Looking for the best hosting for WordPress for beginner bloggers? Find out why Flywheel is the best host platform to use for your blog. 

In order to start a blog that you are able to monetize, it needs to be “self-hosted.” This means that you need to purchase your own domain and hosting. 

If you’ve just heard the word “hosting” for the first time, and you’re already confused, don’t worry. I got you! 

In this post, we will go over what WordPress hosting is and why you need it. We will also cover what to look for in a good hosting service, and why Flywheel is my number one recommended hosting platform for both beginner and experienced bloggers. 

By the end of this post, you will be ready to head on over to Flywheel and finally be ready to make that ever-important decision for your blog.

Don’t worry, I will also give you an alternative hosting platform (if you need or want something different). 

This post is all about the best hosting for WordPress for beginner bloggers. 

Let’s dive in.

The Best Hosting for WordPress for Beginner Bloggers

What is WordPress Hosting?

I think an analogy is helpful here. 

Think of your blog as a house. Your domain is like the address, the website is the house itself, and the hosting service is like the neighborhood where you decide to live.

Just like in real life, you wouldn’t just live in any neighborhood, you also want to be careful about which host you choose for your blog.

WordPress hosting services are specially optimized for the needs of a WordPress website such as the speed and security needed for a WordPress website to function at its best. 

Why Do You Need a Hosting Service for Your Blog?

If you are just starting a hobby blog, then you don’t need your own hosting service or your own domain, for that matter.

If you want a hobby blog, then you can start a free blog through Blogger, WordPress.com, Wix, Squarespace, or one of the many platforms out there. 

But on this website, I teach moms like you how to create a blog that can become a source of income. In that case, you need to have a self-hosted blog. 

That means that you own the domain, and you find a platform where you can host it. You can host it on your own server. (Who has their own server?) That’s why we need to have a conversation about what to look for in a hosting platform. 

Without a self-hosted blog, you won’t be able to monetize it. You will have a hard time getting approved for many affiliate marketing programs and you will also be prevented from receiving revenue from display ads. (Those are the top two sources of income for most bloggers.)

In addition, it is going to look a lot more professional and you also own it, which means you are able to customize it to look and function the way you want.

What to Look for in a Good WordPress Hosting Platform?

At a basic level, you want a hosting platform that is fast and secure.

While there are many factors that affect SEO, one very important factor is site speed. 

In an environment of data breaches and cyber attacks, you also want your site to be secure. 

There are some other bonus features I like to have, too. These include things like making automatic backups of your site, having a user-friendly platform, and having great customer service. 

Why I Love Flywheel for WordPress Hosting (and You Will, too)

It is User-Friendly and Beginner Friendly

The Flywheel platform is not only beautifully designed, but it is also one of the easiest hosting platforms to navigate. In my previous hosting experience, it was easy to get lost down the different rabbit trails of its platform. 

That’s one of the first things that stood out to me when I first used Flywheel. With Flywheel, it is always super clear where to go and what you need to do. 

When you are a beginner blogger, the last thing you need is for your hosting platform to be any more confusing than it already is. And Flywheel definitely delivers when it comes to creating a platform that is user-friendly. 

It is Fast

The first question I had when I first discovered Flywheel was: is it good? 

It doesn’t matter how pretty a hosting platform is if it doesn’t do what you need it to do. And one of the key features you need from your host is to make your blog fast. 

As I mentioned above, one factor that affects the SEO of your website is site speed. While there are several factors that can affect your site speed, one of them is your host. 

In addition, if a site takes too long to load, it can cause users to leave your blog. 

Flywheel runs on the Google Cloud, which is considered one of the best. 

Google says that a website should take under 3 seconds to load. 

Flywheel performance ranges from under 0.2 seconds to 2 seconds for bulkier websites. Those are good numbers. 

It’s a Managed WordPress Host

There are two types of hosting: shared hosting and managed WordPress hosting.

Shared hosting means that websites share a server. While managed WordPress hosting means that each website lives on its own server. 

