Question 1

What's Your Top Recommendation?

Accepted Answer

I recommend a tailored hosting experience, ensuring proper website/hosting fit. Rather than a "big box" hosting company, it is far better to use a virtual private server (or VPS). This way, you can tailor it precisely to your own needs. You'll also get FAR better performance for your money... often even better performance and more power than the most expensive big-name hosting companies.

I personally recommend xCloud in combination with Hetzner as the VPS providers.

Question 2

Is this approach to web hosting more technical and difficult?

Accepted Answer

Yes and no. You do have more control and access to more settings, so it can come off as more technical. But, by using a management panel such as xCloud, it really makes managing a virtual private server almost as easy as any other web host. So, day to day, it isn't any more difficult than any other host. Once you understand a few of the core terms, get it set up.... your daily experience will be no different.

Question 3

Will I have access to tech support?

Accepted Answer

While it is true that using a VPS is inherently a little bit more DIY, most of the reputable management panel companies (like xCloud) do have tech support. Most of the time, it is ticket-based or live chat based. Most don't offer phone support.

Also, keep in mind that the software panel and the VPS provider are usually two different companies. Most of the time, the panel provider will be your main line of support. Rarely do you need to contact the VPS provider, but if there was a true server-level issue, you'd need to contact them.

Question 4

Will my site be faster on a VPS than typical shared hosting?

Accepted Answer

In almost every case, absolutely. Truth is, for what you would usually pay for shared hosting with most companies, you could get a better spec'd virtual private server with dedicated resources just for you.

Question 5

Is a cheap VPS actually any good?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. It is a VIRTUAL server. You're using the same hardware as the guys with more specs. A smaller VPS just means you've got a smaller slice of the pie. But, the whole idea is that you can tailor it to your needs. Truth is, most WordPress sites will function VERY well on even cheap VPS servers that cost $5/mo.

Question 6

Can I run multiple websites on one VPS server?

Accepted Answer

Yes, absolutely. That's another reason why this option is best. Most managed hosting companies charge for the number of websites you host with them. If you bring over a handful of sites, it can often mean a pretty expensive hosting plan that's overkill.

With a VPS, you can put multiple WordPress sites on it. The only limit is your server resources. Obviously, you wouldn't want to pack 10 big WordPress sites onto a $5/mo server because it'd get really slow, but technically nothing would stop you from trying. 😜

For comparison, hosting 3 sites on Rocket would run you $60/mo. You could put those 3 same sites onto one VPS for significantly less and have room to spare.

Question 7

How much work with it be for me to switch from my existing host to my own VPS?

Accepted Answer

Easy. Just set up the VPS with xCloud (like I talk about above). Then, use the Migrate Guru plugin to migrate your website over to the new server. It is actually very easy to do.

Question 8

Do I get the same features? Like SSL, backups, staging sites, etc?

Accepted Answer

Yup. 😎 These management panels (like xCloud) do all that stuff. You'll have all the same capabilities, just using your own VPS.

Question 9

Is a VPS as reliable? Who fixes things if it goes wrong?

Accepted Answer

I will tell you, in practice day to day, there's pretty much no difference at all with site reliability between using a "big box" host and a VPS. In fact, in a lot of cases, you're literally in the same data centers as they are. The reliability is no different, really. I know a lot of folks get the idea that a VPS is some fragile thing and you're completely on your own to work out every little kink, but it isn't like that anymore. While it would be incredibly rare for your web server to just "break", if something did some up, you just contact the support provided by your panel (i.e. xCloud).

Question 10

What is a "managed" VPS? Is it different than "managed hosting?"

Accepted Answer

The whole "managed" thing is a bit of a buzzword in the hosting industry. It just means... they'll deal with it. 😜 And with typical managed hosting from a company like Rocket, they do just manage things for you. When it comes to a VPS, the management is not as proactive. xCloud offers managed VPS, but it basically means you are signing up for it through them, alleviating the need to set up your own infrastructure account separately. In actual practice when it comes to support, though, they seem to treat all servers the same whether it is one of their "managed" ones or one you brought to the table.

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