Web hosting

Web hosting is the service whereby a hosting provider provides space on a server to store your website files and make them accessible via the Internet. Every time someone types in your domain name, the server retrieves the stored HTML files, images, scripts and databases and displays them in the visitor's browser. Without hosting, your website only exists locally on your own computer and no one else can view it.

How does web hosting work technically

A hosting provider manages physical servers in data centres with a permanent internet connection. When you take out a hosting package, you are allocated a certain amount of storage space, bandwidth and computing power. You upload your website files to the server via FTP or a control panel. The provider links your domain name to the server's IP address via DNS settings. Once this link is active, every request for your domain sends the visitor to the right server. The server processes the request, retrieves the necessary files and sends them back to the browser. This process happens in milliseconds and repeats with each visit.

Why web hosting is indispensable for your online presence

In the early years of the internet, websites often ran on servers that companies managed themselves. This required technical knowledge, expensive equipment and 24/7 monitoring. Hosting providers made it possible to outsource this responsibility for a monthly fee. Now hosting has become the standard: every website, online shop or web application needs a server to run. For SMEs, this means that you can be professionally online for just a few pounds a month, without having to maintain or secure a server yourself.

What web hosting brings to SME companies

A reliable hosting package ensures that your website is always accessible, even outside office hours. Fast loading times improve the user experience and help your position in Google. Many hosting providers offer automatic backups, SSL certificates and security updates, keeping your site protected against downtime and attacks. A good managed WordPress hosting environment ensures that your CMS runs smoothly and that updates are hassle-free. At Monkey Vision , we regularly see companies with cheap hosting packages suffer from slow load times during peak hours, which directly affects conversions. Stable hosting is the basis for any further investment in search engine optimisation and web design. More information on hosting requirements can be found at W3C, the standard organisation for web technology.

Web hosting forms the technical basis for almost any online activity. Depending on your business type, traffic and functionality, you choose a specific type of hosting. Below you can see the most common applications in Dutch SME practice and when which solution fits.

Shared hosting for start-up websites and blogs

With shared hosting, multiple websites share the same server and server resources such as CPU, RAM and bandwidth. This makes it the cheapest option, often starting from 3 to 10 pounds per month. Shared hosting suits well a business site with a few pages, a portfolio or a blog with limited traffic. A web design agency with 200 visitors a month runs fine on this. As soon as you get more than 1,000 visitors a day or add dynamic features such as an online shop, you will notice that the site slows down during peak hours. Other websites on the same server can affect your performance. So shared hosting is a starting point, not a structural solution for growing companies.

VPS and cloud hosting for growing online shops

A Virtual Private Server gives you a separated part of a physical server with guaranteed resources. You still share the hardware, but not the computing power. Cloud hosting goes a step further: your site runs on several servers at the same time, so that failure of one machine is not a problem. These solutions cost between 20 and 100 pounds per month, depending on your configuration. An online shop with 500 products and 50 to 100 orders per month will benefit from this. You can easily scale up during Black Friday or other peak periods without your site crashing. At Monkey Vision , we see that companies that have an online shop created often switch from shared to VPS too late, leading to lost sales during busy times.

Managed WordPress hosting for professional sites

Managed WordPress hosting specialises in running WordPress sites. The provider handles updates, caching, security and daily backups. You pay more, usually 15 to 50 pounds per month, but save hours on maintenance. This type of hosting suits SME companies that use WordPress for their website or blog and have no technical knowledge in-house. The server is optimised for WordPress, resulting in faster load times and better Core Web Vitals scores. A marketing agency with 10 employees that publishes blogs weekly benefits directly from this. You can read more about maintenance at Maintain WordPress website.

When web hosting is the right choice and when it is not

Web hosting is always needed if you want to publish a website, online shop or web application. The question is not whether you need hosting, but what type. Choose shared hosting if you start with a simple site and expect fewer than 500 visitors a month. Choose VPS or cloud hosting as soon as you need more control, speed or scalability. Managed WordPress hosting is the right choice if you use WordPress and don't want to spend time on technical management. Hosting is not a good choice if all you want is a landing page on social media, or if you are experimenting with a temporary project that goes offline after a month. In that case, it's better to use a free website builder.