A breakdown of the world of web hosting for beginners and intermediates that helps them to understand the difference between shared, dedicated, virtual and managed WordPress hosting. We’ll look at some of the common uses for each type of platform as well as the advantages, disadvantage or pitfalls contained in each type of service.

1. Don’t Panic.
A Hitchhiker’s Guide
to Web Hosting
@traftonesler
[ Link to Slides ]
Friday, August 24, 12 1

2. Who names a kid Trafton?
Parents who knew they were going to
have a nerd on their hands.
Friday, August 24, 12 2

3. How long have you had a What do you want to do
So who are you website? with WordPress?
people?
What’s the coolest thing Tell me your goals so I can
you’ve seen so far? tailor this talk to what
you guys need.
What awesome thing
are you using
WordPress for?
Friday, August 24, 12 3

4. Start with smart questions. Write these down for
yourself right now, and let
that guide the talk as we
move on.
What do I really value?
Cost?
Convenience?
Security?
Availability?
Friday, August 24, 12 4

5. What’s in the hosting universe?
•Shared
•Dedicated Server
•Virtual or Cloud
•Application-Specific a.k.a.
“Managed WordPress”
...and MASH-UPs like a
Managed WordPress
Host that employes VPS
or Cloud Tech
Friday, August 24, 12 5

6. Some things to consider:
Bad Neighborhoods (sharing IP addresses)
Poor security can affect on-page content
Page-load Time
Availability On-page content:
hidden links, replaced
content, malware
distribution
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7. LIKE SOMEONE RUNNING
DOWN THE STREET
FLAILING THEIR ARMS.
THEY WILL HIT YOU. BUT
NOT WITH INTENTION
No one is out to get you.
Friday, August 24, 12 7

8. There are a lot of viagra salesman.
Shared IPs - even a dedicate IP might not save you because
what if an entire Class-C block is banned?
Your e-mail can get flagged because of spammers sharing
the same home address
You might have noticed
there are a lot of Viagra
Salesmen.
One way to help isolate some of
the shared hosting problems is to
get a dedicated IP hosting
account. A dedicated IP hosting
account can still be on a shared
server, but you have your very
own IP address.
Friday, August 24, 12 8

9. Securing your site matters.
Hidden Links
Replaced Content
Malware Distribution
Redirect Rules
Friday, August 24, 12 9

10. Faster sites are more fun, right?
pagespeed.googlelabs.com
browsermob.com
wpspeedometer.com *
tools.pingdom.com/fpt
on some platforms, a
neighboring site can
affect yours
DIRECT AFFECT RANKING
AFFECT COSTS OF
MANAGING
USER EXPERIENCE
Friday, August 24, 12 10

11. Wasted Ad Spend
Risk of being De-Indexed
siteuptime.com Trust/Reputation
Pingdom.com
site24x7.com
uptimerobot.com
Friday, August 24, 12 11

12. Your website is your NO WRONG CHOICES
baby.
Unless the host doesn’t
WHO DO YOU WANT TO meet your need, at a
HAVE YOUR BABY WITH? price you can live with
Choosing a host is a personal decision.
BEWARE THOSE REVIEW
SITES -- THEY GET PAID as
affiliates.
Friday, August 24, 12 12

13. Do you need a roommate? As anybody that’s
recently bought a
computer can attest,
Lot’s of competition they aren’t cheap.
drives down prices
But if t wo friends share
a Macbook Pro, you’ve
already saved 50%
You may have to make
some tradeoffs in Speed,
Security, and Up-time
You’re definitely “on your
own” in the sense
Friday, August 24, 12 13

14. ...Shared Hosting generally means:
Shared IP = same home address
Multiple sites per server
Quota-driven Resources Great for pet projects,
Shared IP Address
low-cost experiments
Sites with low revenue
potential
Fast Set-Up Sites with lower
requirements for up-time
and security
Many customers per support rep
CONS:
- neighbor site can affect you
- if a customer violates agreements,
it can tax the server
Friday, August 24, 12 14

15. Dedicated Servers AN ACTUAL “DEDICATED”
AMOUNT OF RESOURCES,
PHYSICAL OR VIRTUAL.
physical = FASTER
Often responsible for our
own configuration,
•Fast* security, and
maintenance
•Safe from bad neighbors PRO: CUSTOM SCRIPTS
•Optimize the OS and software
•High Security (physical separation)
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16. Virtual or Cloud Hosting
•Flexible for scaling
•Pay-for-use in some cases
•Use different platforms on the same
server
VIRTUALIZATION
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17. Just for WP: Managed WordPress Hosting
More every day -- look
for evidence of thought
leadership in their blogs.
•No need for in-house Sys Admin
•Host optimizes the platform for you
•Easy scaling
•“Been There” Experience
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18. FIRST OFF -- WHAT ARE
YOU “MANAGING”?
Racks of Hardware
Low-level soft ware
or the entire stack all
the way up to WordPress
Managed vs “Un-Managed”
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19. IT’S NOT JUST HARDWARE -- IT’S
SERVICE!!
SUPPORT THAT CAN ANSWER
QUESTIONS
GREAT SERVICE REQUIRES REAL PEOPLE.
Why is managed hosting so expensive?
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20. [ insert closing brilliance here ]
Friday, August 24, 12 20

21. Special Thanks to:
www.marketingclique.com
@vidluther -- of ZippyKid.com
Friday, August 24, 12 21

22. Trafton Esler
trafton@wpengine.com
@traftonesler
http://www.traftonesler.com/hosting-talk
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