What website hosting is
Hosting is the computer that stores your website and sends it to visitors. Without it, your domain name points nowhere. It is separate from the domain itself, which is the web address you register.
Hosting is an ongoing cost, billed monthly or yearly. The build is a one-off price. A site also needs a domain, and business email is another separate service.
Related: Buying a domain
What hosting costs with me
Hosted is £19.99 a month and keeps the site online. It includes managed hosting, hTTPS, backup copies of your site, an alert to me if the site goes down, help with hosting problems. The other plans add small updates, software upkeep and monthly checks on security and speed.
| Plan | Monthly price | Small updates a month |
|---|---|---|
| Hosted | £19.99 | None included |
| Essential | £29.99 | Up to 10 |
| Standard | £39.99 | Up to 20 |
| Full | From £49.99 | 30 or more |
A small update is a short text change or a swapped photo on an existing page. All prices include VAT. You can cancel anytime; hosting ends at the end of the paid billing period.
Related: Website maintenance plans, All hosting and care plans
Using your own hosting
You do not have to host with me. If you prefer your own provider, I hand over the website files and there is no monthly fee to me. Your provider’s charges apply, and you or someone you appoint looks after updates, backups and security.
Not included in either choice: domain registration and renewal, email mailboxes, content edits outside the included launch aftercare, new pages and features, and paid services from other companies. Those are quoted first.
What other providers publish
Two examples, checked on 27 October 2026. 20i lists a Startup plan at £10 a month after a £1 first month, with no contract; its page does not say whether VAT is included. IONOS lists a Plus plan at £1 a month for 12 months, then £9 a month, with prices excluding VAT.
These are not recommendations, and prices change often, so check the provider’s own page. The pattern to notice is that introductory prices rise once the offer ends. Plans like these also usually leave more of the running of the site to you, so check what the provider handles.
What to compare, beyond the price
- The price after the introductory period, and whether VAT is included.
- Whether backups are included, and how you restore one.
- Who gets an alert if the site goes down.
- Who updates the software, and who fixes problems.
- Who owns the account, and whether you can take your files and leave.
- Whether email, a domain and changes to your site cost extra.
A cheaper plan is not worse. It simply asks you to do more yourself.
Related: How much a website costs, Ask about hosting
Further reading
Official guidance behind the practical advice. Service inclusions are confirmed in your written quote.