Hosting Your Website

Domain Registrars - register your domain via a domain registration provider.

• Your domain is your brand, protect it.

• Don’t use this service for email or web hosting and move your nameservers to CloudFlare.
  • NameCheap.com http://namecheap.com/
  • Name.com https://www.name.com/
  • Porkbun.com. https://porkbun.com/

Nameservers = your DNS records - move your nameservers to a DNS provider.

• Keep DNS records separate from Domain registration and hosting and email.
  • Cloudflare (free): https://www.cloudflare.com/
  • DNS Made Easy (paid): https://dnsmadeeasy.com/

• DNS records direct traffic on the internet.
  • Where is my website - your DNS records/nameservers direct traffic to your website.
  • Where is my email - your DNS records direct emails to your email service.
  • DNS records authenticate your emails

• Using a DNS provider speeds up your DNS lookup, your page load speeds.

• Your developer can manage your DNS records without having access to your domain.

Hosting - don’t go cheap

eMail Services

• Google Workspace: https://workspace.google.com/

• Microsoft Office 365: https://www.office.com/

• Proton Mail: https://proton.me/mail

• Rackspace (don’t buy their MS Office 365 add on): https://www.rackspace.com/applications/rackspace-email

• Transactional Email Providers:
  • Postmark: https://postmarkapp.com/
  • Mailgun: https://www.mailgun.com/
  • Brevo: https://www.brevo.com/

1. first step - copy zone records, export zone records (from nameservers)

2. move domain registration to separate domain registrar
   • namecheap.com, name.com, porkbun.com

3. move nameservers to CloudFlare.com

4. email - migrate email to separate hosting
   • Google workspace, Office 365, Proton Mail, Rackspace.

• Dedicated hosting
  • a physical server (or servers) dedicated to a single business customer.

• VPS Hosting
  • multiple virtual servers on a physical server that is shared with other users.
  • a virtual server that acts like a real computer with its own operating system.
  • virtual servers share the resources of the physical server.

• Cloud Hosting
  • computing resources from a network of virtual and physical servers
  • online virtual servers that can be created, modified, and destroyed on demand.
  • totally isolated in practice, operations on one virtual server won’t affect the others
  • greater scalability and flexibility to quickly make changes.

• Shared Hosting (HDD/SSD)
  • a single physical server hosts multiple sites
  • all accounts on a shared server share the computing resources of the web server

• bad / untrained support = inexperienced tier 1 support staff = high frustration

• outdated hardware infrastructure > cheaper processors/slower hardware > higher profit for shareholders.
  • poor performance > page load speeds > restricted web traffic > restricted disk writes

• unnecessary upsells - dealing with marketing instead of getting support.

• limited resources - inodes, disk activity

• slower loading speeds during “rush hour” traffic - shared hosting is like using public transportation

• jumping from Godaddy to some other hosting and moving nameservers can cause services to stop operating, i.e. Office email.

Servers should have:

• Security

• Caching/optimization

• Backups (local or offsite - preferably both)
  • daily backups
  • decent retention period (no overwrites)

• Staging

• Updates

• Support - INSANELY good support, all the time.

Other considerations:

• Enterprise grade infrastructure

• Tier-less support - no level one technicians, everyone is an engineer and WP expert.

• Independent third party uptime monitoring.
  • if you have to tell them your site is down, they're not a managed WP host.

• Site audits and assessments

• Low cost all-in-one hosting - NameHero, MechanicWeb, ChemiCloud, SiteGround, A2 hosting, InMotion hosting, Godaddy, Bluehost, GreenGeeks.

• “Managed” Hosting for WordPress. - Rocket.net, WP Engine, WordPress.com

• MANAGED Hosting - Cloudways, Runcloud, ServerAvatar, managed VPS service.

• MANAGED WordPress server environments - PeakFreq, Gridpane, xCloud

• Managed WordPress and hosting - Pressable, VIP, Pagely

• Doug Knoyle, Doug Rider, Eric D Leuthardt, Eagle, Mary Ann Aschenbrenner

Rocket.net

Rocket.net

All-in-One WordPress Hosting for Agencies & Creatives. Grow your business with lightning fast, secure and fully optimized websites

https://rocket.net/

The “Best” (and Worst) WordPress Hosting

• excels in all categories but price (though they often cost less than SiteGround Cloud, Kinsta, and WP Engine).

• You’ll have access to 32 CPU cores + 128GB RAM on all plans, NVMe SSDs, LiteSpeed’s PHP, 1GB memory limit, and Redis (Redis Object Cache Pro is available on higher plans).

