It came into my inbox… I got an email today that was simple and straight to the point. They didn't want a recommendation. They had a simple question.
“What are the questions I should be asking the different companies I'm talking to for WordPress hosting?”
Rather than write them back, I told them I'd post my ten questions here.
Selecting a WordPress hosting provider
Of course, you know I'd always start with “It depends.”
And then I would highlight that not all hosting is the same, and everyone's needs are different.
And all that.
But when it comes down to questions I'd recommend they ask, here they are.
- Do you have a way for me to interact with humans (not just knowledge base articles) if I really get stuck?
- Do you have a way to help me if I need to migrate my existing site to you?
- Can you explain how you're making sure my site is secure?
- How many people do you have in support? What happens if I have trouble at night?
- If my site grows in popularity, is it hard to change plans? Will you have to move my site?
- If my site gets hacked, do you have backups of my old (clean) site?
- Can I do eCommerce on this plan? What else do I have to buy?
- Do you have a way for me to do things on my own? Do you have a plan where I don't have to?
- Are you running an old version of PHP or an old version of WordPress? Do you update regularly?
- Do you have a way to know if my site is running slow or has been hacked? Or do I have to find out myself?
How to use them
What you'll notice is that these aren't super technical questions. They're not deep—in the sort of way that tries to stump someone.
Instead, these are the questions you ask so that you can evaluate their responses and see how comfortable you feel with the answers.
They're designed to help you judge on your own—based on your own gut feel—of whether this particular host is right for you.
So, to ensure that you get comfortable, I'd also suggest you ask them of several different people at the hosting company. See if the answers line up.
In the end, only you can determine if the host is the right one for you.
But I hope these questions will help you evaluate that.