What features do I need in a web hosting service?

[Kermit power]

Morning all,

I'm looking in to setting up a website for my wife to help with building up a personal training business, and would appreciate some help in figuring out what sort of hosting package to go for, as the more I look at it, the more confused I'm getting... As an example of where my confusion is coming from, one of the providers I've been looking at includes a MySQL database in their most basic offering and explains that this is required for things such as Wordpress hosting, yet their more expensive Wordpress hosting package makes no mention of databases!

As phase one, I'm just looking for something which will be static text/image pages with a contact form and email plus a blogging ability.

For phase two, it might be nice to be able to give clients a personal login to a secure area where my wife can publish exercise plans and the like for them, and they can track progress on workouts. Is this much more complicated?

Does Wordpress do all of the above? Is it necessary, or is it overkill compared to using a service with built in templates?

Also, SEO is presumably going to be pretty key to all this. Are packages including SEO services any good and/or worth paying extra for, or is this something best done manually?

[Taita]

The Vidahost basic package is pretty good and covers everything you'll need, as well as one click installations of common software (including WordPress)

I'd imagine there are plenty of WordPress themes and plugins for fitness industry.

Customer service is genuinely excellent too.

[Kermit power]

Taita said:

I'd imagine there are plenty of WordPress themes and plugins for fitness industry.

A quick google suggests you're absolutely right, and as I didn't even know Wordpress plugins were a thing, I wouldn't have known to google for them without your post, so thanks!

[4x4Tyke]

Hosting is a tool kit, not a made to measure suit.

If you want a DIY solution then go with hosting, seems more like you need a ready made web site.

[Kermit power]

4x4Tyke said:

Hosting is a tool kit, not a made to measure suit.

If you want a DIY solution then go with hosting, seems more like you need a ready made web site.

Yes, wrong terminology I guess.

I'm definitely after a managed rather than a hosted solution, although I'm pretty comfortable with most tech short of coding.

Just on a quick initial browse through some of the WordPress plugins I've been googling, there's huge potential for differentiation there compared to established trainers around here, so I very much would like a solution that will let me include those over time.

[uber]

Kermit power said:

Morning all,

I'm looking in to setting up a website for my wife to help with building up a personal training business, and would appreciate some help in figuring out what sort of hosting package to go for, as the more I look at it, the more confused I'm getting... As an example of where my confusion is coming from, one of the providers I've been looking at includes a MySQL database in their most basic offering and explains that this is required for things such as Wordpress hosting, yet their more expensive Wordpress hosting package makes no mention of databases!

As phase one, I'm just looking for something which will be static text/image pages with a contact form and email plus a blogging ability.

For phase two, it might be nice to be able to give clients a personal login to a secure area where my wife can publish exercise plans and the like for them, and they can track progress on workouts. Is this much more complicated?

Does Wordpress do all of the above? Is it necessary, or is it overkill compared to using a service with built in templates?

Also, SEO is presumably going to be pretty key to all this. Are packages including SEO services any good and/or worth paying extra for, or is this something best done manually?

If you need any advice in the fitness industry stuff drop me a DM, we have extensive experience in it!

[Kermit power]

uber said:

If you need any advice in the fitness industry stuff drop me a DM, we have extensive experience in it!

Thanks for that. I'll check with my wife later.

[rdjohn]

Taita said:

The Vidahost basic package is pretty good and covers everything you'll need, as well as one click installations of common software (including WordPress)

I'd imagine there are plenty of WordPress themes and plugins for fitness industry.

Customer service is genuinely excellent too.

I switched to Vidahosting from one of the very big providers, and can honestly say the difference in customer service was chalk and cheese.

They did the transfer on my first website, so I knew what to do on my second, which is hosted within the same space.

I would have happily paid the same amount, but I actually pay about 30% of what I used to.

[bitchstewie]

Not to scaremonger but simply to get it out there that if you're thinking of storing any kind of personal data to make sure you look into the implications of doing so in terms where you store it, how you store it, how you control access etc.

Use SSL for the whole thing regardless.

[Kermit power]

bhstewie said:

Not to scaremonger but simply to get it out there that if you're thinking of storing any kind of personal data to make sure you look into the implications of doing so in terms where you store it, how you store it, how you control access etc.

Use SSL for the whole thing regardless.

Addressing GDPR requirements and the like is a fairly significant part of my day job, so on that part at least, I do know what to check for.

I'm not expecting to be able to actually implement the necessary technology myself, but UK-hosted data in a suitably secured environment will be a must.

Would it be naive to assume that most service providers would have templates to help with end-user licence agreements and the like?

[bitchstewie]

Cool, didn't mean to state the bleeding obvious but if you do that for a living you know how many people go chuck stuff in a $1/month reseller package hosted god only knows where etc.

And now I'm off to read a GDPR book.. beautiful Sunday morning!

[ammark]

United Hosting's basic package will do you nicely, have used them for years amongst many many others and they are a great choice for value/ amazing support & service / easy one click WordPress install.

Any other WordPress for fitness industry questions feel free to message me, also have quite a lot of experience in that space.

[dmsims]

Vidahost are now owned by Godaddy - nuff said

Look for a host that let's you use your own SSL (if cost is important it will save you loads)

These are the ones that I came across having done a recent trawl

Nethosted
Krystal
Xilo

save money by buying several years hosting

[JamieBeeston]

dmsims said:

Vidahost are now owned by Godaddy - nuff said

Look for a host that let's you use your own SSL (if cost is important it will save you loads)

Bear in mind though with a lot of shared hosting, that SSL will typically require a dedicated IP address for most purchased certs, and thus will likely come at a cost still anyway.

More modern places will offer self-serve SNI for free (like letsencryot)

[dmsims]

JamieBeeston said:

More modern places will offer self-serve SNI for free (like letsencryot)

and what business is going to rely on Letsencrypt ?

[JamieBeeston]

dmsims said:

JamieBeeston said:

More modern places will offer self-serve SNI for free (like letsencryot)

and what business is going to rely on Letsencrypt ?

A small one I'd imagine, about the only reason to be looking at shared hosting otherwise.

[jammy-git]

Purely because Vidahost has already been mentioned - they do provide LetsEncrypt as a service on their cloud hosting packages. Works pretty well I have to say.

I have a number of clients that are more than happy to use LetsEncrypt - they only have brochure websites so something like LetsEncrypt is perfect for the intangible benefits it brings and the minor tangible benefits.

[akirk]

agree - there are websites where the sole point of the cert is to humour Google / Chrome and not have weird messages popping up...
and then there are websites where data is transmitted and a certificate is needed...
two very different uses

[buggalugs]

dmsims said:

and what business is going to rely on Letsencrypt ?

Come one then, what's the issue with letsencrypt...