There are a number of things that you should be aware of when setting up hosting for a WordPress site.
Make sure that the hosting account uses PHP 5 or higher:
New hosting accounts should all be fine but if you are installing WordPress on an existing hosting account check the PHP version before you begin. WordPress requirements currently state that you need PHP 4.3 or higher but for WordPress Version 3.2 (Spring 2011) you will need PHP version 5.2 or greater and MySQL version 5.0.15 or greater. If you are running less than PHP 5 there will be plugins now that don’t work and you will regret that you didn’t upgrade your hosting account before you started.
Make sure that you select Linux NOT Windows for your server:
If you intend to use any of the Microsoft languages such as the .NET environment, MSSQL, ASP then you will require a Windows sever environment. WordPress is written in PHP and PHP prefers a Linux environment. The common misconception is “My computer is windows so I need a windows server”. For most websites Linux is the better option and for WordPress it is definitely preferred.
About One-click Installs
A number of hosts offer one-click WordPress installations.
- If you are installing this way, you will want to check if they install WP in a sub-directory or in the root. Most default to a sub-directory so be careful as you probably want WordPress installed in the root directory.
- A host company one-click install will give you more than the basic WordPress. They will include some suggested themes and plugins. You won’t want a lot of plugins and themes that aren’t in use clogging up the WP dashboard. WordPress notifies you when a plugin/theme needs updating and you will want to remove unwanted items so your notifications are indicating your in-use items.
- WordPress updates on a regular basis so usually the one-click installation version won’t be the very latest. Not a big deal but you may need to upgrade your WordPress installation right away.
WordPress-friendly HOSTS:
I would be happy to walk you through the steps to signup for hosting and to install WP for you.
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