Think of your hosting as buying some space on a computer out on the internet where your website will run from. There is a HUGE range of hosting out there- here are some things to consider.

Shared vs Dedicated

Shared hosting just means that you are sharing the computer space with other websites. While this comes with obvious limitations, for most small business this is the most cost effective option. Dedicated hosting means you have all the resources allocated for your site, and fewer potential security issues (since you are not sharing an IP address with others), however it can be very expensive, and much more difficult to manage.

Managed Hosting

Managed hosting, specifically for WordPress in this case, generally means your host has their server set in a particular configuration that they know works for the application you’re using. You typically don’t have access to all the settings, however, you don’t generally need to. It generally means a simpler interface, while they take care of more of the technical side. This is sometimes more expensive, but there is a large range depending on which hosting company you choose.

My recommendation?

Personally, I use Cloudways. I have used maaaany other hosts in the past, and they currently (2021) are the ones I have found with the best balance of price, usability, speed, and support. They have built in WordPress caching that you don’t even have to worry about, and very easy to use staging sites (you can use this to test things out, or build a new site while having the current one live). For most small businesses, the Vultr server with 1 GB (or 2 GB if you have a little heavier traffic) is enough ($11-24 a month), and you have the ability to choose a server geographically close to you. They also have a very simple plugin if you want to migrate from your current host! Here’s the link: https://www.cloudways.com/en/?id=791704