Is “Cheap” Hosting Actually Costing You More?

Choosing the right hosting for your WordPress^Ⓡ[1] website is a critical decision that impacts performance, security, and your team’s focus. 

These questions are designed to help decision makers evaluate the best fit for their specific needs, considering the pros and cons of self-hosting, budget hosting, and managed hosting options.

Take some time to read through the questions below as you consider your options, or download our quick checklist for a fast comparison you can use to determine the best hosting solution for your business goals!

Self-hosting

Self-hosting a WordPress site may be a viable path for some, allowing more granular control over your infrastructure and freedom to customize while providing independence from third-party vendors. That said, self-hosting also demands extensive expertise across a variety of technical specialties to be truly successful. 

While initial hardware or server costs might seem low, the total cost of ownership can quickly balloon when you factor in infrastructure, software licenses, ongoing maintenance, security, and the significant internal resources required for scaling and troubleshooting.

Before you commit to self-hosting, it’s important to ask yourself questions around: 

Internal expertise & resource costs

• Do we have in-house server administration capable of handling complex server configurations, security patches, performance optimization, and troubleshooting 24/7?
• Do we have WordPress development experts who are able to make WordPress-specific updates and changes to the site as we continue to grow and optimize our digital presence?
• Does our team have the time to continuously monitor and update the site to new WordPress and PHP versions, update server software, and address potential vulnerabilities?
• Are we getting the best value from our team’s time if it’s being spent on the ongoing maintenance and monitoring of the hosting environment?
• Do we have a robust disaster recovery plan and the expertise to implement it in-house in case of a major issue?
• Do we have the budget to staff appropriately for these needs? If so, is that budget requirement less than or equal to the cost of a managed solution?

Performance & scalability

• Can we commit to investing in high-end, dedicated infrastructure (servers, network, storage) and the necessary bandwidth to ensure optimal performance, especially during peak traffic?
• Do we have the expertise to implement advanced, WordPress-specific caching, Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), and other performance optimizations from the ground up?
• Are we confident in our ability to scale resources rapidly and efficiently to handle unexpected traffic spikes or significant business growth without interruptions in site performance for our end users?
• Do we have the technology, ability, and staffing for uptime monitoring and on-call performance or uptime issues?
• Do we have the ability to create multiple environments to test sites or to develop new ones?

Security & backups

• Are we prepared to implement and continuously monitor comprehensive security measures, including firewalls, malware scanning, DDoS protection, and regular vulnerability assessments, on our own servers?
• Do we have a robust, automated backup and recovery strategy in place, and the personnel to regularly test and execute it?
• Can we confidently manage the risks associated with potential security breaches and data loss, understanding that the responsibility lies entirely on our team?
• Do we have the technical ability to handle malware cleanup internally? If not, do we have additional budget we can allocate to these needs if an issue arises, or the ability to hire an outside expert to support the cleanup in a timely manner?
• Are we able to meet modern standards for security and compliance, like SOC2 or ISO 27001:2022, on our own?
• Can our team determine differences between malicious bot traffic, desirable bot traffic (like search engine and LLM crawlers), and human traffic to ensure the site prioritizes human traffic during peak times and blocks malicious bots? 

Support & troubleshooting

• Do we have a dedicated team available 24/7/365 to respond to and resolve any server or WordPress-related issues, including unforeseen emergencies?
• Are we prepared to rely solely on internal knowledge and community forums for troubleshooting complex problems?
• Do we have a plan for ongoing training and skill development for our technical team to keep pace with evolving WordPress and server technologies? If not, do we have the budget for hiring outside experts or consultants to help with this?

Cost & value

• Have we thoroughly calculated the total cost of website ownership, including hardware, software licenses, internet connectivity, and salaries and benefits for the specialized IT staff required for 24/7 maintenance?
• Are we prepared for unpredictable costs associated with hardware failures, security incidents, or emergency support?
• Can we reasonably divert internal resources from core business activities to optimizing performance, troubleshooting, and security without negatively impacting our overall financial strategy and long-term goals?

