Not sure what website hosting actually means? You’re not alone. A lot of business owners, freelancers, and side hustlers want to get a website online but get stuck when it comes to all the jargon: hosting, domains, bandwidth, storage, databases… what does it all actually mean?
Let’s cut through the confusion with this plain-English guide. No tech skills required.
What Is Website Hosting?
Imagine your website as a house.
- The domain name (like yourbusiness.co.uk) is the address
- The website host is the land the house sits on
- The files, images, and pages that make up your website? Those are the bricks and furniture inside
A website hosting company rents you space on their server (a special kind of computer) so people can visit your site online.
Every time someone types in your domain or clicks a link to your website, their device connects to that server, which loads the pages for them. Without hosting, your website simply wouldn’t exist online.
Why Do You Need Hosting?
To put it simply: no hosting, no website.
Even if you’ve designed your site on a platform like WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace, it needs somewhere to live. That “somewhere” is a server—ideally one that’s fast, secure, and reliable.
If you’re aiming for a professional online presence good hosting makes a difference in:
- How quickly your website loads
- Whether it stays online without crashing
- How safe it is from hackers
- How much control you have over your site
Breaking Down the Jargon
Let’s walk through the key hosting terms you’ll see and what they actually mean.
Hosting Plan
This is the type of service you’re paying for. Common types include:
- Shared Hosting – You share a server with others. Cost-effective and great for beginners
- VPS Hosting – A private slice of a server with more control and performance
- Cloud Hosting – Spreads your site across multiple servers for maximum uptime
- Dedicated Hosting – You get an entire server to yourself (usually for large or complex sites)
If you’re just getting started, shared hosting is usually more than enough. If it’s not, ScaleFair will let you know before it becomes a problem and agree changes with you to ensure your website is performing at it’s best!
Bandwidth
Think of bandwidth like a motorway.
It measures how much data can travel between your website and your visitors. Higher bandwidth means more people can visit your site at once without slowdowns.
Low bandwidth? Your site might crash or lag if too many people try to visit at once.
Storage
Storage is how much space you have on the server for your website’s files such as images, videos, blog posts, or plugins.
Most small business websites don’t need much, but having fast storage (like SSDs instead of older hard drives) makes a real difference in how quickly your site loads.
Uptime
This is the percentage of time your website is actually available online.
A host that promises 99.9% uptime means your site will be up almost all the time with a maximum of only a few minutes of downtime per month.
You want this number to be as close to 100% as possible.
Control Panel (like cPanel)
A control panel is your dashboard. It lets you manage your hosting without needing to code anything.
From here, you can install WordPress, check your email settings, create backups, and more. It makes managing your site much easier, even for non-techies.
SSL Certificate
This encrypts data between your site and your visitors which is important for privacy, especially if you’re collecting emails or taking payments.
It also adds the little padlock next to your web address. Without SSL, browsers may mark your site as “Not Secure.”
Email Hosting
ScaleFair lets you create custom email addresses (like you@yourbusiness.com). It’s much more professional than a generic Gmail or Yahoo address and can make a big impression with potential customers.
Most commonly used are Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace with a low monthly cost these services come with additional features on top of a custom email address. With Microsoft 365 you also get access to Excel, Word, Powerpoint and Outlook on web and mobile. With Google Workspace you gain access to Docs, Sheets, Slides and AI built into your email account to help you send professional emails.
Not sure which option is best for you? Get in touch and we’ll guide you to the one that makes the most sense for your goals.
Databases
Most modern websites use databases to store things like posts, usernames, settings, or product info.
You don’t need to manage this directly as your site does it automatically – but it’s good to know the term.
So… What Should You Look For in a Web Host?
Here’s a quick checklist:
- ✅ Fast performance (ideally SSD or better)
- ✅ Reliable uptime (at least 99.9%)
- ✅ Strong security (firewalls, backups, malware protection)
- ✅ Easy-to-use control panel
- ✅ Responsive support
- ✅ Scalability if your business grows
- ✅ Additional services for all-in-one package
Look for a hosting provider that makes things easy, especially if you don’t have an in-house IT team. You want peace of mind, not headaches.
The Bottom Line
Website hosting doesn’t have to be complicated.
Think of it like renting a good space for your website to live. The right host handles the tech side so you can focus on running your business, writing your blog, or selling your products.
If you’re looking for a place to get started, check out our Shared Hosting Plans built for non-techies, side hustlers, and small businesses.
Once you have decided which package and extras work best for you, then we will initiate the migration of your website. We have a beginner-friendly guide here.
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