When it comes to finding a host for your Divi website you have a lot of options to choose from. It can be difficult to decide when you consider the vast amount of features that are available. One of the best and easiest ways to decide on a host is to determine what hosting features your Divi site will need. In this article, we’ll take a look at the top features to look for in a Divi host.
Features will vary depending on if you want managed hosting or not. Many of these features are automatically taken care of if you use managed hosting. For information about the types of hosting, see the WP Zone article Quick Guide to WordPress Hosting.
Since the features to look for will depend on the type of website you want to create, I’ve separated the features into two sections. The first covers personal and business websites that only need to host one or a few websites. The second covers agencies that need to host unlimited websites for clients.
Divi Hosting for Personal or Business Websites
- Server Settings – Divi has several recommended settings. If you’re managing the website yourself you’ll need access to those settings. The dashboard, using either cPanel or Plesk, gives you access to your files on the backend where you can make adjustments such as memory limits and PHP version options to accommodate those settings. They also include a one-click WordPress install, domain pointing, etc. It’s also helpful for adding, moving, or deleting files.
- Speed – some hosts offer several options to speed up your website. CDN (Content Distribution Network) replicates your content and stores it on servers across the globe. When someone accesses your website, the server nearest them is used to deliver your website. Some include caching on the server-side. If not, you’ll need the ability to add your own caching plugin. Some provide SSD storage for faster access.
- Site migration – the host will migrate your website for you, usually for free, from a different host to your new hosting account with them. This ensures your Divi site doesn’t go offline while it’s being moved, and you don’t have to deal with the move yourself.
- WordPress Staging – a staging area allows you to develop your site, make changes, try new plugins, etc., without affecting your live site.
- Security – many hosts offer free security tools. SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is the standard encryption between the server and browser. By providing a free SSL certificate, your site will show that it’s secure in your visitor’s browsers. Managed hosting often includes a firewall and threat detection to protect your site from malware and hacking.
- Backups – many hosts create backups on a nightly basis. These backups are available to you in case of emergencies.
- Support – when there’s a problem with your website it’s important to get support quickly. Many hosts include support through email, chat, phone, forums, articles, and videos. A host that’s ideal for Divi will be familiar with how Divi works and what it needs to operate correctly, and they’ll be able to step you through any process or issue with your hosting plan for use with Divi.
- Number of Websites – plans typically determine the number of websites you can use on the server. Personal plans usually allow for one website, business plans sometimes allow to 3-5 or more, while agency plans allow for unlimited websites.
- Updates – many hosts provide automatic updates for either minor or major updates. You can choose which you prefer for them to handle and which you want to handle. For example, you can have them to automatically update minor updates and you can update the major updates yourself. Managed hosting takes care of all updates and ensures stability first.
- Scalability – it’s okay to start with a small plan when your website is small, but as your website and audience grow you’ll need more resources for storage and bandwidth. On the other side of that, if your traffic decreases, or isn’t as high as you expected, you don’t want to pay for features you don’t need. Make sure that it’s easy to upgrade or downgrade your plan to meet your needs.
- Add-ons – you might not need a lot of add-ons, but some hosts do offer several some value-added features that you should take into consideration. Add-ons can include pro versions of Jetpack, caching plugins, security plugins, and themes. Some include Divi or other premium themes. Even if you already have Divi you might have a client that wants something different or you might want to use the Divi Builder plugin with a different theme. Other possible add-ons include collaboration tools, growth tools, coupons for ads, etc.
Divi Hosting for Agencies
- Agencies need tools to build, host, and maintain multiple websites for clients. You should look for everything we’ve already discussed, but also a few more features specifically for dealing with lots of clients, hosting multiple websites, and working with teams.
- Unlimited Websites – by allowing for unlimited websites you can create and host Divi sites for your clients.
- Reselling – you can resell hosting packages as an affiliate. Some even include ebooks to train you in reselling hosting services. Many include multiple perks such as deep discounts or free hosting.
- White Labeling – this allows you to resell under your own brand. You can host sites for your clients and sell hosting plans that will show your brand as the hosting company.
- Collaboration – collaboration tools allow you to include your team or clients in the project workflow. You can share settings, files, and support without them needing credentials to access the primary account. You can manage the collaborators so you have control over who has access.
- Website Management – management tools allow you to access all of the Divi websites at once. This way you can make updates and manage all of your client’s websites at the same time from a single location.
The Divi and WordPress Hosting Group
For more information about choosing the right hosting for your website and configuring it for Divi and WordPress, be sure to join our Facebook group. This group is dedicated specifically to WordPress and Divi hosting.
Join the group here: The Divi and WordPress Hosting Group.
Ending Thoughts
These features should be at the top of your list for any WordPress website, and Divi is no different. For more information about choosing a WordPress host for your Divi website, and to choose the best host for your needs, see our article How to Choose the Best Hosting Service for Divi and WordPress.
What features do you look for in a Divi host? Let us know in the comments below.
I use WPX hosting and they even did an article concerning Divi, I have used every host out there and nothing beat them in my opinion.
Hi Team!
This is a very interesting post. Do you have any recommendations on hosts that meet this criteria for agencies?