WordPress LMS Hosting: Selecting The Right Platform to Unlock Learning

How to Select Hosting for Your LMS WordPress Website

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Online courses are an increasingly profitable business, especially as remote work and online learning have accelerated in the last few years. And creating a LMS site is a great way to capitalize on this growing trend.

If you’re creating a learning management system website, the first question to ask is “What should I teach?” You can create courses for virtually any topic imaginable, ranging from web design to gardening – or maybe a course on designing websites for gardeners!

Next, you’ll need to figure out which LMS platform to use. WordPress is an awesome choice, as there are dozens of high-quality LMS plugins like LifterLMS, TutorLMS, and LearnDash. These make it super easy to create a LMS site.

The final question to ask yourself  is “Which host should I use”? With so many options, it can be difficult to figure out which one is right for you! But don’t worry: it’s not as complex as it seems.

In this post, we’ll cover what you need to know about choosing a host for your LMS WordPress site. We’ll cover everything from types of hosting, why you should use WordPress for your LMS site, and the most important factors to consider when choosing a host.

Let’s get started!

What is a LMS?

What is a LMS, anyway? Is it any type of website that relates to education? Not quite.

LMS stands for Learning Management System. The key word here is system: a LMS is a specific type of software program that helps organizations or individuals offer educational services. These can include online courses, grading systems, user feedback, analytics, videos, curriculum management, and many other things that are required for educating students.

There are many different LMS programs available, both as standalone options and as WordPress plugins. Some of the most popular standalone LMS are Canvas, BlackBoard, and Moodle, while LearnDash, Lifter LMS, Tutor LMS and LearnPress are the top picks for WordPress.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated online learning and it’s likely that e-learning will continue to grow in popularity, especially as more and more people in the world come online. As such, it’s a really good time to start a LMS site, no matter which type you choose to use.

Understanding LMS Hosting

What is LMS Hosting?

LMS hosting refers to the process of storing, managing, and delivering online courses and learning materials through a Learning Management System (LMS). Essentially, it involves providing a secure, reliable, and scalable infrastructure to support your LMS, ensuring that users can access courses and learning resources efficiently. Whether you’re offering a single course or a comprehensive online learning platform, the right LMS hosting is crucial for a smooth and uninterrupted learning experience.

There are two primary types of LMS hosting: self-hosting and managed hosting. Self-hosting means you are responsible for setting up and maintaining your own server, which can offer greater control and customization but requires technical expertise. Managed hosting, on the other hand, involves a hosting provider taking care of the technical aspects for you, allowing you to focus on creating and delivering your content. Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages, so it’s important to choose the one that best fits your needs and technical capabilities.

A Beginner’s Guide to Scaling WordPress LMS Websites

In this short ebook, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about building a scalable LMS website using WordPress.

A well-chosen WordPress LMS theme, such as Eduma or Education Starter, is crucial for scaling your WordPress LMS website and enhancing user experience and functionality.

Types of Hosting for LMS

Before we jump into selecting a host for your LMS site, it helps to first understand your options. These days, there are a wide variety of different hosting solutions, each with its own positives and negatives. Managed hosting, particularly cloud hosting, offers significant benefits such as cost-effectiveness, scalability, and improved resource management, making it an excellent choice for LMS websites. Let’s look at each one.

Hosted / Cloud-Based

Hosted or cloud-based LMS solutions aren’t exactly a type of hosting. Instead, they are LMS providers that host everything on their own servers, often utilizing cloud hosting for better accessibility and resource management. You navigate to their website, log into their system, and then access everything through this interface. Nothing is installed on your own web server.

On the one hand, this does make everything a bit easier, as the provider will manage everything for you. You only need to worry about your content.

On the other hand, it limits your ability to control your data, make customizations, or use your site as you see fit. You’ll always be limited by the provider’s restrictions. Perhaps most importantly, hosted LMS solutions tend to be significantly more expensive than any other option.

