What Is Website Hosting & What’s Included With Our Hosting Package?

Every website needs hosting, but it is one of those website costs many business owners do not fully understand. Put simply, website hosting is the service that keeps your website online and makes it available when someone visits your domain.

At On The Move Marketing, our website packages include 12 months of hosting, valued at $550. This covers the important technical essentials—including website hosting, an SSL certificate, backups and security—so you do not need to organise several separate services just to get your new website online.

What Is Website Hosting?

A website is made up of files, images, text, code and other data. Those files need to be stored on a server that is connected to the internet. Website hosting provides that server space.

When somebody types your website address into their browser or clicks your business in Google, the hosting server sends the necessary files to their device so the website can load.

An easy way to think about it is:

• Your domain name is your street address.
• Your website is the building and everything inside it.
• Your hosting is the land where the building sits.

You need all three working together. Buying a domain does not automatically give you a website or hosting, and building a website does not make it available online until it is connected to a hosting service.

Is Website Hosting Different From a Domain Name?

Yes. A domain name and website hosting are separate services, even though they are often purchased or managed together.

Your domain name is the address people use to find your website, such as yourbusiness.com.au . Hosting is the service that stores the website and delivers it to visitors.

You generally renew a domain name every one to two years, while hosting is commonly charged monthly or annually. You can also register your domain with one provider and host your website with another.

With our website projects, we can help connect the domain to the new website and make sure everything is pointing to the right place. You remain the owner of your domain and business website.

Why Does the Quality of Website Hosting Matter?

Hosting is mostly invisible when it is working properly. You tend to notice it when something goes wrong: the website becomes slow, visitors see a security warning or the whole site goes offline.

Good hosting provides a reliable foundation for your website. This matters for several reasons.

Website availability

Customers may visit your website at any time of the day. Reliable hosting helps keep the site available when somebody needs your phone number, wants to read about a service or is ready to submit an enquiry.

Website speed

Hosting is one of several factors that can influence loading speed. Image sizes, code, plugins and the way the site is built also matter, but poor-quality hosting can hold back an otherwise well-built website.

A slow website creates a frustrating experience and can cause potential customers to leave before the page finishes loading. Speed and usability can also influence search performance.

Security

Business websites can be targeted by automated bots, spam and malicious activity regardless of their size. A secure hosting setup helps protect the website and reduces the risk of downtime or unwanted changes.

Backups and recovery

If an update, technical fault or human error causes a problem, a recent backup can make recovery much easier. Without backups, rebuilding lost pages or restoring an entire website can become expensive and time-consuming.

What Is Included With Our Website Hosting Package?

Our hosting package covers the core services needed to keep your website online, protected and operating reliably. Your first 12 months of hosting are included with our website packages and are valued at $550.

Website hosting

The website files are stored on the hosting infrastructure and made available to people visiting your domain. You do not need to find a separate hosting provider before we can launch your website.

We handle the initial hosting setup and connect the completed website so it can go live on your domain.

SSL certificate

An SSL certificate creates an encrypted connection between your website and the visitor’s browser. You can usually tell that SSL is active when the website address begins with https:// and the browser displays a padlock or security icon.

SSL helps protect information submitted through your website, including contact form details. It also prevents browsers from displaying prominent “Not Secure” warnings that can make potential customers hesitate before contacting you.

Google has used HTTPS as a ranking signal, although installing an SSL certificate alone will not push a website to the top of the search results. It is better viewed as a basic requirement for a trustworthy modern website.

Website backups

Backups provide a saved version of the website that can be used if something goes wrong. They are an important safety net for problems such as accidental changes, software conflicts, technical failures or security issues.

The exact backup system can vary depending on the platform used, but the goal is the same: to avoid relying on a single live copy of your website.

Website security

Our hosting package includes the core security measures provided through the website platform and hosting environment. These measures help protect the site from common online threats, suspicious activity and unauthorised access.

No provider can honestly promise that a website will never face a security issue. However, using a professionally managed platform, maintaining secure access and keeping backups available greatly reduces unnecessary risk.

Platform and technical maintenance

The amount of technical maintenance required depends on the platform. We have built, edited and optimised websites across Duda, WordPress, Wix and Squarespace, and each handles hosting differently.

Platforms such as Duda include much of the underlying infrastructure and system maintenance within the platform. WordPress websites usually involve a separate hosting environment and may require ongoing attention to WordPress itself, themes and plugins.

