Does a website builder include hosting?
Yes, it is bundled. What is and is not included, and the one thing to check.
See the templatesThe short answer: yes. Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy and Shopify all host the site as part of the monthly fee. You never see a server. That is most of what you are paying for.
What is included
- Hosting: the pages are served from their computers
- The padlock, so the address shows as secure
- Backups, after a fashion. You can usually restore an older version
- Often the first year of a domain name
What is not
- The domain after year one, which renews at full price
- Email at your domain, which is extra on most of them
- Leaving. The hosting is theirs, so the site stays with them
The one thing to check
Whose name is the domain in. If the builder registered it "for you" under its own account, moving it out can be slow or impossible. Register it yourself, or make sure the account is yours.
How ours works
The £20 a month covers hosting on our own server, the padlock, backups, the domain renewal and small changes. The domain is in your name. If you leave, your pages, photos and address come with you.
Want to see yours? Pick a website template and fill it in for free. You only pay when you want it live. Already have a site? Bring it in and we fill a template from it.