Kinsta Hosting for MyListing Websites

Kinsta hosting for MyListing websites delivers unmatched reliability by combining high-performance server architecture with specialized tools designed to handle complex themes and high traffic demands.

The saying “You get what you pay for” rings true when it comes to Kinsta and how it compares to other hosting options. Those who use Kinsta will not only see an instant performance gain, but they will also find their environments simplified in terms of the number of optimization solutions (CDN, server settings, plugins, etc.).

This guide will show you how to quickly set up your account and recommended settings.

Key Takeaways

• Kinsta provides managed WordPress hosting for MyListing websites, with server-side caching, CDN options, staging environments, and built-in security tools.
• Set up a new Kinsta WordPress site by choosing a data center, adding the production domain, connecting DNS, and making the production domain the primary one.
• Use Cloudflare for DNS and configure CDN and performance settings in one place to avoid any conflicting settings.
• Enable Force HTTPS, two-factor authentication, the latest compatible PHP version, Edge Caching, CDN image optimization, and a staging environment.
• Kinsta’s server-side caching means most MyListing websites don’t need a typical WordPress caching plugin.

Kinsta Setup

The instructions in this section assume you are building a brand new website and not migrating an existing website to Kinsta.

Server

1. Sign up directly with Kinsta or, better yet, get MyListing Website Hosting to enjoy deep discounts and $6k+ in premium solutions
2. Click Add Service
3. Choose WordPress Site
4. Choose Install WordPress
5. Site Name > Enter your desired name (Note: This is simply cosmetic and only used within Kinsta to help identify your website.)
6. Data Center Location > Choose the data center closest to your audience
7. Click Continue

Website

8. WordPress Site Title > Enter as desired. (Note: The title is the name that WordPress will use for your site and it can be changed at any time.)
9. WordPress Admin Username > Input as desired
10. WordPress Admin Password> Input as desired (Note: Make sure you document this before continuing)
11. WordPress Admin Email> Input as desired.
12. Select Language > Input as desired
13. Install the additional options (Multisite, WooCommerce, Yoast SEO, etc.) as desired. (Note: I recommend SEOPress instead of Yoast SEO.)
14. Click Continue
15. After your website finishes spinning up, click Manage Domains
16. Click Add Domain
17. Domain > Enter your production domain name. (e.g., mylisting.club).
18. Click Add Domain

DNS

Kinsta offers DNS services, but regardless of whether you are the Kinsta account holder or you’re under MyListing Website Hosting, I don’t recommend using Kinsta’s DNS. It’s not that it’s subpar, but you simply don’t need it.

For DNS, I recommend you use Cloudflare to host your website’s DNS. Cloudflare is FREE and offers the fastest DNS service on the market. 

Once you’re done setting up DNS at Cloudflare, come back and pick up where you left off.

19. Take the TXT record information that Kinsta gives you and add that record to wherever you manage your DNS (hopefully Cloudflare by this point)
20. Click OK, I’ve Done It
21. Click the vertical dots next to your production domain name and choose Make Primary Domain
22. Check Run search and replace and click Make Primary

After your primary domain is set and the search/replace completes (Kinsta will tell you when it does), wait for the next set of instructions to appear in the Domains tab of your Kinsta dashboard or wait for the confirmation email to arrive.

23. Click Verify Domain
24. Take the two Text records Kinsta gives you and add those records to wherever you manage your DNS
25. Click OK, I’ve Done It

You can wait for the next instructions to appear in the Domains tab of your Kinsta dashboard or for the confirmation email to arrive.

26. Click Point Domain
27. Take the DNS records Kinsta gives you and add them to wherever you manage your DNS

Account Owner Security

Let’s take care of some security-related tasks to wrap up the initial Kinsta setup.

28. Kinsta Dashboard > Tools > Force HTTPS > Click Enable
29. Choose Force all traffic to the primary domain
30. Click Force HTTPS
31. Kinsta Dashboard > Click the dropdown next to your username in the top menu
32. Click User Settings
33. Two-Factor Authentication > Click Enable and complete the process for securing your account

Important: I recommend enabling 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication) for every online account you have. Furthermore, try to require 2FA for any users accessing your online account.

