Cloudways – Ultimate Managed Cloud Hosting Platform

Getting WordPress hosting from Cloudways is easy. Just follow these steps.

Total Time: 10 minutes

1. Go to Cloudways site

   Use my referral link (it wont cost you extra).
   https://vjdesign.com.au/referral/cloudways/

2. Go to Pricing page

   Before we sign-up, lets choose our hosting provider.
   From the top menu, click on Pricing link.
   

3. Pick up a cloud hosting plan – Find an affordable hosting plan with a data centre close to you

   There are currently 5 hosting providers. Digital Ocean is selected by default.
   1. Click on each of the Data Centre links to ensure that your server is close to you.

   

   2. Then choose a hosting provider. Click on each of the provider and have a look at their plans.

4. Decide your hosting provider and plan

   1. I chose VULTR. They have 16 data centres – one of these is in Sydney, Australia.
   2. Select High Frequency – for an extra dollar get better hardware than standard machines and deliver superior performance for high CPU demanding workloads. This is the best hosting for its price comparable to the very expensive WP Engine.
   3. Choose a plan – the basic $13 pm is good start – you get 32GB server space, 1GB RAM and 1TB bandwidth per month – this is more than enough for most small business users. Click on Start Free for $13/mo plan.

   

5. Signup

   Signup for Cloudways using LinkedIn, Github, Google or using your Email.

   

6. Login

   Once signed-up, you will be prompted to activate your account before you can login. Click on activation link sent to your email.
   Login using this link https://platform.cloudways.com/login

   

7. Free trial for 3 days – Upgrade to keep services

   Cloudways offers a free trial for 3 days; this allows you plenty of time to check the offering.
   Click on Upgrade My Account button.
   

8. Pay for your account

   Set up your billing information – you will be charged only for what you use monthly.

   

9. Share your credentials

   – If you are setting up WordPress yourself, then continue step 10 below.

   – If you want me to set up the site for you, then let me know which hosting plan you have chosen (ins tep 4). Also provide me the username and temporary password (temporary until I finish set up). I will direct your domain, install WordPress, required theme and plugins and design your website to your needs (and then you can change your password).

10. Set up WordPress server

    Once logged in, from the server page, select + Add Server button (or click on + from top menu).

    1. Select the application you want to install e.g. WordPress
    2. Give your app a name (you can run multiple apps)
    3. Give your server a name
    4. Group your app into a project (this is useful when you are managing multiple servers and apps for multiple clients)
    5. Select the hosting provider (I chose VULTR)
    6. Select a server type – I chose High Frequency
    7. Set a server size – e.g. 1GB. You can always scale up later.
    8. Set your location – I chose Sydney
    9. Confirm you are ok with the price
    10. Click Launch Now.
    

11. Servers and Apps

    It takes 10-15 mins for your servers to be provisioned and your app to be installed.
    Go to https://platform.cloudways.com/server to see all your servers. The default server settings should be fine for now. Go to Applications

    

    Backups – I would recommend you enable backups later. Click on the server (I called mine WordPress) then click on backups tab.

12. WordPress Application

    WordPress is one of the 13+ applications that you can install on your server.
    Go to https://platform.cloudways.com/apps to see all your applications.
    Click on the application (1) for more details or checkout your new WordPress website (2).

    

13. Manage your application

    Cloudways offers easy to use tools to manage your WordPress application.
    1. These include the username and password to access WordPress dashboard.
    2. Cloudways sets up your site and provides a temporary dummy URL for testing and building your site. Use the Domain management tools to make your site live.
    3. Ensure your site is secure using free SSL certificate. This is a must have for eCommerce stores.
    4. Create manual backups of your WordPress app – it is better to create complete server backups instead.
    5. Cloudways offers CDN for just $1 for 25GB or you could set up free Cloudflare CDN. For more information, refer to Which CDN Is Better For You?