• This is specifically good for international/WooCommerce sites with features like APO, Argo Smart Routing, and image optimization with Mirage + Polish.

• Support is from a highly experienced staff who often goes outside a typical host’s scope of work.

• No add-ons or hidden fees, unwarranted upgrades, or shady marketing. They do free migrations, Zoom demos.

👍

“Ben and the team at Rocket.net are top notch”. ~ Patrick Gallagher

[CEO of Gridpane hosting. Gridpane is top of the “food chain” for hosting.]

PeakFreq - WordPress hosting control panel

Fully Managed WordPress Hosting by GridPane and Vultr

PeakFreq Pricing

PeakFreq pricing is per server, not per website. You can host multiple websites on one PeakFreq server. Get Started! Swipe table All servers are built on our latest Ubuntu 22.04 stack…

https://gridpane.com/peakfreq/pricing/

Siteground - you can do worse... and you can do better

Hosting Services Crafted with Care - SiteGround

Our web hosting is trusted by more than 3,000,000 domains for its top speed, unmatched security, 24/7 fast, and expert support! Get started now!

https://www.siteground.com/

• wild card ssl - causes issues with Cloudflare - ssl renewal fails.

• There is a limit of total file space on the package. - inode issue

• Limited storage and site visitor allowances

• High renewal fees

Kinsta - you can do worse... and you can do better

Kinsta® Cloud Hosting - All Your Projects in One Platform

Join the growing club of companies, developers & entrepreneurs who made the switch to Kinsta for simpler, faster, more reliable WordPress hosting.

https://kinsta.com/

• Mary Ann recommends Siteground.

• otherwise, this review may help:

The "Best" WordPress Hosting of 2024 [Google Sheet]

The best WordPress hosting based on data collected in Google Sheets combined with my 10+ years experience writing hosting reviews.

https://onlinemediamasters.com/best-wordpress-hosting/

🚫

In 2021 Endurance International Group formed a new company, Newfold Digital. 

Newfold Digital - subsidiaries including Bluehost, HostGator, Web.com, etc.

In short, they are really, really huge.

• 2slick (2slick.com) Probably belongs to EIG since April 2010 or earlier.

• AccountSupport (accountsupport.com) Belongs to EIG since April 2010 or earlier.

• ApolloHosting.com (apollohosting.com) Belongs to EIG since April 2010 or earlier.

• AptHost (apthost.com) Belongs to EIG as a part of wwwh.com since at least June 25, 2015.

• A Small Orange (asmallorange.com) Acquired by EIG in July 2010.

• Arvixe (arvixe.com) Acquired by EIG in October 2014.

• Athenix Corporation, Athenix Inc. (athenixinc.com) Belongs to EIG since 2012 or earlier.

• Berry Information Systems L.L.C. (berryinfosysllc.com) Belongs to EIG since April 2010 or earlier.

• BigRock (bigrock.com) Acquired in January 2014.

• BizLand (bizland.com) The former name of EIG. Founded in 1996.

• BlueDomino (bluedomino.com) Belongs to EIG since April 2010 or earlier.

• BlueFur (bluefur.com) Belongs to EIG since at least 25, June 2015.

• BlueHost (bluehost.com) Acquired by EIG in November 2010. Now it’s Bluehost EIG.

• Constant Contact (constantcontact.com) Constant Contact was a member of EIG, but has since been spun off into a separate Clearlake Capital Group entity.

• Cloud by IX (cloudbyix.com) Acquired by EIG in Q4 2015 with IXWebHosting.

• Directi Web Technologies (Directi, directi.com) Acquired in January 2014.

• Domain.comBelongs to EIG since October 2011 or earlier.

• DomainHost (domainhost.com) Belongs to EIG since April 2010 or earlier.

• Dotster (dotster.com) Belongs to EIG since July 2011 or earlier.

• Dot5Hosting.com (dot5hosting.com) Belongs to EIG since May 2007 or earlier.iPower, StartLogic, and Dot5Hosting were acquired by EIG at the same time in 2007.

• EasyCGI (easycgi.com) Belongs to EIG since July 2009 or earlier.

• EntryHost (entryhost.com) Belongs to EIG since April 2010 or earlier.

• Escalate Internet (escalateinternet.com) Belongs to EIG since April 2010 or earlier.

• FastDomain (fastdomain.com) Has become part of Bluehost since December 2006 (or earlier).Bluehost was later acquired by EIG.

• FatCow (fatcow.com, fatcowhosting.com) Became EIG in May 2007 or earlier.

