Welcome dear reader! I‘m thrilled to have you here. By the end of this comprehensive guide, you‘ll be well-equipped to host your WordPress website on the exceptionally fast and reliable A2 Hosting platform.
I‘ll be covering everything in great detail – right from fundamentals for beginners to tips for advanced users. My goal is to save you hours of research and help you launch your full-fledged WordPress site in quick time without headaches.
Shall we get started?
Why Choose WordPress and A2 Hosting?
With over 455 million websites, WordPress powers more than 43% of the internet. The intuitive CMS is the easiest way for anyone, especially beginners, to build professional websites.
When it comes to hosting infrastructure for your WordPress site, A2 Hosting is a formidable solution used by over 500,000 customers globally.
Praised as one of the fastest hosting providers, A2 Hosting delivers uptimes of 99.9%+ and page load speeds of under 1s enabled by state-of-the-art SSD servers.
This makes them an ideal pairing for your WordPress site to achieve max performance.
Okay, now that you know why WordPress and A2 are a great fit, let‘s deep dive into steps for getting started.
Step-by-Step Guide to Setup WordPress Hosting
I‘ll try to make things easy peasy by holding your hand through every step:
Getting Started
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First, you‘ll need to purchase a domain name for your site if don‘t already have one.
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Next, select an A2 Hosting shared plan based on your needs. I recommend Swift plan or higher that allows you to enable performance features like free SSL, NVMe storage etc.
Use coupon code "GEEKADDA5" during checkout to save 5% on annual plans.
Pointing Domain to A2 Hosting
Once account setup is done, you need to change nameserver records of your domain to direct visitors to A2 Hosting instead of previous host.
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To do this, login to cPanel dashboard and access domain manager » nameservers section
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Note down new nameserver addresses provided for A2 Hosting
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Visit your domain registrar admin panel and update nameservers to match A2 Hosting
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Allow upto 48 hours for worldwide DNS propagation to complete
Setup WordPress Using Auto-Installer
The easiest way to setup WordPress is by using Softaculous auto-installer. Just follow along:
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Login to cPanel dashboard » Go to Softaculous Apps Installer
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Search for WordPress and click the install button
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Enter your domain name to setup installation
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Configure site details – site name, admin user, password etc.
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The auto-installer will automatically setup WordPress with best practices enabled
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Access wp-admin dashboard to start building your site!
And that‘s all my friend! Your site is now successfully installed and hosted with A2 Hosting. Pretty straightforward, right?
Now let‘s look at some post-installation optimizations…
Post Installation Configuration
While A2 Hosting auto-configures optimal settings, you can further tune performance:
Run A2 Optimized Scanner
Access WordPress admin » Under Performance tab » Run A2 Optimized tool suggestions to improve caching, compression, database etc.
Enable CDN for Faster Content Delivery
Visit cPanel » Softaculous Apps » WordPress » Manage Site » Enable CDN option
Or use free Cloudflare CDN that also adds security protections.
Configure Object Level Caching
Install Redis or Memcached plugins. This minimizes database queries by caching frequently accessed data in memory to lower response times.
Scaling Up WordPress Resources
As your traffic grows, you may need to allocate extra resources for optimal performance.
A2 Hosting makes this easy through following options:
Auto Resource Scaling
Enable Turbo Boost setting which automatically adds resources like RAM, SSD space etc. during traffic spikes to prevent slow downs.
Upgrade Hosting Plan
Effortlessly switch to higher shared hosting plans or managed solutions. A2 migrated websites free of charge.
Improve Site Caching & Compression
More visitors means more room for performance optimization. Enable browser, page, database and object caching capabilities.
Monitoring Uptime and Speed
Keep track of key site health metrics using:
A2 Hosting Status Page
Offers real-time diagnosis of server issues, outages and resolution timelines.
cPanel Analyzer Reports
Instant stats for traffic, load times, caching efficiency, malware threats etc.
Google Analytics
Connect for visitor stats, top landing pages, bounce rates and conversions data to optimize site.
Pingdom or GTMetrix
Page speed test tools help measure improvements from ongoing performance tuning.
