WordPress is a very easy platform to use as well as being extremely popular. You can install it on virtually any Linux-based hosting service, as long as it supports PHP and MySQL. There are also specialized WordPress hosting services available from top providers. WP-Engine and GoDaddy, for example, both offer WordPress hosting with pre-installed version of WordPress ready to be used. So, do you really need specialized WordPress hosting? Here are 5 reasons why you do.

1. WordPress Optimized Server

The first and probably the most important reason why WordPress hosting is a good idea when you are starting a new site using WordPress is performance. Unlike conventional hosting services, WordPress hosting is pre-configured to work really well with WordPress. You get a number of features that other hosting services may not offer.

For starters, Memcache or other server-side caching is usually used to boost the performance of your WordPress site. Since caching can really help speed up your site massively, this a feature that can be very handy to have. Of course you don't always need to rely on your web hosting provider to enable this for you. You could attempt it yourself. Some WordPress hosting also comes with Nginx pre-installed, allowing your site to handle a large number of traffic without even flinching.

Hosting services optimized for WordPress also work well with other WordPress plugins, including plugins that handle CDN (Content Distribution Networks) and various other advanced features. Configuring these plugins to work with the WordPress hosting server should not be difficult at all.

2. Affordable Hosting Costs

You can now get your WordPress site running smoothly for as little as £1 per month. Since WordPress doesn't require a large amount of server resources to work smoothly, hosting companies are offering their WordPress hosting service at reasonable prices nonetheless. Depending on the size of your WordPress site, you can even get a suitable hosting service for less than £1 per month by opting for a smaller service plan.

WordPress hosting is not only affordable in the long run. It is also among the most affordable hosting services to begin with. If you choose to use a monthly billing cycle, you may not even have to spend more than £5 to get your site up and running, including your own domain name and other services.

3. Lots of Freebies

Being a very popular platform, WordPress is used by thousands – if not millions – of sites out there. The latest statistics said that there are more than 2,000 new WordPress-based websites being introduced every hour. As you can see, the market for WordPress hosting is a lucrative one indeed.

This is why hosting companies are offering more freebies and bonuses to win your business. If you are in the process of searching for the right WordPress hosting service to use, you will see a lot of these offers for sure. A free domain name, free advertising credits and various other offers are yours to take. All you have to do is sign up for the hosting service plan of your choice and claim these bonuses.

The free advertising credits in particular are very interesting. You can jump-start your WordPress site by advertising it through Google AdWords, Facebook Ad network and other advertising networks without even spending any of your money in the process. Used correctly, these free advertising credits can really boost your traffic from the beginning.

4. Maximum Compatibility

Need to add your own help-desk or install an online forum? Your WordPress hosting service package should support the best web applications and platforms perfectly. These scripts use the same combination of PHP and MySQL, so you can still add other web applications to your site without having to purchase a separate hosting plan.

The server itself is optimized for WordPress. Your main site will perform beautifully even under heavy load. That said, the rest of the site will still be very much accessible – and performing well – even without the optimizations.

5. Top Support

If you are relatively new to WordPress or if you still need help with setting up your site, opting for WordPress hosting is the best way to go. The support officers behind your hosting service can help you tackle various WordPress related tasks, from setting up themes and plugins to optimizing the entire site for maximum speed.

This is part of the benefits of using WordPress hosting. You also get years of expertise and experience from the hosting company. Setting up particular WordPress hooks or trying to add a specific feature to your site will be very easy to do, even when you have no prior experience in developing a WordPress site before, because you can always ask for technical support.

With these benefits to enjoy, opting for a specialized WordPress hosting is the best way to go if you want to set up a new site using WordPress. The same goes for when you want to expand your existing WordPress site further. The performance boost offered by WordPress optimized hosting is definitely a huge plus you can benefit from.