The term WordPress hosting isn’t something you would have heard 4 or 5 years ago.

It was just ‘hosting’, not WordPress specific hosting.

That’s changed dramatically in the last few years as WordPress has grown and become the powerhouse that it is today (I could throw in a statistic for you but then this post might not make it out this week, because once you start ‘researching’ things the rabbit hole gets deeper and deeper. You know what I’m talking about, right?).

I debated on talking about WordPress hosting because, well, frankly it’s not the most exciting topic (no offense to all the amazing WordPress hosting companies, mine included). We know I get more excited about fun graphics or cool plugins. But I digress.

The trick with choosing a WordPress hosting company is that you need to find one that’s right for YOU. If you’re just starting out with your WordPress site and online business, it doesn’t always make sense to jump into the the high end hosting option, because when you’re starting out every $15/mo. subscription counts. And not just because of the cost involved. You need to work with a hosting company that fits what you’re looking for and suits your needs.

When you’re just getting started online there are a few things I would look for when selecting WordPress hosting:

– Support: First and foremost! Make sure the hosting company you select offers the kind of support that YOU prefer. Personally I love live chat support… please don’t make me call you.

– Dashboard: If you’re a visual person then Cpanel is a great choice (control panel). If you’re technically savvy then you’re probably fine with a company that provides FTP or SFTP access (and if you don’t know what those are, then go with cpanel).

– They keep things up to date: Because WordPress updates often and there are SO many 3rd party tools for WordPress (plugins, themes, etc.) you want to make sure that your hosting company keeps EVERYTHING up to date (ie, the latest php too!).

– Who is behind the company? Never something I thought I’d consider, but as WordPress hosting is getting more popular you have the opportunity to host your site where you know who the people are who are running your hosting company.

My Hosting Company

I’ve been hosting The WP Chick on Flywheel for a little over a year now and I’m THRILLED with their services and support. I have also set up multiple client sites on Flywheel for the exact same reason. I love that I can set up a client site then when it’s done simply click a button to send an email to a client to take over the billing. Easy Peasy.

My only complaint with Flywheel (and it’s really not a complaint, it’s more like a ‘whine’) is that they don’t have an affiliate program or referral program up yet. I know they’re working on it and plan to have one, so I won’t be a complete 2 year old and throw a fit. 🙂

Two New WordPress Hosting Companies

So these probably aren’t new to other people, they’re just new to me.

The first hosting company is Cloudways

I was introduced to Cloudways by their WordPress Community Manager , Syed Wasseem Abbas. Syed sent me a msg via Twitter asking if they could interview me (written interview) and of course I said yes and I would be honored. They sent me a link to checkout their new cloud hosting called ‘Cloudways’ and I recently did a new WordPress install and set up a site for an event I’m hosting (by the way, other than an affiliate link there’s no other incentive here). I wanted to check them out because I wanted to have other options for people if they didn’t want to use Flywheel.

The installtion and set up was a breeze and it was easy to find everything I needed (including a link to a tutorial on how to set up your ANAME record to point your domian name. Great instructions every step of the way). Keep in mind that Cloudways does not have cpanel if that’s something you’re used to. So far so good! I’ll let you know if I run into any snags or issues, but so far I’m really happy.

The second hosting company is Siteground

I was also contacted by Siteground to check out their hosting options for WordPress (no incentive here either other than as an affiliate). I went with Siteround for a client of mine and the account creation and WordPress install were a piece of cake as well. I haven’t had to contact support for any reason but will update things down the road.

Both offer very affordable hosting packages (one starting at $3.95/mo) and are great options when you’re starting out.

While part of me feels a little guilty sharing other hosting options because I truly do love Flywheel, not everyone wants to start out paying $15 a month for hosting and as much as I think everyone should be on Flywheel I totally get that there are other options available that are good, reliable and supportive solutions.

Cool Tools

By now it’s probably not a huge secret that I love scouring the web and finding cool tools that will help me with my business. In the past couple of weeks I’ve found a handful of great tools and think I may start doing a Google Hangout once a month to share my findings. 🙂

I have two tools to share with y ou this week:

– One is for WordPress and really speaks to WordPress developers who create sites for clients

– The other tool is for presentations

SIDEKICK.pro

I found SIDEKICK.pro one night when I was just playing around on my laptop and following a few people on Twitter. I’ve gotten much more selective about who I follow on Twitter in that I look at who they are, what they do and what they share. So when I clicked through to SIDEKICK.pro I was SOOOO GEEKED!

This will make more sense when you see it in person and I’ll explain it more in the podcast but just think guided tutorials for WordPress for your clients. Meaning, they click the help button and a recorded voice and animation walks them through how to use WordPress! BOOM! I’m going to have them on the podcast soon so you’ll hear more about it then, but if you’re like me and love finding new amazing tools that will help you and your clients I’d sign up with them now. 🙂

Emaze

Emaze is a new presentation tool I found via Facebook (which btw is where I find a lot of the tools I discover, it’s all about re-targeting). If you’ve seen ‘Prezi’ it’s similar to that but seems a little easier. I have to admit I’ve only just logged in and looked around but there is a free account so I thought it would be worth mentioning. I’ll do a dedicated post and video on it soon. Keep in mind presentations are a GREAT way to spread your work and provide content (think slideshare). What I’m going  to test is creating a presentation and then recording it.

 You’re Invited… To My House!

My colleague, Deanna Fenton and I are hosting a one day workshop at my house in August for 20 business owners! Check out the link below for more details.

Links from this episode

Flywheel

Cloudways

Siteground

Sidekick

Emaze

Summer Mastermind Incubator