Your guide to hosting a website in 2025

As someone who builds websites, I frequently get asked about web hosting. In this article, I want to provide expert information on web hosting and how to get the best for your small business website.

What is web hosting?

When you go to a website, you download the files to your device and show them in your browser. Web hosting is the place where those files are stored. It is a physical or cloud-based server that allows access to your website files from the internet. The server authorises access to the required files and restricts access to other website files. The files that permit internet access are called the 'front-end'. Everything restricted is on the 'back-end'. The front-end refers to the visual side of the website. HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and images are all front-end files. The back-end refers to everything you can't see, like databases, security policies, and server configurations.

Types of web hosting

There are a few main types of web hosting. I have listed them here to help you decide which is best for your needs.

Shared hosting stores multiple websites on the same server. This setup means sharing server resources with other sites. I don't recommend this for high-traffic sites and resource-intensive operations. For most small business websites, this should be all you ever need.
VPS (Virtual Private Server) is the next step from shared hosting. Think of the server as an apartment block. Each apartment is a separate space with its own dedicated resources. In a VPS, each website has dedicated resources. These resources allow it to handle higher workloads without sacrificing anything for other sites.
Dedicated hosting uses a single server for a single website. There is no sharing with other sites. I only recommend this for extremely resource-intensive websites and apps. For normal websites, this is overkill.
Cloud hosting is where your server lives in the cloud rather than on a physical server. Cloud hosting makes upgrading your hardware much easier and enables it to be more scalable and reactive based on your requirements.
Self-hosting is where you purchase a physical server yourself. You configure and manage the server on your own. Doing this saves rental costs but incurs hidden costs like higher electricity bills. I don't recommend this to anyone without systems administration experience. Self-hosting is best suited to websites and apps that follow strict security and access rules and need bespoke hardware optimisations.

How does web hosting work?

Every device has an IP address. Your laptop has one. So does your phone. A web server has one, too. The web server uses DNS (Domain Name Service) to link the URL you search in your browser to its IP address.

Why is DNS important?

Without DNS, we'd have to remember every website's IP address instead of the domain. IP addresses are a string of four separate numbers between 0 and 255 following the pattern 'xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx'. These are much harder to remember than a domain like 'jackchristian.com.au'.

Why is web hosting needed?

Without web hosting companies, we'd all have to purchase our own servers and configure them to share our website files with the internet. Self-hosting is a good option for large-scale web apps and websites with extreme security requirements. As a small business, you're better off hiring a web hosting company to do everything for you.

Which web hosting is best for small businesses?

My advice for most clients when choosing their web hosting is to go with a big name. Most web hosting companies offer specialised hosting solutions. For instance, Bluehost and Hostinger focus on WordPress, while Vercel and Netlify focus on hosting static sites and websites built with JavaScript frameworks.

Small business website hosting considerations

Always choose a website host with your eyes open. You need to know everything your website requires for optimal performance. You can discuss this with your developer ahead of time so that you know what you need. Some key things to consider are:

Do you need email provision included in your hosting plan? If you're registering a domain with your hosting, setting up your email alongside is the best option. Most web hosts will do this for you.
What is your website built with? Knowing this helps you find a hosting provider that fits your website's needs.
Who will manage your hosting? Does your hosting provider manage the hosting? Is it your developer? Is it you? Decide which way to go and find a provider that suits your decision.
What is your monthly budget for website costs? Some providers are more expensive than others. Don't let them dictate your budget. Always use a provider that suits your needs and budget.

How much does web hosting cost?

Web hosting is relatively cheap for most small business websites. I wouldn't pay much more than $20 per month. You're getting ripped off if you pay more than that for most sites. Still, I am surprised at how many businesses I work with pay hundreds per month to a hosting company that does very little. If you feel you spend too much on your hosting, you do.

Shared hosting costs around $5-$10 per month. VPS may be more like $20-$30. Dedicated cloud servers can range from $10 to $100 or even more for high-traffic sites using elite hardware.

Which web hosting is free?

