1. Don’t Panic.
A Hitchhiker’s Guide
to Web Hosting
@traftonesler
http://www.traftonesler.com/hosting-talk

2. Talkative Nerd Who names a kid Trafton? Be honest about being
I love computers so much ner vous. Ask for their
I never stop talking feedback and
about them. encouragement.
So now I talk about web
hosting for a job, and let
me tell you that is really,
really cool.
So today, we’re going to
talk about a favorite
subject of mine.
Parents who knew they were going to
have a nerd on their hands.

3. How long have you had a What do you want to do
website? with WordPress?
What’s the coolest thing
you’ve seen so far? Tell me your goals so I can
tailor this talk to what
you guys need.
So who are you
people?
What do you want to do with WordPress?

4. Start with smart questions. Hosting is YOUR
DECISION
What do I really value?
Cost?
Convenience?
Security?
Availability? Write these down for
yourself right now, and
let that guide the talk as
we move on.

5. What’s in the hosting universe?
•Shared
•Dedicated Server
•Virtual or Cloud
•Application-specific
(“Managed WordPress”) ...and MASH-UPs like a
Managed WordPress
Host that employes VPS
or Cloud Tech

6. Caveat Emptor:
Bad Neighborhoods (sharing IP addresses)
Poor security can affect on-page content
Page-load Time
Availability
On-page content:
hidden links, replaced
content, malware
distribution

7. LIKE SOMEONE RUNNING
DOWN THE STREET
FLAILING THEIR ARMS.
THEY WILL HIT YOU. BUT
NOT WITH INTENTION
No one is out to get you.

8. There are a lot of viagra salesman.
Shared IPs - even a dedicate IP might not save you because
what if an entire Class-C block is banned?
Your e-mail can get flagged because of spammers sharing
the same home address
You might have noticed
there are a lot of Viagra
Salesmen.
they aren’t after you
One way to help isolate some of
the shared hosting problems is to
get a dedicated IP hosting
account. A dedicated IP hosting
account can still be on a shared
server, but you have your very
own IP address.

9. Securing your site matters.
Hidden Links
Replaced Content
Malware Distribution
Redirect Rules

10. Faster sites are more fun, right?
pagespeed.googlelabs.com
browsermob.com
wpspeedometer.com *
tools.pingdom.com/fpt
on some platforms, a
neighboring site can
affect yours
DIRECT AFFECT RANKING
AFFECT COSTS OF
MANAGING
USER EXPERIENCE

11. Wasted Ad Spend
Risk of being De-Indexed
siteuptime.com Trust/Reputation
Pingdom.com
site24x7.com
uptimerobot.com

12. Your website is your NO WRONG CHOICES
baby.
Unless the host doesn’t
WHO DO YOU WANT TO meet your need, for the
HAVE YOUR BABY WITH? price you value it for
Choosing a host is a personal decision.
BEWARE THOSE REVIEW
SITES -- THEY GET PAID.
I KNOW BECAUSE WE
WRITE THEM CHECKS.
EVERYONE DOES.

13. Do you need a roommate? As anybody that’s
recently bought a
computer can attest,
they aren’t cheap.
Lot’s of competition
drives down prices But if t wo friends share
a Macbook Pro, you’ve
already saved 50%
You may have to make
some tradeoffs in Speed,
Security, and Up-time
You’re definitely “on your
own” in the sense

14. ...Shared Hosting generally means:
Shared IP = same home
Multiple sites per server address
Quota-driven Resources
Shared IP Address
Fast Set-Up
More customers per support rep
Great for pet projects,
low-cost experiments
Sites with low revenue
CONS: potential
Sites with lower
- neighbor site can requirements for up-time
affect you and security
- If a customer violates this
agreement, it can tax the server.

15. Dedicated Servers AN ACTUAL “DEDICATED”
AMOUNT OF RESOURCES,
PHYSICAL OR VIRTUAL.
physical = FASTER
Often responsible for our
own configuration,
•Fast* security, and
maintenance
•Safe from bad neighbors PRO: CUSTOM SCRIPTS
•Optimize the OS and software
•High Security (physical separation)

16. Virtual or Cloud Hosting
•Flexible for scaling
•Pay-for-use in some cases
•Use different platforms on the same
server
VIRTUALIZATION

17. Sexy newness: Managed WordPress Hosting
More every day -- look
for evidence of thought
leadership in their blogs.
•No need for in-house Sys Admin
•Host optimizes the platform for you
•Easy scaling
•“Been There” Experience

18. FIRST OFF -- WHAT ARE
ASK THE AUDIENCE THE YOU “MANAGING”?
DIFFERENCES THEY
KNOW OF Racks of Hardware
Low-level soft ware
or the entire stack all
the way up to WordPress
Managed vs “Un-Managed”

19. Run down the cost of the
different types of SUPPORT THAT CAN
ser vice. ANSWER QUESTIONS
GREAT SERVICE
REQUIRES REAL PEOPLE.
IT’S NOT JUST
HARDWARE -- IT’S
SERVICE!!
Why is managed hosting so expensive?

20. [ insert closing brilliance here ]

21. Special Thanks to:
www.marketingclique.com
@vidluther -- of ZippyKid.com

22. Trafton Esler
trafton@wpengine.com
@traftonesler
http://www.traftonesler.com/hosting-talk