Joomla Hosting – What Does the Ideal Web Host Look Like?
When considering a content management system (CMS) to build their website on, the first thing that comes to mind for most people is WordPress.
While WordPress may constitute a whopping 25% of websites on the web today (no doubt a remarkable feat) this is not to mean it is the only good platform out there. Indeed, Joomla and Drupal are two other highly effective software platforms to build your website on.
It comes as no surprise then to know they command the second- and third-highest share of the CMS market with 6.6 percent and 4.6 percent respectively.
Figures aside, if you are new to the Joomla website scene, you need to start thinking about your Joomla hosting requirements and who can best meet them.
That’s simply because as much as Joomla is a great platform upon which to build any type of website, most times your website is as good as the hosting.
Features of a Good Joomla Hosting Provider
When it comes to Joomla hosting, a lot of the features you should be looking for in a host are not far removed from what you need for other CMS’ like WordPress and Drupal.
For starters, you will need a hosting company that can guarantee server uptime. Sure, you won’t find any offering 100% uptime (and if you do that’s most likely a gimmick), but you are likely to come across some guaranteeing 99.9%.
The least you should do is 99.5% guaranteed uptime as anything short of that could end up being frustrating both for you and your visitors.
As well, consider the provider’s hosting experience with Joomla.
If it is not something to write home about, you are probably better off looking elsewhere. This is for the reason that issues are bound to crop up that might require the technical input of the provider, not to mention the initial setup and configuration walkthrough you may need.
Still on the subject of assistance, if you want to leave the management of the server to the provider, you might consider opting for managed hosting over unmanaged. This, though, will also depend on the type of server hosting you choose.
Managed and unmanaged Joomla hosting are specific to two types of hosting plans: VPS and dedicated hosting. If you are on shared hosting, this is not an issue that will come up since you are on unmanaged hosting by default.
As far as the hosting plans on offer go, while pricing might be a deciding factor for you, avoid basing your entire decision on cost alone. Think about the ease of upgrading. Ideally, you want a host that allows you to upgrade your plan within minutes without it affecting your website.
The location of the web host is another important consideration to mull over. Location has a bearing on several things, from the cost of Joomla hosting, to website speed and performance, and by extension, SEO. And that is without even considering the language barrier issue. And the time zone for when you need to get in touch with the provider.
You also have to make a decision on which operating system you want your Joomla website to be hosted – Linux or Windows environment. Both have their strengths and downsides, but when it comes down to it, the choice of server OS should be dictated more by your website framework and less by external factors like price, training or support.
That’s right, if your website is PHP-based, for example, you are better off going with Linux hosting. It if is built on ASP.NET, a Windows environment would be better. The reason for this boils down to one key thing – compatibility of your website with databases and applications.
Here is what we mean.
If your website is hosted on Linux, your Joomla hosting provider will support PHP and offer MySQL databases. On the other hand, if your Joomla website is hosted on a Windows platform, your provider will support several versions of ASP and ASP.NET, while also offering MySQL databases.
Speaking of PHP, when choosing your Joomla hosting provider, make sure the plans they offer have the latest version of PHP, which at the moment is PHP 7.
This is because PHP 7 is superior in all respects. It has a 50% better memory consumption (when juxtaposed with PHP 5); it makes your website run twice as fast, and it is more secure and supported.
Evaluating your Joomla Hosting Provider
Below we provide a more detailed guide into the things you should be looking for in an ideal Joomla hosting provider.
- Platform Compatibility
For you to host your Joomla website, you need to look for a web host that can fully support the Joomla software.
Joomla can run on any server equipped with PHP, Apache and MySQL. However, depending on the version of Joomla you are trying to run, you may need particular versions of these applications.
As mentioned earlier, though, it is important that the web hosting provider is running servers installed with a fully updated version of Joomla itself, as well as the latest version of these programs.
The issue with running old software versions is that they are susceptible to bugs and other issues that have been addressed in newer versions. All in all, the most recent updates ensure your website is hosted on a more secure, stable and reliable platform.
- One-click Installation
Something else you should be thinking about as you look for a good web host is how you are actually going to install the software on your account.
For experienced users with technical expertise, this should be no big deal. However, if technologies such as MySQL and FTP are not a strong suit of yours, then getting the platform up and running can be a hard ask.
Fortunately, there is a workaround to this.
Joomla allows for one-click installation which doesn’t require any technical expertise on your part. All you have to do is specify your desired administrative details and voila!
That said, find out from the hosting company if they offer one-click installation. If not, you should look for a host that does.
- Number of Databases Supported
Joomla is what you would call a database-driven platform, which basically means in order to run on the server, it requires a database.
This is why you should always opt for a host who provides more than one database.
There may not be an immediate need for multiple databases when you are signing up for the service, but the last thing you want is to find yourself restricted down the line when your website grows and you need to install more crucial applications. Besides, multiple databases allow you to run live and development sites separately without the risk of error.
Opt for a package that comes equipped with two or more database engines. You will be glad you did.
- Technical Competence
Joomla is an open-source program that is supported by a vibrant community of developers and users. Which is a good thing, save for the fact that you have to rely on the community for support since there is no official customer service support.
This is not to pour any water on the level of assistance offered by the community. In fact, some would argue that the Joomla community does a far much better job than a corporation support team would.
Even so, as a website owner, you don’t need to be hopping on to the forums every time you need technical assistance. The provider should be in a position to address any issues you might be having with the platform. Anything short of that is just unacceptable.
Between the Joomla community and the provider’s support team, any problems you may be experiencing should be addressed fairly quickly.
- Reliable Infrastructure
Joomla as an application is quite lightweight. But for it to run efficiently, the host’s servers need to be properly optimized. Infrastructure that is reliable allows you to get the most out of a Joomla hosting solution.
A hosting company that does not employ the right technologies in its servers will only result to a website that is performing abysmally, always going offline and performing poorly during those instances it is online.
Last Word
As we mentioned earlier in this post, Joomla is an excellent CMS for literally every type of website out there.
But for you to unleash its full power, you need a good Joomla hosting company. Find one and you will love what this platform can help you achieve.