Having a solid hosting provider for your WordPress membership website is essential for its success. This is because if your website is laggy and not responsive, site visitors will likely bounce off your site before they get to see your content.
To ensure the optimal performance of your membership website, you need to consider using a solid hosting provider. Additionally, choosing the right hosting provider makes it easier to first set up your membership site, especially if you’re not very tech-savvy.
In this article, we’ll talk about some of the best hosting providers available for a WordPress membership website.
Different types of WordPress hostings
When it comes to choosing WordPress hosting, there are many different options to select from. It all comes down to your needs and the budget you’re willing to spend on a hosting service for your WordPress membership website.
Let’s take a look at all the different types of WordPress hosting you should know about before choosing one for your membership website:
Free WordPress hosting
Although there are free WordPress hosting services out there, all of them might not be the ideal option for your membership website. This is because they can be unreliable, especially if it’s shared by an individual you found on an online forum or community site. Other than the individual publishing their ads on your website in exchange for the free hosting, you can never be sure how long the “free” WordPress hosting will last. Not an ideal option for hosting a professional WordPress membership website.
Shared WordPress hosting
Shared WordPress hosting providers are the most common type of hosts used by startups or small-scale businesses. It’s the perfect option if you’re just starting out as it can reduce the cost of hosting your website on a reliable server. Although it’s not as secure or optimized since you will be sharing a large server with many other websites on it. Additionally, you also have to consider using resources efficiently as most shared hosting plans have a server data limit.
WordPress VPS hosting
WordPress virtual private server (VPS) is a type of web hosting that allows you to store your website’s data into a virtual server created from partitioning a physical server. Although you’re sharing the server with other websites, this gives you almost the same performance and control as a dedicated WordPress hosting plan.
WordPress dedicated server hosting
A WordPress dedicated server is a high-end service that most web hosting providers offer. This lets you lease a personal physical server for your website and lets you control server configuration including choice of operating system and hardware. It’s a great option if your site receives a lot of traffic as it can get quite costly to host your site on a WordPress dedicated server.
Managed WordPress hosting
With the increasing popularity of WordPress sites, most web hosting providers offer managed WordPress hosting, as well. The “managed” essentially means that all upgrades and maintenance are taken care of by the hosting provider. This is a great way to host your membership website without having to worry about anything at all, you just need to focus on creating content.
Top 7 hosting providers for WordPress membership sites
Here, we’ll go over some of our recommended hosting providers for WordPress membership websites and highlight the features each one offers.
#1. Bluehost
Bluehost offers an all-in-one website hosting solution for all types of WordPress sites, including membership sites.
With Bluehost, you can quickly get started with creating your new website and hosting it on an optimized server. You can simply name your website, select a design that you like from attractive pre-built templates, and select the right hosting plan for your business. This way, you can select the right hosting plan for your use case, whether it’s running an online store or creating a full-fledged membership website.
Bluehost is a great hosting provider as it can help you quickly get started with your first website, even if you don’t know how to code. This is useful for business owners who don’t have the time needed to fully develop a website on their own and helps make your membership site look professional.
Pricing – Bluehost offers multiple web hosting packages, depending on your use case and your budget, you can select from:
- Shared Hosting – $4.95 per month.
- Online Stores – $15.95 per month.
- Managed WordPress – $9.95 per month.
#2. SiteGround
SiteGround is a robust web hosting platform designed with simplicity in mind.
SiteGround, out of the box, offers a reliable web hosting server that’s quick and responsive, even for larger-sized websites. Similarly, you can also choose to go with a managed WordPress hosting for your membership site and have more control over your site’s hosting server.
One of the great things about SiteGround is that it uses SSD storage for storing a website’s data and is fully powered by Google Cloud, which is known for its reliability and responsiveness. SiteGround not only lets you set up a new WordPress site quickly and then select the ideal hosting plan for it but also lets you seamlessly transfer old website data to your new website. This is perfect if you already have a membership website and you want to move to SiteGround’s hosting plan.
Pricing – SiteGround’s pricing for web hosting starts at $3.99 per month for the StartUp package.
#3. Cloudways
Cloudways is a simple yet powerful hosting provider for WordPress membership websites.
It is designed to help business owners manage their hosting and website tasks easily, without having to worry about having technical skills. This way, you can focus on creating high-quality content for your membership website rather than worry about web hosting issues. Using Cloudways to host your membership website, you have access to a built-in CDN, a server that supports all PHP apps, easy to use control panel, and automatic backups for keeping your website’s data safe.
Cloudways is a great option for hosting your WordPress membership site. You can go live within a few minutes and start managing your membership website with ease.
Pricing – Cloudways lets you select from multiple cloud hosting providers including:
- DigitalOcean – Starting from $10 per month.
- Linode – Starting from $12 per month.
- Vultr – Starting from $11 per month.
- AWS – Starting from $36.51 per month.
- Google Cloud – Starting from $33.18 per month.
#4. Kinsta
Kinsta is trusted by over 20,000 businesses as a reliable and smooth WordPress hosting provider.
