ChemiCloud is well-regarded by its users and is on par with hosting providers such as Bluehost and FastComet in terms of shared web hosting and cloud hosting services. As a global shared hosting provider, ChemiCloud was the first to introduce a server region in Seoul on July 31.
I am currently testing the site speed by selecting the Seoul server location on ChemiCloud and adding a few sites. In this article, we will look into how to sign up for ChemiCloud and install WordPress.
ChemiCloud Adds Seoul Server Region for WordPress Hosting
ChemiCloud offers a level of shared hosting service comparable to FastComet and Bluehost, providing several distinctive services compared to other competitors:
- All plans by default include LiteSpeed web server application.
- Free domain registration when choosing a 36-month plan. Options available for domains include .com, .net, .org, .me, .blog, .shop, .xyz, .dev, etc.
- Seoul server option available. (Other server locations in Asia include Singapore, Tokyo, and Mumbai in India. Refer to ChemiCloud Server Locations.)
ChemiCloud offers the following four hosting products.
- Shared Hosting
- WordPress Hosting
- Reseller Hosting
- Cloud VPS Hosting
In the Seoul region, you can choose from shared hosting, WordPress hosting, and reseller hosting.
The rates for WordPress hosting are as follows (as of August 1, 2024).
Please refer to the following table for the main differences between each plan.
In summary…
- The WordPress Starter plan allows for the creation of one website, offers 20GB of disk space, and maintains free backups for 10 days.
- WordPress Pro allows for the creation of unlimited sites, supports 30GB of disk space, and provides free backups for 20 days.
- WordPress Turbo offers unlimited site creation, 40GB of disk space, and 30 days of backup features.
Although the bandwidth is marked as Unlimited, if the number of visitors is high, the site may slow down or become inaccessible. The appropriate number of monthly visits (Visits) is as follows.
- WordPress Starter - 25,000 Visits
- WordPress Pro - 35,000 Visits
- WordPress Turbo - 100,000 Visits
However, in reality, it is said that it can accommodate more visitors than this. Optimizing your site will be helpful, especially using a fast and lightweight theme like GeneratePress, which can reduce traffic and accommodate more visitors. In fact, when comparing the traffic of the GeneratePress theme with the Newspaper theme, the GeneratePress theme consumes significantly less traffic for the same site.
In cases with a high number of visitors, a VPS hosting service like Cloudways may be suitable.
Actual Site Speed
In cases with a high number of visitors, a VPS hosting service like Cloudways may be suitable.
Actual Site Speed
The actual site speed can be checked at the following link.
- GeneratePress Theme Premium Version Demo Loaded (Suitable for Blogs)
- Astra Theme + Elementor Builder + WooCommerce + Other Plugins (Suitable for Running an Online Store)
- Installed Divi Theme Demo (Popular Multipurpose Theme)
GeneratePress and Astra themes seem to have decent speed. The Divi theme is a versatile theme with sales figures similar to the Avada theme.
ChemiCloud has good user reviews on Trustpilot.
For more detailed information about ChemiCloud, please refer to the official website.
ChemiCloud can be considered an alternative to Bluehost and FastComet. It is affordable and offers the option to choose a server in Seoul, which can mitigate the common speed issues associated with such hosting within South Korea.
How to Sign Up for ChemiCloud WordPress Hosting and Install WordPress
Sign-Up Method
Let's take a look at how to sign up for ChemiCloud's WordPress hosting.
1 Visit ChemiCloud's WordPress hosting page and select the desired plan.
The subscription period can be changed during the registration process.
2 The domain selection screen will be displayed.
If you sign up for a 3-year period, you can register a domain for free. If you want to register a free domain, you can enter the desired domain in the "Register a new domain" section. You can register a domain that has not been taken by another user.
Since I will choose the 1-year period, I selected "I already have a domain" and entered the domain name I own. Please enter a domain you own and not just any domain name. You can register a domain at sites like Namecheap.
If you are already running a WordPress site, ChemiCloud offers a free site migration service. After signing up, you can request a site migration via live chat.
3 On the next screen, select the subscription period and server location.
You can choose the subscription period from the following options:
- 1 month
- 12 months
- 36 months
For the server location, select Seoul. If your site visitors are primarily from the United States, you can choose from New York, Dallas, or San Francisco.
