Do You Need WordPress Hosting?

The latest version of Wordpress (v3) alone has been downloaded over 65 million times. It has a rich set of features to offer. Some of the most popular features it sports are:

1. Excellent, pleasing and beautiful themes
2. A rich collection of plug-ins
3. Multi-user and multi-site/ blog management
4. Widgets
5. Support for mobile browsers
6. Integrated link management and a lot more.

Wordpress Hosting

With so much popularity, Wordpress has also given rise to niche web hosting services that provide dedicated hosting and deployment services for Wordpress-based sites.

Many web hosting service providers offer attractive solutions for Wordpress-based web hosting needs. However, one needs to carefully consider whether hiring a dedicated wordpress hosting service is the right choice or not. Following are some of the pros and cons of Wordpress hosting services.

The Pros

• Professional QoS:

Dedicated Wordpress hosts are usually well experienced in handling the platform. They are capable of solving any remote issues or bugs that the site may encounter.

• Tools and Utilities:

Since Wordpress is the only platform they deal with, the hosting service providers often provide more tools and utilities that the customer can use to have a greater control over the site. This is always a good thing, as Wordpress is a highly configurable platform, and almost every part of the CMS can be modified.

• Zero Compatibility Issues:

With Wordpress being constantly updated and patched, maintaining a Wordpress site can be difficult, with compatibility issues. However, when dedicated Wordpress hosting services are employed, the customer can bid farewell to such compatibility issues. The hosting service providers take care of the platform and its updates and bug releases.

The Cons

• Getting Stuck with Wordpress:

The most prominent drawback of using a Wordpress exclusive hosting service is the fact that the customer is stuck with Wordpress, until the end, with no possibility of moving to any other platform. This can be a nightmare if the customer decides to switch to a different CMS or platform, as the host will never support other platforms. The only thing to do in this case would be to move to a new hosting service.

• Limited Support:

With Wordpress-based hosting, support is limited to the platform and its default modifications. If the customer decides to modify the core of the platform to suit his/ her needs, support may not be available for the same.

• Delays in Update Intervals:

Sometimes (though not often), web hosts may not update their Wordpress platform, even if a new and stable update has been released. This may be due to the fact that there are other sites on the server that may suffer theme/ widget conflicts or incompatibility upon moving to the latest update. This can cause a lot of problems to the customer, who needs to update and use the new features available in the updated version of Wordpress.

Final Verdict

After considering all the pros and cons of a Wordpress exclusive hosting solution, you must ask yourself the following questions:

• Will the site always be based on Wordpress?
• Will there be any core modifications necessary, and do you require assistance for the same?
• Does the site need a regularly updated platform?

The answers to these questions can help you to determine whether Wordpress hosting is the best choice for your site or not.