To start using Pressable, you must first log into the dashboard. Within it, you will find the core functions of the host.

Everything is broken out into categories, which I like. However, it seems fairly condensed within each one, so I suggest getting familiar with each tab.

I’ll walk you through some of the main features of Pressable to give you a better idea of how it works in more detail.

1. Sites

The area that I use most within my Pressable account, and the most important in my opinion, is the Sites tab. This is where you’ll see an overview of your sites and drill down into the options of each.

This area is very easy to use, and and laid out in a way that makes sense. I’ve found that changing settings is incredibly simple, but it takes time to learn where everything is set up.

Once you select a site, you’ll be taken to an overview page that allows you to modify the settings for the site selected.

This is where you will point the domain(s) to the WordPress instance, create staging and development environments, and monitor performance.

The Site Analytics feature is a unique one. It shows you a high-level snapshot of your site, including unique visits and storage.

The Performance Metrics is another feature that you can find within this tab. It’s a unique feature that basic WordPress users will probably find very helpful.

In essence, the system scans your site using Lighthouse and automatically complies a performance report that shows whether or not the site meets Core Web Vitals.

These are free monthly reports that produce themselves monthly. After they are produced, you can filter them by site and date.

The Sites tab is also where you’ll find the automated backups for your website, nested within a sub-menu item labled “Manage Data.”

I took a screenshot of a brand new website so that you can see the entire feature set without me having to blur things out.

Adding a Site to Pressable

Setting up WordPress on Pressable is as easy as logging in and adding a site. It takes just a few clicks, and took me roughly 30 seconds at the most.

First, you’ll log into the Dashboard and navigate to the “Add Site” button on the lefthand menu.

There will be some settings that you have to choose, including whether or not you’re creating a WordPress or WooCommerce site, and PHP version.

In addition, you’ll also see options within the “Site Attributes” menu.

First, select whether or not you would like the site created to be a staging site.

I suggest selecting “no” and building on production (for new sites). You can easily create a staging environment after the production environment is built.

Secondly, you’ll need to select whether or you’re creating the site as a migration placeholder.

If you’re building a new site, select “no”. If you’re migrating from another website, select “yes”.

In my case, I was migrating a site away from WP Engine, so I selected “yes” and then created the site. When I went to migrate, it was very simple and efficient.

Migrating a Site to Pressable

Migrating an existing site to Pressable was simple, and almost as easy as initially setting the site up.

There are two ways to migrate a site to Pressable – either using the Automated Migration plugin, or contacting support and having them do it for you.

Both methods are free, and I’ve tried both methods. However, I like the migration plugin option best because it doesn’t take as long and doesn’t involve scheduling a migration time.

Using the migration plugin is very simple and only took me roughly 20 minutes to migrate an entire 13gb site.

To do so, you first need to open up your Pressable Dashboard and head to Sites > YOURSITENAME > Site Actions Migrate Site.

You’ll see some information that you’ll need to migrate the sites, but we first need to set things up to do so.

Download the Automated Migration plugin and then install it on the site that you’re migrating to Pressable.

Once installed and activated, open the plugin from the sidebar in the WordPress dashboard.

You’ll be prompted to enter some information that allows the plugin to sync with Pressable’s systems.

Head back to the Pressable Dashboard, then copy and paste the required information into the plugin, then initiate the migration.

It is worth noting that I wasn’t able to migrate due to the integration that I have with Cloudflare.

When Cloudflare was turned on, the system kept failing out and throwing an error message that the migration couldn’t be completed.

The solve to this was to simply disable the Cloudflare proxy. Once the system realized that Cloudflare was only serving the DNS, I tried again and it started the migration successfully.

The plugin will start thinking, then eventually kick on and start the migration.

Along the way, the screen will update with progress. Do not close this screen until it is finished.

Once the migration is complete, you will see a success message appear on the screen.

Click the link to your new site and check that everything is correct. If it is, congratulations. The only thing left to do after that point is to add the domain within your Pressable dashboard.

Configuring Domains

Adding a domain to Pressable was also very easy, and takes only a minute or two to complete.

There are two ways to do this – manually by modifying the DNS records for the domain yourself, or automatically using the DNS Wizard within the Dashboard.

I like this option because it eliminates mistakes and configures everything how the system thinks is best.

Simply add the domain in the “Add a new domain name” field and then a box will pop up.

If you continue, you’ll be prompted to sign into your registrar and give Pressable permission to modify your DNS records.

You might have to allow 2FA, so watch the prompts closely. If your registrar sends a code to your email or phone, provide it to the Pressable system and then it will be able to complete the setup.

Once logged in, you’ll be asked to confirm the new DNS record setup. After confirming, the Pressable system will issue an SSL certificate and add the redirects accordingly behind the scenes.

