You’ve decided to build a WordPress site. Maybe it’s a portfolio, a small business website, or just a personal project you’ve been putting off for months. You open a browser, search “WordPress hosting,” and suddenly you’re staring at seventeen comparison pages, each claiming a different host is the absolute best.
It doesn’t have to be this confusing. This guide walks you through what you actually need to know — no jargon overload, no affiliate-driven rankings — just a practical checklist to help you make a solid first choice.
Your WordPress site needs somewhere to live on the internet. Hosting is that place: a server that stores your files, your database, and everything else that makes your site work. When someone types your domain into a browser, the hosting server sends them your site.
That’s really it. Everything else is just variations on that idea.
The hosting company handles the hardware. Your job is to pick one that fits your needs and budget. For most beginners, that means something affordable, reliable, and easy to manage.
There are three types of hosting you’ll see mentioned everywhere. Here’s what they actually mean in plain language:
Shared hosting puts your site on a server alongside hundreds of other sites. Resources like processing power and memory are divided between all of them. It’s the cheapest option and perfectly fine for new sites with modest traffic. Expect to pay somewhere between €3 and €10 per month.
VPS hosting (Virtual Private Server) gives you a dedicated slice of a server with more control and more power. You probably don’t need this for your first site.
Managed WordPress hosting means the host takes care of WordPress-specific tasks for you: updates, backups, security, performance. It costs more, but you spend less time on maintenance. Dutch options like Savvii, and international ones like Kinsta or WP Engine, fall into this category. Worth considering if you’d rather not think about the technical side.
For a first site, shared hosting or entry-level managed hosting is the right starting point.
When you’re evaluating hosts, ignore the marketing noise and focus on these four things:
Reliability (uptime). If your site is down, nobody can visit it. Look for hosts that advertise 99.9% uptime and actually deliver it. Read independent reviews on sites like Trustpilot or Hosting Advies rather than trusting the host’s own comparison page.
Support. Something will go wrong at some point — that’s just how it goes. When it does, you want a real human available via chat or phone, not a three-day email queue. You can test support before you commit by sending a pre-sales question.
Speed. A slow site is frustrating for visitors and doesn’t help your search rankings. Look for PHP 8.x support and some form of caching. You don’t need to fully understand all of that — just check the host mentions it.
Ease of use. Is there a one-click WordPress installer? Is the control panel clear enough that you can find your way around without a tutorial? These things matter more than you might think on day one.
If your audience is mainly in the Netherlands, hosting with a Dutch provider can give you a real speed advantage. Servers physically closer to your visitors deliver pages faster. A few options that come up regularly in Dutch WordPress conversations:
Antagonist has a strong reputation in the Dutch WordPress community for reliability and genuinely helpful support. Their shared plans start around €5/month.
Savvii is a Dutch managed WordPress host used by many agencies and experienced WordPress users. It costs more, but they specialize in WordPress and it shows in the quality.
TransIP is one of the larger Dutch providers, affordable and widely used, with a solid one-click WordPress install.
Vimexx is a budget-friendly Dutch option worth a look if price is the main consideration.
None of these are sponsoring this post. They come up repeatedly in Dutch WordPress conversations — including at meetups — which is a reasonable signal that working people have found them reliable.
If your audience is international, providers like SiteGround or Cloudways are also solid choices with European data centres. Curious about the broader WordPress ecosystem? We covered some of the fundamentals in our earlier post on what WordPress is and why it powers so much of the web.
A few traps that catch a lot of beginners:
Don’t sign up for three years upfront. Hosts offer big discounts for long contracts, but you don’t yet know whether you’ll be happy with the provider. Renewal rates after the promo period are often much higher. Start with one year.
Don’t pick based on the lowest possible price alone. A €1/month host might work fine, or it might be slow, unreliable, and impossible to reach when something breaks. The savings rarely justify the risk for a site you care about.
Don’t fall for unlimited claims. “Unlimited storage” and “unlimited bandwidth” are marketing language. Every host has real limits buried in the terms of service. What matters is whether those limits fit a new site (they usually do).
Don’t ignore renewal pricing. Many hosts advertise an introductory rate and then charge significantly more at renewal. Check the renewal price before you sign up, not after.
Don’t confuse WordPress.com with WordPress.org hosting. WordPress.com is a hosted platform (similar to Wix). WordPress.org is the software you install on your own hosting. They’re different products. If you want full control over your site, you want WordPress.org on your own host. We have a bit more on this distinction in our getting started with WordPress post.
Before you hand over your card details, run through these:
Do I need to buy hosting and a domain from the same company?
No. Many people keep their domain registrar and hosting provider separate — it gives you more flexibility if you want to switch hosts later. That said, for a first site, buying both in one place is simpler and perfectly fine.
What about free hosting?
Generally worth avoiding for anything you want to look professional. Free hosting usually comes with ads on your site, reliability issues, and poor support. Decent shared hosting costs a few euros a month and is worth every cent.
Can I move my site to a different host later?
Yes, and it’s less complicated than it sounds. Most good hosts offer free migration help when you move to them. Plugins like Duplicator or All-in-One WP Migration also make it manageable. Your first choice is not permanent.
How much storage do I actually need?
For a basic site (pages, blog posts, some images), 5 to 10 GB is plenty. If you’re planning to host large video files or run a shop with thousands of product images, you’ll need more. Start small and upgrade when you need to.
What is PHP and why do hosts mention it?
PHP is the programming language WordPress runs on. Newer versions (PHP 8.1 or higher) are faster and more secure than older ones. A host that keeps PHP current is one that takes WordPress performance seriously. Worth checking before you commit.
Picking a host is one of those topics that sounds simple until you’re in the middle of it. If you’d like to talk through your options with people who’ve been there (and made the mistakes so you don’t have to), come along to the next WP Meetup Amsterdam.
It’s free, informal, and genuinely useful — whether you’re setting up your very first site or helping a client make a decision. All levels welcome, no developer experience required.
Check the upcoming dates and register at wpmeetup-amsterdam.nl. We’d love to see you there.
