Over the summer, I dove into two powerful CMS platforms – WordPress and HubSpot CMS Hub. I compared their dashboards and the different experiences for the user. This time around, we’ll get into the differences in website hosting, and the types of security available.
Before we get into the comparison, I want to offer a top-level explanation of what website hosting is, and why choosing the right hosting can impact the longevity of your website. And your overall business success.
What is website hosting?
Hosting is the process of renting or buying space to house a website on the World Wide Web. If you imagine your website as your virtual storefront, purchasing hosting is the same as purchasing your office building or physical storefront.
Hosting is different from a CMS, which houses all the content inside your website, like your site theme, pages, images, and written content.
What’s included in the cost of hosting?
Hosting prices can differ based on the type of web hosting you choose for your website. The options include:
- Shared hosting (this is the cheapest option)
- Cloud hosting
- VPS (virtual private server) hosting
- Dedicated hosting
Most shared plans can handle anywhere from 10,000 to 25,000 monthly site visits. For many small business owners, such a plan will suffice. If your website surpasses 50,000 monthly visits, we’d recommend upgrading to a VPS or cloud web hosting package. Dedicated hosting is recommended for large websites that receive over 100,000 views a month.
Your contract length (longer = cheaper for first-time purchases), package extras, site migration needs, support, and security can also affect your cost.
What should you insist on in a hosting contract?
Your hosting plan can (and should) include:
- An appropriate bandwidth allowance (site traffic)
- Upgrade options (this can include increasing your storage, your max number of visitors, or the number of domains)
- A user-friendly control panel
- Security measures
- Technical support
Each web hosting plan has resources available to the website, along with limitations tied to your contract. If you invest in a hosting provider or specific plan that can’t handle high traffic, process multiple requests at once, or doesn’t have enough storage for your site, it can impact your site performance. Pages will load slower (or in some cases, not at all) and prospects will leave in search of a more convenient option.
Be cautious when searching for a hosting platform, not all platforms have the same level of security. Breaches can happen, so you’ll want to check which hosting providers have a history of security breaches and data loss.
Choose a trusted third-party platform to host your WordPress website.
If you build your site on WordPress, you will need to rely on third-party hosting services when it comes to your site domain and hosting. WordPress websites seamlessly integrate with many of the well-known hosting providers.
Here at StitchDX, we’ve found success with the hosting platform SiteGround, a powerful platform recommended by WordPress. They have enhanced security measures for members, a user-friendly interface, and reliable WordPress-optimized hosting.
With a HubSpot CMS website, experience an all-in-one solution.
HubSpot CMS Hub provides a different experience when it comes to how you host your website. CMS Hub comes with premium hosting features and security services – so there is no need to outsource these services for your website.
When you use HubSpot CMS Hub, you can host your website for free, and access HubSpot customer support and 24/7 security and threat detection. HubSpot CMS is still a newer option for small-to-medium businesses, but those who are looking for an all-in-one solution should look no further.
Your website is your digital storefront – have you installed a trustworthy security system?
Do you know if your website is secure? In the past, have you opened your website and realized the content is different, or inaccessible? Moments like those highlight the importance of a secure, protected website.
Both HubSpot and WordPress offer hosting solutions that include security services and thread protection. With HubSpot, your website is automatically protected by 24/7 security, built-in SSL certification, and regular upgrades to its software. This makes it easier for new business owners to set up their websites with minimal knowledge of securing websites.
With WordPress, you are responsible for choosing the hosting provider, which is the first step when considering security requirements for your website. WordPress also does not offer automatic updates for all themes, which can put your website at risk. Don’t worry – this is where digital agencies like us come in. We use WordPress with many of our customers, and we check on theme updates, provide security recommendations, and help when problems arise.
Know how to pick the right hosting (and CMS) platforms for your business.
How you choose the hosting provider for your business can make or break your website. Make sure you know what should be included, how hosting differs from your CMS, and when to bring in website developers. If you’re still not sure about your site hosting or CMS platform, reach out or click that chat button in the bottom right.