When you set up a website, it often comes as a surprise that a domain name on its own is not enough. The site also needs somewhere to live, and that is what hosting is. Plenty of companies will sell you space on a server. Rather fewer will answer the phone when something goes wrong.
That is the gap we set out to fill. Strand hosting is fast and reliable, and when there is a problem you get to speak to a person rather than an automated chat bot.
Hosting also affects how you perform in search. Google favours faster-loading sites over slower ones, so a reliable server works in your favour before you have written a single word of content.
WordPress hosting
We look after the whole operation, not just the server. We look at the content going onto your site, and we agree objectives with you at the start so there is something real to measure against later. If you send us something that needs changing by a certain date, it gets done by that date.
Content is held to a set of editorial standards, kept in line with your wider marketing, and reviewed so that anything out of date comes down. If you would rather have a developer handle the technical side entirely, our WordPress team can take that on.
You should also be able to get into your own website whenever you want. That is why hosting comes with a content management system you can log into and edit yourself, so updating a price or a set of opening hours does not mean waiting on anyone.
Website security and management
Your website matters to your business, so it should be as secure as we can reasonably make it. We look after sites of very different sizes, from personal projects to established businesses, and the security that suits one is not the security that suits another.
We offer five security packages, from a one-off assessment through to disaster recovery if you have already been hacked. Which one is right depends on what you would actually lose if the site went down, and we would rather talk that through than sell you the biggest one.
Alongside security, hosting includes monitoring with real-time alerts when something goes wrong, plus performance reporting so you can see how the site is holding up and what we are doing about anything that is not.
Talk to us about hosting
We are a small team in Sale, South Manchester, and we would rather tell you plainly what your site needs than sell you a package you will not use. If you want to talk about website hosting, get in touch and we will give you a straight answer.
FAQ
Do I need hosting as well as a domain name?
Yes, they are two separate things. The domain is the address people type in, and the hosting is the space the website actually sits in. You can buy them from different companies, and plenty of people do, though keeping them together usually makes life simpler when something needs sorting out.
Can I update the website myself?
Yes. Hosting comes with a content management system you log into, so text, images, prices and opening hours are all things you can change yourself. If you would rather not, send it to us and we will do it. Most clients end up doing the small things themselves and passing over anything structural.
What happens if my site goes down?
Monitoring picks it up and we get a real-time alert rather than waiting for you to notice. You can also just ring us. That is the part most hosting companies are weakest on, and it is the main reason people move their sites to us.
Will faster hosting improve my Google rankings?
It helps, but it is not a silver bullet. Google does favour faster sites, so good hosting removes a disadvantage. It will not on its own lift a site above competitors with better content. Think of it as a foundation rather than a strategy.
