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Speed. Convenience. Security. Those are the 3 reasons I personally use managed WordPress hosting for Touchdown Money.
Source: Unsplash1
Approximately 810 million websites use WordPress. This is about 43% of all websites! Over 500 websites are built with WordPress each day, compared to just 80 on other platforms like Shopify and Squarespace.2
For the best managed WordPress hosting, my picks are:
- SiteGround – best overall, very affordable, 12,000+ excellent reviews on TrustPilot
- DreamHost – best if you already have 400,000 visitors per month and want to migrate your site
- Nexcess by Liquid Web – best managed WordPress hosting for sites selling physical products such as wombat pet food (Hint: they eat grass. Sometimes with ranch dressing. Also, here’s my guide to start a pet care blog.)
Table of Contents
What is Managed WordPress Hosting?
Managed WordPress hosting is like a car that’s fast, safe, and has a team of mechanics who know exactly how to keep your car running smoothly.
Shared hosting is like a cheaper car that’s just fine to get around town, but you probably won’t win any races with it, and you’d better know how to fix it yourself or get ready to find and hire a mechanic.
Managed WordPress hosting is awesome when you want to make money online with your WordPress website. That’s why I use managed WordPress hosting. (And it’s not too expensive, either. It’s just not dirt cheap.)
Managed WordPress hosting is probably overkill if your website is just for a hobby or sharing stuff with your friends.
Best Managed WordPress Hosting Companies Ranked
1 – SiteGround
Best for: Anyone With a WordPress Site (#1 Overall)
Price Range: As low as $2.99 per month, which is a steal. I seriously wonder if they’ll raise the price soon.
Key Features:
Can support up to 400,000 visitors per month (that means you’ve got a mega-popular site at that point!)
- free content management system (CMS) installation
- free email accounts
- Fast loading time with servers on four continents (Sorry, Antarctica) and free content delivery network (CDN)
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- 24/7 support via phone, chat, or requests (tickets)
Siteground managed WordPress hosting is inexpensive, and they’re famous for excellent customer support. For most folks, I recommend signing up for their least expensive option, then upgrade when you need to.
You really can’t go wrong because they have a 30-day money-back guarantee. Thirty days is a long time to evaluate a website host. You can see for yourself how you like the service and the loading speed of your site.
Here’s a review that’s pretty typical for SiteGround-managed WordPress hosting:
Get started with Siteground here.
2 – DreamHost
Best for: Existing websites that already have lots of USA visitors
Price Range: Starts at $16.95 per month for their “DreamPress” service, which is what DreamHost calls its Managed WordPress hosting
Key Features:
- DreamHost will move your existing site to their managed WordPress hosting at no charge
- Your site will load fast – DreamHost has built-in caching and server optimization
- Never worry about hackers – DreamHost manages security and updates for you
- Unlimited visitors to your site with no price increase
- Easily make your own site – The DreamHost WP Website builder has professional templates and a drag-and-drop editor
- Customer support through live chat, messaging (tickets), and phone
- 30-Day money back guarantee
DreamHost has been in business for over 25 years. DreamHost is legit, for sure. DreamHost is a great choice for managed WordPress hosting.
From my research, SiteGround loads sites faster for visitors in Europe and different parts of the US because they have web servers on four continents, while DreamHost has all its servers in the US.
So if you intend to reach people outside the USA, pick SiteGround. Otherwise, both SiteGround and DreamHost are terrific.
If you have an existing site with lots of US traffic (say 400,000+ visitors per month), go with DreamHost because it’s more cost-effective at that level.
Both SiteGround and DreamHost come with a 30-day money back guarantee, so you can’t go wrong. You can try one and if you’re not completely satisfied, try the other. It’s like dating before getting married. Except with fewer awkward conversations while waiting for the breadsticks at Olive Garden.
Get started using Dreamhost here.
3 – Nexcess by LiquidWeb
Best for: Online Stores Selling Physical Items Through WordPress
Price Range: starts at $17.50/mo if paid for annually
Key Features:
- Never worry about your store being down or slow – Nexcess Plugin Performance Monitor alerts you to potential store performance issues
- Store sales monitoring and alerts – Nexcess Sales Performance Monitor pings you when sales are slowing. This can help you resolve issues, such as with your payment processor.
- Fast store loading time – Nexcess by LiquidWeb is built for e-commerce
- Recover revenue from shoppers who abandon their cart – Nexcess by Liquid Web partners with Recapture and WooCommerce
- Easily move your existing site to Nexcess by Liquid Web – All managed WordPress hosting plans come with migration service.
- Your WordPress store will look great – Nexcess by Liquid Web provides over 1,000 eCommerce themes, including Astra Pro, the fastest theme for eCommerce. It also includes Beaver Builder page builder to create landing pages and product pages to your exact specifications.
- Easily run discounts and coupons to boost sales – Nexcess has all these features built in and you can schedule promotions and upsells.
- Go viral without fearing cost – Nexcess by Liquid Web doesn’t charge for pageview counts
- Get help any time – Expert 24/7 customer support by email, chat, or phone.