Although not visible in the image above, you can select any necessary services in the "Available Addons" section located below. However, usually, you don't need to select these add-ons.
4 When you click the Continue button, a screen for entering account information will be displayed.
It is a good idea to record the security question and answer, as they may be needed to reset your password if you forget it. I use a program called AceText to keep track of my usernames and passwords.
Scroll down and select the payment method.
You can choose between two payment methods:
- Credit Card
- PayPal
You can use a credit card that is accepted in the United States or pay with PayPal. I prefer to choose PayPal if it is available.
5 Clicking the Checkout button will complete the payment. Once the payment is completed, it will be in a Payment Pending status.
After a short wait, the status will change to Paid.
If the status does not change to Paid and remains in Payment Pending, you will need to contact ChemiCloud via live chat to resolve the issue.
Connecting Your Domain and Installing WordPress
Checking ChemiCloud Name Servers and Changing Domain Name Servers
If you did not register a new domain at sign-up and entered an existing domain, or if you want to add a new domain, you will need to change the name server information for the domain.
To check the name servers of the ChemiCloud server, go to the Active Services section in the Dashboard.
Click the information (i) icon on the far right of the service you are using.
This will display a popup with server information, cPanel information, and FTP information.
You need to change the domain's name servers to the Name Servers information listed under Server Information. Example:
ns1.serverhostgroup.com
ns2.serverhostgroup.com
ns3.serverhostgroup.com
Log in to the company where you registered your domain and change the name server information for your domain.
Installing WordPress
Once you have completed the sign-up and changed the name servers for your domain, you can install WordPress. It is also possible to add and install WordPress on other domains or subdomains.
If you have changed the name servers for your domain, wait a few hours before proceeding. Changing the name servers will update the DNS information, which can take 1-2 days to propagate.
When you add a domain or subdomain, an SSL certificate seems to be automatically installed without any additional steps.
1 To install WordPress, first log in to cPanel. In the Active Services tab, click the cPanel icon in the Actions column of the corresponding plan.
2 When you first access cPanel, the screen will be displayed as shown in the following image.
Here, selecting WordPress will automatically start the installation on the domain you registered or entered during sign-up. After a short wait, the installation will be completed.
Once completed, you can log in to WordPress from the WP Toolkit page (go to step ⑥ below).
3 Alternatively, you can click Skip and select WP Toolkit on the left to install WordPress.
4 Click the Install button.
5 Select the domain and, in the WordPress Administrator section, enter the admin username, password, and email address. Then click on the Install button.
6 Once the installation is complete, "Installation Complete" will be displayed, and you will be asked if you want to install plugins.
You can either click "No, thanks" to complete the installation or click the "Install Plugins" button to install WordPress plugins. You can always install WordPress themes and plugins later.
You can immediately install plugins like Jetpack, Google Site Kit, and Elementor, or search for and install plugins using the search bar. Similarly, you can search for and install free themes.
6 Once the installation is complete, you can check the list of installed WordPress sites in the WordPress Toolkit. From here, you can click the Login button to log in to your WordPress site without entering your username and password.
Typically, the URL for the WordPress admin login page is https://example.com/wp-admin.
Now, you can log in to WordPress to change the language, install themes and plugins, and start managing your WordPress site.
ChemiCloud applies the LiteSpeed web server to all plans, so using the LiteSpeed Cache plugin can help improve your site speed. For detailed configuration instructions, refer to the ChemiCloud documentation.
It may take about a day after changing the domain name server information for the site to be accessible. If you encounter errors such as DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN or ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT immediately after changing the name servers, clear your browser cache. If the problem persists, wait a few hours and try again. It can take up to 48 hours for DNS records to propagate, and in some cases, up to 72 hours. Usually, the information will be updated correctly after about a day.
Wrapping Up
We have reviewed how to sign up for ChemiCloud, one of the overseas web hosting providers, and how to install WordPress.
If you are starting WordPress inexpensively and do not have many visitors, ChemiCloud can be a good choice. However, if the number of visitors increases or the number of sites grows, you might consider migrating to a service like Cloudways, as this blog did.