Short answer: Web hosting is a service that keeps your website’s files on a server connected to the internet, so people can open your site whenever they visit. For a WordPress site, look for PHP 8.3 or greater, MariaDB 10.11 or MySQL 8.0 or greater, HTTPS, regular backups and support that answers. Google slows its crawling when a server fails, so stable hosting matters for search too.
What web hosting is
MDN describes a web server as a computer that stores a website’s files, such as HTML, images, stylesheets and scripts, plus the software that delivers them. When a browser asks for a page, the server finds it and sends it back.
A static server sends files as they are. A dynamic one, like a WordPress site, adds an application and a database that build each page before sending it.
You could keep those files on your own computer, but MDN explains why a dedicated web server is better. It stays connected, keeps the same IP address and is usually maintained by a third party. That is what a host rents you.
Types of web hosting
Hosts sell the same thing in different sizes. The difference is how much of the server is yours and who does the technical work.
| Type | What you get | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Shared hosting | A space on a server that many sites share | A small site with modest traffic and a tight budget |
| Managed WordPress | Shared or private space that the host sets up and updates for WordPress | An owner who wants the technical work handled |
| Virtual private server | A slice of a server with its own resources and settings | A busy site, or a team that wants control |
| Dedicated server | A whole physical server for one customer | Large sites with heavy, steady traffic |
Our summary of the usual kinds of hosting, November 4, 2026; hosts name and package them in different ways.
What a WordPress site needs
WordPress recommends a host with PHP 8.3 or greater, MariaDB 10.11 or greater or MySQL 8.0 or greater, and HTTPS support. It also says hosting is more secure when PHP runs under your own account’s username.
Uptime matters for search too. Google says server errors make its crawlers slow down, and pages that keep returning one are eventually dropped from its index. Once the server answers normally again, crawling picks back up gradually.
How to choose a host
- Write down what your site runs on, such as WordPress, and roughly how many visits you expect.
- Check that the plan meets the WordPress requirements: PHP, database version and HTTPS.
- Ask how often the host backs up, how long it keeps copies and how fast you get one back.
- Ask whether PHP runs under your own account’s username.
- Find out how support answers, and how fast: phone, chat or email.
- Ask what happens when traffic grows: limits, extra charges and how to move up a plan.
- Buy hosting and the domain in your own name, and keep the logins.
Our TTFB guide shows how to measure how fast your server answers. Our guide on who owns a domain shows how to check that the domain is in your name.
How our own site is hosted
Our site runs on a virtual private server that we manage ourselves, not on a shared plan.
On November 4, 2026, its PHP and MariaDB versions met what WordPress recommends, and it served every page over HTTPS. Its PHP runs under the site’s own user, not a shared one.
Running our own server lets us choose the PHP version, the page cache and the backup schedule ourselves, instead of waiting for a host to change them.
Before you sign up with a host
- The plan supports PHP 8.3 or greater.
- The database is MariaDB 10.11 or MySQL 8.0 or greater.
- Every page can be served over HTTPS.
- Backups are automatic and you can get a copy fast.
- Support answers when you need it.
- The account and the domain are in your name.
RememberHosting is where your site lives. Choose one that meets WordPress’s requirements, backs up for you and stays up, and keep it in your own name.
When we build a site, the hosting and the domain stay in your name: our web design service sets them up in your own accounts.
Quick answers about web hosting
What does web hosting do?
It is renting space on a computer that stays connected to the internet, so your website’s files are always there when someone visits. The host runs the server software that sends those files to each visitor’s browser.
What is the difference between a domain and hosting?
The domain is your site’s name, the address people type. Hosting is the server that stores the site and sends it. MDN explains that a web server is reached through the domain names of the sites it stores, so you need both.
What does a WordPress site need from a host?
WordPress recommends PHP 8.3 or greater, MariaDB 10.11 or greater or MySQL 8.0 or greater, and HTTPS support. It also says hosting is more secure when PHP runs under your own account’s username.
Can bad hosting hurt my Google rankings?
It can. Google says server errors make its crawlers slow down, and pages that keep returning a server error are eventually dropped from its index. A host that stays up and answers quickly avoids both.
Can I host my website on my own computer?
Technically yes, but MDN explains why a dedicated web server is better: it stays connected to the internet, keeps the same IP address and is usually maintained by a third party.
Sources
Read on November 4, 2026. MDN: What is a web server?. WordPress.org: Requirements. Google: How HTTP status codes affect Google's crawlers. Our own case: our web server’s setup, read on November 4, 2026.