For the websites we build, we recommend managed WordPress hosting with a modern server stack, HTTPS, daily offsite backups, server-level caching, and support that can actually troubleshoot WordPress when something breaks.
Hosting is the foundation under your design, so we treat it like part of the build, not an afterthought. A beautiful site can still feel “cheap” if pages hesitate, forms fail, or the site goes down. That’s why our web design builds are planned around speed, uptime, and clean handoff to whoever will maintain the site month to month.
If you’ve ever wondered why a site that looks simple can load slowly, the hosting layer is often the reason, and our checklist lines up with the common causes in what causes a website to load slowly.
Our recommended hosting checklist
| Area | What we ask your host for | Why it matters for your business |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress requirements | PHP 8.3+, MySQL 8.0+ or MariaDB 10.6+, HTTPS, Apache or Nginx with rewrite support | Matches current WordPress recommendations and avoids plugin and theme compatibility headaches. |
| SSL and HTTPS | Free SSL, auto-renewal, modern TLS, HTTP to HTTPS redirects | Protects logins and form submissions, and avoids browser warnings that scare leads away. |
| Speed layer | Server-side page caching, PHP OPcache, Brotli or gzip compression, HTTP/2 or HTTP/3, CDN option | Gets you fast first loads for mobile visitors around Orlando and Central Florida, even on spotty connections. |
| Backups and restore | Daily backups (minimum) plus on-demand backups before updates, offsite storage, 14-30 day retention, one-click restore | When an update goes sideways, we can roll back in minutes instead of rebuilding. |
| Staging site | One-click staging and push-to-live workflow (or a safe clone process) | Lets us test updates and changes without risking your live site during business hours. |
| Security controls | Web application firewall (WAF), malware scanning, isolation between accounts, SFTP/SSH, 2FA for hosting panel | Reduces the odds of spam injections, redirects, or a hacked form that costs you trust and time. |
| Email handling | Supports SMTP plugins or an outbound mail relay; no reliance on basic PHP mail | Form notifications land more reliably, and you can route mail through Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 without drama. |
| Monitoring and uptime | Uptime monitoring, resource monitoring, clear incident reporting, DDoS protection | Helps catch problems fast, which matters during Florida storm season when traffic spikes and outages happen. |
| Access and handoff | Ability to add users, limit permissions, provide logs, and create temporary access for vendors | Keeps your site maintainable when you add a booking tool, new location page, or a new team member. |
We also want HTTPS set up correctly because it affects trust and can support search performance, which we break down in does HTTPS affect SEO.
If you already have hosting, we’ll review it against the checklist before we launch. If it’s missing several items, the site can still go live, but you’ll feel the limits quickly (slow admin, delayed page loads, random downtime, or form emails that never arrive). If you want us to handle the hosting side end to end, our WordPress hosting service is built around this exact standard so your site stays fast, secure, and easy to maintain.
