You may say I'm a dreamer…
You know how the song goes – and yes, I'm not the only one. I find that a lot of folks use a single strategy for their business continuity. If that term, business continuity, doesn't make any sense – it's ok, you're not alone.
The simple way to think about it goes like this. Stuff happens. Bad stuff. Then your website falls apart, disappears, or can't be reached. And the question is: what do you have planned for that moment?
If you're like a lot of other folks I know, the answer you have comes down to a simple word: hope. Yet if you've spent time on my site, you know one of my #fortymantras is that while it's a wonderful thing to have, hope is not a strategy.
Why Managed WordPress Hosting?
If you're ready to move beyond hope (as in, I sure hope my site doesn't ever go down), then you really need to think about Managed WordPress Hosting. It's the same as your other hosting options for WordPress sites except it's nothing like it. That's why the “Managed” is in the phrase.
When you work with the providers who offer managed WordPress hosting, you're setting yourself up to have a contingency plan – an approach for what happens when things go south.
And trust me, things will go south at some point. Just think of these potential events:
- You install a poorly coded plugin that takes your site down
- You get hacked by an automated effort that hits all the sites at your hosting company
- There's a power outage (due to things like storms) and the facility goes offline
Can you honestly say these things can't or won't happen?
Now, if you just run a blog, like I do here at chrislema.co, then maybe you just wait it out. But I know a ton of folks who use their site for commerce, for lead generation, and more. And that means you need to be live.
What is Managed WordPress Hosting?
Think of your shared hosting. You know, where your single site is on the same server as hundreds of others. The one where someone else's poor performing site could influence how your site performs. Now forget all of that.
The folks that offer Managed WordPress Hosting focus on four things (my observation) that separate it from the rest:
- They provide infrastructure that understands WordPress and makes it fast
- They provide automated upgrades to keep your WordPress installation safe
- They provide automatic nightly backups to help with quick restoration
- They provide WordPress-specific support that “gets” your site
Why Choose Managed WordPress Hosting?
If you know me, you know I'm all about high performers. I read about them, research them, write about and talk about them. So when someone decided to offer a dedicated higher level of performance for hosting WordPress sites specifically, I was all over it. And that's why I would like to share with you four reasons you should consider it.
Because whatever business you're in, it's not hosting.
I don't know what you do, but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be reading this if you were a hosting provider. So let's get this straight. If you wanted to be a hosting provider, you would have done that. Instead, you decided to do something different. Your hosting provider should understand this. Yet too many push the work back on you. Bad call.
Because when you call up support, you don't want to get told it's your problem.
In line with the point above, hosting providers like to tell you that the problem isn't their hardware or network. They ping their servers and see that they're live and then tell you the “application” is something you have to manage. Not only are they making you do the work – they're suggesting it's your job to manage and take care of it. Thanks but no thanks.
Because when things go south, you want a partner that has thought about things already.
The truth is that something will happen. One way or another, you're going to hit a spot when things go south. What you want at that moment is someone who is calm, smart, and has systems in place already to take care of you. That's what you get when you go with managed WordPress hosting providers.
Because you like a fast web site.
Google has written extensively, as has Amazon, about how speed affects things like revenue and search engine search results. I just like things that go zoom. After moving to a managed provider, my site not only stayed online longer, it performed faster. I like that. I think you will too.
Enjoy your Sleep & Dreams
You may say I'm a dreamer, but that's because I can sleep well at night knowing that my site is hosted by a managed WordPress host. It's not for everyone. For example, if you're creating a free site for your cousin who promised to pay you and never did, I suggest you set them up on GoDaddy.
But for non-family, for paying clients, for your own business site – that's when you want to look at Managed WordPress Hosting Providers.
I know, at this point you may wonder who I recommend and the truth is that I think all of the players in the space are pretty good. That said, I have paid accounts with WP Engine (this site) and Page.ly.