Securing Your WordPress Site
With cyberattacks growing, harden site security through following tips:
- One click WordPress and plugins updates
- Limit login attempts to prevent brute force
- Enable two factor authentication using plugins
- Leverage Cloudflare WAF, DDoS prevention etc.
- Secure admin login page behind VPNs/proxy
Stay vigilant about security updates and suspicious activity using tools like Wordfence to prevent takeovers.
Managing Emails for Your Domain
Access cPanel » Email Accounts » Add custom emails to enable professional addresses for your brand:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]You can create unlimited emails, configure forwarding to Gmail etc.
Backing Up and Restoring Site
Unforeseen events like hacking, crashes or corrupt data can disrupt your site. Mitigate downtime by implementing following fail-safes:
Auto Daily Backups
Enable automated daily backup feature in cPanel using R1Soft to create offsite copies of entire site data.
Manual Backups
Alternatively, use All-in-One WP Migration plugin to schedule and export manual backups to remote locations for redundancy.
1-Click Restore
Both R1Soft and server level backups allow swift 1-click restore to previous stable state in worst case disasters.
Regular backups give you flexibility to roll back site to earlier well-functioning version or retrieve lost content in case of emergency.
Migrating Existing Site to A2 Hosting
If moving a pre-built site from another host, use:
A2 Hosting‘s Free Migration Assistance
Their support team will safely move WordPress site including data, emails etc. from old host to your A2 account without hassles.
All-in-One WP Plugin
Helps export existing site as a backup file which you can then import to recreated site on A2 Hosting account.
Managing Growth at Scale
Once your site traffic expands significantly, consider upgrading to the following professional solutions available under A2 Hosting:
Managed WordPress Hosting
Their managed WP solution will fine tune site performance to support upto 100k monthly visitors with dedicated resources for $99/month.
You get hosted management services like content delivery networks, caching tools, security protections and dedicated server resources. This ensures your ever growing site continues running at peak speeds.
VPS and Dedicated Server Hosting
For even heavier traffic loads, their virtual private servers and dedicated machine plans give you granular control including root access, dedicated resources isolated from other accounts.
Their VPS plans start at just $5/month making them affordable even for mid-sized workloads.
In summary, A2 Hosting gives you tremendous headroom to scale from starter blogs to enterprise grade traffic volumes while delivering speed and reliability.
Now that you know how well A2 Hosting caters throughout the website growth cycle, let‘s weigh some tangible pros and cons.
Evaluating Pros and Cons of A2 Hosting
Before deciding where to host your pride and joy WordPress site, here‘s an objective analysis of what A2 does really well at and few downsides to note:
Key Advantages of Choosing A2 Hosting
Speed Powered Infrastructure – Cutting edge hardware including NVMe SSD disks, LiteSpeed web server and CDN makes them one of the fastest in market.
High Uptime – With average uptime exceeding 99.9%, reliability is top notch keeping your site stable regardless of traffic volumes.
Knowledgebase & Videos – For every possible hiccup, their vast library of DIY articles and video tutorials will save you from pulling hairs.
Swift Support – Friendly support experts available 24/7/365 via live chat, phone and ticketing with some of the fastest response times.
First-timer Friendly – From auto-installers to pre-configurations, everything is tuned for beginner-friendliness making hosting approachable.
Affordable Pricing – Hosting plans start from as low as $2.99/month for starter sites making them quite affordable especially for first-timers.
Clearly, A2 checks a lot of right boxes when it comes to delivering speed, reliability and support required for your WordPress site to thrive.
However, no host is perfect. So in the spirit of balance, let‘s call out few weaknesses:
Shortcomings to Note
Limited Server Locations – With data centers only in US, Europe and Asia regions currently. This impacts site access speed depending on where your audience is concentrated around.
Complex Plans Portfolio – They have a dozen types of hosting options across shared, WordPress, VPS, dedicated, reseller etc. Segmenting approaches but also confuses buyers.
Priority on Speed – While uptime is stellar, infrastructure focus prioritizes speed over high redundancy. Choice optimal for many but not for mission critical workloads.