It’s a really smooth system that works very well. I haven’t had any issues with it so far, and in my experience, it has set everything up properly.

2. Plugin Management

Once your site is set up, you have the option to try the Plugin Management feature that is offered.

Without going into too much technical detail here, when enabled, Pressable will updated all of your plugins so that you don’t have to.

The feature comes with a small cost of $3 per month, but also includes a 30 day free trial for new plans. This price is the same as it is on WP Engine.

To set up this feature, navigate to Pressable Dashboard > Plugin Management. You should see a screen that looks like this:

To get started with this feature, simply choose “Purchase Plugin Management”.

Select the site you’d like to install the management on and then confirm your selection to move on.

You’ll see a screen appear that outlines the fine print of using the plugin.

The most important thing to understand here is that the system automatically updates your site which can cause it to fail.

If that happens, it’s no big deal because the system rolls it back to a previous backup. However, it is worth noting that this can cause a short amount of downtime.

I suggest reading the terms in detail to better understand them. If you’re comfortable, agree to the them and continue.

Now you’ll select the schedule – when the plugin updater runs.

Name the run and then schedule a time.

I suggest scheduling the system to run daily and at a time when traffic is lowest. For me, this was at 1:00am when nobody is really coming to my website.

In the case that the system breaks your site and has to revert to a backup while offline, you might experience downtime to it is best to schedule these when the impact will be felt the least.

Next, you’ll need to select which plugins are updated. You can get a full list by selecting the “Get current active plugins” option from the list.

Once the system scans your site, you’ll see a long list of every plugin on your site.

There’s not an option to select all plugins, so you’ll manually have to select each radio box one by one. I suggest double-checking the selection(s) to make sure you got them all.

I also suggest turning on the option to update inactive plugins. Inactive plugins are a bit of a security threat to a WordPress site, so this is a best-practice that doesn’t hurt to turn on.

From there you will see the plugin management successfully installed on your site.

At any time, you can modify the plugin updater behavior within the “Actions” option. You’ll be able to see and modify the schedule, see data from previous runs, and more.

3. Collaborators

If you have other people that work on your site, such as a developer or a manager, you can add them as a “Collaborator” within the dashboard.

Pressable gives you a good amount of control over the permissions and rights, including the sites you want to grant access to, the the capabilities within new sites, and the permissions for each one.

As the owner of a large portfolio of sites, this is immensely helpful for me when I’m onboarding new teams to help me grow. Whenever I’m done working with them, I can simply revoke permissions and move on.

As a note, this section grants users access within Pressable alone. You will have to set and remove permissions for each WordPress instance individually within each site. Removing them here does not remove them as a user from WordPress.

4. Email

After enough user feedback, Pressable finally started offering email hosting through a partnership with Titan.

For a monthly cost of $3.50, users will get access to one inbox that includes 10GB of email storage, 10 email aliases, unlimited filtes, multi-device support, data encryption, antivirus and anti-spam security, calendar and contact management, and easy email data migration.

There is a 90-day trial period to start, and then the amount mentioned above will be billed after the trial ends.

Unlike some other email providers, setting up a Pressable email is very simple. They will automatically set up the MX records necessary to get the email working.

However, if your email is hosted elsewhere other than Pressable, you will need to manually add the MX records.

I like this email option because it is a simple solution to those with a need for an email. It is a streamlined solution that I think is great for business owners looking to simplify their tech stacks.

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Pressable offers a range of managed WordPress hosting plans starting at $45 per month for a single site with 20GB storage and 50,000 visits, but plans get more expensive by either traffic or number of installs.

On the high end, prices scale up to $1,000 per month for up to 100 sites with 500GB storage and 2,000,000 visits, catering to high-traffic needs.

All plans include features like Jetpack Security, free site migrations, and 24/7 support, with flexibility for customizing plans based on specific requirements.

This is likely the most popular option, as many blogs don’t usually get more than this. I personally have a plan that allows for 100,000 visits/month, but will likely have to upgrade if traffic keeps rising like I’m on trend to do.

Does Pressable Offer Discounts?

Pressable runs specials from time to time, especially around holidays. I’ve found they run some great deals on both Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

The best way to save with Pressable, however, is to pay yearly. Just like most hosts, Pressable looks for long-term clients and they’ll incentivize customers as a result.

By paying yearly, you can usually get what comes out to be the equivalent of 2 months free for the year.

While not as lucrative as Pressidium’s discounts (they offer up to 40% off while paying yearly), the discount is still worth claiming if you can afford it.

It’s also worth emailing the company and letting them know you’re considering signing up but the prices are a bit high.

In my experience, companies like this will usually work with you (within reason) and try to offer a price that you like.