WordPress Safe Hosting: 10 Tips for Choosing the Best Web Hosting Provider

It is essential to hosting your website with a safe and reliable hosting company. You need a hosting provider that offers excellent reliability, security and support. But who can you trust a self-hosted WordPress blog?

There has been a lot of debate about recent attacks by hackers and hosting providers. Many people ask what to look for in a hosting company. Here are ten tips to help you make the right decision.

When looking for a secure web hosting provider, the most important things to look for include:

1. 24/7 phone support: In a crisis on Saturday night, you don’t want to wait for an email response or wait until Monday morning to open communication. Once you get technical support over the phone, make sure it’s friendly and helpful, and explain things in a way that you can understand. You want to answer their questions, not the answer if they don’t provide the kind of support or suggestions you’re looking for in the Help section of their website.
2. Daily (or Weekly) Backup: If your database or website is corrupted then you need a reliable backup in case the backup fails.
3. Site restoration: If your website has been compromised, you want to know that your company has a backup and will restore your site.
4. 24/7 Security Monitoring: Be sure to monitor the server your site runs on for attacks or problems.
5. Updated apps: are you using the latest secure versions of Apache, PHP, MySQL etc. on the server? Request proof.
6. Timely Security Updates: The web host should be kept up to date with application/software security updates. Ask how often it updates. Just like your job (or webmaster’s job) is to keep your WordPress site and computer safe and up-to-date with Windows updates, virus detection, firewalls, etc.
7. SFTP (SSH) and SSH (Secure Shell): Do not use a host that does not allow you to encrypt file downloads.
8. SUPHP installed: runs in the opposite direction if the company does not have SUPHP installed. Do not allow any server permission set in CHMOD 0777.
9. Positive Customer Feedback: Search the web, ask on Twitter and Facebook, and read customer feedback/testimonials to see what others have said.
10. No hidden files: When using cPanel’s file manager or looking at your files with SFTP, you want to be able to see all your files including .htaccess and php.ini.

One last tip:

Call the technical support line and find out the “waiting time”. When the autoresponder says “You are the 64th caller and the wait time is 32 minutes,” turn in the other direction. (You can indicate that they estimate 30 seconds to answer everyone’s questions, including yours.)

If you can’t find this information on the company’s website, please reach out and ask. If they can’t answer the question or tell you they do it differently, find another hosting company. Following these tips go a long way in protecting your site, traffic, and all your hard work.

You’ll find more tips for keeping your site safe on our blogging site.