If you offer hosting services or care plans to your clients, it is mandatory that you choose ‘the perfect’ hosting service as per their needs. It’s more important than you think, and I’ll tell you why.
With the wrong hosting provider, you’ve got downtime, slow load times, and a very unhappy client. And with the wrong hosting plan type, you’ve got extra expenses, rigidity, limitations, and whatnot.
By the way, if you can relate to these troubles already, this guide is exclusively for you. It will arm you with all the knowledge you need to make the best choice for your clients.
Choosing WordPress Hosting for a Client: Here’s how to do it
When choosing the right hosting plan for your clients, understanding the market landscape is crucial.
- Shared hosting dominates the web hosting market with a commanding 37.64% share. It remains the go-to choice for many due to its affordability and simplicity.
- Dedicated hosting, holding a substantial 27.90% of the market, offers robust performance and security for more demanding needs.
If we compare, dedicated hosting is anyway the best option. However, it is costly because you get dedicated resources.
Amid these popular options, managed WordPress hosting stands out by providing tailored solutions that cater to specific client requirements, offering a blend of ease, performance, and security.
The crux is – A managed WordPress service with a dedicated server is the best choice you can make for your client until and unless his budget is too low.
Which Server is the Best to Host a WordPress Site?
While searching for a hosting provider, you must check the server sitting underneath their service. Nginx is the best for PHP (and WordPress). It currently powers over 21% of all websites, with Apache following closely behind.
Top WordPress hosts like InstaWP Live use Nginx.
Selecting the WordPress Hosting Plan Type for your Client
Now that you have a WordPress hosting type selected, it’s time to cater to your client’s needs with a suitable plan type, so here’s a table you can cram.
| Client Type | Best Plan | Why It’s Perfect |
| New Businesses | Basic or Starter Plan | Affordable and simple. Perfect for small sites or initial setups. |
| Growing Sites | Growth or Professional Plan | More resources and better performance. Ideal for increasing traffic or needs. |
| High-Traffic Sites | Advanced or Enterprise Plan | Handles large volumes of traffic and heavy content. Great for busy e-commerce or high-traffic blogs. |
| Developers or Agencies | Custom or Agency Plan | Flexible and scalable with bulk discounts. Suited for managing multiple sites or custom needs. |
| High-Security Needs | Secure or Compliance Plan | Extra security and compliance features. Ideal for sites with sensitive data. |
Traits of the Best Managed Hosting Provider for Your Clients
Time to find a WordPress hosting provider to make your agency and your clients happy. Let’s begin.
- Performance and Reliability
Approximately 77% of online shoppers are inclined to abandon their purchase if they encounter an error on a website. So, if your clients expect their websites to be up and running smoothly 24/7, it is totally justified.
Uptime guarantees and server performance metrics are crucial. Server speed keeps your visitors engaged and Google happy. So, look for providers boasting at least 99.9% uptime – anything less is a red flag. Shared hosting providers like Siteground and managed hosting providers like InstaWP Live can be considered.
- Support and Customer Service
When things go south (and they occasionally will), you want a hosting provider with stellar support. You won’t want a bugging client and helpless support at the same time.
Having a reliable support team can make all the difference in maintaining smooth operations and keeping your clients satisfied. Not just the 24/7 availability but quality matters too.
Look for providers that offer multiple support channels, such as live chat, phone, and email, to ensure you can get help in the way that works best for you. Additionally, check for positive customer reviews and ratings that highlight responsive and knowledgeable support teams.
- Scalability
It’s inevitable that your clients’ websites will grow. Whether they hit the jackpot with a viral post or simply expand their content, your hosting needs to scale with them. So, you should never go with a provider that doesn’t allow upgrading and downgrading flexibly.
More importantly, random spikes should not affect your clients’ websites. So, providers with the ability to handle traffic spikes (shoutout to InstaWP Live’s Burst Mode!) are peace of mind.
- Security Features
It goes without saying, right?
You must ensure that your hosting provider offers SSL certificates, DDoS protection, and regular backups. Your clients will sleep better (so will you).
In case you are unaware, over 30,000 websites fall victim to hacking every single day, with 43% of these cyberattacks targeting small to medium-sized businesses. By choosing a secure hosting provider for your client, you are minimizing that risk to the lowest possible.
- Ease of Use
The easier it is to manage their site, the fewer late-night support calls you’ll get. So, always go for a hosting provider that makes managing a WordPress site as simple as clapping. It should offer the best user experience, however, not at the cost of uptime, performance, security, and scalability.
The easier it is to manage your client’s site, the fewer late-night support calls you’ll receive. So, choose a hosting provider that simplifies WordPress site management to the point where it’s as easy as clapping. However, user experience should never compromise essential aspects like uptime, performance, security, and scalability.
Look for features like an intuitive control panel, one-click installations, and seamless updates. A provider that balances these elements ensures a smooth, hassle-free experience for you and your clients, reducing stress and fostering satisfaction.