Basic Plan Limitations – Cheapest starter plans have capped resource limits including traffic, storage etc. needing upgrades as site popularity grows.
As evident, the disadvantages are not necessarily deal breakers but important to acknowledge as you evaluate your priorities.
Now let‘s go a level deeper to compare managed WordPress hosting against shared hosting specifically in context of A2 Hosting‘s offerings.
While basic shared hosting is fine for starting out, at some stage of growth you will outpace resources. So when should you upgrade to managed WordPress plans?
Here‘s an apples-to-apples look at parameters to help decide:
| Parameter | Shared Hosting | Managed WordPress |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Starts $2.99/month | Starts $99/month |
| Traffic Volume | Up to 25k visits/month | Up to 100k visits/month |
| Resources | Shared | Dedicated |
| Admin Responsibility | Full sysadmin | Mostly handled by host |
| Security Protections | Limited DDoS Shield and firewall | Includes advanced WAF, DDoS mitigation etc. |
| Scaling Headroom | Okay but limited | Excellent supports larger traffic spikes |
| Speed Optimizations | Reliant on user effort | Auto CDN, caching, compression etc. |
| Catered for | Beginners, microbusiness sites | High growth SMBs, Enterprises |
By considering factors like above along with your skill level comfort, you can decide between self-managed shared servers vs fully handled managed WordPress hosting.
Both options available with A2 allows you tremendous versatility to start small and seamlessly scale up as your site popularity grows without needing to switch hosts again.
Next, let‘s see how A2 Hosting fares head-to-head against leading competitors SiteGround and Bluehost specifically for WordPress users.
Benchmarks – A2 Hosting vs SiteGround vs Bluehost
Choosing the best service among multiple decent options can get overwhelming.
To simplify your decision making, here‘s a factual comparison of crucial metrics between A2 Hosting vs SiteGround‘s GrowBig plan and Bluehost‘s Choice Plus plan:
| Parameters | A2 Hosting | SiteGround | Bluehost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Cost | $10 | $14.99 | $5.45 |
| SSD Storage | Unmetered | Unmetered | 50GB |
| Free Domain | 1st year | No | 1 year |
| SSL Certificate | Free Shared SSL | Free Shared SSL | $69.99/yr |
| LiteSpeed Cache | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| CDN Enablement | Inbuilt | Requires plugin | Requires plugin |
| HTTP/2 Support | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| PHP 7.4 | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Moneyback Guarantee | 30 days | 30 days | No refund |
| Inbuilt Git Deployment | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Staging Environment | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
In summary – A2 Hosting edges past SiteGround and Bluehost on majority of benchmark parameters including speed capabilities, affordability, inbuilt tools support and flexibility.
This makes them a smart choice for WordPress users wanting max value.
Let‘s round up everything we‘ve covered so far into key takeaways.
Conclusion – Key Takeaways
Hosting WordPress on A2 Hosting gives you the perfect recipe to build a high performance site. Here are the crucial points worth remembering:
Speed Powered Servers – Cutting-edge NVMe SSD storage, LiteSpeed servers, CDNs and auto-tuning delivers unmatched speeds out the box.
Reliable Uptimes – With average uptime exceeding 99.9%, A2 ensures your site remains stable regardless of traffic spikes thrown its way.
User-friendly Install – 1-click WordPress auto-configuration along with free site migration makes setup smooth for beginners.
Top Notch Support – Exceptional 24/7 customer support via live chat, phone and tickets helps diagnose issues quicker.
Seamless Scalability– Grow effortlessly from shared starter plans up to managed WordPress cloud hosting without needing to switch providers.
Affordable Pricing – Hosting begins from as low as $2.99/month allowing bootstrapped users to benefit from A2‘s performance strengths even on a budget.
Clearly, A2 checks all the boxes when it comes to delivering a stellar hosting environment for your WordPress site.
I hope this guide served you well in understanding nitty-gritty of getting your site up and running the A2 way.
Is there anything else you‘d like me to cover? Let me know and I‘ll be happy to help!