Tools

Force HTTPS

Kinsta Dashboard > Tools > Force HTTPS

Redirects traffic from HTTP to HTTPS for enhanced security, performance, and SEO. Enable this setting.

PHP Engine

Kinsta Dashboard > Tools > PHP Engine

WordPress is written in the PHP programming language, so just like any other code running on your website, you want to use the latest version of PHP available as long as it’s compatible with the MyListing theme and your plugins. Kinsta makes it super simple to update your PHP version and roll back to a previous version should you notice any issues.

Note: Don’t rely on others to tell you what PHP version you should or shouldn’t be running. No two WordPress websites are identical, so you need to test your website and rely on what your testing shows.

Since this guide covers creating a brand new website, we can immediately upgrade our PHP version to the latest version. If your website has been running for a while, you can first test PHP upgrades in the staging environment.

Note: Kinsta allows you to run different versions of PHP on production and in staging.

1. Kinsta Dashboard > Tools > PHP Engine
2. Click Modify
3. Choose the latest version available
4. Click Modify PHP Version

Early Hints

Kinsta Dashboard > Tools > Early Hints

Improves the loading speed of web pages and allows the browser to preload resources before serving the response from the server. Enable this setting unless you plan to enable it in Cloudflare.

Note: If you have added your website to a Cloudflare account and configured the various settings, ensure you only enable settings in either Kinsta or Cloudflare, not both. I enable as much as I can on the Cloudflare side so that as much as possible is configured in one place to avoid conflicts, ease of administration, etc.

Caching

Edge Caching

Kinsta Dashboard > Caching > Edge Caching

Edge Caching saves your Kinsta site/page cache to Cloudflare’s global network of data centers. When your site visitors load your website in their browser, the CDN delivers cached responses from the location closest to them.

CDN

Kinsta Dashboard > Caching > CDN

1. Enable
2. Image Optimization > Settings > Enable Lossy
3. Optional—If you use Cloudflare (recommended), configure the remaining settings within your Cloudflare account

Server Caching

Kinsta Dashboard > Caching > Server Caching

Cache speeds up your site load by storing site data, and Kinsta provides server-side full-page caching for all sites. This means there is no need for typical caching plugins.

The cache is set to expire every 1 hour by default, but you can adjust the time to be longer if needed. For sites that don’t often change, having a longer cache expiration can be beneficial for performance.

Given how dynamic and active MyListing websites are, I recommend leaving the default setting and adjusting only when/if needed.

Configure SFTP Access

You may never need to concern yourself with this section. SFTP access comes into play when you need to modify theme files, gain lost access to your website, etc. If/when the time comes, FileZilla (Free) is what I use and recommend for managing websites via SFTP.

1. Download FileZilla
2. Kinsta Dashboard > Info > SFTP/SSH (Note: Keep this info up to complete the following steps.)
3. FileZilla > File > Site Manager > New Site
4. Name your site
5. Protocol > SFTP
6. Host > Paste in the Host address that Kinsta provides
7. Port > Paste in the Port that Kinsta provides
8. User > Paste in the Username that Kinsta provides
9. Password > Paste in the Password that Kinsta provides
10. Click Connect
11. Check the box to Always trust this host
12. Click OK.

Once completed, you should be successfully connected to your Kinsta server and able to view your files.

Create Your Staging Website

Staging is critical. It’s where you should test new plugins, provide access to external users (e.g., vendor support, website professionals, etc.) to troubleshoot issues, and more.

Note: Nothing, including software and people, should touch your production environment until it has been thoroughly vetted within your staging environment.

1. At the top of your MyKinsta dashboard, click Live next to your website name.
2. Choose Create New Environment
3. Create New Environment > Choose Standard Environment
4. Create Standard Environment > Choose Clone Existing Environment
5. Environment Name > Enter Staging
6. Environment to Clone > Choose Live
7. Click Continue

Note: I only use staging for testing. Once I validate a solution, fix, etc., I simply replicate it in production. I do not get caught up in what to push/pull between production and staging.