- Pricing
We both agree that you don’t just want value for money but ROI. So as an agency managing multiple client sites, you should benefit from economies of scale.
Providers like InstaWP Live offer agency pricing, providing tiered discounts based on the number of sites or plans you manage. This means the more sites you host, the lower your per-site cost becomes.
Setting Client-Specific Pricing
In addition to favorable agency pricing, a top-tier hosting provider should allow you to set the price of hosting plans for your clients. By setting your own pricing, you maintain control over the costs presented to your clients. This transparency helps in building trust.
Another thing is, different clients have different needs and budgets. The ability to set and customize hosting prices lets you offer tailored solutions based on each client’s specific requirements.
InstaWP Live – The Best Managed Hosting for Agencies
For any agency dealing with WordPress clients, InstaWP Live is the best pick. It addresses the key needs of agencies: reliability, speed, and scalability.
Its Burst Mode ensures your sites can handle unexpected traffic surges without downtime. Edge caching optimizes performance, providing a faster experience for users worldwide.
Then, there’s agency pricing and white-labeling service too. So, you can craft custom plans for your clients at your end and brand your hosting service the way you want.
Unique Features of InstaWP Live Managed WordPress Hosting
- Burst Mode: Dynamically scales CPU resources during high traffic periods to maintain site stability and speed, preventing downtime and ensuring a smooth user experience.
- Edge Caching & CDN: Reduces load times and enhances performance with edge caching and a built-in Content Delivery Network (CDN), providing fast and reliable access to your sites globally.
- Guaranteed Uptime: Offers a high uptime guarantee, ensuring your sites remain accessible and performing well without interruptions.
- Automated Backups & Security: Includes automated backups and advanced security features like DDoS protection and a Web Application Firewall (WAF), safeguarding your sites from data loss and attacks.
- Integrated Tools: Offers easy one-click staging, staging to production transitions, expert support, and automated backups, streamlining the management of WordPress sites.
Conclusion
For any WordPress agency, it is essential to choose the right hosting provider and plan for their client’s success and satisfaction.
Managed WordPress hosting offers a tailored blend of performance, ease, and security, addressing various client needs, from new businesses to high-traffic sites. When combined with dedicated hosting, it ensures that your client, as well as their site, are the happiest.
This guide provided essential insights into selecting the best hosting plan for each client type and highlights crucial features to look for in a provider. By understanding these factors, you can make informed decisions, ensuring optimal performance and satisfaction for your clients.
FAQs
1. What’s the best hosting plan for a new business?
For newbies, a basic or starter managed WordPress plan is your best bet. It’s affordable, straightforward and better than shared hosting in all manners, providing just the essentials to get the site up and running without overwhelming your client with features they don’t need yet.
2. How does InstaWP Live’s pricing benefit agencies?
InstaWP Live offers tiered agency pricing, meaning the more sites you manage, the less you pay per site. It’s a win-win, giving you cost-effective solutions and the flexibility to set pricing for your clients.
3. How do I pick a plan for a growing site?
As your client’s site starts to gain traction, opt for a growth or professional plan. These plans offer extra resources and improved performance to handle increased traffic and content, keeping the site swift and snappy as it expands.
4. How can InstaWP Live help with high-traffic sites?
InstaWP Live’s advanced and enterprise plans are tailor-made for high-traffic sites. They deliver top-notch performance and scalability, ensuring that even with a flood of visitors or heavy content, the site remains fast and reliable.
5. What’s the best hosting plan for a new business?
For newbies, a basic or starter managed WordPress plan is your best bet. It’s affordable and straightforward, providing just the essentials to get the site up and running without overwhelming your client with features they don’t need yet.
6. Why should agencies and developers go for managed WordPress hosting?
Managed WordPress hosting, like InstaWP Live’s custom plans, is a game-changer for agencies and developers. It offers staging environments and bulk management tools that streamline workflows and make managing multiple sites a breeze.
7. What should I look for in a hosting provider’s security features?
You’ll want SSL certificates, DDoS protection, and regular backups. These features are crucial for keeping your client’s site safe from threats and ensuring data security. Managed hosts typically include these as part of their service package.
8. How does scalability impact a website?
Scalability means your hosting can grow with your client’s site. Look for providers that let you easily adjust resources as traffic and content increase. This ensures the site remains performant, even when things get busy.
9. Why is support so important in a hosting provider?
Good support can be a lifesaver. You need a provider that offers 24/7 assistance via live chat, phone, or email. Check reviews to ensure they’re responsive and helpful, so you’re never left in the lurch.
10. Why is the ease of use a big deal in hosting?
The easier it is to manage, the better. Look for a hosting provider with a user-friendly control panel, one-click installs, and smooth updates. This reduces the hassle and keeps support calls to a minimum, making everyone’s life a little easier.