Finding a fast host for a WordPress website?

[Calvin Crane]

If it was a pro it would be fast.

 

[Calvin Crane]

@NickGrogan yes you are right. We still build a lot of static websites if we cannot see a need for a CMS. Using a CMS has a lot of benefits if you are going to be adding a lot of content on a regular basis or need more complex functionality. If not, you just need a brochure website, static websites are much better. Also don't use any resource heavy frameworks on your static websites, there only benefit is tot he web designer not the client.

Many 'pros' would not know how to build a website from scratch hence why they offer a one click install of wordpress choose a theme and customise it. What the client thinks is a web designer is just a template configuration jocky.

 

[iDigLocal]

@Calvin Crane when we get new clients we see a lot that have paid extortionate amounts of money for what is the installation of an off-the shelf theme. The issues come when something goes wrong and then their web design company doesn't know how to fix it.

Some of it is so badly implemented it is shocking, and some of the companies that are responsible are very large players

 

[Calvin Crane]

@Calvin Crane when we get new clients we see a lot that have paid extortionate amounts of money ...

Yes I agree. It doesn't mean that themes don't make sense per se. I think they offer a way to get a good design up and running and do save time, but you need to be able to configure the site. Many themes also have SOOOO many dependencies which lock you in to updates etc...so there are good themes and bad themes.

I always let a client know why I might use a theme in their case and if I do it will be a good and one. Also they have me who knows how to configure a server and website to get speed and security.

 

[Blacklaw]

Good points about divi Blacklaw, thousands of people use it so it must be good for certain things. I have a brochure site, it's large but it's just a brochure site. Divibuilder would seem complete overkill for my needs and I just don't like it at all, I've tried and I can't get along with it, it all seems so clunky and unnecessary.

I'm going to get rid of it.

FYI the use of the divi builder is completely optional. You can use the DIVI theme and just use the built in WordPress editor if you wish. So if your site is very simple, no frills, and you don;t need any of the features that the builder provides, just don't use it.

 

[Web Hosting UK]

I think as mentioned you should concentrate on your website first, if you website is poorly written it can really slow things down.

I'd suggest using techniques such as site compression using Gzip, compress your images, maybe use a CDN?

Here's a general guide how to do this https://web-hosting-uk.com/make-your-website-faster/

 

[Breffni Potter]

Posted a blog piece today about speed and why you should care about it, have a read.

The order of priority to make things fast is:

1) Code
2) Assets
3) Hosting

Bad code will compromise you constantly, whether in the theme/plugins or elsewhere. If you have a 20MB image on the home page, yes it'll slow things down, check the assets on the site. Hosting is generally the last place to look for speed gains.

Our clients can "bring their own hosting" because a well built site unless you are handling some pretty heavy loads, you don't need any magic or black art. We'll make a very loud warning about GoDaddy or other dirt cheap shared hosts though!

 

[Inva]

Wordpress performance will depend more on the website itself than on the host. If you have installed a heavy theme and 58 plugins, your website will be slow no matter what.

PS: Avoid BlueHost at all cost.

 

[Julie Knight]

My advice would be to ask a WP pro to review the site. Lots of plug-ins/buggy plug-ins can kill performance, so an independent review will really help you and could save you money in the long run.

 

[fisicx]

Have you read the whole thread @Julie Knight?

If so you would know the cause of the problem.

 

[Steven001]

I'm with MDD hosting. Excellent tech support, fast response, uptime good, best host I've ever had. Currently use them for personal website and the company I work for uses them too.
https://www.mddhosting.com/

 

[fisicx]

@Steven001 The problem isn’t the hosting, it’s the site configuration.

 

[jazperson]

If you want to try the speed of a hosting service, then try Jolt Hosting's Reseller package. They charge only 1 pound for the first month. You have enough time to test your websites and see if you are happy with it (30 days). You can cancel anytime if you are not satisfied. I think that is one way of checking the speed loading of your websites aside from reading reviews/testimonials, etc.

 

[Richard Patey]

I've had a lot of different hosts in my time for my WP sites. It's not the cheapest but I now use / recommend WP Engine for all my main sites.

 

[fisicx]

I've had a lot of different hosts in my time for my WP sites. It's not the cheapest but I now use / recommend WP Engine for all my main sites.

If you read the whole thread the problem was the theme and site configuration not the hosting.

 

[arnydnxluk]

Have you read the whole thread @Julie Knight?

If so you would know the cause of the problem.

@Steven001 The problem isn’t the hosting, it’s the site configuration.

If you read the whole thread the problem was the theme and site configuration not the hosting.

Do you feel as though you're banging your head against a brick wall at this point?

 

[antropy]

It depends what your budget is really. If you have a smaller budget and you are on a shared server then it will be slower but if you have a larger budget then being on your own VPS which will of course be faster. I know it sounds obvious but it amazing how many people ask this! Alex

 

[Baden House]

I can understand the frustration of the key participants in this thread with people jumping in at the end and talking about hosting but I suggest it has something to do with the title of the thread !

I for one have found the whole thread very interesting and have just read it all again - the second time in the past couple of weeks ! IMO it sums up some very important points about Wordpress hosting and Wordpress Site Design. As it is all based around the real story of a guy with a very slow site it is easy to engage with the info that the contributors have posted.

Although I have built Wordpress sites in the past I have done none in the last three years and it is amazing how much has changed ! Divi was relatively new then and Elementor maybe did not even exist. I had also never heard about LiteSpeed until I read it here.

Finally, I have always used Krystal for my hosting and before I retired I always had a dedicated server with them - did not really need it but it was nice to have. They are a nice company to deal with imo and I have seen them grow from nothing to be quite a big player. Anyway, I am just starting to build a site for a new airbnb business which I will run from our stables which have been unused since Victorian times ! I was pleased to discover that I remembered a lot of how Wordpress works and thought I would look at other hosting options for this new site. Again I have this thread to thank for a link to Guru and I have signed up with them. It is very early days but I have to say that so far I am extremely impressed and anyone who finds this thread because of the title like I did should definitely add them to the list of possibles for consideration.

So thanks to the o/p for the thread and also to the various contributors who have taught me quite a lot in these past couple of hours

Paul