Managed vs. Unmanaged

As a quick side note: it’s almost important to understand the difference between managed and unmanaged hosting services. This is a separate concept from the shared/dedicated/containers mentioned above.

Put simply, managed hosts help you manage your server, while unmanaged hosts leave it all up to you. Convesio, for example, is a managed host – our expert team is always on-hand to help you with every aspect of server management. We help you scale your WordPress site, maintain high performance, and do a million other things that require deep technical expertise.

Unmanaged hosts, on the other hand, are typically for users that already have technical know-how or don’t anticipate getting much traffic. That said, technical users also often use managed hosts, as maintaining a server can be a time-consuming process. It is often easier to just rely on the technical expertise of a managed host.

Shared

Shared hosting is the entry-level hosting plan for most websites. The word shared simply means that your website “shares” space on a server in the host’s data center. This makes them cheaper, however, it also means that you’ll have less available resources.

VPS

VPS stands for Virtual Private Server. A VPS is essentially an intermediary stage between a shared server and a dedicated server. It is more powerful than a shared server, but not as powerful as a dedicated one.

VPSs are useful because they give you more control over your site without needing to purchase an entirely dedicated server.

Dedicated (Vertical)

A dedicated server is a server designated purely for your website. Unlike shared hosting, you don’t have to give up space on the server for other (unrelated) websites. This means you have significantly more power available.

When it comes to scaling: dedicated servers can scale vertically. This means that you can add more capability to the server by increasing its memory, adding a more powerful processor, and so on. However, you’re still constrained by the limits of this single server.

 

Auto-Scaling Containers (Horizontal)

Finally, we’ve reached the top of the pyramid! For sites that have a ton of traffic at the same time, dedicated servers are often not enough. Sometimes, even increasing the power of the server won’t provide enough resources to keep your site running smoothly.

In this scenario, you’ll want to use horizontal scaling. Horizontal simply means that your site will load from multiple servers, rather than a single one, as in vertical scaling.

With Convesio, your site is loaded in “containers”, which are then scaled horizontally across different servers. The more traffic you get, the more servers will be utilized. This process happens automatically, so we call it “auto-scaling.” This means that there are no hardware limits to the scaling process.

Why Use WordPress for an Online Learning Platform?

So, now we know what the hosting options are. Let’s now talk about WordPress and using it for a LMS site.

The education space is quite popular, so it should come as no surprise that there are many LMS options available. Some of these are separate, independent services, while others are built upon CMS (Content Management Systems) like WordPress.

One of the key advantages of using WordPress for LMS websites is the availability of specialized WordPress LMS themes. These themes, such as Eduma and the Education Starter Theme, are specifically designed to work with LMS plugins like LearnPress, making it easier to create online course marketplaces and enhance the design of learning management systems.

You might wonder – why is WordPress a better choice than a standalone LMS? There are plenty of reasons!

Easily Scalable

WordPress is extremely scalable, in the sense that it can easily grow with your e-learning business as you gain more students, add more courses, and expand your site. As your site grows, WordPress makes it very easy to add new features, pages, functionality, and other items in a matter of clicks. With WordPress, you can create pretty much any kind of website – or extend the current functions of your current one.

Most other LMS options don’t have this ability, as they are locked into their specific platforms. If you decide to change the focus of the site in the future or want to add a feature not included by your standalone LMS, you’re out of luck! You’ll have to start from scratch on a different platform.

Variety of Best WordPress LMS Plugins

WordPress has dozens of different plugins specifically aimed at creating a LMS site. These include WordPress, Tutor LMS, LearnDash, Sensei, Lifter LMS, and many more. Each of these products has its own strengths and weaknesses, features, and other things that make it unique.

The important thing to realize is that WordPress allows you to use any of them. Unlike standalone LMS services, these LMS plugins go on top of the WordPress structure. This means that you can easily switch between them without needing to find a completely new host.

