The theme installs on any host that runs a current WordPress. Trouble usually starts with a limit the host will not lift, so this is the list to work through before you pay for a plan.
#PHP limits are the thing that matters
A demo import is the heaviest thing your site will ever do. It downloads media, creates hundreds of posts and writes to the database in long runs. On a plan that pins memory_limit at 64M and max_execution_time at 30 seconds, the import stops partway through, and no theme setting fixes that.
The exact values are listed in the server requirements. When you talk to a host, there is really only one question: can these limits be raised. If the plan fixes them, pick a different plan rather than looking for a workaround.
#PHP extensions and outbound requests
The set needed is ordinary: curl for talking to Hub and checking the license, zip for updates and imports, gd or imagick for thumbnails, mbstring and dom for text and XML.
These exist almost everywhere, but the cheapest plans sometimes disable one or block outbound HTTP requests. The site looks completely healthy when that happens. The license just will not activate, and updates never arrive. You can see the current set under ToolsSite HealthInfoServer.
#Do not install WordPress with a panel auto-installer
An auto-installer's additions look exactly like theme bugs.
WordPress Manager in cPanel, WordPress Toolkit in Plesk, Softaculous and their equivalents commonly add their own must-use plugins, force core and plugin auto-updates, attach their own caching layer, and sometimes restrict writing to wp-content. What you then see is a demo import that fails for no visible reason, settings that will not save, and a site that reverts to an earlier state after an automatic update.
The reliable path is the ordinary one: download WordPress from wordpress.org, create a database, and run the installer yourself. A clean image from your host with no additions on top works equally well.
#Server location
Pick a data center near most of your audience. It is the cheapest way to reduce response time, and it costs nothing extra to get right at the start.
Russian and Belarusian hosting is not usable with our products.
Requests from those IP addresses are blocked at our infrastructure level, so a server sitting in either country, or reaching the internet through a provider there, cannot complete licence activation, update checks or demo imports. The block is not configurable and there is no exception to request.
#Access you should have from day one
Check these before you need them, because you will need them during an incident rather than during setup.
- File access
SFTP or the panel file manager. This is how you recover when the admin will not load.
- Database access
phpMyAdmin, Adminer or equivalent.
- PHP error logs
Without logs, diagnosing anything becomes guesswork. This is the single most useful thing a cheap host can lack.
- A PHP version switcher
Being able to change PHP version from the panel saves a support ticket every year or two.
#Shared, managed or VPS
The plan's limits matter more than its category.
- Shared hosting
Fine on a decent plan, as long as PHP is current and limits can be raised. Fine is the accurate word here, not a compromise.
- Managed WordPress hosting
Usually ships better values out of the box, and comes with its own caching and its own rules about plugins. Expect to turn the cache off during a demo import.
- A VPS
Full control, paid for with the time you spend administering it.
#Common questions
My host says the plan is "optimized for WordPress". Is that enough?
It tells you nothing on its own, so ask for the actual numbers: PHP version, memory_limit, max_execution_time, max_input_vars, and whether outbound HTTP requests are allowed.
Can I move hosts later?
Yes, and it is an ordinary thing to do: move the site, then deactivate and reactivate the licence if the domain changed.
The site is already installed through a panel installer
Not necessarily a reason to start over: look for must-use plugins the installer added, turn off any forced auto-updates and disable its caching layer during setup, and if the problems continue after that then a clean install is faster than chasing them.
A host will not answer these questions
That is itself an answer, because a host that cannot tell you its PHP limits, or will not raise them, is going to be the source of every problem on this page.
#Still stuck
Open a support ticket with your host's name and the output of System Info if you want a second opinion before committing to a plan.
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