A website is made up of files, images and usually a database. This data has to sit on a computer that is never switched off and has a fast connection to the internet. Computers like this are called servers. Servers are kept in data centres with backup power, cooling and access control. A hosting provider rents you part of this infrastructure. When someone visits your domain, the server delivers the page to their browser.
There are different types of hosting:
- Shared hosting: lots of websites share one server. It's affordable and enough for most SME websites.
- Managed hosting: the provider also takes care of the technical side and often the backups. There are specialised offers for WordPress.
- Virtual or dedicated server: more power and freedom, but also more responsibility. Worth it for large shops or special applications.
For a business, hosting helps decide how fast the website loads and how reliably it can be reached. A slow server adds to the loading time. Loading time feeds into the Core Web Vitals, which Google uses in its ranking systems. If the server goes down, the website is gone, and often your email too.
What to look out for: where is the data centre? For many businesses, a location in Switzerland is a plus when it comes to data protection. Is an SSL certificate included? Are there regular backups, and are they easy to restore? Is a current PHP version running, if you use WordPress? And can you reach support in a language you speak when something goes wrong?
With STACKD, your website is hosted by cyon in Switzerland, and hosting, updates and backups are included in the Basic package for CHF 30 a month.
A café in Lucerne's old town has a small website with its menu and opening hours. The site sits on very cheap, overloaded shared hosting. At Saturday lunchtime, lots of guests open the menu via the QR code on the table, and the page loads painfully slowly. After moving to a host with more power and caching, the menu opens much faster. The domain, content and design stay the same. The only thing that changed is where the website is stored.