How much it costs to build and host a website in South Africa

South Africa has many different hosting providers, and it is crucial that you pick the right hosting service for your needs.

Considerations when choosing your hosting provider and package include cost, storage space, customer service, and the manner in which your website will be hosted.

Some hosting products involve sharing resources with other customers, whereas the more expensive options provide you with your own dedicated server.

1-grid told MyBroadband that small businesses looking to start a basic website should consider a solution that includes a website builder, as trends have revealed an increase in the usage of this feature.

It said that this software is cost-effective, user-friendly, and scalable – making it suitable for individuals and small businesses.

Larger businesses should take a variety of considerations on board when selecting a hosting provider and package, 1-grid said, including:

• Customer support – You need to know that you will be assisted if you encounter any issues.
• A good reputation and history – It is worth reading up on customer experiences and judging a provider on both positive and negative interactions.
• A comprehensive knowledge base – Ensuring you have resources to solve certain questions or issues you may uncover.
• A comprehensive product portfolio – Ensure there are options for you to upgrade your services as your business grows.

Xneelo also highlighted this last point – as while you may be starting off small, you may need to upgrade your hosting package as your business grows.

It said page loading speed should be another chief consideration when purchasing hosting.

A slow web host is a common cause of slow loading times, said Xneelo, and it is therefore important that you ensure your hosting provider does not hold your website back in this regard.

Types of hosting products

Xneelo also outlined the three common types of hosting products.

The most affordable type of hosting is shared hosting, which involves sharing a single server with other customers.

Hosting providers monitor the server to ensure that individual users aren’t hogging resources and causing other websites to suffer.

Businesses that are looking for more storage space or expect large amounts of traffic can instead sign up for dedicated hosting, which comes in two common forms.

• Self-managed dedicated hosting involves the customer taking full control of the management needs of the server – including updates and security measures.
• Managed dedicated hosting involves the server being managed on your behalf by the hosting provider, and is usually the most expensive of the hosting options as a result of this additional service.

Comparing hosting prices

MyBroadband has compared the prices of hosting products from some of South Africa’s most popular hosting providers.

This is done across all three of the aforementioned common hosting product categories.

This pricing is detailed below.

Shared web hosting

Self-managed dedicated hosting

Managed dedicated hosting

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