What hosting actually does
When somebody types your address, the browser asks a server for files. Hosting is that server: the processor, memory and disk answering the request. The domain is the address, hosting is the building, and they are two separate items often bought in the same place and therefore confused.
Types
- Shared hosting: many sites on one server, the cheapest, enough for brochure sites. The drawback is that somebody else traffic slows you down.
- VPS: a carved out portion of a server just for you, more control and stability, requires somebody who can maintain it.
- Managed hosting: somebody else keeps the server current and makes backups, more expensive monthly but cheaper once your own time is counted.
Does the server have to be local
No. The speed difference between a local data centre and Frankfurt is measured in milliseconds and users do not feel it. Server geography is not a ranking factor for .com or country domains, because Google determines country from other signals. It matters more that hosting is fast and reliable than that it is nearby.
What to check before paying
- Whether backups are included and how far back they go.
- Which PHP version is offered and whether it can be changed.
- Whether an SSL certificate is included, which today should be free.
- What the renewal price is, because the first year is often promotional.
- Whether support answers at weekends, because sites go down on Saturdays.
We keep the sites we build on our own infrastructure, details here.