Like lunch, there is no such thing as free hosting. 'Free' hosting often comes with bandwidth caps, limited customer support, and forced branding. If you're starting, free hosting is a good option. As your business grows, I'd recommend finding a paid plan with more benefits and support.

Who are the best web hosting companies?

The best web hosting companies are the ones that make things easy to understand. They don't use scary-sounding jargon to manipulate you into expensive contracts. They're not always looking for an upsell. They tell you what you need and why you need it.

Reputable web hosting companies get that way for a reason. They offer the best service at the lowest cost. Hosting is not a 'get what you pay for' industry. Go with the big names if you are unsure. Some reputable companies to go for are:

GoDaddy (best for beginners) is probably the biggest name in the hosting game. They offer easy, low-cost hosting solutions. Their customer service can be frustrating. Overall, they're a pretty safe bet.
Hostinger and Bluehost (best for WordPress) provide solid solutions for WordPress hosting. I'd recommend these over using WP Engine, which ran into legal trouble with WordPress recently.
Vercel and Netlify (best for static sites) offer excellent solutions for static site hosting. These are great, low-cost options if your website uses NextJS, Nuxt, Statamic, or any other static site generator.
Digital Ocean and AWS (best for the tech-savvy) are fantastic options for managing your own server. They have excellent step-by-step tutorials to guide you through setting up your web server. Their prices adjust based on your server and traffic requirements. These are great scalable choices for the more technically minded.

What to look for in a good website hosting company

There are hundreds of quality hosting companies beyond those I listed above. Those are just the more famous companies. You may be able to find better hosting from different providers. If you want to shop around a bit more, here are a few things to look out for if you want the best possible hosting.

Free SSL Certificates should be a given for any hosting provider. At the very least, they should include the certificate cost in the price. SSL certificates are essential for running a secure website. The certificate itself is free and takes less than a minute to create.
Regular backups are vital for any website. Making updates risks bringing the whole site crashing down. Daily backups mean you can restore your site without undoing all your most recent updates.
CDN (Content Delivery Network) is essential for any fast-loading site. A CDN is a group of servers with files duplicated globally that reduce web page loading times by reducing the distance the data travels from the server to the user.
Scalable hardware means your hardware can grow to match the needs of your website. If you start using more resource-intensive processes or have more traffic, your server hardware needs to scale to maintain the best performance possible.

Web hosting company red flags

My clients use a wide range of hosting sources. From IT companies with endless red tape to unresponsive private contractors. We've had all kinds of difficulties with their setups.

Along the way, I have noticed a few red flags to look out for with hosting companies. If you have any of these with your hosting provider, I'd consider moving to a new one.

You pay extra for an SSL certificate. SSL certification is free and takes under a minute to do. It is a requirement for any reputable website these days, but most hosting providers offer it free of charge. If you're paying specifically for it, you're getting ripped off.
Scaling your website is complex and expensive. When your website gains more traffic, you may want to improve your hardware to handle the workload. Scaling the hardware should not pose a problem to a high-quality hosting company.
They scare you into staying with them or more expensive contracts. To non-IT professionals, web hosting comes with a lot of scary-sounding jargon. There are countless horror stories of hacking and malicious attacks. Your hosting company should always be looking to reassure you, not scare you.
They don't take responsibility when things go wrong. I've worked with a client whose website got hacked. Their hosting company immediately washed their hands of the situation. The issue was with the server. I had to figure that out myself and convince the hosting company to fix it.
Small changes take weeks to complete. IT companies are notorious for having an immense amount of red tape. It's understandable, given what is at stake. The issues arise when that red tape makes small changes take the same time as an entire migration.

Can you transfer your website hosting?

Yes, you can. No matter what your provider says, migrating your website is easy. It is a matter of moving the database and files to a new server and updating the DNS to point to a new server. Any company that says otherwise is lying. Most developers (or even support staff from your new host) can handle this for you in a day or two.

Final thoughts

Web hosting can be a scary place for people who don't speak the IT language. This article aims to demystify web hosting and choosing a web hosting company. If you still have questions about hosting your website, reach out using my contact form.