Your domain name is your address. Hosting is the building where your website is actually located.
Web hosting is the service that stores your website on a server that is connected to the Internet day and night, so that visitors can access it. You rent storage space, computing power and data traffic. Without hosting, your site only exists on your own computer and no one else can access it.
IN COMMON LANGUAGE
Where hosting really makes a difference
Most hosting packages seem the same on paper. You will notice the difference at three moments: when your site becomes busy, when something breaks, and when you want to leave.
Speed only partly depends on hosting: a heavy site on fast hosting remains slow. But the distance to your visitors does count. For a Dutch company, a Dutch or European server is noticeably faster than an American one, and keeps your data within the EU.
The third point is often forgotten: can you leave? Hosting where you cannot get your own files and database out is not hosting but a trap.
WHY IT MATTERS
What you pay attention to when choosing
Price is rarely the determining factor: the difference between cheap and good hosting is a few euros per month, and one day of downtime costs more than a year of that difference.
What is more important is what happens when things go wrong. Are there backups, how old are they, and has anyone ever tested whether they can be restored? A backup that is never restored is an assumption.
- Server in the Netherlands or the EU — faster for your visitors, and your data stays in the EU.
- Daily backups that have been tested — an untested backup is not a backup.
- SSL certificate included — should be standard, not an additional cost.
- You can take your data with you — no lock-in; your files and database remain yours.
- A person recording — when your site is down, that's all that matters.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
More about web hosting
Should I purchase hosting from my website builder?
That's not necessary, but it saves some finger-pointing. If the site is down, one party is responsible instead of two pointing fingers at each other. If you prefer to host elsewhere, that's fine: your site is yours and runs on standard technology.
What is the difference between hosting and a domain name?
Your domain name is the address that people type in. Hosting is where the site is located. You can place them with different parties; You register the domain in the name of your own company, and that is more important than where it is registered.
What happens if my site is hacked?
Then the question is how quickly you can go back. With daily backups and a site without plugins, this is usually a matter of hours. We build without page builders and plugins, which means the attack surface is a lot smaller than with a standard CMS.
CONTINUE READING
Of course, continue reading about this subject.
Hosting that just works?
Tell us where your site is now. We look at speed, backups and whether you can get away without hassle.