Hosting plans for WordPress generally include one-click WordPress installations and updates to make it easier for you to run your website smoothly. There are two options available for hosting your WordPress sites in India- shared and managed.
Let’s find out the difference between the two options and how to choose amongst them.
Shared WordPress Hosting Vs Managed WordPress Hosting
The most popular and affordable way of hosting a WordPress site is to go for shared hosting plans where the service providers allocate one server to several websites. These plans include optimization of the server for WordPress besides the inclusion of a one-click WordPress Installer which makes it easy for you to install and update. Some service providers even offer to upgrade the plugins and the themes tools automatically ensuring the smooth operations of your WordPress website. A major advantage of this hosting option is that shared plans are quite affordable, especially for new businesses with limited financial resources.
Managed WordPress hosting plans include the full management of your WordPress websites. These plans include complete server management and come with 24/7 dedicated expert support to manage your website. Managed WordPress hosting plans also come with server-side caching to speed up the performance of your website. Another attractive feature of such plans is the inclusion of additional security and safety features to prevent your website from viruses and hacking. Common inclusions are WordPress-specific firewalls, regular malware scans and intrusion detection. Some hosting service providers also offer staging sites to allow you to easily test the changes to your website before you can make them live. But all these features come at a price making managed WordPress costlier than shared hosting.
The major difference between the two hosting options is that managed WordPress hosting comes with performance optimisation and security features that are geared to help the successful hosting of a WordPress site. So, when you buy a managed hosting plan for your WordPress site, you get WordPress-specific caching at the server level, WordPress specific security rules and features like automatic updates.
The difference between the two hosting options can also be understood by an example. In case of a shared hosting user, the task of speeding up the WordPress site by installing a caching plugin or setting up a content delivery network has to be done by the website owner. But in the case of a managed WordPress site, it is done by the hosting service provider.
Choosing the Right Option!
While shared hosting in India is cheaper and thus highly recommended for new businesses, managed WordPress web hosting comes with several additional features that simplify the whole process of running and managing a website. Although cost remains a concern for most new businesses, they also need to focus on growth rather than the day-to-day management of their websites. This is where managed WordPress hosting proves to be useful.
The choice between shared and managed WordPress hosting will depend on the size of your business, the expected traffic to your site, your budget, and your technical knowhow. If you know how to maintain and run your website all by yourself, you can go for shared hosting. However, if you wish to focus on running your business and are willing to allocate its management to professionals well-versed with ways to ensure optimum functioning of WordPress websites, managed WordPress hosting is a better option.