Small Business Hosting FAQ’s

What is included in our small business WordPress hosting packages?

All of our clients receive the following products and/or services:

  • Website bandwidth, traffic, and storage based on your specific pricing package
  • Access to WordPress Open Source software based on your specific pricing package
  • Ongoing WordPress core software updates
  • Ongoing 3rd party plugin licenses and updates based on your pricing package
  • Website security monitoring and hardening
  • Let’s Encrypt SSL/TLS Security Certificate
  • Theme and Builder by Elegant Themes
  • SmartCrawl Pro Plugin by WPMU Dev
  • Defender Pro Security Hardening by WPMU Dev
  • Really Simple SSL By Really Simple Plugins
  • Google Recaptcha API Key maintained by OpenMedium

Based on your specific pricing package and requirements, the following 3rd party plugin licenses may be included:

  • Forminator Pro Webforms by WPMU Dev
  • Smush Pro Image Optimization by WPMU Dev
  • Elastic Email Transactional Email API maintained by OpenMedium
  • Outlook Email SMTP Access maintained by OpenMedium

What is NOT included in our small business WordPress hosting packages?

  • Business email hosting and related services/support
  • Lead generation or sales services
  • Search Engine Optimization or “SEO”

Do you “own” the website software?

No. All software provided with your website is licensed by OpenMedium, our 3rd party vendors or is provided under a GNU Public License.

Do you “own” your website content?

Yes. You own the rights to the content, designs, and photographs that you create. Public domain content (example; stock images ) is owned by the publisher and subject the publishers’ terms and licensing agreement.

Can I export my website and/or content to move to a new host?

Yes. We can provide an export file in various formats depending on your requirements. Your account manager will work with you to define which export file is required. If you decide to move to a new host, you will be responsible for all licensing costs, software maintenance, and security hardening and monitoring.

Can I install my own 3rd party WordPress plugins?

No. We run a closed network and do not allow 3rd party plugins to be installed. This ensures that our entire network is protected from security threats and “bad code”.

Is content management and website updates included in your hosting fee?

No. We provide the software and related software maintenance required to use WordPress. You are responsible for writing and updating your own website content.

We offer content management and front-end maintenance services so you do not have to learn how to become a website developer. Please contact your account manager to discuss packages.

Is “SEO” included in your hosting fee?

No. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is not a hosting service. Search engine optimization is directly tied to the quality of your website content. We cannot control when or where your website is listed in search engines.

We offer additional packages if you are interested in search engine research and copywriting services.

What is SmartCrawl Pro SEO plugin?

All of our packages include a search engine visibility tool called SmartCrawl Pro provided by WPMU Dev. SmartCrawl Pro does NOT guarantee search engine placement. It includes the foundational tools that you need to optimize your website content including sitemap.xml, robots.txt, and metadata customization.

Do you guarantee sales leads in your hosting service?

No. We recommend hiring a sales team or investing in paid advertising if you are looking to generate sales and/or leads.

Do you provide email support in your hosting service?

No. We are not an email hosting vendor or IT services company. You are fully responsible for your business email, spam filters, and deliverability. We recommend working with a local IT company to set up your business email.

I am not receiving emails from my website, do you provide email troubleshooting support?

No. We are not an IT services company and do not provide email support. We provide access to webform data, on-demand, so you can always access your website data.

We also recommend using a Live Chat or CRM platform like Drift, Intercom, or Pipedrive to eliminate email deliverability issues for your business and customers.

Is e-commerce included in your small business hosting service?

No. If you would like to transact payments online please contact your account manager to discuss e-commerce specific services and hosting.

Do you provide Google Page Speed services or guarantee Google Page Speed scores?

No. We cannot control the content that is published to your website. We recommend optimizing all of your content and images to follow best practices.

Please contact your account manager to discuss advanced website development and marketing services if you are looking to improve your website performance or Google Page Speed Score.

Do you provide DNS services?

No. When we launch your new website we have to update your DNS A record. This may require us to log into your DNS provider to update the record. In some cases, we can help you set up and/or maintain a central DNS management tool (CloudFlare) so you can delegate access across your team or vendors.

We do NOT provide a DNS platform or services related to internal business applications, email services, or other systems unrelated to your website.