Ok, so WordPress managed hosting is all the rage these days, and it seems like there is a lot of hype around WP Engine in particular.

There’s enough hype that people ask on Twitter or in person, “What’s so great about WP Engine?” At some point, you get tired of harping on the same old benefits of blazing-fast speed, incredible security, unbelievable scalability, and white-glove support. Those are amazing, but you want to tell an even better story and share the “hidden benefits” of hosting with WP Engine.

I’ve mentioned a few times in other articles that there are many benefits apart from speed, that you gain from joining a managed hosting provider like WP Engine.

Here’s a list of these ‘hidden benefits’ that you start noticing once you make the switch over to WP Engine’s WordPress hosting solution.

You know you’re using quality plugins

Since WP Engine curates plugins to make sure their customers don’t use insecure or unscalable plugins, you know you’re using well-developed WordPress plugins.

Knowledgeable expert advice

It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but WordPress has grown into a versatile platform, and when you have questions, it helps to have knowledgeable support folks who can answer your questions because they like nerding out about WordPress as much as you do.

A reliable backup mechanism (that even saves you money!)

Since WP Engine takes backups of your site every single day, and allows you to create your own that you can download or send to S3 automatically, you know you always have backups of your files and your content. And since you have their backups, you don’t have to invest money in a separate backup solution

Security at the forefront

You catch yourself vividly daydreaming about a gang of WordPress Security Ninjas protecting your site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. No really, you get super caught up in how awesome WP Engine’s security measures are, and how they provide a guarantee for your site’s security. It’s a lot like having a team of ninjas protecting your website….

A finely-tuned machine

Suddenly you take pride in your hosting company, and do things like put “Finely Tuned” Stickers on your car. It’s fun to look around your life and go, “that should probably be finely tuned as well.” You notice that your car has WP Engine stickers on it, and you take pride in the engine being “finely tuned.

Developer-Friendly

You become a better developer because you finally learned how to use Git Push for version control. Features like Git Push mean that you have more control over your site, and you’re motivated to learn how to use them, which means you become a better designer or developer, which has a positive impact on your business.

Swag central

You have nerdy WP Engine t-shirts that you actually like wearing. Since WP Engine has some of the best swag in the industry, you’ve managed to collect several editions of their T-Shirts because, unlike some company swag, you actually like wearing WP Engine stuff.

Real connections

You’ve gotten to know some WP Engineers at WordCamps or Meetups. Since WP Engine likes to be as involved as possible in the WordPress Community, it’s easy to get to know WP Engineers when they come to your local WordCamp and meetup. Turns out, they’re as nice (and nerdy) in person as they are online!

For those of you who are already with WP Engine, have you moved there because of anything on this list or other “hidden” benefits? Share your story in the comments below.