Other Plugins and Themes

The true strength of WordPress is its flexibility: with thousands of plugins, themes, and other add-ons, you can truly add just about anything. This makes changing the design of your site a breeze. Specific themes like Eduma and Education Starter theme are excellent examples of a WordPress LMS theme designed to integrate seamlessly with LMS plugins like LearnPress and LifterLMS. It also means you can change the appearance of your LMS site without affecting the content.

Customizable

Finally, WordPress is the natural choice for any LMS sites that need a more customized or unique solution that is more complex than the standard options. Whether you’re a developer or not, WordPress offers a variety of ways to create customized layouts, workflows, product pages, and other elements of a LMS site.

The WordPress Customizer allows you to modify the appearance of your site simply by clicking a few buttons, while more experienced developers can create their own themes – or modify existing ones. This ability to customize is a key strength of WordPress – and something that standalone solutions usually lack.

Choosing the Right LMS Plugin

Overview of WordPress LMS Plugins

WordPress LMS plugins are powerful tools that enable you to create, manage, and deliver online courses directly from your WordPress website. These plugins come packed with features such as course creation, user management, payment gateways, and reporting tools, making it easier than ever to build a comprehensive online learning platform. However, with so many options available, choosing the right WordPress LMS plugin can be overwhelming.

When selecting a WordPress LMS plugin, consider factors such as ease of use, available features, compatibility with your existing WordPress theme, and the level of support provided. It’s also important to think about your specific needs, such as whether you require advanced features like quizzes, certificates, or drip content. By carefully evaluating these factors, you can find a plugin that aligns with your goals and enhances your online courses.

Best WordPress LMS Plugins

When it comes to choosing the best WordPress LMS plugin, several options stand out for their robust features and user-friendly interfaces:

  • LifterLMS: Known for its comprehensive feature set, LifterLMS offers everything from course creation and user management to payment gateways and membership options. It’s a versatile choice for anyone looking to build a professional online learning platform.
  • LearnDash: A powerful plugin favored by many educational institutions, LearnDash provides advanced features such as course templates, quizzes, certificates, and detailed reporting. It’s ideal for those who need a highly customizable and scalable solution.
  • TutorLMS: This user-friendly plugin is perfect for beginners and experienced users alike. TutorLMS offers a range of features, including course creation, user management, and payment gateways, all within an intuitive interface.
  • Sensei LMS: Developed by the creators of WooCommerce, Sensei LMS integrates seamlessly with WordPress and offers features like course creation, user management, and payment gateways. It’s a solid choice for those who want a reliable and well-supported plugin.

Free WordPress LMS Plugin Options

If you’re on a budget or just starting out, there are several free WordPress LMS plugin options that can help you get your online courses up and running:

  • LearnPress: A popular and highly-rated free plugin, LearnPress offers a range of features, including course creation, user management, and payment gateways. It’s a great starting point for anyone new to online course creation.
  • WP Courseware: This user-friendly plugin provides essential features such as course creation, user management, and payment gateways. While it may not have all the bells and whistles of premium plugins, it’s a solid choice for those looking to get started without spending a dime.
  • Namaste! LMS: Another popular free option, Namaste! LMS offers features like course creation, user management, and payment gateways. It’s a good choice for those who need a basic yet functional LMS plugin.

When choosing a free WordPress LMS plugin, it’s essential to consider the features and limitations of each option. While free plugins can be a great starting point, they may not offer the same level of functionality and support as paid plugins. However, they can still provide a solid foundation for your online learning platform, allowing you to grow and expand as needed.

Things to Consider When Choosing a Host for a WordPress LMS Site

So, now we know what kinds of hosts are available and why you should probably use WordPress to create your LMS site.

But which host should you use? There are hundreds of different WordPress hosts available and it can be difficult to differentiate one from another. Trying to navigate through them can make your head spin! How do you pick the right one?

As with everything in life, it depends on what you need. Let’s cover some of the most important topics to keep in mind when selecting a LMS host.

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