Web hosting is one of those things that sounds technical right up until the moment someone explains it properly, and then you think: oh, is that it?
Yes. That’s it.
Here’s what you actually need to know — including which host I use, which one I’d recommend if budget is your priority, and why Hostinger has been aggressively following me around the internet for the past six months.
What is web hosting?
Web hosting is the service that keeps your website files stored on a server so that people can access them online.
Think of it this way. Your blog posts, images, and design files all have to live somewhere. Your domain name (nobodymistme.com, carolinecocker.com, whatever you’ve chosen) is the address. Web hosting is the building the address points to. Without hosting, there’s nowhere for your visitors to actually arrive.
When someone types your URL into a browser, their device sends a request to your hosting server, which sends back your website. The faster your server responds, the faster your site loads. The more reliable your server, the less often your site goes down. This is why hosting matters — not in a “you need to understand servers” way, but in a “cheap unreliable hosting will quietly undermine your traffic” way.
Do you need web hosting to start a blog?
Yes, if you’re using WordPress.org — which is what this entire site recommends. WordPress is free software, but you need hosting to run it on.
If you’ve landed here from somewhere other than Step 3, it’s worth reading Article 12 (domain names) and then coming back to this one. They go together.
What to look for in a hosting provider
You don’t need enterprise-level infrastructure. You’re starting a blog, not running Amazon. But there are a few things worth caring about:
Speed. Page load time affects both user experience and SEO rankings. A slow site loses visitors before they’ve read a word.
Uptime. This is the percentage of time your site is actually accessible. Anything below 99.9% uptime is worth worrying about. The best hosts are closer to 99.99%.
Customer support. When something goes wrong — and at some point, something will — you want to be able to reach a real human quickly. Live chat that actually works is worth paying for.
Ease of use. Some hosting dashboards look like they were designed for IT professionals in 1998. Others are clean, logical, and make sense to a normal person. For a beginner, this matters more than you’d think.
Price. Hosting ranges from very cheap to eye-wateringly expensive. For a new blog, you do not need to spend more than £5–10 per month. Anyone telling you otherwise is probably trying to upsell you.
The two hosts I recommend
WPX — who I use for carolinecocker.com
I ended up on WPX because Income School recommended them, and I’ve never had a reason to leave. They’re fast, their uptime is excellent, and their customer support is genuinely one of the best I’ve used — live chat, real responses, problems actually solved.
They consistently rank alongside Hostinger in “best WordPress hosting” comparisons, and the speed difference on WPX is noticeable. If you’re serious about your blog from day one and want a host that will grow with you without needing to migrate later, WPX is my recommendation.
The trade-off is price — WPX starts at around $24.99/month, which is on the higher end for a beginner.
[WPX affiliate link]
Hostinger — the budget option I’m building the Pothos site on
I’m not on Hostinger personally, but I am apparently their target demographic — they have been following me around Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok for the better part of a year. At some point you have to respect the commitment.
More relevantly: Hostinger is good for what it is. It’s one of the cheapest reputable hosts available (plans start from around £2–3/month on promotion), the dashboard is clean and beginner-friendly, and they offer a free domain for the first year — which is exactly why I chose them for nobodymistme.com. One login, one bill, no DNS configuration to worry about.
For a beginner on a budget, Hostinger is an excellent starting point.
WPX vs Hostinger: a quick comparison
| WPX | Hostinger | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | ~$24.99/month | From ~£2–3/month |
| Speed | Excellent | Excellent |
| Uptime | 99.99% | 99.9% |
| Customer support | Outstanding live chat | Not sure yet |
| Free domain | No | Yes (first year) |
| Beginner-friendly dashboard | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Serious bloggers, speed priority | Beginners, budget priority |
Neither is a bad choice. The honest version is: if money is tight, start with Hostinger and don’t feel bad about it. If you can stretch the budget and want to start on strong foundations, WPX is worth it.
What about all the other hosts?
There are dozens of hosting providers out there, and you will come across many of them as you research. A few quick notes:
Bluehost — heavily promoted by a lot of blogging courses because the affiliate commission is high. The product itself is fine but unremarkable, and they’re owned by the same parent company as several other mid-tier hosts. Not my recommendation. I actually started out on Hostgator and they were fine for a super cheap host BUT I didn’t actually have any meaningful traffic at that time so I have no idea how well it would have dealt with that.
SiteGround — perfectly decent, popular, and slightly pricier than Hostinger. Fine if you’re already set up there. I was with them for a while and they were awesome, but then they dropped their great customer service and whacked the price up. Rude.
GoDaddy — primarily a domain registrar that also does hosting. The hosting side has a mixed reputation. I’d stick to Squarespace or your host’s own domain for domains, and use a dedicated hosting provider for hosting.
Free hosting — avoid. Free hosting usually means your site is slow, ad-supported, and can disappear without warning. You get what you pay for.
Shared vs managed WordPress hosting — do you need to know the difference?
Short answer: not really, but here’s the quick version.
Shared hosting means your site shares a server with lots of other websites. It’s cheaper, and fine for a new blog with low traffic.
Managed WordPress hosting means the host specifically optimises their servers for WordPress, handles updates and security, and generally takes more off your plate. WPX is managed WordPress hosting. It costs more but requires less technical maintenance on your end.
For a beginner, either works. The difference becomes more relevant as your traffic grows.
Do you need to buy your domain and hosting separately?
Best practice is yes — keeping them at separate providers means you’re never locked in to either. If you want to switch hosts, your domain stays put. If your registrar has a problem, your site stays up.
That said, for a complete beginner, buying your domain through your host (as Hostinger offers for free) removes genuine friction. One fewer account to manage, no DNS records to configure, no waiting for propagation. That’s why I went that route for nobodymistme.com — and you can always transfer the domain to a separate registrar later once you’re more comfortable.
What to do next
Once you’ve chosen your host and registered your domain, you’re ready to install WordPress. That’s what Article 14 covers — step by step, with screenshots from my actual pothos site setup.
TL;DR
| WPX | Hostinger | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Speed, customer service | Budget, complete beginners |
| Price | ~$25/month | From ~£2–3/month |
| Free domain | No | Yes (year one) |
| My verdict | What I use and recommend | What I’d start on if budget was tight |
FAQ
What is web hosting in simple terms?
It’s the service that stores your website files and makes them accessible to anyone on the internet. Without hosting, your site doesn’t exist online.
How much does web hosting cost for a new blog?
Budget options like Hostinger start from around £2–3/month. More premium hosts like WPX start from around $25/month. For a new blog, you don’t need to spend more than £10/month.
Can I switch hosting providers later?
Yes. Migrating a WordPress site between hosts is straightforward — most hosts offer free migration assistance. Starting on cheaper hosting and upgrading later is a completely reasonable approach.
Is free web hosting any good?
No. Free hosting tends to be slow, unreliable, and often comes with adverts on your site. Pay for hosting — even the cheapest paid option is significantly better.
Do I need the same company for my domain and hosting?
No, and keeping them separate is best practice. But for simplicity when starting out, using Hostinger’s free domain with their hosting is a perfectly reasonable shortcut.
What is WordPress hosting?
It’s hosting that’s specifically optimised to run WordPress sites. Most beginner-friendly hosts — including Hostinger and WPX — support WordPress out of the box.