Cloudways is a managed cloud hosting platform that’s ideal for real estate websites. Why? Real estate sites demand fast page loads, reliable uptime, and the ability to handle high-resolution images, property listings, and traffic spikes. Cloudways delivers on all fronts with features like built-in caching tools, 24/7 security, and scalable resources starting at just $11/month.
Key Benefits for Real Estate Websites:
- Speed: Average load times of 200-400ms with tools like Varnish and Redis for faster image and MLS listing delivery.
- Scalability: Automatically adjusts resources for traffic surges.
- Security: Dedicated firewalls, bot protection, and automated backups.
- Ease of Use: Simple control panel with performance monitoring and staging tools.
Quick Comparison:
| Feature | Cloudways | Bluehost | SiteGround |
|---|---|---|---|
| Server Type | Managed cloud (5 providers) | Shared hosting | Shared on Google Cloud |
| Starting Price | $11/month | Higher renewal rates | 3x higher after intro |
| Performance | 389ms avg response | Slower due to shared resources | 670ms avg response |
| Scalability | Yes (auto-scaling) | No | Limited |
| Uptime | 99.999% | 99.9% | Lower reliability |
If you’re managing large property databases, virtual tours, or IDX integrations, Cloudways is a strong choice. Its combination of speed, security, and scalability ensures your real estate website performs smoothly – even during high-traffic periods.
Cloudways Review With Speed Optimization Recommendations
Cloudways Main Features for Real Estate Sites
Real estate websites need hosting that can handle property listings, high-quality images, and secure client information. Cloudways offers tools and services tailored to meet these demands.
Speed and Growth Options
Cloudways ensures top-notch performance with optimized servers, boasting loading speeds between 200-400 milliseconds and 99.99% uptime .
To enhance speed, the platform includes built-in caching tools:
| Caching Tool | Benefit for Real Estate Sites |
|---|---|
| Memcached | Speeds up database queries for quicker property searches |
| Varnish | Boosts delivery of static content like images |
| Redis | Enhances performance for dynamic MLS listings |
Cloudways Autonomous handles traffic spikes by scaling resources automatically. For example, Eric Kuznacic, President of Why The Fuss? Technical Solutions, noted a 50% drop in service requests on a site managing 450+ daily orders .
While speed is crucial, securing sensitive data is equally important.
Safety and Backup Systems
Cloudways prioritizes data protection with multiple security measures:
- Dedicated Firewalls – Block harmful traffic
- Malcare Bot Protection – Defends against brute force and DDoS attacks
- Real-time Monitoring – Tracks server health and flags security issues 24/7
- Automated Backups – Adjustable from hourly to weekly
- SFTP/SSH Access – Ensures encrypted communication with key-based authentication
"The reliability and fast loading speeds of Cloudways have helped us grow monthly readership from 3M to 9M in a year"
Simple Control Panel
Even with its advanced features, Cloudways keeps things straightforward with an easy-to-use interface. This is ideal for real estate professionals who may not have a technical background. The control panel allows users to manage tasks like updates and backups effortlessly. Key features include:
- Backup and restore options
- Performance monitoring tools
- Built-in staging environment for testing changes
- User role management for team collaboration
"I found Cloudways offering better value for money when compared with other web hosting services"
With its strong combination of performance, security, and simplicity, Cloudways is a reliable choice for real estate professionals who want powerful hosting without the hassle of complex setups.
Real Estate Software Support
Cloudways provides reliable hosting for demanding real estate software and themes, ensuring fast and responsive performance.
Real Estate 7 Theme Support
Cloudways works seamlessly with the Real Estate 7 theme, a WordPress solution that combines CRM, IDX, and conversational AI tools. To get the best results with Real Estate 7, Cloudways recommends a 2GB server plan starting at $22/month. Plus, you can save 20% on your first two months by using the coupon code "CONTEMPO20" .
"We highly recommend using Cloudways with Digital Ocean, it’s the same platform all of our demos are on, easily scalable if needed, very fast, free migration, and they have great customer support." – Contempo Themes
Beyond themes, Cloudways also ensures smooth performance for essential real estate plugins.
