Blog hosting is a service offered by a web host that provides the tools and infrastructure needed to create, publish and manage a blog. Choosing the right hosting plan can have a significant impact on all aspects of your blog, from how easy it is to create to its online visibility, security and performance. In this post, we explore the key considerations you will need to make when choosing a blog hosting service.
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Blog creation made easy
Building a blog website can be tricky, especially for beginners. Today, hosting providers make this easier by offering hosting plans that let you install popular blogging platforms, like WordPress, with a single click or use tools like Sitejet that are preloaded and ready to go.
WordPress is the world’s most popular blogging platform. With thousands of free, customisable themes and tens of thousands of plugins, you can create the ideal blog for your needs and have full control over its design and functionality.
For those who prefer a simpler approach, Sitejet is an intuitive, drag-and-drop website builder that makes it an excellent choice for bloggers who have no technical experience. With pre-built templates and easy customisation options, you can create a visually appealing blog in minutes.
Both options enable you to build mobile-friendly websites that adapt to different screen sizes and devices.
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Ease of management
There is a wide range of tasks required to manage a blog, from adding new content and setting up email addresses to updating software and maintaining security. To make this easy, some web hosts provide intuitive control panels and tools that enable you to do all these things from a single, user-friendly dashboard.
WordPress hosting comes with WP Toolbox, which includes essential tools specifically designed to make WordPress management easy. Automatic updates ensure that your software stays up-to-date and free from vulnerabilities, and staging environments let you test changes before they go live, preventing unseen errors affecting your site. You can also use it to harden your security, manage plugins and themes, and control which of your pages are indexed by search engines.
Sitejet comes with cPanel, an industry-leading control panel that makes all aspects of site management a breeze. It even offers wizard assistance to help you carry out tasks.
24/7 technical support
Even experienced bloggers can face technical issues from time to time, so having access to professional support is essential when looking for a hosting service. Having an expert on call allows technical problems to be resolved quickly, ensuring your site remains online and that it works and performs in the way you intend.
A good hosting provider will offer 24/7 support that can be accessed using various channels, e.g., live chat, ticket and phone. Support teams can help out in many ways, including troubleshooting website errors, assisting with using WordPress or Sitejet, or providing guidance on security or performance.
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Speed and performance
Successful blogs need to attract, engage and retain visitors. A fast-loading blog is essential for this. It results in higher search engine rankings that lead to more visitors, and it prevents people from leaving your site due to frustration with slow-loading posts.
When considering a blog hosting service, bloggers should look for performance-enhancing features. Accelerate WP is a powerful suite of features that boost WordPress performance. These include caching, database and image optimisation, Apache and NGINX, code minification and lazy loading. Combined, these can considerably reduce loading times.
Bloggers should also check the hardware and protocols used by their web hosts. Features like Intel Xeon processors, SSD or NVMe storage drives and HTTP/2 can all have a positive impact on site speed.
Security and protection
Security should be a priority for bloggers as websites are frequently targeted by hackers, malware and other online threats. For this reason, you should look for a hosting plan that comes with built-in protection for both the website and your visitors.
A secure host will defend your site with a firewall, intrusion and malware prevention and DDoS (distributed denial of service) protection. Some hosts will also provide free SSL certificates, which encrypt the data your visitors send to your site, and free daily backups, which enable you to restore your site quickly should you ever fall victim to a cyberattack.
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Room for growth
Most hosting solutions come with fixed server resources, such as storage space, RAM and processing power. As your blog gets bigger and attracts more visitors, you may need a larger plan.
When looking for blog hosting, not only is it important to consider a plan that has some space to grow in the near future; it’s also vital that the host offers a range of solutions that enable you to upgrade to a bigger plan when growth demands it.
Being able to upgrade easily from shared hosting to VPS and then to either dedicated server or cloud hosting, preferably with the same web host, makes the process considerably quicker, easier and less stressful, while reducing the potential for downtime, compatibility issues or other errors.
If you are moving to a new host, some will also offer free migration, moving your site for you.
Conclusion
A reliable blog hosting service is fundamental for blogging success. It ensures you have the best platform and tools to create, manage and grow your blog while providing the performance and security needed to attract and engage visitors and fend off cyberattacks. In addition, it will provide you with expert support and make upgrading to larger solutions easy.
If you are considering starting a blog, check out our WordPress Hosting, SiteJet Website Builder and Content Creator Pro options. If you are looking to bring an existing blog from another host, we will happily migrate your website for you.
