Website Hosting Beginner's Guide: Where Your Brand Lives Online

What Is Website Hosting?

When you build a website, those files need to live somewhere accessible 24/7. Website hosting is the service that stores your files on a server connected to the internet. When someone visits yourbrand.com, your hosting provider delivers the website to their browser.

Types of Hosting

Shared Hosting

Multiple websites share one server's resources.

Pros: Cheapest option ($3–$10/month), easy setup Cons: Slower performance, affected by other sites on the server Best for: New brands with low traffic starting out

Providers: Bluehost, HostGator, SiteGround

VPS (Virtual Private Server)

A virtual partition of a server with dedicated resources.

Pros: Better performance, more control, scalable Cons: More expensive ($20–$80/month), requires some technical knowledge Best for: Growing brands with moderate traffic

Providers: DigitalOcean, Linode, Vultr

Dedicated Hosting

An entire server dedicated to your website.

Pros: Maximum performance and control Cons: Expensive ($80–$500+/month), requires server management Best for: High-traffic brands with technical teams

Managed WordPress Hosting

Hosting optimized specifically for WordPress sites.

Pros: WordPress-specific optimizations, automatic updates, expert support Cons: Only works for WordPress, more expensive than shared Best for: WordPress-based brand websites

Providers: WP Engine, Kinsta, Flywheel

Static/JAMstack Hosting

For static websites built with modern frameworks.

Pros: Extremely fast, often free, highly secure Cons: Limited to static content without additional services Best for: Landing pages, portfolios, simple brand sites

Providers: Netlify, Vercel, Cloudflare Pages, GitHub Pages

Platform Hosting

All-in-one platforms that include hosting.

Pros: No technical setup, everything included Cons: Less flexibility, platform lock-in Best for: Non-technical brand owners

Providers: Squarespace, Wix, Shopify, Webflow

How to Choose the Right Hosting

Consider Your Technical Skill

• Non-technical: Platform hosting (Squarespace, Wix)
• Somewhat technical: Managed WordPress hosting
• Technical: VPS or static hosting

Consider Your Budget

• $0–$5/month: Static hosting (Netlify free tier) or shared hosting
• $5–$30/month: Managed WordPress or quality shared hosting
• $30–$100/month: VPS hosting
• $100+/month: Dedicated or enterprise hosting

Consider Your Growth Plans

Don't over-invest in hosting for a brand-new site. Start small and scale up. Most providers make it easy to upgrade.

Essential Hosting Features

Regardless of provider, make sure you get:

• SSL certificate (free with most modern hosts)
• Daily backups (automatic, not manual)
• Uptime guarantee (99.9% minimum)
• CDN integration (or built-in CDN)
• Email hosting (or the ability to configure MX records)
• Custom domain support (connect your own .com)

Connecting Your Domain to Hosting

After purchasing hosting:

1. Get the nameservers or IP address from your host
2. Update DNS records at your domain registrar
3. Wait for propagation (minutes to hours)
4. Verify the connection by visiting your domain

Most hosts provide step-by-step instructions for this process.

Hosting Security Basics

• Keep your hosting account password strong and unique
• Enable two-factor authentication
• Keep software (WordPress, plugins) updated
• Use a host that provides automatic security patches
• Set up automated backups

Common Hosting Mistakes

• Choosing the cheapest option without reading reviews — Downtime costs more than a few dollars/month in hosting fees
• Not setting up backups — One hack or mistake can wipe your site
• Ignoring renewal prices — Many hosts offer low introductory prices that triple on renewal
• Over-provisioning — A new brand doesn't need a dedicated server

Your Hosting Checklist

• [ ] Hosting type selected based on your needs and skills
• [ ] Provider chosen with good uptime reviews
• [ ] SSL certificate enabled
• [ ] Daily backups configured
• [ ] Domain connected to hosting
• [ ] Email configured (or MX records set)
• [ ] Security measures in place

Before choosing hosting, you need the right domain. Use BrandScout to find and verify available domains for your brand, then connect them to the hosting provider that fits your needs.