• FreeYellow (freeyellow.com) Belongs to EIG since May 2007 or earlier.

• Globat (Glob@t, globat.com) Belongs to EIG since April 2010 or earlier.

• Homestead Technologies, Inc. (homestead.com) Belongs to EIG since April 2010 or earlier.

• HostADay (hostaday.com) Belongs to EIG since April 2010 or earlier.

• HostCentric (hostcentric.com) Belongs to EIG since April 2010 or earlier.

• HostClear (hostclear.com) Bought by JustHost in October 2011, which was later acquired by EIG

• Host Excellence (hostexcellence.com) Acquired by EIG in Q4 2015 with IXWebHosting.

• HostGator (hostgator.com) Acquired in June 2012.

• HostNine (hostnine.com) Is a sister company of A Small Orange (ASO), which is an EIG.

• HostMonster (hostmonster.com) Is a sister company of BlueHost, which was acquired by EIG.

• HostYourSite.com (hostyoursite.com) Belongs to EIG since April 2010 or earlier.

• HyperMart (hypermart.com, hypermart.net)Belongs to EIG since May 2007 or earlier.

• IMOutdoorsHosting (imoutdoorshosting.com) Belongs to EIG since April 2010 or earlier.

• IdeaHost (ideahost.com) Belongs to EIG.

• Impress.ly (impress.ly)BigRock, which is a part of EIG, launched impress.ly on 15, Dec 2015.

• Intuit WebsitesAcquired and become EIG company in August 2012.

• iPage (ipage.com) A tool used by iPage and turned into a brand.Belongs to EIG since May 2007 or earlier.

• iPower (IpowerWeb, ipower.com) Belongs to EIG since May 2007 or earlier.iPower, StartLogic and Dot5Hosting were acquired by EIG at the same time in 2007.

• IX Web Hosting (ixwebhosting.com) Acquired by EIG in Q4 2015. Now redirects to BlueHost.

• JustCloud (justcloud.com) Belongs to EIG since February 2014 or earlier.

• JustHost (justhost.com) Acquired by EIG in 2010.

• LogicBoxes (logicboxes.com) Acquired by Directi, which was bought by EIG.

• MyDomain (mydomain.com) Belongs to EIG.

• NamesDirect (namesdirect.com) Belongs to EIG since 2011 or earlier.

• NameZero (namezero.com) Belongs to EIG since 2011 or earlier.

• NetFirms (netfirms.com) Was acquired by EIG in 2011.

• NetworksHosting (networkshosting.com) Belongs to EIG since April 2010 or earlier.

• Nexx (nexx.com) Was acquired by EIG in 2012 or earlier.

• PowWeb (powweb.com) Belongs to EIG since April 2006 or earlier.

• PureHost (purehost.com) Belongs to EIG since May 2007 or earlier.

• ReadyHosting (readyhosting.co.uk, readyhosting.com) Belongs to EIG since April 2010 or earlier.

• ResellerClub (resellerclub.com) Acquired in January 2014.

• SEO Hosting (seohosting.com, seowebhosting.net)Was part of HostGator which was later acquired by EIG.

• Site5 (site5.com) Belongs to EIG since the 4th of August 2015.

• SiteBuilder (sitebuilder.com) A part of EIG since Q2 2015.

• Sitelio (sitelio.com) A part of EIG.

• Sitey (sitey.com) A part of EIG since Q2 2015.

• SouthEastWeb (southeastweb.com) Probably belongs to EIG since April 2010 or earlier.

• Spry (spry.com) Belongs to EIG since April 2010 or earlier.

• StartLogic (startlogic.com) Belongs to EIG since May 2007 or earlier.iPower, StartLogic, and Dot5Hosting were acquired by EIG at the same time in 2007.

• SuperGreen Hosting (SuperGreenHosting, supergreenhosting.com) Merged with JustHost, which was later acquired by EIG.

• TightHost (tighthost.com) Belongs to EIG since April 2010 or earlier.

• TypePad (typepad.com) Belongs to EIG since 2014 or earlier.

• UsaNetHosting (usanethosting.com) Belongs to EIG since April 2010 or earlier.

• Verio (verio.com) Belongs to EIG since the 4th of August 2015.

• Virtual Avenue (virtualave.net)Belongs to EIG since May 2007 or earlier.

• VPSlink (vpslink.com) Belongs to EIG since April 2010.

• Web2010 (web2010.com) Belongs to EIG since April 2010 or earlier.

