Website hosting options

Using an internet service provider (ISP) or an external hosting company lets most small businesses run a website without worrying about the underlying technology. However, if you want to host your website on your own server, you need to understand what is involved and what operating systems, software and skills you will need.

Server operating systems

Web servers typically run on one of three main types of operating systems:

• Windows Servers - commonly used in business environments, often with Microsoft-based tools and databases
• Unix - a family of operating systems used in some enterprise environments, often requiring specialist knowledge
• Linux - widely used for web hosting; often stable, secure and cost-effective

Email

Email can be hosted on‑site alongside your website, but many businesses choose to outsource this to a dedicated email provider such as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace. External email services often offer better spam filtering, reliability and support, and can reduce the technical burden on your in‑house IT team.

Web server software

Web server software runs on top of the operating system and handles requests from visitors# browsers. Common web server software includes:

• Apache - widely used, open source and compatible with many hosting environments
• Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) - commonly used with Windows Server and Microsoft-based websites

Web Authoring languages

These are the software languages used to develop applications on the website. Examples include:

• HTML (HyperText Markup Language) - a programming language used in the creation of simple web pages
• scripting and programming languages such as PHP, ASP.NET, Python, Ruby or JavaScript, used to create dynamic and interactive features
• web authoring tools such as editors or design applications that help you create pages, add graphics and build user‑friendly interfaces

Your in‑house hosting solution must support the languages and tools your website uses.

Databases

If your website uses a lot of data - for example, product information, customer records or bookings - you may need a database system. Examples include:

• Microsoft SQL Server
• Oracle
• PostgreSQL
• MySQL

The best choice depends on the volume of data, expected traffic and the technical skills available in your team.

E-commerce

If your website sells goods or services online, you will need to support an e‑commerce package or platform. This can involve hosting shopping‑cart software, secure payment processing and additional security measures. See how to set up an online shop with an e-commerce package.

Planning for upgrades

As your business expands and your website grows, you may need to upgrade your server hardware, software or hosting model. Consider if: 

• your current hosting can handle higher traffic or more complex features
• you need extra storage, memory or processing power
• it may be more cost‑effective or secure to move some services to an external or cloud host

Planning an upgrade path in advance helps avoid unexpected downtime and performance problems later.