Essential Hosting Features Every WordPress Website Needs

Creating a WordPress website? Let’s learn which hosting features you should consider for your project.

In most cases, WordPress can run on hosting with a basic arsenal. However, if you’re more curious, confirming hosting’s features for WordPress gives you a competitive advantage.

Let’s proceed without further delay.

Hosting Features for a WordPress project

In this resource, we’re addressing the hosting features a hosting plan must have and additional add-ons that help WordPress run smoothly, perform better, and increase performance.

Requirements: Hosting Features

• PHP

PHP is a scripting language for web applications. Using code execution on the server, PHP helps users create, run, and handle dynamic applications.

Key Point: WordPress is built in PHP, along with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. A hosting plan used to store WordPress files must have PHP set up. Confirm with hosting support whether the plan supports PHP 8.3 or greater when installed.

• MySQL

WordPress runs on a relational database. MySQL, an open-source Relational Database Management System (RDBMS), is undeniably important for WordPress.

Note: An RDBMS database system stores data in rows and columns (Tables). The system uses Structured Query Language (SQL) to create, update, delete, or change data in a database.

Key Point: MySQL version 8.0 or greater is enough for WordPress. You can also float with MariaDB, version 10.6 or greater.

• HTTPs Support

HTTP is a web protocol that transmits information between clients (browsers) and web servers.

In most cases, web servers provide HTTPs support, unless built for a custom, specific purpose.

Key Point: Normally, don’t ask or confirm support for HTTPs. The hosting recommendations you see on WordPress are ideal for proceeding. It is not rocket science.

Additional Features

Let’s talk about extra hosting features – helping WordPress sites run smoothly.

• Auto-installers

When creating a WordPress site, beginners often face hardships installing WordPress.

The hosting companies provide a smooth, no-code, and point-and-click option to install WordPress, helping beginners install WordPress with a few clicks. Yes, they’re known as WordPress auto-installers.

Once a hosting plan is bought, the options in the cPanel interface help users run the WordPress auto-installer. Perfect.

• WordPress Support

As WordPress grows, users often face uninviting issues. Headaches for beginners, if not treated well, a WordPress site can go offline. So, there comes the premium, extra support for WordPress users.

In this case, the hosting company you choose should provide live chat support, ticket generation, or premium support for users. Perfect.

• WP CLI support

Did you know that WordPress supports a command-line interface for advanced users? This allows users to quickly manage their sites without logging into the web cPanel interface.

The Hosting environments supporting WP CLI are a pure gem for advanced users. Unlike regular users, advanced users in such scenarios need WP CLI, and the hosting company supports WP CLI. Perfect.

• WordPress Staging environments

In WordPress, a staging site helps users run, test, and remove errors from unfinished installations, projects, and core routines. Thus, a staging site provides users with A/B testing.

The hosting plan, packed with a staging facility, is the game-changer. Users can create and make sites go online, and a staging place helps users ensure that a project or site is functioning correctly before hitting the “Go Online” button.

• Multisite management

Need to run multiple sites on WordPress?

Hosting services like Bluehost support multisite setups for WordPress users.

Using a centralized environment, one can easily create, set up, and manage multiple sites using WordPress.

• Automated Backups

To stay safe, users must take site backups regularly—there is no exception for backups.

Backup plans help users quickly restore sites in case of data loss or if something unusual happens.

In this case, hosting plans with automated pre-shipped backups help users stay safe. The possibilities are endless. Even if you miss periodic backups, the hosting feature enables you to restore projects.

• Automatic Updates

Some hosting plans support automated updates for WordPress assets such as Themes, plugins, and third-party integrations.

Automated backups help users avoid security loopholes. If you’re not technical enough, look for similar options inside your Hosting cPanel. You can better ask hosting representatives or support guys for assistance.

• Knowledge Base

If a hosting company helps users learn how to manage WordPress sites, beginners can also handle complex infrastructures. Perfect.

For example, a knowledge base helping users quickly learn how to install WordPress, update, manage, and restore plans, is the perfect choice for WordPress lovers.

• Support for Site Migration

Imagine. You need to switch your site’s hosting but don’t know how to do so without causing your site to go offline.

In this case, the best option is hosting companies that help users migrate their sites quickly.

So, if you’re looking for an option, choose the hosting that supports users needing migration from existing hosting plans. In most cases, the process runs over Support, point-and-click, requiring no assistance from end users.

• WordPress-specific interface

There are two cases if you’re looking to install WordPress.

You can download and self-host WordPress. Second, if you’re not technical enough to proceed, you can sign up for a Hosting plan that supports WordPress.

In the latter option, the Hosting company helps you quickly experience a WordPress-specific environment, without learning how to handle WordPress installations manually.

For example, WordPress.com allows users to enter basic information and proceed to go live with a few clicks. The complex parts, such as creating user logins and databases, setting link structures, usernames, and security, are skipped.

• Support for 3rd Party Assets

Assets like WooCommerce specifically require WordPress environments to survive.

Users have two options: They can proceed and handle everything, or the hosting plans can help them effectively manage WordPress-specific assets.

In this condition, let’s consider the example of WooCommerce.

WooCommerce is a package for creating and running online stores. If you’re not technical enough, your chosen hosting plans can help you manage online stores effectively.

See the official recommendations for more information on how hosting can help.

• WordPress premade Assets

Users can skip hiring developers if they need to create stunning pages.

In this case, the hosting plans can help you quickly choose a template, make changes, and go live in a few moments. It’s not rocket science.

For example, if you wanted to use WordPress for a simple portfolio website, the premade templates can quickly help you go online. The process is no-code, with no requirements to learn, add, change, or handle code snippets.

Professional Tips

• If you need to create custom projects, ask the Hosting support to confirm if a specific feature is available.
• Changing hosting plans is not always the choice. For example, the feature you’re looking for in a plan may already exist. In this case, you should increase your knowledge or ask Hosting support.
• Managed WordPress hosting is even better if you can afford it. Such plans cost more but provide robust options to run WordPress effectively, fast, and error-free.
• If a hosting plan provides maintenance features, taking advantage of this opportunity would be a good idea.
• Have a look at the hosting features before you hit the Buy button. Remember.

Summing up

If you’re a Starter, signing up for regular hosting is enough to create a WordPress project.

However, looking to confirm hosting options is more sensitive for complex, custom, and technical users, such as developers.

In this resource, we learned about the features a Hosting plan should have for WordPress.

If you need more information, consult our specialists. We can help you choose better hosts for WordPress projects, provide WordPress maintenance support, remove errors, and improve speed.