Managed WordPress hosting also means that its servers and services are both specifically made for WordPress websites. This typically means that its sites will have top performance and security. 

In the case of Flywheel, you will get managed caching, fast servers, security features such as malware blocking, regular software updates, and 24/7 support.

This all means that you can spend more time on your blog without having to worry about the speed, security, and other potential issues that might come up. 

SSL, CDN, and Malware Cleanup are Included

SSL, CDN, what??? Those acronyms probably mean nothing to you, so let me explain why you should care. 

First up, SSL Certificates. Have you ever noticed that little lock symbol at the front of most URLs? That simply means that the website has an SSL certificate. Websites with an SSL certificate will also have “HTTPS” at the front of their URL instead of “HTTP.”

At a basic level, SSL Certificates mean that the data on your website is encrypted. This enhances the privacy and security of your website for you and for your users. 

It gives your users peace of mind, but you will also have a hard time getting approved by ad networks and affiliate networks without it. 

Next up, CDNs. A CDN is a Content Delivery Network. Your users aren’t all in the same location or even the same country for that matter. This is where CDNs come in. A CDN is a network of servers that house your website’s files. 

This allows the website to load faster around the world. That way if you have users in the UK, they don’t have to wait for servers in New York or Iowa to load. 

Excellent Uptime

Uptime is defined as the amount of time a website host keeps its servers (and the websites it hosts on them) up and running. The last thing you want to deal with is a host that can’t keep your blog live on a consistent basis. 

Flywheel claims to have great uptime, but there are a lot of geeky developers out there that like to test this sort of thing. 

WordPress expert Darrel Wilson tested Flywheel’s uptime for 60 days and concluded that its overall uptime was 99.9%. During that 60-day period, Wilson said, “Flywheel had only 14 minutes of downtime which translates into less than a second per day.”

I also like that Flywheel maintains a “status” website where you can check to see if there are any issues.

The Customer Service

When you are getting started as an independent blogger, you don’t exactly have an IT department to call on when things go wrong. (And trust me, things will go wrong.)

Choosing vendors that have helpful and responsive customer service support needs to be a high priority. 

With Flywheel, you get 24/7 customer support. And as someone who has had to call on them before, I can tell you that they won’t stop until your problem is fixed. 

The Cost

I’ll be honest about this. Flywheel isn’t the cheapest hosting company, but it is very affordable. If you pay for the entire year up front, it costs $13 per month. If you pay monthly, it’s $15 per month. 

Its prices are definitely comparable to other managed WordPress hosts. 

One of the things I have learned on my blogging journey is that going with the cheapest option isn’t always the best way to go. This is especially true when it comes to choosing a hosting provider for your blog. 

If you need to cut costs, don’t do it here. You will be glad you went with a hosting provider you won’t need to worry about. 

The Backups

One of the features of Flywheel that might be one of my favorites is the fact that Flywheel makes a backup of your site every night. 

This is a God-send if you ever break anything on your blog, and you just want to return it to its previous state, you can do so with the click of a button. 

How to Get Started With Flywheel

To get started with Flywheel go here.

Learn how to intall WordPress with Flywheel with this blog post here.

Or, if you are looking for complete instructions for how to start a blog, I provide step-by-step instructions that walk you through all the blogging steps including how to buy hosting services from Flywheel in this How to Start a Blog tutorial.

Alternative WordPress Web Hosting

If you are looking for something slightly cheaper that is still a reputable hosting provider, another web host I can recommend is SiteGround. 

SiteGround also provides Managed WordPress Hosting, and it starts at $3.99 per month for the first year. In the second year, prices go up to $14.99, which is comparable to Flywheel. 

Find more information about SiteGround here. 

Getting Started WordPress Hosting

While getting started with the right hosting company can be overwhelming, it doesn’t have to be. That’s why Flywheel is such a great option.

It’s time to hear what you have to say. Do you have any questions about Flywheel or other hosting platforms? 

Let me know in the comments below.