It features high-end technology and a built-in Content Delivery Network (CDN) that helps enhance the performance of your membership website. You can choose from up to 29 different data centers placed throughout the globe to host your website’s data. This ensures, despite the site visitors’ geographical location, the content will be delivered quickly and without wasting resources.
Kinsta works great for WordPress membership sites thanks to Google’s C2 server machines. This ensures your membership site is fully responsive and offers a smooth browser experience for site visitors.
Pricing – Kinsta’s pricing starts at $30 per month for the Starter package.
#5. WordPress.com
One of the simplest yet most powerful hosting providers; WordPress.com is a great option for hosting your membership site.
WordPress.com hosting is very budget-friendly and offers a free domain for one year if you decide to create a new membership website. This is a great way to quickly get started with your membership idea, even if you’re on a tight budget.
If you’re looking for simplicity in your hosting provider, WordPress.com hosting is the right choice for you. You can create your membership site from scratch and customize it however you’d like, all from a single platform.
Pricing – WordPress.com’s Personal package starts at $7 if you pay monthly and $4 if you pay yearly.
#6. DreamHost
DreamHost offers complete web hosting solutions for all types of businesses, even for new start-ups or small-scale businesses.
DreamHost offers a complete solution for creating a full-fledged WordPress site quickly and with a budget-friendly price tag. On purchase of a hosting plan from DreamHost, you receive a free domain, email hosting, privacy protection, and SSL certificate for your membership website. This is great for starting out your new membership business without having to worry about paying extra for such premium features.
Pricing – DreamHost offers a variety of different hosting plans for WordPress sites:
- WordPress Basic – Starting from $1.99 per month.
- DreamPress – Managed WordPress hosting starting from $12 per month.
- VPS WordPress – Starting from $30 per month.
#7. HostGator
HostGator offers a “one-off” solution for hosting your WordPress membership website.
The hosting provider is known for its simplicity and a “ready-to-go” solution for creating a WordPress membership site quickly. It also features an easy-to-navigate control panel that lets you manage your membership site’s users and data easily. In addition to this, HostGator not only offers a free domain but also lets you migrate your site for free.
Pricing – HostGator’s pricing starts from $5.95 per month for the Starter Plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the best hosting provider for a WordPress membership website in 2023?
A: There are several hosting providers that are highly recommended for hosting a WordPress membership website. Some of the top options include InMotion Hosting, A2 Hosting, and SiteGround.
Q: What should I look for in a WordPress host for my membership website?
A: When choosing a WordPress host for your membership website, it is important to consider factors such as reliability, security, performance, scalability, and customer support. It is also beneficial to select a host that offers features specifically designed for hosting membership sites.
Q: Why is it important to choose the best WordPress hosting service for a membership website?
A: The hosting service you choose can significantly impact the success and performance of your WordPress membership website. A reliable and optimized hosting service ensures that your site operates smoothly, provides a seamless user experience, and offers the necessary resources to handle membership-related functionalities.
Q: What are the advantages of using a managed WordPress host for a membership website?
A: Managed WordPress hosts specialize in hosting WordPress websites and provide additional features and support tailored to the WordPress platform. Using a managed host for your membership website can save you time and effort in managing technical aspects of your site, offer enhanced security features, and provide expert assistance when needed.
Q: Can I use shared hosting for a WordPress membership website?
A: While shared hosting may be a more budget-friendly option, it is generally not recommended for hosting a WordPress membership website. Shared hosting plans often have limitations in terms of resources, performance, and security, which may negatively impact the functionality and user experience of your membership site.
Q: What is the difference between shared hosting and dedicated hosting for a WordPress membership website?
A: Shared hosting involves sharing server resources with other websites on the same server, while dedicated hosting provides dedicated server resources solely for your website. Dedicated hosting offers better performance, scalability, and control over server configurations, making it a preferred choice for high-traffic membership websites.
Q: Can I get a free domain with a WordPress hosting account?
A: Some WordPress hosting providers offer a free domain registration or domain transfer as part of their hosting packages. However, not all hosts provide this feature, so it is important to check the details of the hosting plan and confirm if a free domain is included.
Q: What is a free SSL certificate, and do I need one for my WordPress membership website?
A: An SSL certificate encrypts the connection between a website and its visitors, ensuring secure transmission of sensitive information. For a WordPress membership website, having an SSL certificate is highly recommended to protect user data and build trust. Many hosting providers offer free SSL certificates through automated installation processes.
Q: Can I install WordPress with just one click on a WordPress hosting service?
A: Yes, most WordPress hosting services provide one-click WordPress installation options. This feature allows you to quickly install WordPress on your hosting account without the need for manual installation and configuration.
Q: How do I choose the best web hosting provider for my WordPress membership website?
A: To choose the best web hosting provider for your WordPress membership website, consider factors such as the provider’s reputation, customer reviews, hosting features, pricing, scalability, and customer support. It is also helpful to assess if the provider offers specialized WordPress hosting services and features.
Conclusion
With so many great options available, choosing the right one can be a challenge, especially if this is your first time doing so.
You need to consider your business’s needs and the budget you’re willing to spend when deciding on a WordPress hosting provider for your membership website.
Do you know of any other solid hosting providers for hosting WordPress membership websites? Let us know in the comments below.
