How do you choose a web host so that you don't overpay and get screwed by bylines?

If you're just planning a website - or someone is just making one for you - sooner or later you're going to hit on the subject of hosting. And so it begins... VPS, NVMe, WordPress turbo SSD, cloud servers with 32 cores and 800 gigabytes of RAM.

Calm.
The truth is 99% local companies in the UK don't need any of these bits and bobs.

Hosting for £1? And for one year £150

Let's start with the basics. Hosting is where your website is physically stored. Hosting companies tempt you with promotions like '£1 for the first year', but it's worth asking straight away: how much you will pay in the following year?

Because you may find that after 12 months a bill will come in for £120 or more - and then there are the problems of moving the site, for which the many companies charge extra.

At my place?
I am transferring hosting and mail for free. Just like that. No combinations.

Is it worth paying for gutsy hosting?

Well - not necessarily.
For most customers who have a standard service establishment website - e.g. builder, hairdresser, accountant - the simple and stable hosting is sufficient.

Let's not kid ourselves - such sites are not accessed by 10,000 people a month.
Ba, even 2,000 visits is often the maximum.
There is no point in paying for 'turbo power' that you don't use anyway.

But if you are planning an online shop - this is where the situation changes. Then the hosting should be faster, better secured and have more frequent backups.

And how often to make copies of the site?

• For a regular site - once a week is easily enough.

• For the shop - preferably daily, but a minimum of 5 times a week.

Because when something goes wrong, you'd better have a way to restore it - and not from three weeks ago.

Do you have to have cPanel?

Not if you're not going to mess around with the site yourself.
Most of the clients I have worked with over the years, simply want the site to work and that the mail arrives. And that's it. The rest is set by the web designer when setting up the site.

But if you like clicking, testing, installing plug-ins and viewing statistics - then of course cPanel will come in handy.

Finally, my hosting philosophy

Simple and effective.
I don't push unnecessary extras on people. The customer is not supposed to wonder how much RAM their hosting has - just whether the page loads quickly and whether you can click "send" on the contact form.

With me, the customer gets everything configured, ready to go, with free migration and care along the way. No "can I click this somewhere else".

I hope this post has given you something of value.
If you already have a site - read on, because I'll be throwing in more specifics that you can implement right away.
And if you're just planning a site - read, write, follow. Because after 10-20 posts like this, you'll know everything you need to know so you don't overpay and have a decent site with decent hosting.

👉 And if you want me to help you - click here and write.

📸 PS: I upload photos to each post that have nothing to do with computers, websites or technology. I just like nice frames - some I take myself, others I just like.
Think of it as a little visual break in the thicket of technical specifics. So much for. 😊

⏱️ Reading time: 3-4 minutes