Account Access Roles

Kinsta Dashboard > User Management

When inviting or modifying a user, the first choice you’ll need to make is whether to assign them a company-level or site-level role. Site-level users only have access to specific sites you assign to them, while company users see company-level details.

Note: Company-level roles only apply if you own the Kinsta account. So, company roles, as they relate to this guide, do not apply to those on MyListing Website Hosting.

Company-Level Roles

• Company Administrators: Company administrators have the highest access level and complete control of all company and site data. Require anyone with company-level roles to use 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication). Only give company administrator access to users you trust and require them to use it.
• Company Developer: A company developer has access to manage all sites (including deleting them) and can manage site-level users. Users with this role cannot see billing details or company settings.
• Company Billing: A company billing user is a special role that only sees billing details and company settings. They can see invoices, enable automatic invoice emails, and modify company details like name and address. Users with this role do not have access to any websites at all.

Site-Level Roles

• Site Administrator: Site administrators have complete access to a site and have full control of all environments attached to that site. The only action they cannot do is remove a site from a company’s account. Require anyone with this role to use 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication).
• Site Developer: Site developers have access to a site’s staging environment. They have full control over the staging environment only and can perform any actions except removing it and pushing it live. Site developers do not have access to analytics, user management, or the activity log features of Kinsta.

Company Ownership Role

This is the only role that can request an account closure. Other than that, it is exactly the same as the Company Administrator role. It’s possible to transfer ownership of a company to another Company Administrator.

Grant Account Access

Company-Level Access

1. Users > Invite Users
2. Enter the email address(es) as desired
3. Choose the role you wish to assign
4. Click Invite User

Site-Level Roles

1. Users > Invite Users
2. Enter the email address(es) as desired
3. Using the drop-down, switch to Site Access
4. Choose the site(s) you wish to grant access
5. Using the drop-down, choose Site Administrator or Site Developer
6. Click Invite User

Force Single Post/Page Cache Clearing

Once you change a post or page, the cache will automatically clear. The time it takes to clear the cache may be immediate or delayed, depending on the TTL (Time to Live) values set by the CDN and the server.

You can perform the following steps to ensure the cache clears immediately.

1. Visit the post/page on the front end (e.g., https://domain.com/store)
2. Add ‘/kinsta-clear-cache’ between your domain and the post/page (e.g., https://domain.com/kinsta-clear-cache/store
3. Refresh the page

If the cache needs to be cleared, it will be cleared at all levels. If no cache needs clearing, the result will be a 404 page. If you only want to clear the mobile version, you would use /kinsta-clear-mobile-cache.

Walkthrough Video

Frequently Asked Questions About Kinsta Hosting for MyListing Websites

Is Kinsta Good for MyListing Websites?

Kinsta is a strong hosting option for MyListing websites because it includes managed WordPress hosting, server-side caching, staging environments, CDN options, and account security tools. The guide recommends Kinsta for site owners who want better performance and fewer separate optimization tools to manage.

What DNS Service Should You Use With Kinsta?

The guide recommends using Cloudflare to manage DNS instead of Kinsta’s DNS service. Cloudflare can handle the DNS records and CDN configuration, while Kinsta continues to host the WordPress website.

Does a MyListing Website Need a Caching Plugin on Kinsta?

Most MyListing websites don’t need a typical caching plugin on Kinsta because Kinsta provides server-side full-page caching. The guide recommends keeping the default one-hour cache expiration and adjusting it only when the site’s update frequency requires a change.

Which Kinsta Settings Should You Enable for a New MyListing Website?

Enable Force HTTPS, two-factor authentication, the latest compatible PHP version, Edge Caching, and CDN image optimization. You should also create a staging environment before installing or testing plugins, theme changes, or other website updates.

Why Should You Create a Staging Website on Kinsta?

A staging website gives you a separate environment for testing plugins, fixes, theme changes, and outside support access. Test changes in staging first, then apply validated changes to the production website.