"Choosing a WordPress Host" - Hollywood WordPress

With all the options for web hosts now offering WordPress-specific hosting, how do you go about evaluating plans and web companies? This talk will cover basic specs to run WordPress, some security and community considerations, as well as some resources and tools for comparison.

Transcript

1. Choosing a WordPress Host Suzette Franck WordPress Evangelist, (mt) Media Temple Hollywood WordPress Tuesday, June 24, 2014 @mt_Suzette Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple
2. Choosing a WordPress Host Suzette Franck WordPress Evangelist, (mt) Media Temple Hollywood WordPress Tuesday, June 24, 2014 @mt_Suzette Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple
3. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Suzette Franck with a “ck” Twitter: @mt_Suzette
4. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Suzette Franck with a “ck” Twitter: @mt_Suzette ★WordPress Evangelist @ (mt) Media Temple
5. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Suzette Franck with a “ck” Twitter: @mt_Suzette ★WordPress Evangelist @ (mt) Media Temple ★Using WordPress since version 2.7 in 2008
6. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Suzette Franck with a “ck” Twitter: @mt_Suzette ★WordPress Evangelist @ (mt) Media Temple ★Using WordPress since version 2.7 in 2008 ★20 years of web development experience
7. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Suzette Franck with a “ck” Twitter: @mt_Suzette ★WordPress Evangelist @ (mt) Media Temple ★Using WordPress since version 2.7 in 2008 ★20 years of web development experience ★Created 200+ WordPress custom themes
8. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Suzette Franck with a “ck” Twitter: @mt_Suzette ★WordPress Evangelist @ (mt) Media Temple ★Using WordPress since version 2.7 in 2008 ★20 years of web development experience ★Created 200+ WordPress custom themes ★Spoke at 20 WordCamps since 2011
9. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Suzette Franck with a “ck” Twitter: @mt_Suzette ★WordPress Evangelist @ (mt) Media Temple ★Using WordPress since version 2.7 in 2008 ★20 years of web development experience ★Created 200+ WordPress custom themes ★Spoke at 20 WordCamps since 2011 ★WordPress Podcast WPUnicornProject.com https://www.youtube.com/user/mediatemple
10. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Suzette Franck with a “ck” Twitter: @mt_Suzette ★WordPress Evangelist @ (mt) Media Temple ★Using WordPress since version 2.7 in 2008 ★20 years of web development experience ★Created 200+ WordPress custom themes ★Spoke at 20 WordCamps since 2011 ★WordPress Podcast WPUnicornProject.com https://www.youtube.com/user/mediatemple ★Reg. Contributor on WPwatercooler.com
11. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Suzette Franck with a “ck” Twitter: @mt_Suzette ★WordPress Evangelist @ (mt) Media Temple ★Using WordPress since version 2.7 in 2008 ★20 years of web development experience ★Created 200+ WordPress custom themes ★Spoke at 20 WordCamps since 2011 ★WordPress Podcast WPUnicornProject.com https://www.youtube.com/user/mediatemple ★Reg. Contributor on WPwatercooler.com ★Blogs at: suzettefranck.com
12. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Suzette Franck with a “ck” Twitter: @mt_Suzette ★WordPress Evangelist @ (mt) Media Temple ★Using WordPress since version 2.7 in 2008 ★20 years of web development experience ★Created 200+ WordPress custom themes ★Spoke at 20 WordCamps since 2011 ★WordPress Podcast WPUnicornProject.com https://www.youtube.com/user/mediatemple ★Reg. Contributor on WPwatercooler.com ★Blogs at: suzettefranck.com ★Slides: speakerdeck.com/suzettefranck
13. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple What We Will Cover
14. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple ★Specs and Requirements What We Will Cover
15. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple ★Specs and Requirements ★Security Concerns: autoupdates, backups What We Will Cover
16. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple ★Specs and Requirements ★Security Concerns: autoupdates, backups ★Help, Resources and Tools Available What We Will Cover
17. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple ★Specs and Requirements ★Security Concerns: autoupdates, backups ★Help, Resources and Tools Available ★Community Involvement and Reputation What We Will Cover
18. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple What Specs Should I Be Looking For?
19. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Minimum Requirements for WordPress
20. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Minimum Requirements for WordPress ★PHP Version 5.2.4 +
21. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Minimum Requirements for WordPress ★PHP Version 5.2.4 + ★MySQL Version 5.0 +
22. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Minimum Requirements for WordPress ★PHP Version 5.2.4 + ★MySQL Version 5.0 + ★Apache or NginX (also others: IIS)
23. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Minimum Requirements for WordPress ★PHP Version 5.2.4 + ★MySQL Version 5.0 + ★Apache or NginX (also others: IIS) ★Make it easier for clients to update their site
24. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Minimum Requirements for WordPress ★PHP Version 5.2.4 + ★MySQL Version 5.0 + ★Apache or NginX (also others: IIS) ★Make it easier for clients to update their site ★wordpress.org/about/requirements
25. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Additional Spec to Consider
26. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Additional Spec to Consider ★Bandwidth Limits
27. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Additional Spec to Consider ★Bandwidth Limits ★Storage Limits
28. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Additional Spec to Consider ★Bandwidth Limits ★Storage Limits ★Number of WordPress Installs
29. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Additional Spec to Consider ★Bandwidth Limits ★Storage Limits ★Number of WordPress Installs ★Is a Staging Area Offered?
30. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Additional Spec to Consider ★Bandwidth Limits ★Storage Limits ★Number of WordPress Installs ★Is a Staging Area Offered? ★Is email a requirement?
31. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Additional Spec to Consider ★Bandwidth Limits ★Storage Limits ★Number of WordPress Installs ★Is a Staging Area Offered? ★Is email a requirement? ★Additional Services? Migrations offered?
32. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple What About Security?
33. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Security Considerations
34. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Security Considerations ★Is WordPress Core kept updated?
35. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Security Considerations ★Is WordPress Core kept updated? ★Who makes updates to plugins? themes?
36. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Security Considerations ★Is WordPress Core kept updated? ★Who makes updates to plugins? themes? ★Does host monitor for uptime and threats?
37. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Security Considerations ★Is WordPress Core kept updated? ★Who makes updates to plugins? themes? ★Does host monitor for uptime and threats? ★If there is a problem, how responsive?
38. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Security Considerations ★Is WordPress Core kept updated? ★Who makes updates to plugins? themes? ★Does host monitor for uptime and threats? ★If there is a problem, how responsive? ★How are backups handled? Restores?
39. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Security Considerations ★Is WordPress Core kept updated? ★Who makes updates to plugins? themes? ★Does host monitor for uptime and threats? ★If there is a problem, how responsive? ★How are backups handled? Restores? ★Server Level Sercurity + WordFence Plugin
40. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple What If I Need Help?
41. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple I Need Help Now!
42. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple I Need Help Now! ★Support methods: chat, telephone, email?
43. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple I Need Help Now! ★Support methods: chat, telephone, email? ★Support hours: 24/7 (if your business is)
44. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple I Need Help Now! ★Support methods: chat, telephone, email? ★Support hours: 24/7 (if your business is) ★Extra support and advanced configuration?
45. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple I Need Help Now! ★Support methods: chat, telephone, email? ★Support hours: 24/7 (if your business is) ★Extra support and advanced configuration? ★Which support is free? Which is paid?
46. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple I Need Help Now! ★Support methods: chat, telephone, email? ★Support hours: 24/7 (if your business is) ★Extra support and advanced configuration? ★Which support is free? Which is paid? ★Community Support Forums
47. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple I Need Help Now! ★Support methods: chat, telephone, email? ★Support hours: 24/7 (if your business is) ★Extra support and advanced configuration? ★Which support is free? Which is paid? ★Community Support Forums ★Knowledgebase of past issues
48. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Why Should I Care About Community?
49. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Why Community Matters
50. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Why Community Matters ★WordPress is built upon shared knowledge with others in the community
51. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Why Community Matters ★WordPress is built upon shared knowledge with others in the community ★It is important to give back to the community
52. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Why Community Matters ★WordPress is built upon shared knowledge with others in the community ★It is important to give back to the community ★Teaching others what you have learned helps you more than it helps them
53. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Why Community Matters ★WordPress is built upon shared knowledge with others in the community ★It is important to give back to the community ★Teaching others what you have learned helps you more than it helps them ★The WordPress Foundation works to insure a stable, reliable application for everyone.
54. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Why Community Matters ★WordPress is built upon shared knowledge with others in the community ★It is important to give back to the community ★Teaching others what you have learned helps you more than it helps them ★The WordPress Foundation works to insure a stable, reliable application for everyone. ★Contribute by being a participant! Get involved!
55. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Does Community Matter To Your Host?
56. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Does Community Matter To Your Host? ★Sponsor, attend, and speak at WordCamps?
57. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Does Community Matter To Your Host? ★Sponsor, attend, and speak at WordCamps? ★Sponsor, attend, and speak, & host local WordPress Meetups?
58. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Does Community Matter To Your Host? ★Sponsor, attend, and speak at WordCamps? ★Sponsor, attend, and speak, & host local WordPress Meetups? ★Do they have staff that concentrate on WordPress Contribution?
59. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Does Community Matter To Your Host? ★Sponsor, attend, and speak at WordCamps? ★Sponsor, attend, and speak, & host local WordPress Meetups? ★Do they have staff that concentrate on WordPress Contribution? ★Solicit feedback and regularly consider and integrate suggestions?
60. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Does Community Matter To Your Host? ★Sponsor, attend, and speak at WordCamps? ★Sponsor, attend, and speak, & host local WordPress Meetups? ★Do they have staff that concentrate on WordPress Contribution? ★Solicit feedback and regularly consider and integrate suggestions? ★Innovative in WordPress implementations, Support, and Resources?
61. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple In Summary
62. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Things to Remember
63. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Things to Remember ★Worry About Security!
64. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Things to Remember ★Worry About Security! ★Get the Best Hosting Budget Allows For
65. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Things to Remember ★Worry About Security! ★Get the Best Hosting Budget Allows For ★Everything Should Be Kept Up-to-date
66. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Things to Remember ★Worry About Security! ★Get the Best Hosting Budget Allows For ★Everything Should Be Kept Up-to-date ★Always have a Backup Plan/Schedule
67. Media Temple // 8520 National Blvd. Culver City, CA 90232 / 877-578-4000 / mediatemple.net / @mt_Suzette © 2014 (mt) Media Temple Things to Remember ★Worry About Security! ★Get the Best Hosting Budget Allows For ★Everything Should Be Kept Up-to-date ★Always have a Backup Plan/Schedule ★Research Potential Hosts Thoroughly
68. Questions?
69. Questions? Suzette Franck suzette@mediatemple.net https://speakerdeck.com/suzettefranck Have Fun and Learn! @mt_Suzette Follow Me On Twitter!