Quick answer: For most small business websites, shared hosting is the right starting point. Before you pay for a plan, check seven things: the type of hosting, uptime, speed, security, backups, support and the renewal price. The renewal price is the one people forget.
Below: which type you need, the seven checks with what to look for, and how Turbify hosting answers them.
Which type of hosting does your business need?
Web hosting is where your website lives. The types differ in how much of a server you share with other sites.
| Type | What it means | Who it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Shared | Your site shares a server with others. The provider runs it | Most small business websites |
| WordPress | Set up and tuned for WordPress | Sites built on WordPress |
| WooCommerce | Set up for a WordPress online store | Stores on WooCommerce |
| VPS or dedicated | More of a server to yourself, often with more to manage | High-traffic sites with technical staff |
We recommend starting small, because moving up later is easier than paying for power you do not use.
What seven things should you check before you pay?
- Uptime, in writing. Look for a stated service level, not a marketing claim. Do the arithmetic: there are 8,760 hours in a year, so 99.9% uptime allows about 8.8 hours offline a year and 99.99% allows under an hour. Our guide to downtime explains what that costs.
- Speed. Ask about storage type and test a site on the plan. Google’s web.dev says most sites should aim for a server response time of 0.8 seconds or less. Google’s Core Web Vitals measure the experience people get, and our seven speed checks show how to test yours.
- Security. SSL should be included and renew by itself. Ask about protection from denial-of-service attacks, which CISA explains can keep customers off your site.
- Backups you can restore yourself. Ask how often they run, how long they are kept and whether you can restore without opening a ticket.
- Support you can reach. Check the hours and the channels, then call before you buy. A real conversation tells you a lot.
- Compatibility. If you plan to use WordPress, confirm the host meets WordPress’s recommended requirements: current PHP, a current database and HTTPS.
- The renewal price. First-term prices are often much lower than what you pay next. Read the condition next to the price and divide the total by the months you will really use.
Watch for: “unlimited” with limits in the small print, and a free domain that is only free for the first year. Ask what happens at renewal.
How does Turbify hosting answer those checks?
| Check | Turbify web hosting |
|---|---|
| Uptime | 99.99% uptime SLA |
| Speed | NVMe storage, on Microsoft Azure infrastructure |
| Security | Free SSL that auto-renews, DDoS protection |
| Backups | Backup and restore tools |
| Support | Phone, chat and email, 24/7/365 |
| Trying it | 30-day money-back guarantee |
| Extras | A free domain for the first year on eligible .com, .net and .us names, Business Mail accounts and the free AI Website Builder |
Turbify has three web hosting plans: Essentials, Professional and Advanced. Check the current price and its renewal condition on that page. WordPress sites should look at Turbify WordPress hosting, which states a 99.9% uptime guarantee. Our guide to choosing the right hosting plan helps once you have picked a host.
Quick answers
How much should a small business pay for hosting?
Compare the total cost over two or three years, including renewal, instead of the first-month price. That number shows you what the plan really costs.
Can I change hosts later?
Yes. Your domain stays yours, and you can point it to a new host. Plan the move for a quiet time and keep the old plan until the new site works.
Do I need a separate company for my domain and my hosting?
No. Keeping them together means one login and one bill, which is what we would pick for a business without IT staff.
Is free hosting good enough for a business?
We would not use it. Check the same seven items, including whether you can use your own domain, and most free plans fall short.
Your next step
Write the seven checks down the side of a page and put each host you are considering across the top. Fill it in before you look at the price.
Get your business online with Turbify hosting: a 99.99% uptime SLA, free SSL, the free AI Website Builder and 24/7 support. See hosting plans.
