Why is one hosting company cheaper than another?
Mostly: how many websites share the same computer. A £2-a-month host might put thousands of sites on one server; a £30-a-month host might put fifty. You are also paying for support quality, backups, security and speed.
The crowding trade-off
Servers cost roughly the same to run whoever owns them. The difference is how thinly they are sliced. More sites per server means cheaper plans and slower, less reliable sites, because everyone is queueing for the same processor and disk.
What else the price buys (or does not)
- Support: a UK human in minutes, or a ticket queue measured in days.
- Backups: automatic daily copies, or nothing unless you set it up.
- Security: firewalls and malware scanning included, or sold as add-ons.
- Renewal pricing: the classic move is a cheap first year that doubles or triples at renewal. Always check year-two pricing.
So what should a small business pay?
For a site that brings in work, the sensible range is usually £10 to £40 a month for quality shared or managed hosting. Below that you are gambling with speed and support. Far above it you are usually paying for capacity you do not need.
The takeaway
- Cheap hosting = more sites crammed on the same server.
- Support, backups and security are where budget hosts quietly cut.
- Check the renewal price, not the first-year offer.
Want it handled instead of explained?
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