What Is Web Hosting?

Web hosting is a service that allows your website to be visible on the internet. It’s like renting space on a special computer (called a server) where your website’s files, images, and content are stored. When someone types in your website address (also called a domain name), the web hosting server sends your website’s information to their screen so they can view it.

Why Do I Need Hosting?

Every website needs hosting to be available online. Without it, your website wouldn’t exist on the internet, just like a physical store wouldn’t exist without a physical location.

What Is Shared Hosting?

Now that you know what web hosting is, let’s explore shared hosting, one of the most affordable types of hosting available.

Think of shared hosting like renting an apartment in an apartment complex. You rent space on a server with other websites. All the websites on that server share the same resources like memory and bandwidth (the amount of data that can be sent between your website and visitors).

Why Use Shared Hosting?

• Low Cost: Shared hosting is typically the cheapest hosting option available.
• Great for Small Websites: If you plan on having a fairly small website with low traffic and just need a basic online business presence, such as a local business website, shared hosting is usually sufficient.

However, because you’re sharing resources with other websites, performance can sometimes slow down if another website on the server gets a lot of traffic. We’ll dive deeper into the pros and cons of this type of hosting in an upcoming lesson.

What Is Managed WordPress Hosting?

Another popular option for hosting WordPress websites is called managed hosting, which is specifically designed for WordPress websites.

While managed hosting is similar to shared hosting in that you might still share space on the same server as another website, it differs in that you have dedicated resources (memory and bandwidth) specifically allocated for your website that are not affected by the other websites.

Also, with a managed hosting plan, the hosting provider takes care of all the technical tasks for you—like updating WordPress, running backups, and keeping your site secure. This service is great if you don’t want to worry about the technical side of things while you focus on building your website.

Why Use Managed WordPress Hosting?

• Optimized for WordPress: The hosting is tailored for WordPress, meaning it’s faster and more secure.
• Automatic Updates and Backups: You don’t need to worry about updating your site or losing your data—everything is done for you.
• Great for Growing Sites: As your website or ecommerce store grows, managed WordPress hosting can handle more traffic and help keep your site running smoothly.

Managed WordPress hosting does tend to cost slightly more than shared hosting, but it can be worth it if you want peace of mind and less work on the backend.

Managed vs. Shared Hosting

At Wilson Digital, we have used a number of different domain registrars and hosting companies over the years. We currently use Namecheap for both client websites and our own websites. You are welcome to use any provider you please to host your WordPress website. Beyond hosting setup, the KlickIt courses will apply regardless of the hosting company used.

This lesson discusses the differences between managed WordPress hosting and shared hosting, focusing mainly on Namecheap hosting plans. When deciding between Namecheap’s shared hosting and their EasyWP managed WordPress hosting, it’s crucial to understand how they differ in performance, scalability, and features like custom email.

Let’s compare the two options:

1. Performance

• Namecheap Managed WordPress Hosting (EasyWP): EasyWP is optimized for WordPress, offering faster load times with built-in caching, SSD storage, and cloud-based infrastructure. Since resources are dedicated, your site’s performance remains stable even during high traffic.
• Namecheap Shared Hosting: With shared hosting plans like Stellar, resources (CPU, memory, I/O) are shared among multiple websites on the same server. LVE limits (Lightweight Virtual Environment limits) are used to ensure fair usage of resources. While this helps maintain server stability, exceeding these limits can lead to slowdowns or temporary downtime.

2. Resource Allocation (LVE Limits)

• EasyWP Managed Hosting: Unlike shared hosting, EasyWP doesn’t rely on LVE limits. Each website gets dedicated resources with plans that scale to meet increased demands, ensuring consistent performance.
• Shared Hosting: Stellar plans include LVE limits to control CPU, RAM, and the number of concurrent processes per account. This can affect performance if your website grows or receives a traffic spike, as ecommerce sites often do. Upgrading to a higher-tier shared plan can alleviate these limitations.