If you answered Yes to most of these questions, self-hosting may be a viable option for your business site! You likely have a large team with robust technical expertise and the ability to configure both server resources and WordPress optimizations without major impacts to your long-term business and financial goals.

If you answered No to most of these questions, you’ll likely need to choose a hosting partner that offers additional support to ensure your team is maximizing efficiency while maintaining site performance and security.

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Budget hosting

Hosting services that prioritize affordability offer a viable entry point for businesses looking for low monthly or annual fees and basic-level site support. However, these savings can come at a significant cost. 

While the monthly fees might be low, business owners may find themselves responsible for much more of the site’s upkeep and troubleshooting than they had anticipated, which can lead to ballooning hidden costs and increasing frustration over the long term.

Before you commit to a budget hosting option, it’s important to ask yourself questions around: 

Internal expertise & resource costs

• Does our team have the technical knowledge to install, configure, test, and maintain WordPress, plugins, and themes independently? Budget hosts typically offer minimal support for these aspects of WordPress site maintenance should an update disrupt your site’s layout or performance.
• Are we comfortable with managing basic server configurations, security updates, and backups on our own, with potentially limited technical assistance? 
• Do we have the capacity to troubleshoot performance issues and security vulnerabilities without dedicated expert support?
• How important is 24/7/365 human chat and/or phone support to your team compared to basic documentation or chatbot support?

Performance & scalability

• Can this budget host meet our expectations for website loading speeds and uptime? Budget hosts often share server resources among many users, which can lead to performance degradation during high traffic.
• Are we aware of potential limitations on storage, bandwidth, and processing power that could hinder website growth and user experiences?
• Can this hosting company manage potential downtime or slow performance that would negatively impact audience engagement?
• Will our business or website performance and success be impacted by site slowness or variances in performance? 
• Is excessive bot traffic counted toward the monthly billable visits to our site?

Security & backups

• Are we comfortable with the potentially reduced level of security measures offered by budget hosts, which may leave our website and customer data more vulnerable to attacks?
• Will we be able to proactively implement and manage our own WordPress security plugins and practices, as these are typically not included or supported by budget providers?
• Can we manage the process of regular backups and disaster recovery, given that these services may be limited from the hosting side and require manual intervention from our team?
• Does the host provide proactive malware scans/cleanup, a managed WAF, or other proactive security measures? Or do they take reactive security measures that may require manual intervention for your team?
• How many backups does your host store at a time? Do you have to pay for manual backups, or can you do one-off backups as needed? 
• Does the host meet international standards for security and compliance?

Support & troubleshooting

• Can the host meet our expectations for response time and availability of customer support, and are they equipped to handle WordPress-specific issues? 
• Are we prepared to largely self-diagnose and resolve WordPress core, theme, or plugin conflicts and errors? Many budget hosts focus primarily on general server problems and have little to no WordPress expertise.
• Can we ensure the timely resolution of critical issues if support is limited to basic hosting infrastructure?
• Is your team comfortable with documentation-only or chatbot-only support?
• Do we have the budget to hire a freelance developer or agency should we encounter a technical issue that our in-house team is unable to remedy?

Cost & value

• While the initial price appears low, have we considered potential hidden costs for essential features like SSL certificates, advanced backups, premium security and performance plugins, sufficient bandwidth, or third-party software that may not be included in the basic package?
• Are we prepared to pay for the additional costs or fees necessary get the full list of features or services our site requires?
• Are we factoring in the potential for increased internal labor costs if our team has to spend significant time troubleshooting or resolving issues due to limited support or resources?
• Is the potential financial impact of downtime or slow performance on our business, such as lost sales or reduced customer satisfaction, worth the lower upfront cost of choosing a budget host?

If you answered Yes to most of these questions, a budget host may be right for you! While you may not have the expertise to manage complex server configurations, you do have a robust internal team that’s capable of maintaining your WordPress environment, managing updates, managing site security, optimizing performance, and continuing to future-proof your site without much additional support.

