What Is Managed Web Hosting?
Managed web hosting is a service in which your hosting provider handles the technical aspects of running your website, ensuring maximum site uptime and performance.
The management is entrusted to experts who specialize in this field, resulting in a completely different level of quality. This approach also significantly reduces costs compared to the owner’s involvement or hiring external collaborators.
Difference Between Web Hosting and Managed Web Hosting
Hosting services include a certain amount of web space and various tools for managing the site, but they also require a certain level of knowledge to use them.
Managed web hosting is a service that is unnecessary for some websites, such as static websites built purely with HTML or custom-coded websites. WordPress, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. To understand why, we need to look at the key characteristics of WordPress.
Key Characteristics of WordPress
If we were to summarize the key characteristics of WordPress and its management in a few points, we would highlight the following:
-WordPress has daily updates for certain components.
-Security vulnerabilities are discovered daily, so actions must be taken on the site daily to prevent them from being exploited and to keep the site safe.
– Due to the above, WordPress must be scanned daily for malware, and immediate action is necessary to stop the problem at the start, preventing downtime and hours of work.
– For the same reason, backups are extremely important for WordPress, and they must be performed daily.
– All of this requires extensive knowledge of WordPress and other aspects of the web, as well as daily learning about new issues, especially staying informed about newly discovered security problems.
Why Managed Web Hosting is Important for WordPress
WordPress powers over 40% of all websites on the internet. Its structure is public, accessible, and well-known to everyone. This widespread usage has also attracted many malicious individuals and groups who seek to exploit this openness.
Every security vulnerability becomes immediately known to everyone, and as soon as it’s discovered, attackers start targeting unprotected sites. Another important aspect is the constant updates to individual components, which often conflict with some older system elements.
Who Needs Managed Web Hosting?
Answer: Practically anyone who wants a fast and secure WordPress website but is not specialized in it themselves.
The question is equivalent to whether someone can be their own car mechanic. They can if it becomes a hobby. But even then, they won’t achieve the same results as a professional specializing in this field.
In practice, when website owners attempt to maintain their site (in 99% of cases), they don’t have the knowledge and, even more so, the time to make daily updates, solve problems, fix security vulnerabilities, etc.
Professional Experience Matters:
Managed web hosting makes sense for WordPress designers and developers for several reasons. Yes, even WordPress designers and developers need assistance in this area.
First is the lack of time and dedication to the technical and security aspects of the site and the continuous information gathering about them, which often results in only periodic maintenance based on partial information.
Let us repeat here that daily management of WordPress is the only quality management of WordPress.
Even when a developer or designer has the knowledge, time, and willingness to devote themselves to this daily, they don’t have the same tools as a hosting provider. The hosting provider, due to their access to the entire server, has a completely different perspective and more powerful tools than those available to the user at the site level.
The above applies to all WordPress sites, but when it comes to eCommerce sites that directly generate revenue through sales, anything other than managed WordPress hosting can be considered unprofessional.
The Cost of Managed Web Hosting
Managed hosting typically costs $100+ per month.
This may initially seem expensive until you consider that this is a daily and time-intensive task, from staying informed about all updates and security issues to applying them on the site.
A site owner who is not from this field would literally have to spend several hours a day, making WordPress management considerably more expensive with very questionable results.
But even when it comes to people professionally connected to WordPress, such as developers or designers, the service is far more cost-effective than their own work.
Let’s consider just the four basic tasks that need to be performed daily:
– Malware control.
– Backup control.
– Checking for potential updates.
– Staying informed about security issues and the actions that result from them.
If we multiply this time by thirty days and convert it into a concrete amount of money, we will arrive at a much higher amount than the cost of managed web hosting.
It’s also worth noting that this service includes uptime monitoring and immediate alerting and intervention if any uptime issues arise.
Additionally, this service includes 24/7 priority support for any site queries or problems.
Very often, managed web hosting providers also offer other WordPress-related services, such as design and development, at discounted rates.
Why Choose Sage Digital Agency?
At Sage Digital Agency, we offer a comprehensive managed hosting package designed to keep your website secure, fast, and reliable.
Our core motto is proactivity in all aspects of our work so potential problems are identified and prevented in advance or resolved at the very beginning.
- Our infrastructure is based in US data centers, ensuring maximum speed and minimal latency.
- Our servers and the software we use are of top quality and the latest generation.
- All servers and sites are monitored 24/7 and connected to an alert system, and response times in case of site downtime are measured in minutes.
- 24/7 available top-notch customer support.
- Daily backups and daily monitoring of backup execution.
- Daily virus and malware scanning and priority resolution.
- Daily updates if new ones are available.
- Weekly speed testing.
- Continuous optimization.
- Client consultation on potential site improvements.