3. Security

• EasyWP Managed Hosting: Offers advanced security features, including daily backups, DDoS protection, and SSL certificates (available with all plans). EasyWP also keeps WordPress and plugins updated automatically to prevent vulnerabilities.
• Shared Hosting: Namecheap shared plans come with essential security features like free SSL certificates for the first year, and malware scanning. However, you’ll need to manually update or enable auto-update settings for WordPress and plugins, and possibly use third-party tools to maintain security.

4. Custom Email Options

• EasyWP Managed Hosting: EasyWP does not include email hosting. If you want custom email addresses like “yourname@yourdomain.com”, you’ll need to purchase Namecheap’s email hosting service or integrate with third-party providers like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365.
• Shared Hosting: All Namecheap shared hosting plans include custom email hosting, allowing you to create personalized email accounts through cPanel. The number of email accounts depends on the hosting plan.

5. Maintenance

• EasyWP Managed Hosting: Includes automatic WordPress core, plugin, and theme updates. Daily backups and one-click restores are also included, making it hassle-free for beginners.
• Shared Hosting: Maintenance tasks like updates and backups are manual unless you enable auto-update features for WordPress and plugins. Some higher tiered plans offer auto backups.

6. Scalability

• EasyWP Managed Hosting: EasyWP plans are designed to scale seamlessly with your website’s needs. For example, plans range from Starter (10GB storage and 50,000 monthly visitors) to Supersonic (100GB storage and 500,000 monthly visitors). This makes it ideal for growing ecommerce sites or blogs.
• Shared Hosting: Scalability is limited due to LVE restrictions. Namecheap’s Stellar Plus and Stellar Business plans offer increased resources, but unlike EasyWP hosting, if you need to upgrade to a plan with more resources, it may require migrating your website to a new plan (which Namecheap will perform in most cases).

7. Ease of Use

• EasyWP Managed Hosting: EasyWP’s custom dashboard is user-friendly, with features like one-click WordPress installation, staging environments, and domain integration. It’s beginner-friendly and eliminates the need for a traditional cPanel.
• Shared Hosting: Namecheap’s shared hosting uses cPanel, a more generic but versatile control panel. While powerful, it may feel less intuitive for beginners managing WordPress installations and updates.

8. Support

• EasyWP Managed Hosting: Namecheap offers 24/7 support specifically trained to handle WordPress-related issues, making it easier to resolve technical challenges.
• Shared Hosting: Support is also available 24/7 for shared hosting plans, but assistance may be more general and less tailored to WordPress-specific problems.

9. Cost

• EasyWP Managed Hosting: Namecheap offers a 30 day Free Trial, with plans starting at $6.88/month. Custom email hosting is not included and must be purchased separately, starting at $1.24/mo with a 60 day Free Trial.
• Shared Hosting: Namecheap’s Stellar plans start at $4.48/month. It includes free email hosting and can host up to three websites (varies per plan), making it a budget-friendly choice.

10. Who It’s Best For

• EasyWP Managed Hosting: Ideal for ecommerce websites, high traffic blogs, or users who prioritize performance, scalability, and ease of use. It’s also great for beginners who want a simplified setup.
• Shared Hosting: Good for lower traffic websites such as local business websites and personal blogs, or those on a tight budget who don’t mind a few more technical steps to setup WordPress and email.

Conclusion:

• EasyWP Managed WordPress Hosting is the best choice for beginners and ecommerce sites built with WooCommerce and the Divi theme. It offers reliable performance, automatic updates, and scalability. Pairing EasyWP with Namecheap’s private email hosting ensures a professional-grade solution for your site and email needs.
• Namecheap Shared Hosting is a great option for smaller projects or those needing a cost-effective solution with email hosting included. However, its performance and scalability are limited by LVE constraints, making it less suitable for high-traffic or resource-intensive sites.

For the first time web builder creating an ecommerce website with WordPress, and for only a few more dollars per month, EasyWP Managed Hosting is the better option for simplicity, performance, and scalability. However, feel free to choose whichever plan best fits your needs.