If you’re selling stuff online, go with Nexcess by Liquid Web. If not, go with SiteGround or DreamHost first. If only for the simple reason that SiteGround and DreamHost offer a 30-day money back guarantee.
Liquid Web has outstanding ratings, so it’s all good. Just all things being equal, I mean, “try before you buy” is a deal I can’t pass up. That’s why I got the pet wombat. Although what they didn’t tell me was how fast I’d fall in love with the furry little marsupial.
Liquid Web likely feels like its reputation speaks for itself for ecommerce sites on WordPress. And, I mean, it does!
Got an ecommerce site? You need Nexcess by Liquid Web.
Pros and Cons of Managed WordPress Hosting
| Pros | Cons |
| Your WordPress Site Loads Fast With managed WordPress hosting, the servers are configured especially for WordPress. I use WordPress Hosting for this reason. Visitors will leave a slow site, so make sure your site loads quickly. Cute and slow is good for wombats, not websites. Oooh, that’s catchy. | Pricier (but worth it) If you’re running a hobby site, nearly any hosting is fine. But if you’re trying to make money online with a WordPress site, get serious. Or at least upgrade to managed WordPress hosting when you can invest in your online business. I use managed WordPress hosting, and it’s been totally worth it. |
| Your site is protected and secure. The best managed WordPress hosting constantly monitors for threats, issues automatic WordPress and PHP updates, keeps activity logs, and requires multi-factor password authentication. I have peace of mind knowing my managed WordPress hosting is taking care of that stuff so I can focus on writing for my audience. | Less Control Over Technical Aspects If you’re a tech genius, this con might be important to you. But if you’re a business person or a writer, the whole point of managed WordPress hosting is that you’re hiring these friggin’ WordPress experts to do the technical stuff. I haven’t run into any tech issues yet where I wanted a very particular plug-in or technology but couldn’t use it. |
| WordPress Experts Help You Managed WordPress hosting solutions employ a technical team that really understands WordPress. Because all they do is run WordPress sites all day, every day. | |
| Automatic WordPress and WordPress Plugin Updates I LOVE this feature of managed WordPress hosting! When I had used another host, I had to stay on top of updates, then wonder if I had screwed up the installation. Managed WordPress hosting just makes it happen. |
Common Questions About Managed WordPress Hosting
How Much Does Managed WordPress Hosting Cost?
Expect to pay between $3 to $70 per month for managed WordPress hosting, depending on the features you want. For me, managed WordPress hosting has been totally worth it because my site loads fast compared to others, and I like the automatic WordPress software updates on services like SiteGround.
What is Managed WordPress Hosting Vs Regular Hosting?
With managed WordPress hosting, the provider takes care of the technical aspects of your WordPress website. This includes website maintenance, making sure your site loads fast, is secure from hackers and malware, and more. Regular hosting is typically a shared hosting plan. Expect this hosting to be cheaper, but your site may load slower and you won’t get nearly the same customer support like you will with services like SiteGround.
Is Managed WordPress Hosting Worth It?
Yes, managed WordPress hosting with services like SiteGround or DreamHost is worth it if you’re running a WordPress site to make money online. Because managed WordPress hosting makes your site faster and more secure. But it’s not worth it if you only need a website for a hobby. Because managed WordPress hosting is more expensive than dirt-cheap plans. I have managed WordPress hosting, and it’s been worth it for my business.
Best WordPress Hosting?
SiteGround is best overall because it’s inexpensive and loads WordPress sites super fast with servers on 4 continents. DreamHost is also a terrific pick. Nexcess by Liquid Web is the best WordPress hosting for ecommerce selling of physical items.
Cheap WordPress Hosting?
SiteGround is cheap WordPress hosting, and it’s excellent. They have over 12,000 excellent web hosting reviews on Trustpilot. They have a 30-day money-back guarantee. No brainer, guys.
Cheap WordPress hosting is an outstanding way to build these low-cost business ideas with high profit.
WordPress Hosting Free?
Ew. OK, if you insist on WordPress hosting free options, try WordPress.com. This is a fine option for your hobby site. For an online business, you’ll want managed WordPress hosting so your site is fast and professional, not littered with advertisements that don’t even pay you. SiteGround WordPress hosting isn’t free, but it’s very affordable. And it has a 30-day money back guarantee.
WordPress Hosting Price?
WordPress hosting pricing is between $3 to $70 per month, depending on the speed and features. I pay more than $3 per month because I’m not messing around. I need my WordPress site to be fast and secure with a team of WordPress experts to update my website. It’s worth it.
Post-Game Report
Best managed WordPress hosting:
- SiteGround – best overall, very affordable, 12,000+ excellent reviews on TrustPilot
- DreamHost – best if you already have 400,000 visitors per month and want to migrate your site
- Nexcess by Liquid Web – best managed WordPress hosting for sites selling physical products
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- The Best Blogging Platform
- Make Money Online for Beginners
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