• WebDevHosting (webdevhosting.com) Belongs to EIG since April 2010 or earlier.

• WebHost4Life.com (webhost4life.com) Belongs to EIG since April 2010 or earlier.

• webhosting.infoAcquired by Directi, which was bought by EIG.

• WebSiteBuilder (websitebuilder.com) A part of EIG since Q2 2015.

• WebstrikeSolutions (WebstrikeSolutions.com) Belongs to EIG since April 2010 or earlier.

• Webzai (webzai.com) Acquired by EIG in the 3d quarter 2014.

• World Wide Web Hosting (wwwh.com) Fictitious Names: PRESSED, WEBSITE.ME, WP MANAGED HOST.Belongs to EIG since at least June 25, 2015.

• Xeran (xeran.com) Belongs to EIG since April 2010 or earlier.

• YourWebHosting (yourwebhosting.com) Belongs to EIG since April 2010 or earlier

With Patrick Galligher who runs GridPane, a self-managed WP hosting business , and
Ben Gabler is the CEO of Rocket.net, which provides managed WordPress hosting.

The pros and cons of different hosting options, what to look out for, and what factors are most important when selecting a host for your agency.

Choosing the Right Web Host

You don't have to scroll far down the post inside The Admin Bar Community to find someone looking for a recommendation for a hosting company. There was a day when every host just tried to be everything to everyone — but in recent years, hosting companies have started niching down to solve specific problems for specific segments of the market. And it seems like there is a new provider entering the space every day. But how do you choose?  Features over price? Price over support? Support over anything?  Thankfully, I've lined up 2 guests with deep, inside knowledge in this industry to try and help us sort it out. Patrick Galligher runs GridPane, a self-managed service aimed at web agencies, and Ben Gabler is the CEO of Rocket.net, which provides managed WordPress hosting.  In this live event, I'll be picking their brains to learn more about the pros and cons of different hosting options, what to look out for, and what factors are most important when selecting a host for your agency. Register below to attend live and be a part of the audience Q&A to help get your questions answered! https://theadminbar.com/events/choosing-the-right-host/ [ Video Created and Produced by Kyle Van Deusen ] 👏 COMMUNITY Join our free community: https://theadminbar.com/group/ (voted best WordPress community!): 🔴 EVENTS See past and upcoming live interviews & workshops: https://theadminbar.com/events/ 🎁 PRODUCTS Sell more care plans with The Website Owner's Manual: https://theadminbar.com/products/wom/ Write proposals in less than 15 minutes with this template: https://theadminbar.com/products/easy-peasy-proposal/ Fill your prospect pipeline in this 3-week challenge: https://theadminbar.com/products/prospect-pipeline-challenge/ 5 Airtable templates I use to run my agency: https://theadminbar.com/products/agency-airtable-pack/ 📨 NEWSLETTER Stay up-to-date with the best from in and around The Admin Bar: https://theadminbar.com/friday-chaser/ 🤖 MISC Visit our website: https://theadminbar.com Product endorsements: https://theadminbar.com/products/#endorsements Kyle on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kylevandeusen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTrZn3Q5NH8

SUNDAY, JUNE 30, 2024 - a discussion on FaceBook from WordPress Hosting group

From the mouth of Patrick Gallagher of https://gridpane.com/ in response to one of the many questions about ‘what host should I choose’.

According to Patrick:

I'm going to attempt to compress hundreds of threads here into one, starting with my own take (and including my own bias throughout):

1.) Don't cut corners in doing this diligence. Almost no one looks back years later and says "I'm really glad that I went with the super cheap one!"

2.) MANY here love Siteground. Many also do not. They can be a very solid provider... but you really gotta watch out for what happens with those prices after the 3 year renewal price triples. Also, be leery of any provider that whacks you for three years in advance, no matter the discount.

3.) MANY love Cloudways. Many do not. I personally think they actually provide a really interesting service and price point... but they purport to sell something that I think they do not actually sell.

4.) Pagely, Kinsta, Pantheon, Flywheel, WPEngine... (can't believe I included that last one, you can do much worse... and you can do much better.)... these players all live in the top tier for good reasons. Don't look at them and think "That's too expensive!" Instead look at that money and convince yourself "This is an investment, so I'm going to act as if..."

5.) Do some research on EIG... they own Bluehost and 5 dozen more just like them. They're generally not the way you wanna go if you can avoid it. I'm sure some people do just fine with their leprosy. Google says it's "treatable" now. But you don't need to just roll around in it.

6.) If you want personal attention you either need to pay serious dollars or you need to find a niche player.