5 Must-Haves for Small Business Web Hosting

If your website is the digital engine that keeps your business running, your hosting provider is the fuel that keeps it running smoothly. Choosing the right one can mean the difference between a site that grows with your company and one that stalls out.

At WP Engine, we understand that small businesses need more than just a place to park their website. The right combination of performance, support, security, and scalability can empower even the smallest local businesses to thrive in a competitive digital world. 

Choosing the right web hosting provider comes down to finding a partner that takes the heavy lifting off your plate—everything below is exactly what you can expect from a quality managed hosting provider.

Read on to see how WP Engine is built for small businesses, or download our quick one-sheeter for 10 questions you should ask every hosting provider before signing up for their services. 

1. Fast, reliable performance

A good web host boosts site performance by using fast, well-optimized servers and technologies that reduce load times, like content delivery networks (CDNs) and server-side caching, to deliver pages quickly and consistently. 

Servers positioned near your target audience can also help speed up your site. Using a server close to your primary audience can reduce the time it takes for data to travel between the server and the user.

Look for a host that guarantees a high uptime percentage with a service level agreement to keep your site reliably online and customers happy.

WP Engine provides reliable performance through:

• Utilizing the Cloudflare CDN.
• Allowing small businesses to choose the server location nearest to their customers.
• Providing all customers with a 99.95% uptime guarantee.

2. Built-in tools and always-on support

Running a small business often means having a smaller team, so access to the right tools and support is critical.

Simple development tools, like themes, plugins, and specialized features, can simplify tasks related to building, customizing, improving, and maintaining your site—and if those tools are created or maintained by your hosting provider, they’re sure to operate efficiently on that host’s platform. 

Round-the-clock support with a reputation for excellent service provides additional peace of mind. If something goes wrong—like your site goes down or a plugin breaks—you can get help immediately, no matter the time zone or time of day. 

WP Engine provides the tools and support small businesses need, like:

• Easy-to-use page builders, like Frost and the StudioPress suite of themes, included free with every plan.
• Tools to test site changes safely and add-ons to optimize performance, like Local and Page Speed Boost.
• 24/7/365, award-winning support.

3. Robust server-side security

A recent study by Coalition, a digital insurance company, surveyed 1,000 small business cybersecurity professionals. 79% of those surveyed had experienced at least one cyber attack in the last five years.

Small businesses are not exempt from online attacks, but they often have smaller teams and less time to optimize for security.

Robust server-side security helps small businesses keep their websites running smoothly and securely without constant hands-on management. 

WP Engine simplifies security and maintenance through features like:

• SOC 2 type II and SOC3 reports, as well as ISO 27001:2022 certification, all of which require independent audits and demonstrate a deep commitment to data security.
• A proprietary firewall that blocks WordPress^Ⓡ-specific attack patterns that generic firewalls miss, guarding against common vulnerabilities that hackers frequently target.
• Global Edge Security, a premium add-on that provides extra security for small businesses handling sensitive data.
• Free SSL certificates included with every plan.

4. Automated monitoring and maintenance

For many small business owners, time is the scarcest resource. Constantly checking on your website’s health, updating plugins, and watching for errors can quickly eat into the hours you’d rather spend serving customers or growing your business. 

The right hosting provider will offer proactive monitoring and automated maintenance to help you avoid costly downtime, security risks, and unexpected headaches, all while giving you back time to focus on your core business.

WP Engine makes it easy to secure your site with SSL and proactively monitor for problems through:

• Site Monitoring, a product extension that, when added to your plan, provides continuous uptime monitoring and website status alerts to detect site errors so they can be resolved quickly.
• Smart Plugin Manager, an add-on that automates updates while checking for compatibility issues to reduce the risk of crashes or security vulnerabilities caused by outdated software.
• Automated WordPress, PHP, and MySQL updates for all customers.

5. Scalable plans and infrastructure

As your business grows, your website should be able to grow with it. Hosting that scales seamlessly allows you to expand server capacity, storage, and bandwidth without interrupting performance or reliability. 

This flexibility is essential during seasonal promotions, sales events, or unexpected traffic spikes, when site slowdowns or outages can mean lost revenue and unhappy customers.

WP Engine gives you room to scale while keeping your site fast, stable, and secure thanks to:

• Evercache^Ⓡ, a proprietary front-end technology included in all plans that serves pages instantly while keeping server load minimal, so sites stay fast even during high traffic.
• Plans built to grow with you, offering easy upgrades to handle increasing traffic, product catalogs, or content needs.
• Infrastructure optimized for WordPress, so whether you’re running a blog, storefront, or membership site, performance stays consistent as you expand.

Stress-free small business hosting with WP Engine

Whether you’re a solo entrepreneur or a small business with big plans, your web host plays a crucial role in your online success. From security and speed to support and scalability, WP Engine is built to help you grow with confidence.

Check out our plans for small businesses or download our 10-question checklist as you search for the perfect foundation on which to build your business’ digital presence.