hosting ensures that your website will have minimal downtime or server issues, problems that would otherwise take up valuable time that you could utilise for other important tasks.
Why you might consider shared hosting
You may need to prioritise cost-efficiency over the benefits of managed WordPress. In this case, shared hosting might be a good option as it is generally a much cheaper solution. For small businesses with low website traffic or minimal bandwidth requirements, shared hosting can do the job.
Shared hosting services can provide great benefits if you plan to keep website traffic low, allowing you to save money and focus on your site rather than server maintenance. Shared hosting often advertises unlimited users on your site, but better handles a small number of users at one time. If the server needs to handle more requests, your website speed can slow down or your website may fail (500 error).
Businesses might also choose shared hosting because it is easy to maintain. You do not carry the responsibility of maintaining the server; you just manage security updates and patches.
In shared hosting, your website resides on the same server as other websites. If one website experiences a problem, it can potentially affect all of the websites on the server.
Managed WordPress hosting vs shared hosting: How do you choose?
Sometimes, it can be challenging to decide whether or not you should pay for managed WordPress hosting or just go with the cheaper shared hosting service. I recommend you consider the following:
- Maintenance: If you do not want to be responsible for site maintenance, it is safer to select managed WordPress hosting.
- Budget: Shared hosting may be the more practical choice if you are on a budget and can maintain your site yourself.
- The number of users: Consider your bandwidth and storage space requirements. More users mean higher bandwidth and storage needs.
- Security: Shared hosting cannot provide a good solution for e-commerce websites due to the lack of security features. If you or your developer are not completing security updates, you are vulnerable unless you are on a managed WordPress plan.
- Backups: A managed WordPress host will back up your site for you, whereas you will need a backup plugin if you buy shared hosting.
If you are unsure of what each service offers, do some research and compare reviews before deciding. Ensure you have a long-term plan before committing to either managed WordPress hosting or shared hosting.
Managed WordPress hosting with Conetix
Have you become stuck in the managed WordPress hosting vs shared hosting debate? Choosing the right solution for your business often begins with identifying your website’s needs.
Conetix provides Australian businesses with fast and reliable hosting on an Australian-based cloud network. Our Managed WordPress plans include updates to the core system, plugins and themes, all backed by our friendly and knowledgeable support team.
Visit our Managed WordPress page for more on our capabilities.
