Small Business Website Hosting: The Bill and the Work
Small business website hosting that only rents a place leaves updates, separate backups, and edits on you. I include that work from $99 a month.
In this article· 6 sections
The small number on a host invoice is not the price of small business website hosting. It is the price of a place. Updates, a backup that lives somewhere else, and a Tuesday edit are still unpaid.
Short answer: Judge small business website hosting by the work that comes with the place: updates, a daily backup stored separately, monitoring, and a fix when something breaks. A host bill covers the place. Managed Website Hosting & Care covers the work from $99 a month, and you can cancel any time.
What does small business website hosting usually buy?
Small business website hosting usually buys the place the site sits, a certificate, and a login. It does not, by itself, apply updates, store a daily backup apart from the site, watch uptime, harden logins, or change a photo. That remaining work is a separate job from the rent.
Say you run a one-van locksmith shop. Saturday hours changed last month. A renewal notice arrived. The host account is paid, and the site still loads. None of that put the new hours on the page.
If you still have the login, WordPress (or whatever the site runs on) may show a row of updates you do not want to click. A host ticket about the account will not test that click, and it will not swap the photo of the van.
The list of what sits on top of the rent is on the small business website hosting page: hosting, the backup, the updates, and a set amount of changes by email.
What does the cheap bill leave on you?
The cheap bill leaves updates, a backup that lives with the site, security warnings, and small edits on you. Support talks about the account. It does not change the hours, add a photo, or try an update on a copy before the live site sees it.
A backup stored on the same server as the site is one copy with a second name. If that server is what failed, both copies failed together. A daily backup stored separately is a different object. If you cannot name where yesterday’s copy lives, you do not have that object.
Security hardening means locked-down logins, firewall rules, and safe defaults. A password left over from the person who built the site is not that list.
Small changes are text, photos, hours, a new post, or a section. They wait when there is nobody to email. Leaving the update button alone because you do not trust a copy is a reasonable pause. It is not a plan.
You can keep the host you have. Same plans, same price. The host keeps billing you for hosting. I look after the site on that account and keep my own daily backup stored separately. Priority’s dedicated server applies only when I host.
If the host itself is the problem, moving one standard site is included. I copy it, test it, then switch the domain at a quiet time. A large online store or a custom app gets a fixed quote before any work starts.
What can I check before I pay for the work?
Write down who bills the hosting, where yesterday’s backup lives, and whether you can change a page yourself. A free calculator sets what you pay now beside the plan that fits. Leave the update button alone if you cannot undo the click.
Open the hosting cost calculator. It lines up the current setup per year next to the plan that fits. It does not log into the site.
You do not need a server login to send a note. Email a link or a screenshot to michael@michaelheredia.com. Say which page is wrong, whether you can log in, and where a backup is if you know.
What does a plan include that the host bill does not?
Every plan includes hosting and SSL, daily backups stored separately, core, plugin, and theme updates, monitoring around the clock, security hardening, and a fix when something breaks. Small changes use the monthly time, then $125 an hour. I tell you before going over. Unused time does not roll over.
Essentials is $99 a month: 30 minutes of changes, and a reply within 2 business days. Malware cleanup is $125 an hour on Essentials.
Business is $249 a month: everything in Essentials, 1 hour of changes, updates tested on a staging copy before they go live, and malware cleanup included. “Most popular” is only the label on Business.
Priority is $499 a month: everything in Business, 3 hours of changes, a dedicated server when I host, and 24/7 response if the site goes down.
Fixing something that broke on my watch, or restoring a backup, is included on every plan. On Essentials and Business, an outage goes to the front of the line during business hours. Priority gets a 24/7 response if the site goes down.
You do not get a server login or a control panel to manage. You keep full ownership of the domain and the content. You can ask for a complete copy of the site any time.
Checkout is a couple of minutes. An email arrives within 1 business day to start onboarding.
Which plan fits a small site that needs the work done?
Essentials fits a simple site with few edits. Business fits a site where updates should be tested on a staging copy and malware cleanup is included. Priority fits a site that needs 24/7 response if it goes down, plus a dedicated server when I host.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $99 a month | Hosting and SSL, separate daily backups, updates, monitoring, security hardening, 30 minutes of changes, a reply within 2 business days. Malware cleanup is $125 an hour. Fixes and restores are included. |
| Business (most popular) | $249 a month | Everything in Essentials, 1 hour of changes, updates tested on a staging copy before they go live, malware cleanup included. |
| Priority | $499 a month | Everything in Business, 3 hours of changes, a dedicated server when I host, and 24/7 response if the site goes down. |
The price is the same if I host or if I look after the site on the host you already pay. See the plans.
When this isn’t the right fit
This is the wrong fit if someone on staff already applies the updates, keeps a separate backup, and makes the small changes. It is also the wrong fit if the site needs a redesign, a new feature, an online store, or an integration before care is the useful next step.
A care plan looks after the site you have. If the pages themselves are the problem, start with web development. Redesigns, new features, online stores, and integrations are a fixed quote before any work starts.
On cancel, the plan runs to the end of the paid month. Before it ends, you get a full copy of the site and help pointing the domain to a new host.
See the plans or send a question through the hosting form.
FAQ
What should small business website hosting include? +
Hosting and SSL, daily backups stored separately from the site, core, plugin, and theme updates, uptime monitoring around the clock, and security hardening: locked-down logins, firewall rules, and safe defaults. A fix on my watch, or restoring a backup, is included. Small changes use monthly time, then $125 an hour. I tell you before going over.
What do the monthly plans cost? +
Essentials is $99 a month, with 30 minutes of changes and a reply within 2 business days. Business is $249 a month, with 1 hour, updates tested on a staging copy, and malware cleanup included. Priority is $499 a month, with 3 hours, a dedicated server when I host, and 24/7 response if the site goes down.
Can I keep the host I already pay? +
Yes. Same plans, same price. Your host keeps billing you for hosting. I look after the site on that account and keep a daily backup stored separately. Priority's dedicated server applies only when I host. Moving one standard site is included if you leave: I copy it, test it, then switch the domain at a quiet time.
What do I get if I cancel? +
The plan runs to the end of the paid month. Before it ends, you get a full copy of the site and help pointing the domain to a new host. You keep full ownership of the domain and the content, and you can ask for a complete copy any time. You do not manage a server login or control panel.
