--- title: "Blog: hosting guides, benchmarks and fixes" url: "https://hostidea.com/blog" canonical: "https://hostidea.com/blog" generated: "2026-10-15" note: "Markdown twin generated at build time from the same content as the HTML page. The HTML page is canonical." --- # Blog Guides, benchmarks and fixes from the people who run the tests. Every article carries its sources and the date it was last checked. [Hosting basics](https://hostidea.com/blog/category/hosting-basics) · Oct 13, 2026 · 2 min read ## [Backups and restore points: what a hosting backup actually protects you from](https://hostidea.com/blog/backups-and-restore-points-explained) What "daily backups" means on a plan page, why retention and off-server storage matter more than frequency, and which failures a host backup does not cover. [WordPress](https://hostidea.com/blog/category/wordpress) · Oct 13, 2026 · 4 min read ## [How to choose a web host in 2026: a working method](https://hostidea.com/blog/how-to-choose-wordpress-hosting) A step-by-step way to pick a web host from what your site needs, what the plan terms say, and which published measurements to trust, without paying for the wrong tier. [WordPress](https://hostidea.com/blog/category/wordpress) · Oct 13, 2026 · 3 min read ## [How to migrate a website to a new host without downtime](https://hostidea.com/blog/how-to-migrate-a-website-to-a-new-host) A step-by-step migration method for a WordPress or static site: copy, test on the new server, switch DNS with a short TTL, and keep the old host running until the last visitor has moved. [Hosting basics](https://hostidea.com/blog/category/hosting-basics) · Oct 13, 2026 · 3 min read ## [How to read a hosting price page without being misled](https://hostidea.com/blog/how-to-read-a-hosting-price-page) The five numbers a hosting price page hides in plain sight: the term behind the price, the renewal, the exclusions, the per-site cost and the refund window, with examples from ten hosts. [Hosting basics](https://hostidea.com/blog/category/hosting-basics) · Oct 13, 2026 · 3 min read ## [Shared hosting limits explained: CPU seconds, inodes, RAM and visit guidance](https://hostidea.com/blog/shared-hosting-limits-explained) What the fine print on a shared plan actually limits, how to read inode counts, CPU seconds and relative resource tiers, and which published limits mean something. [WordPress](https://hostidea.com/blog/category/wordpress) · Oct 13, 2026 · 2 min read ## [Shared vs managed WordPress hosting: which one do you need?](https://hostidea.com/blog/shared-vs-managed-wordpress-hosting) What managed WordPress hosting adds to a shared plan, what it costs, and when a shared plan with server caching and daily backups is the better buy. [Hosting basics](https://hostidea.com/blog/category/hosting-basics) · Oct 13, 2026 · 3 min read ## [Shared vs VPS vs cloud hosting: what you get at each step](https://hostidea.com/blog/shared-vs-vps-vs-cloud-hosting) The practical differences between shared, VPS and cloud hosting: what is allocated to you, who manages it, what it costs, and the signs that say it is time to move up. [Hosting basics](https://hostidea.com/blog/category/hosting-basics) · Oct 13, 2026 · 3 min read ## [SSL certificates explained: what a free certificate gives you and what paid ones add](https://hostidea.com/blog/ssl-certificates-explained) What an SSL (TLS) certificate does, how Let's Encrypt issues one for free in minutes, why every host on our list includes it, and the narrow cases where a paid certificate still makes sense. [Hosting basics](https://hostidea.com/blog/category/hosting-basics) · Oct 13, 2026 · 3 min read ## [Uptime guarantees explained: what 99.9 percent costs you and what the credit pays](https://hostidea.com/blog/uptime-guarantees-explained) What a 99.9 percent uptime guarantee allows in minutes, how service credits are calculated at ten hosts, and why the guarantee is a refund schedule, not a promise. [Performance](https://hostidea.com/blog/category/performance) · Oct 13, 2026 · 3 min read ## [What a CDN does for a small website, and when you do not need one](https://hostidea.com/blog/what-a-cdn-does) What a content delivery network caches, why it helps visitors far from your server, what it cannot speed up, and which hosts include one. [Hosting basics](https://hostidea.com/blog/category/hosting-basics) · Oct 13, 2026 · 3 min read ## [What is DNS propagation, and why does it matter when you change hosts?](https://hostidea.com/blog/what-is-dns-propagation) Why a DNS change takes minutes for some visitors and hours for others, what TTL has to do with it, and how to move a site without anyone noticing. [Performance](https://hostidea.com/blog/category/performance) · Oct 13, 2026 · 3 min read ## [What TTFB measures, and what a hosting TTFB number actually tells you](https://hostidea.com/blog/what-ttfb-measures) Time to first byte explained: what is inside the number, why the same host scores 227 ms in one review and 447 ms in another, and what threshold matters.