For bloggers looking to take their website to the next level, proper hosting is essential. A basic shared hosting plan may work when you‘re just starting out, but as your traffic grows, a more robust managed WordPress hosting solution becomes necessary.
In this post, we‘ll explore why A2 Hosting‘s managed WordPress plans are the best option for professional bloggers ready to scale up.
What is Managed WordPress Hosting?
Managed WordPress hosting provides pre-configured servers optimized specifically for WordPress. The hosting company handles all the technical aspects like software updates, security patches, caching, and performance tuning. This allows you to focus entirely on creating content.
Shared hosts typically put hundreds of accounts on a single server. With managed WordPress hosting, you get far fewer sites per server. Some hosts even give each site its own isolated container for maximum speed and security.
Managed WordPress hosts also offer features tailored to WordPress users‘ needs. This includes integrated staging sites for testing, one-click WordPress installs, automatic daily backups, and 24/7 WordPress-savvy support.
Why A2 Hosting is Ideal for Professional Bloggers
Founded in 2001, A2 Hosting is a well-established hosting provider focused on speed and reliability. Their managed WordPress plans come packed with features to meet professional bloggers‘ demanding needs.
Here are some of the key benefits you‘ll get with A2‘s managed WordPress hosting:
Blazing Fast Servers
A2 Hosting utilizes cutting-edge solid-state drives (SSDs) rather than traditional hard disk drives (HDDs). SSD storage is up to 20X faster than HDDs. Pages load lightning-fast, even with heavy traffic.
They also host on custom servers powered by Intel, AMD, and AWS processors. Each account gets dedicated resources for optimal performance.
Anytime Scalability
One of the best things about A2‘s managed WordPress hosting is easy scalability. You can upgrade to a higher-resource plan with a single click if your site outgrows its current package.
Scaling up this way is far less disruptive than migrating hosts entirely. A2 makes it simple to handle rapid growth.
Top-Notch Security
Security is crucial for any professional website. A2‘s managed WordPress plans include advanced security features like daily malware scanning, hotlink protection, SSH access, IP blocking, and SSL certificates.
For added protection, you can add their Imunify360 security suite. It blocks brute force attacks, stops spam signups, detects malware, and more.
Worry-Free Migrations
If you‘re moving to A2 from another host, their free migration service makes it hassle-free. Their experts will safely transfer your site, plugins, themes, and content with no downtime.
This prevents the common migration headaches of broken images, missing pages, and redirection issues.
Reliable Uptime
Nothing hurts your business more than a site that‘s constantly down. A2 provides a 99.9% uptime guarantee across all their managed WordPress plans.
Multiple data center locations worldwide ensure fast page loads for visitors everywhere. DDoS protection and anytime server upgrades help maintain continuous uptime.
Responsive 24/7 Support
A2‘s support team is WordPress-certified and available 24/7 via live chat, phone, and ticket. They promptly resolve issues like malware infections, plugin conflicts, email delivery failures, etc.
For DIY troubleshooting, A2‘s managed WordPress plans include free access to their extensive knowledge base and community forums.
A2 Managed WordPress Hosting Plans and Pricing
A2 offers three main managed WordPress hosting plans: StartUp, Drive, and Turbo. Each scales up the resources to handle more visitors and larger sites.
Let‘s compare the key specs of A2‘s managed WordPress plans:
| Plan | StartUp | Drive | Turbo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Websites | 1 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Visitors/mo | 10000 | 25000 | 50000 |
| SSD Storage | 50GB | 150GB | 200GB |
| Free SSL | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| CDN | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Daily Backups | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Price/mo | $11.99 | $19.99 | $41.58 |
As you can see, the plans are designed to support sites from personal blogs up to large online publications. Turbo can easily handle hundreds of thousands of monthly visitors.
A2 also offers fully managed WordPress hosting on Amazon‘s Web Services (AWS) platform. The AWS plans utilize super-fast NVMe SSD storage for optimal performance with WordPress.
How Does A2‘s Managed WordPress Hosting Perform?
Speed and uptime are imperative for professional sites. To evaluate A2‘s real-world WordPress hosting performance, I ran hands-on tests.
Using A2‘s free migration service, I transferred an existing WordPress site to their StartUp managed plan. Pages loaded nearly instantly with sub-second response times.
To simulate traffic spikes, I used k6 and Loader.io for load testing. The site easily handled 50+ concurrent users without slowdowns.
During 2 weeks of monitoring uptime using UptimeRobot, my site had 100% availability. Results were equally impressive across A2‘s Drive and Turbo plans.
Based on my first-hand testing, A2 provides excellent WordPress hosting performance and reliability even on their low-end plans.
Why A2 Beats Other Managed WordPress Hosts
The managed WordPress hosting market has no shortage of options like WP Engine, Kinsta, Flywheel, SiteGround, and more. So why choose A2?
Here are a few key advantages A2 has over competitors:
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Price – A2‘s plans are more budget-friendly, especially for higher traffic sites. For example, WP Engine‘s comparable plan to A2‘s Turbo costs over $290/month.
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Flexibility – With unlimited websites on Drive and Turbo plans, A2 is ideal for managing multiple clients or sites.
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Support – A2‘s 24/7 live WordPress support beats email-only assistance from some rivals.
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Simplicity – Their one-click cloning, backups, and staging makes A2 easier for non-techies.
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Scalability – Seamless vertical scaling ensures you never outgrow your hosting.
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Speed – A2‘s SSD-based servers outpace competitors still using HDD storage.
For professional bloggers juggling multiple high-traffic sites, A2 brings the right blend of features, flexibility, and affordability.
Tips for Using A2 Managed WordPress Hosting
Here are some best practices to get the most out of A2‘s managed WordPress hosting services:
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Enable caching – Use A2‘s built-in LiteSpeed cache alongside plugins like WP Rocket for maximum speed.
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Limit bloat – Avoid excessive plugins, unused themes, oversized images, and unnecessary data. They slow down sites.
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Monitor usage – Check your site‘s resource usage in cPanel. Scale up your hosting plan if nearing capacity.
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Setup staging – Use A2‘s free staging maker to test changes on a copy of your site before going live.
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Do offsite backups – Supplement A2‘s daily on-server backups with weekly offsite backups via a service like UpDraftPlus.
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Boost security – Install a security plugin like WordFence and enable two-factor authentication for all accounts.
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Contact support – Don‘t hesitate to use A2‘s stellar support for WordPress-related issues like updating failures, speed problems, etc.
Conclusion
For professional bloggers seeking a high-performance and reliable managed WordPress host, A2 is a top choice. Their specialized WordPress plans deliver on all fronts with great features, resources, and support.
Based on in-depth testing, A2 provides exceptional managed WordPress hosting suited for sites from small personal blogs to major online publications. Their anytime scaling also makes it easy to handle rapid growth and traffic surges.
While not the cheapest option, their premium managed WordPress plans still offer great value compared to alternatives. For professional bloggers who want a truly worry-free hosting experience, A2 is worth every penny.