Where Your Website Lives (And Why It Matters) đ
Your hosting provider is like the foundation of your house - get it right and everything else works smoothly. Get it wrong and you'll have endless headaches. Here's our no-nonsense guide to WordPress hosting that actually works.
Our #1 Recommendation: Websavers.ca
Why We Love Websavers After working with dozens of hosting companies over the years, Websavers.ca is our absolute gold standard. Here's why:
Canadian company with servers in Canada (great for Canadian websites and privacy laws)
Actually understand WordPress - not just generic web hosting
Real human support when you need help (imagine that!)
Reliable performance without breaking the bank
Security-focused with proactive monitoring
Developer-friendly with all the technical features we need to do our job well
What Makes Them Special
Automatic WordPress updates and security patches
Daily backups included (not an expensive add-on)
Free SSL certificates for all websites
Staging environments for testing changes safely
Canadian data privacy compliance built-in
Support team that actually knows WordPress inside and out
Pricing Reality Check They're not the cheapest option, but they're incredible value. You get what you pay for with hosting, and cutting corners usually costs more in the long run through downtime, security issues, and support headaches.
When We Provide Hosting
Specialized Environments Sometimes your project needs something beyond standard WordPress hosting:
High-traffic websites with custom caching setups
Complex e-commerce sites with specific security requirements
Custom applications that need particular server configurations
Development and staging environments with special access needs
Our Hosting Service When standard hosting won't cut it, we can provide specialized hosting at an additional monthly cost. This includes:
Fully managed servers optimized for your specific needs
Premium support as part of your ongoing relationship with us
Custom configurations that most hosting companies can't or won't provide
Complete responsibility for server maintenance, security, and backups
When This Makes Sense
Your website has unique technical requirements
You want one point of contact for both development and hosting
You need guaranteed response times for hosting issues
Your project requires custom server setups or specialized software
Working With Your Existing Hosting
We'll Work With What You Have Already have hosting? No problem! We can work with pretty much any hosting provider. WordPress is flexible, and we're experienced with all the major (and minor) hosting companies.
But We Might Have Suggestions... Sometimes we'll discover that your current hosting is holding your website back. When that happens, we'll:
Explain the specific problems we're seeing
Show you the business impact (slower loading = lost customers, poor security = risk, etc.)
Recommend specific solutions with clear cost/benefit analysis
Help with migration if you decide to make a change
Common Issues We See
Shared hosting for business websites (your site slows down when your "neighbors" get busy)
Outdated PHP versions that create security risks and compatibility issues
No staging environments (changes go live immediately with no testing)
Poor backup systems (or worse, no backups at all)
Weak security measures that leave websites vulnerable
WordPress Hosting Requirements
The Technical Minimum For any WordPress site we build, your hosting needs:
PHP 8.0 or higher (preferably 8.1+)
MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.3+ for the database
HTTPS/SSL certificates (non-negotiable in 2025)
At least 1GB RAM for decent performance
SSD storage (spinning hard drives are so 2010)
What Good Performance Looks Like
Page load times under 3 seconds (preferably under 2)
99.9% uptime minimum (anything less is unacceptable)
Daily automated backups with easy restoration
Security monitoring and malware scanning
Red Flags to Avoid
Unlimited everything promises (there's always a catch)
Rock-bottom pricing (usually means oversold servers and poor support)
No staging environments (makes updates risky)
Outsourced support that doesn't understand WordPress
No clear backup and restoration process
Making the Right Choice
For Small Business Websites Websavers.ca shared hosting is usually perfect. You get professional-grade hosting without enterprise pricing.
For Growing Businesses Websavers.ca Managed VPS hosting as your traffic and requirements grow.
For Enterprises or Special Needs Our managed hosting solutions when you need custom configurations, guaranteed performance, or specialized environments.
For Budget-Conscious Startups Websavers.ca is still our recommendation, even for tight budgets. The cost difference between cheap hosting and good hosting is usually less than the cost of one downtime incident.
Migration Made Easy
If You Need to Switch Hosts
We handle the technical stuff - moving files, databases, DNS changes
Minimal downtime - usually just a few minutes
Testing everything before switching your domain over
Backup plans in case anything goes wrong
Clear timeline so you know what to expect
Common Migration Scenarios
Moving from cheap shared hosting to proper WordPress hosting
Upgrading to handle increased traffic
Switching to Canadian hosting for privacy compliance
Consolidating multiple sites under better management
The Real Cost of Cheap Hosting
What "Savings" Actually Cost
Lost sales from slow loading times
SEO penalties from poor performance and downtime
Security breaches from inadequate protection
Developer time working around hosting limitations
Stress and frustration from constant technical issues
Better Investment Thinking Good hosting is business insurance. The extra $20-50/month for quality hosting pays for itself if it prevents even one security incident or major downtime event.
Hosting Support & Maintenance
What's Included with Good Hosting
Server security updates and monitoring
WordPress core updates (when safe to do so)
Daily backups and easy restoration
24/7 monitoring for issues
Support that actually understands WordPress
What You Still Need to Handle
Content updates and website changes
Plugin and theme updates (we can help with this)
Business decisions about website functionality
Regular content backups of your own work
Questions We Get A Lot
"Can't I just use the cheapest hosting?" You can, but it usually costs more in the long run through problems, lost time, and lost business.
"Why not just use [big company] hosting?" Big companies often treat WordPress like any other website. Specialized WordPress hosts understand the specific needs and challenges.
"What if Websavers goes out of business?" They've been around for years and are financially stable, but we can always migrate you to another quality host if needed.
"Can you just manage everything for me?" Absolutely! That's what our managed hosting service is for.
Making Your Decision
Start With Our Recommendation Unless you have specific requirements that Websavers.ca can't meet, start there. It's the path of least resistance to a website that just works.
Consider Managed Hosting If:
You don't want to think about hosting at all
Your website has special requirements
You value having one point of contact for everything
Uptime and performance are critical to your business
Keep Your Current Hosting If:
It's already meeting all your performance and security requirements
You're happy with the support and reliability
Migration costs outweigh the benefits of switching
The Bottom Line:
Hosting isn't glamorous, but it's the foundation everything else sits on. Getting it right from the start saves headaches, money, and lost business down the road.
Need Help Deciding?
We're happy to evaluate your current hosting situation or help you choose the right option for a new project. Just email us at contact@darn.pro
Because life's too short for bad hosting.