See the best website requirements checklist to look over your new or next site service providers. Keep reading to see lists of website hosting requirements and website technical requirements. See what each item means in everyday language. Also, see more related posts in our WordPress Website Plan category.
Introduction To Website Requirements
There are 4 minimum website requirements always. They are listed here in their simplest form and they all work together for you to have a website. Keep reading to see what detailed technical requirements you will want to consider also.
- Registrar (who holds your purchased “registration record” of your “domain name” you’ll be associating with your future domain named website)
- DNS provider (who directs Internet traffic to your domain named website location). It’s going to be the provider who assigns the NameServers for your domain. Usually your website host provider has this for you.
- Website Host Provider is who has and displays your actual domain named website. Often, they also give you access to assigning your NameServers (DNS) but, not always.
- Service (ability to have contact with someone in reasonable time if your site is down, broken, or for questions). If unsure, you’ll want “Managed Service” or “Managed Hosting”.
When possible, it’s much easier to manage and it’s less technical if you find a website host provider that can give you all 4 website requirements. However, they would also need to be very good at all of those services. Also, consider incorporating this list of site requirements into your “Website Project Plan“. Finally, keep reading to see how you can narrow down your search that successfully meets your own website requirements for you.
Step-by-Step Guide To Get The Best Website Requirements Services
So, the list of website requirements start with you buying your own unique domain name (e.g., MySiteName.com) from a Domain Registrar. However, you are better with a good business website total solution that provides all 4 site services. So, begin by looking for the last item on the list, a very good Website Host Provider.
Step 1. Find a Very Good Website Host Provider
I’ve researched literally hundreds of website hosting services over the years (2021-2025). I’ve tried several highly recommended ones. For example, I have changed 6 web hosts in one single year and learned all about website requirements that are needed but not always shown. This is how I developed the following list of website service options you’ll want to be sure you get. So, start this checklist with each prospective website host provider you want to consider. Then, see if the following features are included, are paid add-ons, or aren’t available at all!
Also, if you specifically want to find a current LiteSpeed host provider, here’s the active database listing of all worldwide LiteSpeed hosting providers. You can filter it down by country and service (shared, VPS, dedicated, etc.). I used that list to locate my best performing host providers.
There are unlimited website host providers available. Also, many of them are just resellers and many won’t have all the very important options you will later discover you wish you had. Let’s proceed to narrow this down. Also, your ultimate goal is so you can perform the following.
Website Hosting Requirements for Performance
- Generally, don’t use low-end “shared” site hosting services. That’s what most cheap plans are. However, if you’re just starting out or you just want a basic web hosting service, then go for it.
- With that said, you might want to get better performance later on so, it’s smarter if you get your cheap web hosting service with a provider that you can later just upgrade your site plan. So, look for a host provider that has an affordable high performance plan and just start off with their cheaper plan to begin with. It makes it less painful if you later want to get a faster, more stable site.
- The cheaper, starter, shared plans usually don’t list technical specs of shared CPU or shared memory.
- Get a minimal service plan to use VPS (Virtual Private Server). This is a virtual server that can lock in a number of virtual CPU cores and assigned virtual RAM.
- CPU: Minimum should be 2 but 1 is okay if you’re just starting out or just need a basic performing site. However, if your site will be using a lot of database activity, e.g., recipe sites, you might eventually need 3-4. You can always upgrade your plan later, as needed.
- RAM: Minimum should be 4GB. This is another metric that some hosts won’t list on their cheaper plans.
- Drives: Minimum SSD. “SSD NvMe” are much faster drives but very costly. Some will offer less storage space to keep the cost down. If they show RAID 10 SSD drives, but not SSD NvMe, those will still be very fast due to RAID 10 aspect.
- Is caching provided? Usually, “Redis” or “Memcache” is available for free. A super caching service is “Enterprise LiteSpeed Server” available (typically, with an extra standard annual or monthly fee).
Website Hosting Requirements for Storage Space And Traffic
This is a list of website hosting requirements for storage space, traffic limits, and bandwidth capacity you should review.
- Website backups (how often allowed? weekly or daily? any maximums?)
- Storage space allowed. This often includes all your site backups too so, plan on storage increasing over time.
- Bandwidth capacity. This is where the cheaper hosts might not disclose this metric. Compare them as this will dictate how your site can handle multiple site visitors at the same time.
- Check Traffic limits. Some plans have it defined; others are unlimited.
Website Technical Requirements You Might Not Think About
This is a list of website technical requirements you will wish you thought about beforehand. They are SSL certificates, email service using your domain name, extra apps, and root access.
- Ensure the HTTPS protocol (i.e., getting your site SSL certificate) is easily included and you’re able to have it on auto-pilot with auto updates. Many host providers will have you manually perform your own setup as well as frequencies you have to update it with newer SSL certificates. Ensuring SSL is on your site is covered in my post “WP Security Check“.
