9 Things to Look for in a Web Host

Your web host affects your site's speed, uptime and security. Here's how to choose one you won't regret.

1. What type of hosting do you need?

Shared hosting is cheap and fine for small sites; VPS and cloud hosting handle more traffic; managed hosting does the hard work for you.

2. What uptime does it guarantee?

Look for a 99.9% uptime guarantee — downtime costs you visitors and sales.

3. How fast are the servers?

Speed affects SEO and conversions. Look for SSD/NVMe storage, caching and a nearby data center or CDN.

4. Is an SSL certificate included?

A free SSL certificate is now standard and essential for security and search rankings.

5. How good is support?

24/7 support via chat or phone matters when your site goes down at 2am.

6. What are the storage and bandwidth limits?

Check for genuinely generous or 'unmetered' limits, and read the fair-use small print.

7. How easy is it to scale?

As your site grows, you'll want to upgrade without migrating. Check the upgrade path.

8. What's the renewal price?

Introductory prices are often much lower than renewals. Budget for the real long-term cost.

9. Is there a money-back guarantee?

A 30-day guarantee lets you test performance risk-free.

Our Top Picks

These are popular, well-rated options worth comparing. We may earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you — always check current prices and terms first.

Prioritise uptime, speed and support over headline price — and check the renewal cost before you commit.