If you answered No to most of these questions, a budget host may not be the best solution for you, as your internal teams will require a level of support that budget hosts are not prepared to provide.

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Managed hosting

Managed hosting for WordPress offers a premium, worry-free experience where all the complexities of server management, performance optimization, and security are handled by dedicated experts. 

By choosing a host that specializes in WordPress websites, your team can focus entirely on your core business and web strategies while your hosting partner provides peace of mind, superior performance, and robust protection out of the box. This can often result in a lower total cost of ownership over the long term.

When considering a managed hosting partner, it’s important to ask yourself important questions around:

Internal expertise & resource costs

• Do we value freeing our internal team to focus on core business objectives, future-proofing, and content creation rather than requiring them to focus on server management and technical upkeep?
• Would having a team of dedicated WordPress experts available for support and troubleshooting reduce our operational burden and improve efficiency?
• Does the cost of a fully managed solution offset the cost budgeting for staffing, resourcing, overtime, and consultants?
• Are we seeking a solution where server configuration, WordPress updates, security monitoring, and backups are proactively handled by the hosting provider?

Performance & scalability

• Is consistent high performance and fast loading times critical for our website’s success, user experience, and SEO objectives?
• Would an environment specifically optimized for WordPress, including advanced caching and integrated CDNs, significantly benefit our site’s speed and reliability?
• Do we require a hosting solution that can seamlessly scale with traffic demands and resource needs, ensuring our website remains responsive even during rapid growth and high traffic?
• Is reliable website performance directly related to more reliable business performance and conversions?
• Would a Service Level Agreement (SLA) that guarantees a high percentage of uptime (99.95% or more annually) provide peace of mind for our team?
• Would we benefit from a partner that can proactively reach out to our team if our site is experiencing a high volume of abnormal bot traffic and exclude that traffic from the total billable visits we pay for?

Security & backups

• Do we see value in having enterprise-grade security features like proactive threat detection, managed firewalls, single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, and regular malware scanning handled by the hosting provider to protect our site as we grow?
• Does having an all-in-one solution save more money than managing and purchasing various solutions we would otherwise need for self-hosting or budget-hosting?
• Would automated daily backups with easy restoration options provide peace of mind and minimize the impact of unforeseen issues?
• Do we want to reduce security vulnerabilities by offloading the responsibility of keeping our WordPress core and plugins updated?
• Would it be meaningful to our users to know our site meets global standards for security like SOC2 and ISO 27001:2022?

Support & troubleshooting

• Is it important for us to have access to a team of WordPress-specific support experts who can provide rapid, knowledgeable support for website issues from performance to plugin conflicts?
• Would proactive monitoring and immediate response to technical incidents minimize downtime and ensure continuous website availability?
• Do we value a partnership with a provider that deeply understands the nuances of WordPress and can offer guidance and best practices as we continue to grow?

Cost & value

• Do we see the comprehensive services and specialized support of managed hosting as a valuable investment that allows us to focus on growth and future innovation?
• Does a predictable monthly cost that includes performance optimization, security, and expert support sound more appealing than the variable and often higher total cost of self-managed or budget hosting?
• Do we value access to WordPress experts who can quickly resolve issues on a WordPress-optimized platform that will help ensure minimal disruption to our online presence?

If you answered Yes to most of these questions, managed hosting is probably the right choice for your business needs and goals! A managed host with services and support optimized for WordPress helps keep your site operational, so your internal teams can focus on using the site as a vessel for building your brand presence and your bottom line.

If you answered No to most of these questions, you might be able to rely on self-managed or budget hosting to meet most of your business needs.

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Ready to elevate your WordPress experience?

Ready to stop worrying about server administration, security patches, and performance bottlenecks? Discover how WP Engine’s managed hosting can free your team to focus on what matters most—growing your business.

Connect with a WP Engine specialist today to discuss your unique needs and discover how our platform can empower your digital success, so you can grow with confidence online.