- Is Email for your domain provided? Don’t assume it’s included. Also, know mailbox size limits and other limits.
- Softaculous apps (for Full WordPress, etc.). So, make sure it’s not a limited, lite version of WordPress allowed. Also, that means you’ll be able to use online searched solutions that you might need to apply. And, you won’t have as many issues (if any) with using WordPress Plugins.
- Full “root access” allowed to files and folders? This is a need you will potentially want in time.
Future Growth Options
- Ensure you can scale up to a better plan, if needed. Sometimes, this might mean moving your site to another server though.
- Add on domains or subdomains (or both) are allowed. Many host providers (like Cloudflare has) only allow 1 domain per plan. Also, some other host providers don’t allow add on domains or they don’t allow them with their own unique domain URL.
- cPanel or other administrative consoles?
Step 2. Locate a Very Good DNS Provider
- Host Armada is also a DNS Service Provider with their own Name Servers.
- Also, Host Armada DNS gives you direct access to DNS Zone Records, which is exactly what you want. This is one of those future options you’ll wish you had that many DNS providers do not allow.
- Cloudflare DNS is another consideration for high performance; however, it’s not known if you have direct access to its zone records. Also, if it’s not your registrar and host provider too, your site development will require extra work.
Step 3. Register Your Domain Name With A Good Registrar
When you are narrowing down a website host provider and DNS provider, the last technical piece is to see if that provider is also a Domain Registrar. HostArmada is a Host Provider and a Domain Registrar, for example.
Step 4. Website Technical Requirements for Support
You’ll want to check website technical requirements on the hosting providers site first. Then, check outside sources for customer reviews on technical support and true technical requirements discussed. Trust Pilot is an excellent source and they verify individual identities posting reviews. For service, you’ll need to understand if you get phone or email contact options. Also, get an idea of how long for responses when submitting a support ticket. In some cases, your site might be down and you’ll want a near immediate response potentially.
Finally, just so you know, often technical support is sometimes outsourced to technical individuals who provide this service. For the good branded host providers I’ve always had good support. HostArmada provided shockingly fast and top quality support, often within 1-2 minutes via Chat, for example.
Step 5. Other Website Requirements Options
There are, of course, going to be many other options you’ll want to look into initially or eventually. Some of these are mentioned here.
CDN Options
Will you have access to your host providers CDN or to use your own CDN provider or other 3rd party CDN such as Cloudflare or LiteSpeed CDN? Also, read my post on “BerqWP Plugin for Caching and Easy CDN“.
Also, see how to setup a CDN in the post “LiteSpeed Cache Plugin Settings“.
Plugins
I have tried over two hundred plugins and services over a period of 3 years. It’s best to keep your installed plugins at a reduced rate; however, there are a good amount of the good ones that won’t impact your website’s performance. Regardless, there are some very popular ones that can harm your performance so, it’s best to make a site backup first. Then, try out the plugin and see if there are any site performance changes. So, if site performance is negatively impacted, prepare to uninstall the tested plug-in right away and restore your site to its former state.
Read my related posts “My Recommended WP Plugin List“. They’re listed by category for easily finding a set of related plugins. I’ve used hundreds in recent years.
Website Hosting Requirements Recommendations
HostArmada and iWebFusion can satisfy the highest levels of WordPress website hosting requirements for performance and competitive pricing. DNS performance is important and these host providers have given a very good DNS service I’ve found. As a matter of fact, it’s easily as comparable to the world renowned high performing Cloudflare DNS. Also, both are in the LiteSpeed server network if you want that option.
- Compared to typical hosts, these host providers offer items that weren’t seen altogether in other highly recommended providers. As a matter of fact, some weren’t available in other popular branded host providers. And others offered some only through outside services. Host Armada & iWebFusion provide tons of integrated & time-saving services. And they show the CPUs, RAM, Storage, and a lot of technical specs that others typically will hide.
- iWebFusion VPS plans and more. I recommend the Pro Plus plan. And you might want to add more cPanel accounts but only if you have more than 1 site. Although, this isn’t required if you know how to create an addon domain. And they are in the LiteSpeed server network.
- Host Armada VPS (tap “Virtual Servers”). Web Voyager Plan is the minimum I recommend. That one includes additional cPanel accounts. Also, they are in the LiteSpeed server network.
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Conclusion of Website Requirements
This has given you a good, solid list of website requirements to look through. You’ve seen them listed out mainly into 2 categories: website hosting requirements and website technical requirements. Also, links to a few specific hosts are shown since they are far more reliable than the usual popular names. And, they give you more for the money. Now, give me your comments on what requirements you think should also be included here.