Web hosting
Hosting is where your website files actually live, so anyone visiting your domain can see them. There are two main directions, and for a small studio the choice is more about your way of working and budget than about anything technically hard.
| Direction | In short | Good when |
|---|---|---|
| Classic hosting: HostGator / cPanel / shared | You buy hosting, get a cPanel, upload files, can install WordPress and create emails. | You want WordPress, databases, everything in one place. |
| Modern hosting: Git + Vercel | The site lives in a repository, and Vercel publishes it automatically. | You want a simple landing site, low cost and little maintenance. |
For my latest company I use the modern route: a domain from GoDaddy, the site hosted for free on Vercel through Git, email separately through Google Workspace. For a simple landing site it is cheap, fast and easy to maintain. But if you go with WordPress, the classic route makes more sense.
How to choose
- If you want WordPress or need a database and a classic panel, go with classic hosting.
- If you want a static or custom site, cheap and with minimal maintenance, go with Git + Vercel.
In the modern route, email is managed separately (for example through Google Workspace), because it no longer comes bundled with hosting the way it does in cPanel.
Next step
Read the details on each route, then move on to the Git repo for the website if you pick the modern route. Save the hosting provider in MY OWN COMPANY DETAILS.