How to Evaluate a Content Management System - Hosting Requirements

How to Evaluate a CMS — Hosting Requirements

If you’re considering a particular Content Management System (CMS) for your own website, evaluate the hosting requirements.

If you want a website, you need software running on a server.

You can get a server by renting one from a hosting entity. You select a hosting entity. And you make the key decisions, none of which are simple:

Select a hosting entity

There are hundreds of hosting entities. Each offers unique strengths. And weaknesses. How do you decide which?

If you’ve been exploring web hosting for a few years, you will have come up with your own favorites.

If not, you will probably be overwhelmed by the possibilities. You will need to pay a web developer to help you make the decision.

After you select a hosting entity, you must make a lot of decisions about your hosting contract.

Most people won’t have a deep understanding of the questions. Nor will they be sure of the best answers for their own needs.

Here are the top two questions:

For most people who are starting a new website, this is the worst criteria for a decision.

The other criteria below are far more important than price.

Later, though, if your site picks up millions of page views per day, the price of hosting will become much more important to you.

The power of a server is determined by a lot of factors:

Solid state drive or spinning hard drive?
How many cores?
How much RAM?
Shared hosting, virtual private server, dedicated hosting, or Cloud hosting?
Do you need a Content Distribution Network (CDN)?
Do you need an easy-to-use interface for running your server, or can you write coded instructions in Command Line?
How scalable does your site need to be?

Do you have the competence to make those sorts of decisions about your hosting plan?

If not, you will need to hire somebody to help you make the decisions. You will need to be willing to pay for their help.

You can avoid Hosting by selecting a Website Builder. They provide it for you. However, a Website Builder might not meet your needs.

Originally published on December 25, 2018

Last updated on September 14, 2023

TOPICS: CMS, Hosting, Website,