When building a WordPress site, your choice of web hosting provider is crucial. Not only does it need to have the necessary resources to power your site, but it also needs to be optimized for WordPress’s needs. Cloud hosting offers significant advantages for WordPress sites by providing scalable infrastructure and automatic software/security updates.
In this post, we will explore the 5 best cloud hosting providers for WordPress and what makes each of them a great option. All of these providers deliver fast, reliable hosting with automatic WordPress optimization and 24/7 support. By the end, you’ll have a good idea of which cloud host is the best fit depending on your site’s specific needs and budget.
1. Bluehost
Bluehost is one of the most popular and affordable cloud hosting options specifically tailored for WordPress sites. They offer a generous free SSL certificate with all shared hosting plans and one-click WordPress installations. Some key features that make Bluehost great for WordPress include:
- Free domain name registration for your first year
- PHP 7 and MySQL databases optimized for WordPress performance
- 24/7 customer support via phone, email and tickets
- Automatic WordPress, PHP and security updates
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Starting at $2.95/month for the basic plan
Bluehost’s affordability and “out-of-the-box” optimization for WordPress makes it an excellent choice for personal blogs, small businesses and agencies on a budget. The automatic updates ensure your site stays secure and compatible with WordPress core. Overall, Bluehost provides very reliable, scalable [best cloud hosting for wordpress] at entry-level prices.
2. SiteGround
SiteGround is one of the top cloud hosting providers for performance-critical WordPress sites. They have a reputation for fast page loads, excellent uptime and strong security features. Some top reasons to consider SiteGround include:
- SSD storage for ultra-fast page loads
- Free Site Migration tool to import from another host
- Staging environments for testing new changes
- Free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate
- Expert WordPress support 24/7 via phone, chat and tickets
- Starting at $3.95/month for the basic GrowBig plan
While more expensive than some others, SiteGround offers great value through their focus on speed, reliability and security. Every plan automatically protects your site from common WordPress vulnerabilities with features like global content delivery network (CDN) and daily backups. SiteGround is an excellent choice for businesses and agencies requiring rock-solid [best cloud hosting for wordpress].
3. A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting offers some of the fastest hosting available through their own global cloud infrastructure and SSD storage optimizations. They are focused solely on WordPress and provide many developer-centric features:
- Unlimited SSD storage, data transfers and databases
- Free Let’s Encrypt SSL on all plans
- Daily automatic backups and one-click restores
- Git support for easy version control of WordPress sites
- Free PHP/MySQL tuning and screencasts
- Starting at $3.92/month
While offering slightly more basic plans than some competitors, A2 makes up for it through incredible speeds and a developer-focused toolset. Their Turbo Servers provide some of the lowest page load times around. A2 is a top choice for performance-critical blogs, eCommerce stores or agencies building complex WordPress sites.
4. WP Engine
WP Engine is one of the leading managed WordPress hosting providers, focused solely on powering WordPress sites at scale. They are best suited for marketing/agency clients with performance-critical sites:
- Automatic daily backups, security updates and caching optimizations
- Staging environments for testing code changes
- Load balancer and global CDN for high traffic sites
- Expert WordPress support 24/7 via phone and chat
- Integrations with key plugins like WooCommerce and Gravity Forms
- Starting at $25/month
While more expensive than some others on this list, WP Engine offers peace of mind through their commitment to updating, optimizing and securing your site. Their managed WordPress hosting is excellent for larger businesses needing extensive support and tools for client sites.
5. DreamHost
DreamHost is a full-service web host providing reliable shared, VPS and dedicated hosting options. They cater well to starter WordPress sites through their affordable shared hosting plans:
- 1-click WordPress install with free domain name
- PHP 7 and MySQL optimized configurations
- Free SSL certificate with shared hosting plans
- 24/7 support and guides for beginners
- 30-day money back guarantee
- Starting at $2.59/month
Their feature-rich shared plans pack a lot of value for the price. You benefit from automated WordPress updates and optimized server environments without breaking the bank. DreamHost’s straightforward interface also makes it a great option for non-technical users. Overall it provides very reliable [best cloud hosting for wordpress] for personal and smaller business sites.
FAQs about Cloud Hosting for WordPress
What are the main benefits of cloud hosting for WordPress?
– Scalable infrastructure that automatically scales up/down as needed
– Continuous backups, updates and security fixes from the provider
– Redundancies ensure high uptime and availability
– Easier to manage than self-hosted solutions for non-tech users
– Optimize hosting environments specifically for WordPress performance
Is managed WordPress hosting better than regular web hosting?
Managed WordPress hosting like WP Engine focuses exclusively on optimizing the hosting environment, servers and software setup specifically for WordPress. This typically results in better performance, security and support. However, it also costs more. Regular web hosting can still work great for WordPress if the host optimizes for it and you keep your site optimized.
How much does cloud hosting for WordPress typically cost?
Entry-level shared hosting for a basic WordPress blog starts around $3-5/month. For more advanced plans with unlimited storage, data and features you can expect to pay $10-25/month. Fully managed WordPress hosting ranges $25-50+/month depending on site traffic and features needed. Most hosts offer discount if billed annually to save 10-20%.
Is shared hosting enough for most WordPress sites?
Shared hosting will work great for the vast majority of lower traffic WordPress sites like blogs and small businesses. As long as you keep your theme and plugins updated, a basic shared plan from the providers listed here can easily power 10,000+ visitors per month. Only if heavy traffic or intensive applications are needed would a VPS or dedicated server be required instead of shared hosting.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Bluehost, SiteGround, A2 Hosting, WP Engine and DreamHost are five excellent choices for reliable cloud hosting tailored specifically for WordPress sites. They all offer automatic updates, one-click installs and expert WordPress support to keep your site secure and performing well.
The best provider depends on your specific needs – Bluehost and DreamHost are top recommendations for affordable personal/startup sites; SiteGround and A2 Hosting deliver incredible speeds for higher traffic sites; and WP Engine provides unparalleled management for larger agencies. No matter your budget or goals, these five providers will enable you to build a powerful and scalable WordPress website on highly optimized cloud infrastructure.
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