What is website hosting?

The term 'web hosting' usually refers to companies renting out space on their web servers to businesses or individuals who wish to make their websites available on the internet.

What does it mean to host a site?

Hosting means storing all the files that make up your website - such as HTML pages, images, audio and video - on a web server. When someone visits your site, the server sends these files to their browser so they can see and interact with your website. Each hosted website is assigned a unique internet protocol (IP) address. This lets visitors use your website's address (ie the domain name) to find and access the site via an internet browser. 

Read about the difference between a domain and web hosting to understand how these two elements work together.

Types of web hosting

There are three main ways a business can host a website. You can:

• host it on your own server in-house
• outsource it to an external hosting provider
• host it on a server owned and operated by an internet service provider (ISP)

Hosting your own web server in-house can be expensive and requires technical skills, hardware, and a reliable, high‑speed internet connection. It also means you are responsible for maintenance, security and 24‑hour support. As an alternative, you can buy hosting services from an external provider, such as an internet service provider.

Types of web hosting services

If you choose external hosting, you will usually have a choice between three types of web servers:

• shared hosting - where your website shares a server with other websites
• dedicated hosting - where your website is the only one on a server
• virtual hosting - including cloud hosting, where your website runs on a virtual server that can scale up or down as needed

As well as the server space, many hosting providers offer value-added services, such as:

• easy-to-use website building tools
• site statistics
• search engine optimisation features
• shopping carts
• one-click app installers
• unlimited number of email addresses
• customer support
• other control, maintenance and safety features

How much does it cost to host a website?

If you are a sole trader or small business, you can host a basic website on a free web host. However, free hosts often have more downtime, limited features and less reliable support. You may also be restricted in how you present your brand or use your own domain name.

If your website is important to your business – for example, if you sell online or rely on it for customer enquiries – a commercial web host is usually a better choice. Commercial hosting plans vary in price depending on:

• hosting provider
• the service they provide as part of the package
• the size of your website
• the expected traffic to your website
• whether you need email addresses
• whether you need e-commerce functionality or advanced features

On average, small business shared hosting can start from a low monthly fee, while dedicated or scalable cloud hosting is more expensive but offers better performance and security. With many hosting options available, it can be difficult to know what to look for. There are many factors to consider when choosing a web hosting provider.