A Brief Guide for WordPress Users
An important part of making a WordPress site fast is a Content Delivery Network (CDN). A CDN is a system of distributed servers that delivers web content to users based on their geographic location. So instead of accessing media directly from your web server, a user in Georgia might be served a file from a CloudFlare server in Atlanta, reducing load times and bandwidth usage. For WordPress websites, especially those with high traffic or media-heavy pages, a CDN is essential for enhancing performance, improving user experience, and boosting SEO rankings by reducing page load times.
Now, let’s explore various cloud storage options for WordPress, their costs based on an average of 50GB (generous for most small businesses) of storage, and how they affect website performance.
1. Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service)
Scalable, moderately priced, requires technical setup
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Pros | Scalability, global reach, strong encryption and access control. |
| Cons | Setup complexity, potential latency for low-traffic sites. |
| Storage Cost | $0.023 per GB = $1.15/month. |
| Data Transfer | 100GB data transfer: First 1GB free, 99GB at $0.09 per GB = $8.91/month. |
| Total Monthly | $10.06/month (storage + transfer). |
| Consultant Cost | Estimated $150 – $300 for initial setup and integration with WordPress (one-time fee). |
| Total First Month | $10.06 + consultant cost = $160.06 – $310.06. |
| Load Time | Without CDN: 600ms to 1.2s. With CDN (CloudFront): 300ms to 700ms globally. |
| Total Yearly | $120.72/year (excluding consultant cost). |
2. Google Cloud Storage
Fast, reliable, higher cost and more complex to configure
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Pros | Fast load times, global network, strong security. |
| Cons | Higher pricing for frequent access, setup difficulty. |
| Storage Cost | $0.026 per GB = $1.30/month. |
| Data Transfer | 100GB data transfer: First 1GB free, 99GB at $0.12 per GB = $11.88/month. |
| Total Monthly | $13.18/month (storage + transfer). |
| Consultant Cost | Estimated $200 – $400 for initial setup and integration with WordPress (one-time fee). |
| Total First Month | $13.18 + consultant cost = $213.18 – $413.18. |
| Load Time | Without CDN: 500ms to 1.0s. With CDN (Google Cloud CDN): 250ms to 600ms globally. |
| Total Yearly | $158.16/year (excluding consultant cost). |
3. Cloudflare R2
Budget-friendly, fast, easy to configure
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Pros | No egress fees, seamless CDN integration, advanced security features. |
| Cons | Relatively new, limited storage management features compared to AWS/Google. |
| Storage Cost | $0.015 per GB = $0.75/month. |
| Data Transfer | No data transfer fees. |
| Total Monthly | $0.75/month (storage only). |
| Consultant Cost | Estimated $100 – $200 for initial setup and integration with WordPress (one-time fee). |
| Total First Month | $0.75 + consultant cost = $100.75 – $200.75. |
| Load Time | With Cloudflare CDN: 250ms to 500ms globally. |
| Total Yearly | $9.00/year (excluding consultant cost). |
Is there a winner? Well, it depends on your specific needs and use-case. Our go-to is CloudFlare, of course, and our WordPress Security & Performance plans come with free initial CloudFlare configuration.
Looking for help getting your online media set up? Drop us a line – we’re happy to discuss the solution that fits your needs best.