Cloudways Review: Safe and Easy Web Hosting
A good option to build and launch a freelancing website, blog, or portfolio?
If you’re a freelance writer, editor, or other content creator looking for a reliable hosting platform for your website or blog, Cloudways is a name you might not have heard of. But it might be the solution you’re looking for.
Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting platform that allows users to set up and manage their web applications on various cloud servers like Amazon Web Services (AWS), DigitalOcean, Google Cloud, and others. With Cloudways, you can easily set up a website or blog on the cloud server of your choice and take advantage of the platform’s easy-to-use interface, one-click installations, and other features.
Additionally, Cloudways offers scalable pricing plans that allow you to start small and then scale up as your website grows, making it an affordable option for freelancers. The platform also provides features like automatic backups, advanced security, and performance optimization tools, which can help ensure your site always runs smoothly and is protected against security threats.
However, whether or not Cloudways is the best option for you will depend on your specific needs and preferences. In this review, we’ll take a closer look at Cloudways and discuss its advantages and disadvantages for freelancers.
[This post has affiliate links, which means I may receive commissions if you purchase through links I provide.]
Reasons to Build Your Website Using Cloudways
Launch a Blog
As a freelance writer, you may want to start a blog to showcase your work and build a following. With Cloudways, you can easily launch a WordPress blog with just a few clicks. You can choose from a range of pre-configured WordPress setups optimized for performance and security, so you don’t have to worry about technical setup and can focus on writing great content. You can also choose from a variety of templates and themes to customize the look and feel of your blog.
Host a Portfolio
If you’re a writer, web designer, or artist, you may want to create a portfolio of your work to showcase your skills and attract potential clients. With Cloudways, you can host your portfolio website on a reliable and secure platform. You can choose from a range of content management systems (CMS) such as WordPress or Joomla, and use pre-built templates or themes to create a professional-looking portfolio. You can also use Cloudways’ performance optimization features to ensure that your portfolio loads quickly and smoothly, which is essential for keeping potential clients engaged.
Collaborate with Clients
As a freelancer, you’re no doubt going to be working remotely, so you’ll need an easy way to collaborate with your clients and other team members on projects. With Cloudways, you can easily set up a cloud-based workspace that can be accessed by you and your clients from anywhere in the world. You can use tools like WordPress or Google Docs to collaborate on content, and Cloudways’ built-in security features will ensure that your data is safe and secure.
Optimize for Speed and Performance
Speed and performance are critical factors for any website, particularly for freelance writers and content creators who need to keep their audience engaged. With Cloudways, you can take advantage of built-in performance optimization features like caching, CDN integration, and server-side optimizations to ensure that your website or blog loads quickly. You can also use Cloudways’ analytics tools to monitor your website’s performance and make adjustments as needed.
Scale Your Hosting as You Grow
You may find that your website or blog is growing quickly and you need more resources to support it. With Cloudways, you can easily scale your hosting as you grow, without having to worry about technical setup or maintenance. You can choose from a range of pricing plans and resources, including RAM, CPU, and storage, to meet your changing needs.
Getting Started with Cloudways
When you sign up with Cloudways, you can choose from a range of cloud providers, each with its own unique features and benefits. The available providers include AWS, GCP, DigitalOcean, Vultr, and Linode. You can choose the provider that best meets your specific needs and budget.
Once you have chosen your cloud provider, you can launch your server with just a few clicks. Cloudways provides a simple, intuitive interface that enables you to set up your server quickly and easily, without any technical expertise. You can choose from a range of pre-configured server configurations optimized for specific applications such as WordPress, Magento, Joomla, Drupal, and others.
Once your server is up and running, you can install your applications using Cloudways’ one-click installer. You can also install custom applications or import your own applications from other sources.
Cloudways provides a range of management tools that enable you to monitor and manage your server and applications from a single interface. You can monitor your server’s performance, view real-time metrics, and configure settings such as PHP versions, SSL certificates, and backups. You can also manage your applications, including updating, scaling, and configuring settings.
As your needs grow, you can easily scale your resources to meet your requirements. Cloudways provides flexible, scalable plans that enable you to increase your resources, such as CPU, RAM, and storage, without having to worry about the technical details.
Advantages of Cloudways
1. Easy-to-Use Interface
One of the biggest advantages of Cloudways is its user-friendly interface. The platform’s dashboard is intuitive, and you can easily manage your web applications without any technical knowledge. This is particularly useful if you don’t have experience with website management.
2. One-Click Installations
Cloudways offers one-click installations for popular content management systems like WordPress, Drupal, and Magento. This makes it easy to set up your website, portfolio, or blog. With just a few clicks, you can have your own fully functional website up and running in no time.
3. Scalable Pricing Plans
Cloudways offers flexible and scalable pricing plans that allow you to pay only for the resources you need. This is particularly useful if you’re just starting your freelancing career and don’t want to invest a lot of money upfront. You can easily scale your resources up or down based on your needs and budget.
4. Advanced Security
Cloudways offers advanced security features like firewalls, malware scanning, and SSL certificates, which help to protect your web applications from security threats. This is particularly important if you’re storing sensitive information on your site.
5. Performance Optimization
Cloudways provides a range of performance optimization tools such as caching, content delivery networks (CDN), and server-side optimizations that can help to improve the speed and performance of your website. This is particularly important for freelancers who may be publishing content on a regular basis and need their website or blog to load quickly.
Disadvantages of Cloudways
1. Limited Support for Certain CMS
While Cloudways offers one-click installations for popular content management systems like WordPress, Drupal, and Magento, it may not be the best option for users who want to use a less popular CMS. This is because the platform only offers one-click installations for a limited number of CMS.
2. No Domain Name Registration
Cloudways does not offer domain name registration, so you’ll need to purchase a domain name separately or transfer your existing domain name to Cloudways. This can be an additional cost and may require some technical knowledge to set up.
3. Limited Customization
As a managed hosting provider, Cloudways limits users’ ability to customize their web applications, which may not be suitable for those of you who want full control over your website.
Cloudways Review: Simplified Hosting for Your Freelance Website
Cloudways is a great option for freelancers who want a simple, intuitive, and flexible hosting platform for their web applications and websites. With its range of hosting plans, cloud infrastructure providers, and management tools, Cloudways lets you focus on your content creation and not on the technical details of hosting and managing your website. By taking advantage of the platform’s many features and scalable hosting plans, you can easily build a reliable and secure online presence for your content.
Originally published at https://www.jenniferberube.com on April 10, 2023.
