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By Paul Maplesden published 8 March 22
Discover how to host a website, across three options
So, want to know how to host a website? When it comes to hosting your small business website, you have several options. You can use the best website builder, get managed hosting from the best web hosting services, or self-host your website.
Your business website is critical to interacting with your customers and selling your products. Top web hosting services offer the speed and reliability you need—providing fast, available web browsing for every visitor.
In this guide, we’ll cover these three options, explore the features of each, and explain how to get your hosting in place. The right type of web hosting will ensure your website is there when your customers need it—whether that’s running an ecommerce store, building trust in your small business, or simply providing information.
Web hosting companies provide the technological infrastructure that runs your website. You decide on your website framework, structure your website, build it out, and add content. The hosting provider ensures your website runs on their servers and networks, so that people can access your content via their web browser.
Broadly, web hosting comes in several varieties:
Let’s dig into each of these.

Website building platforms offer an all-in-one solution for your small business website needs. They feature premade templates together with drag-and-drop editors that make it easy to create a professional-looking site. Web hosting comes as standard—once you’ve designed and published your site, these services take care of all the infrastructure, so your website just works.
Features of website building platforms for web hosting include:
Here are the steps you need to follow.
Step one: Choose a website building platform
You have plenty of choices on the right platform for your needs. You’ll find our guide to the best website builders useful, and we’ve given further insight into the best small business website builders and the best ecommerce website builders.
Step two: Design and build your website
All of the website building platforms have in-depth tutorials and training to put your website together. You can start with a professional template, add in the pages you want, create navigation, add content and images, then test everything out.
Step three: Get a domain name and subscription plan
You can often buy a domain name through the website building platform, or buy one separately and link it to the website builder. Once you’ve done that, choose the right subscription plan for your site —each platform offers multiple pricing tiers, depending on the functions you need.
Step four: Publish and enjoy worry-free hosting
Once you’ve built your website, just hit publish. The website building platform takes care of all your hosting needs, so all you need to do is add content and keep your website updated.

Managed hosting providers offer the servers you need to publish your website, plus a range of other services to keep your website fast, safe, secure, and reliable. These extra features do vary between managed hosting companies, but often include:
Why you might choose managed web hosting:
Here are the steps you need to follow.
Step one: Choose a managed website hosting provider
We have a complete guide to the best web hosting services, with a breakdown of their prices, features, and add-on services. These providers offer a range of plans, from complete, managed services through to self-hosting.
Step two: Install your website framework and build your website
Once you’ve chosen a provider, you can install your website framework and content management system. WordPress is a great choice—it’s fairly easy to learn the basics, there are a ton of tutorials available, and plugins let you customize WordPress to do exactly what you need.
Step three: Get a domain name and choose your add-on services
Some managed hosting providers will offer a domain name purchase service, otherwise you can buy one separately and update the relevant settings. After you choose a domain name, look at the add-on services you get with each plan and choose the right level for your needs.
Step four: Publish and be aware of your website hosting
Your publishing options will vary depending on the website framework you’re using. Once you’ve published, sign into your hosting control panel every couple of weeks to ensure everything is running smoothly.

Many hosting providers also give you the option to self-host your website. They still provide the servers and networks that your website runs on, but you’ll need to take care of anything other than these basic services. This means you’ll be responsible for:
Why you might choose self-hosting:
The steps you need to follow to set up self-hosting are very similar to managed hosting, with one exception. During step three, you will need to review all of the services you need and what’s provided on your hosting plan. If a service isn’t listed, then you’ll need to arrange for it.
Let’s bring it all together:
For a business without complex website needs, a website building platform is a great choice—you get design, simplicity, and speed in one convenient package. For more complex websites, managed hosting is a good option, as it will take care of background tasks and security. Self-hosting is a choice for businesses on a strict budget, so long as you’re aware of the limitations.
It’s time to go build that website!
One alternative not discussed in detail above is utilizing WordPress, by creating a site with the best WordPress website builders, and then hosting it via the best WordPress hosting platforms. If you’re looking for specific types of hosting, check out our guides to the best VPS hosting, the best cloud hosting, the best VPS cloud hosting, the best unlimited hosting, and the best cheap web hosting.
Paul is a professional writer who creates extensively researched, expert, in-depth guides across business, finance, and technology. He loves the challenge of taking complex subjects and breaking them down so they are easy to understand. He can quote ‘The Princess Bride’ in its entirety and believes the secret to good writing is Earl Grey tea.
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