Real Estate Plugin Performance
Hosting real estate plugins requires strong infrastructure, and Cloudways delivers. For instance, MLSImport.com processed 3,000 listings in just 40 minutes on Cloudways, with tests handling up to 8,000 listings while maintaining responsiveness . Plugins like CT IDX Pro+, CT Automated Home Valuations, and ChatSpark run efficiently, even during high-traffic periods.
Cloudways’ vertical scaling and Autonomous Kubernetes features automatically allocate resources during traffic surges, keeping your site running smoothly .
Cloudways vs Other Hosts
Cloudways stands out in terms of speed, pricing, and features tailored for real estate websites.
Host Comparison Chart
| Feature | Cloudways | Bluehost | SiteGround |
|---|---|---|---|
| Server Type | Managed cloud hosting (5 providers) | Shared Hosting | Shared on Google Cloud |
| Starting Price | $11/month | Higher renewal rates | 3x higher after intro |
| Data Centers | 65+ worldwide | Limited | 6 locations |
| Caching System | Varnish Cache, Redis (Object Cache Pro), Breeze | Basic caching | Standard caching |
| Auto-scaling | Yes (resource scaling) | No | Limited |
| Backup System | Automated | Manual for large sites | Automated |
| Performance | 389ms avg response | Slower due to shared resources | 670ms avg response |
| Uptime | 99.999% | 99.9% | Lower reliability |
Cloudways Key Differences
Cloudways offers several standout features that directly improve how real estate websites function:
- Top-tier Performance: AWS servers load in just 1.76 seconds, while DigitalOcean takes 1.88 seconds. This speed is crucial for handling high-resolution images and complex integrations .
-
Dynamic Resource Scaling: The platform allows instant server resource adjustments. WordPress developer Nat Miletic shared:
"We have seen this combo improve our client website load times by as much as 86% (from 7 to 1 second fully loaded)" .
- Advanced Technology: Features like Cloudflare Enterprise integration, built-in Varnish Cache, NVMe SSDs, and pay-as-you-go pricing ensure consistent performance and flexibility .
These features provide the infrastructure needed to handle demanding real estate applications.
Real Estate-Specific Benefits
Cloudways’ robust setup supports key functionalities for real estate websites, such as:
- Fast property searches
- Smooth delivery of virtual tours
- Reliable IDX integration
Its enterprise-grade infrastructure ensures resource-heavy tools, like property listings and media-rich content, perform seamlessly.
Conclusion
Key Benefits
Cloudways delivers strong performance and scalability tailored for real estate websites. One agency showcased this by importing 3,000 MLS listings in just 40 minutes .
Here’s how Cloudways stands out for real estate professionals:
| Feature | Impact on Real Estate Websites |
|---|---|
| Performance | Reliable, fast load times with optimized hosting |
| Scalability | Easily adjusts resources to handle growing listing databases |
| Cost | Affordable plans starting at $11/month on DigitalOcean and $14/month on Vultr/Linode |
| Support | 24/7 technical help with a 96% CSAT score |
| Security | Advanced protection to keep client data safe |
"We’re saving a lot from hosting our websites with Cloudways. It can get very expensive if you use other WordPress-focused hosting companies" .
These features make Cloudways an excellent option for professionals seeking better performance and scalability for their sites.
Is Cloudways the Right Fit?
For real estate professionals handling MLS integrations, virtual tours, or high-resolution images, Cloudways is a smart choice. Its tailored features meet the specific needs of demanding real estate websites.
"Migrated to Cloudways, Varnish setup seems faster than our Litespeed config ever was. This seems to have been a great decision" .
Cloudways works well if you:
- Manage large property databases (it has supported over 8,000 listings effectively)
- Depend on reliable IDX integration
- Need scalable solutions for growing real estate operations
- Appreciate top-rated customer support (ranked #1 on G2)
For simpler, informational websites, basic hosting options might be enough. But with plans starting at $11/month , Cloudways offers professional-grade hosting perfect for established real estate businesses.
