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What is webhosting?
A Plain-English Guide to Web Hosting for Beginners (2025)
Every website you’ve ever visited lives on a computer somewhere in the world. That computer is called a server — and the service that keeps your website stored, protected, and available online 24/7 is called web hosting.
If you’re planning to build a website, you’ll need hosting. In this article, we’ll explain what web hosting is, why it matters, and how it works behind the scenes — even if you have zero technical experience.
Why Do Websites Need Hosting?
When someone types in your domain name — for example, yourbusiness.com — their device sends a request to a special type of computer called a server. That server stores your website’s files (text, images, code) and sends them back to the user’s screen in real-time.
Without hosting, your domain name would lead nowhere.
🧠 You can think of it like this:
How Does Web Hosting Work?
At its core, web hosting is simple: it’s about storing data and making it accessible online.
But behind the scenes, a lot more is going on.
🖥️ Physical Servers
Web hosting companies operate powerful physical computers (servers) that are:
At Web For All, we partner with the most secure server providers — meaning your site isn’t just thrown onto some random third-party server. We know exactly where your data lives and how it’s protected.
FYI: Being on “the Cloud” basically just means someone else’s PC.
🔐 Security and Protection
Web servers are targets for spam, hacks, and data breaches. A good host will actively defend your site with:
All our hosted websites include secure HTTPS (SSL certificate) and server-side protections by default — no hidden fees, no headaches.
⚙️ Performance Optimisation
Your website’s speed depends heavily on how well your hosting is set up. We use server-level optimisation tools such as:
Search engines like Google reward fast websites — meaning your hosting directly affects your SEO ranking.
Types of Hosting (Explained Simply)
There are many types of hosting. Here are the most common options:
Shared Hosting
Your site shares a server with others. It's cheap and sufficient for small businesses, portfolios, and local service websites.
VPS (Virtual Private Server)
A more powerful option where your site has its own dedicated resources inside a shared server. Useful for complex sites or high traffic, such as large national e-shops.
Dedicated Server
An entire physical machine just for you. Expensive and usually overkill unless you're running an enterprise-level app, think Amazon or OpenAI.
Cloud Hosting
Websites are stored across a network of servers. Good for global reach and traffic spikes. Slightly more complex to manage.
What to Look for in a Good Web Host
If you’re choosing a host (or comparing providers), here’s what matters:
✅ Uptime — at least 99.9%
✅ Speed — SSD storage, caching, clean code
✅ Support — real people, fast answers
✅ Backups — daily or weekly
✅ Security — SSL, firewalls, anti-malware
✅ Location — hosting within the EU for GDPR compliance
✅ Fair pricing — no hidden charges
At Web For All, we deliver all of the above — and more — at just €8 per month (including technical setup and maintenance).
Hosting with Web For All
We handle the full hosting stack in-house, which means:
We’re not a faceless platform — we’re developers, engineers, and automation experts with resources to spare. That’s why we can offer pro-level hosting at unbeatable prices.
How to Get Started
If you’re building a website with us, you don’t need to worry about hosting — we’ll handle it all and make sure it just works.
Already have a website and want to switch to us? We can migrate your site to our hosting platform, usually within record time, with no downtime.
FAQ – Web Hosting Basics
Is web hosting free?
No. On the contrary, web hosting can get quite expensive, with little to no technical support included. Few companies offer “free” hosting, but it’s usually unreliable, slow, or forces you to run ads. For professional websites, paid hosting is essential.
Do I need hosting if I use a website builder?
Yes — even builders like WordPress or Wix rely on hosting. Some platforms include it by default; others let you choose your own provider.
What if my site gets hacked?
As a rule, you alone are responsible for your content online. With our secure hosting, we take active steps to prevent that. If anything does happen, we keep backups and restore your site fast.
Can I change hosting providers later?
Yes. You can move your site to another host at any time — although our clients stick with us because of the speed, reliability, and price. While we can always help you export your site’s content, it might prove a lot of work to integrate it into another hosting service’s environment. Our partner’s web building tools allow for highly-optimized, smooth websites on any device.
Will I get email with hosting?
We don’t include email hosting by default, but we can help you set up business email through providers like Gmail, Zoho, or custom mail servers.
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