In plain terms
Your website is a set of files and, usually, a database. They have to sit on a computer that is switched on, connected to the internet and answering requests every second of every day. Nobody keeps that computer under their desk; you rent space on one from a hosting company. When someone types your domain, the domain’s DNS record says which server to ask, the server sends the files, and the browser draws the page.
It is a common question, and “who is hosting that website” is asked as often, usually by a business that has inherited a site and a monthly fee with no idea what either is for.
The four kinds
| Kind | What you get | Who looks after the site | Typical cost | Right for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shared | A slice of one server shared with hundreds of other sites | You | A few pounds a month | Hobby sites; a business that does not mind slow |
| Managed (platform-specific, e.g. managed WordPress) | Tuned servers, caching, CDN, backups, updates and security handled | The host, and whoever provides care | Tens of pounds a month; from £50 with care on this site | Almost every small business |
| VPS / cloud server | Your own virtual server with root access | You, or a developer you pay | From around £10 a month plus someone’s time | Custom applications with a developer on hand |
| Platform bundle | Hosting inside a subscription (Wix, Squarespace, Shopify) | The platform | Inside the plan fee | Sites built on that platform; you cannot move them |
Source: Cybrial, from running client sites on managed WordPress hosting and on cloud infrastructure. Third-party prices are published by the hosts and vary.
What the cheap plan actually costs
Shared hosting is slow in a specific way: time to first byte. That is how long the server takes to begin responding, before a single image or word arrives, and on a crowded shared server it is often half a second to a second. Nothing on the page can be fixed to make up for it.
For scale, the paving site we host answers in 51 milliseconds and loads completely in 0.68 seconds; the van leasing site answers in 0.19 seconds. Those numbers come from the hosting as much as the build. The difference between the cheap plan and a good one is a few pounds a month against every visitor waiting, and Google measures the waiting.
What the monthly fee should include
A hosting fee for a business site that just says “hosting” is a fee that will charge extra for everything. This is what ours lists, and what to expect from any managed plan with care.
- Fast managed hosting with caching and a content delivery network, and the SSL certificate at no extra charge.
- Platform, plugin and security updates applied, not just available.
- Daily off-site backups and uptime monitoring, so someone knows before you do.
- Small fixes and content tweaks as they come up.
- Keeping the site current with browser and Google changes.
Who is hosting my website now?
- Look at your bank statement for a recurring web payment; the company name is usually the host or the agency that resells it.
- Look up the domain’s DNS records with any “DNS lookup” tool: the A record or the name servers usually name the host.
- Ask whoever built the site. If the answer is “us”, ask whether the hosting account is in your name and whether you can have the login. The ownership guide covers why that matters.
Moving host
Routine, if the domain is yours. The site’s files and database are copied to the new host, tested on a temporary address, and the domain’s DNS record is switched over; visitors notice nothing. What makes it hard is a domain registered by the old supplier, or a platform bundle where the site cannot be exported. Sort the domain first and the rest is an afternoon.