Where the platform includes system-level maintenance as part of its hosting service, those underlying updates are handled within that environment. This saves business owners from needing to understand servers, software versions or the technical workings behind the website.

Reliable website delivery

Modern hosting environments generally use systems designed to deliver website content efficiently to visitors. Depending on the platform, this may include performance optimisation and content delivery technology that helps serve website files from suitable locations.

Hosting is only part of website performance, though. We also pay attention to image sizes, page structure and the way content is built so the website is not unnecessarily weighed down.

Help with hosting-related issues

One of the biggest benefits of organising hosting through the people who built your website is knowing who to contact if there is a problem.

You are not left trying to work out whether an issue relates to your domain, hosting, website platform or something else.

If a hosting-related problem affects the website, we can investigate the setup and help identify what needs to happen next.

What Is Not Usually Included With Website Hosting?

Hosting keeps a website available online, but it does not automatically include every service connected to your online presence.

Unless specifically listed in your website proposal, hosting generally does not include:

• Domain name registration or renewal
• Business email inboxes
• Major website redesigns or new pages
• Ongoing SEO campaigns
• New blog posts or content writing
• Paid advertising management
• Unlimited website changes
• Third-party subscriptions, plugins or booking systems

For example, hosting your website does not mean Google will automatically rank it on page one. SEO involves keyword research, page optimisation, helpful content, internal links, authority building and ongoing improvements.

We include SEO foundations when building our websites, but ongoing SEO is a separate service for businesses that want to continue growing their search visibility.

Do I Need to Buy Hosting Before Getting a Website Built?

Not when you build your website with us. We include the first 12 months of hosting with our website packages, so you do not need to choose a server or compare technical hosting plans before getting started.

This also means we can build and launch the website in an environment suited to the platform rather than trying to work around a cheap hosting plan that may not meet the website’s requirements.

If you already own a domain, it can generally be connected to the new website. If you already have a website and hosting account, we will first look at the existing setup and determine the most practical approach.

What Happens After the First 12 Months?

Hosting is an ongoing service because the website needs somewhere to live for as long as you want it to remain online. After the included 12-month period, the hosting can be renewed so the website continues operating.

We will let you know when renewal is due and explain the next step. Hosting renewal is separate from your domain renewal, so it is important to keep both services active.

If a domain expires, visitors may no longer be able to reach the website. If hosting expires, the website itself may go offline. Keeping the registration details and contact email current helps prevent renewal reminders from being missed.

Can I Host My Website Somewhere Else?

This depends on the platform used to build the website. Some website builders operate as hosted platforms, which means the website stays within that platform’s hosting system. Other websites, including many WordPress sites, can be moved between compatible hosting providers.

We recommend discussing this before the website is built because the platform and hosting arrangement can affect portability, maintenance requirements and ongoing costs.

Our goal is to give you a reliable setup that suits the website rather than making you pay for technical features your business does not need.

Frequently Asked Questions About Website Hosting

How much does website hosting cost?

Hosting prices vary depending on the platform, website size, resources, security, support and included services. Our website packages include the first 12 months of hosting, valued at $550. We clearly explain the ongoing renewal cost before the included period ends.

Does hosting include my domain name?

Hosting and domain registration are separate services. Your domain is the website address, while hosting stores and delivers the site. We can help connect a domain you already own to your new website.

Does hosting include business email?

Business email is generally separate from website hosting. Email services are often provided through platforms such as Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, using an address connected to your domain.

Will hosting make my website rank higher on Google?

Hosting alone will not make a website rank highly. However, reliable and secure hosting supports availability, loading performance and user experience. These provide a better foundation for SEO than a slow or frequently unavailable website.

What happens if my website goes down?

The first step is to identify whether the issue relates to hosting, the domain, the website platform or a third-party service. When we manage the hosting arrangement, you have a clear point of contact who understands how the website has been set up.

Website Design and Hosting Without the Technical Headaches

Website hosting is essential, but it should not become another complicated job for a busy business owner. At On The Move Marketing, we take care of the website build, hosting setup, SSL, backups and core security requirements so you can focus on running your business.

Our website packages include 12 months of hosting, valued at $550, along with professionally written content, keyword research, SEO optimisation and the other essentials needed to launch a useful business website.

If you need a new website—or you are unsure whether your current hosting setup is doing the job—get in touch with On The Move Marketing to talk through your options.