Frequently Asked Questions
Answering your Basic Questions
Basic Questions Commonly Asked
It is a service that provides the storage space and server infrastructure needed to make your website files accessible on the internet.
To have a website visible online, you need a server to store its images, text, and databases so visitors can access them 24/7.
A domain name is your website’s digital address (like www.argylltech.com), while hosting is the "house" where your website’s files actually live.
Shared Hosting:
Most affordable; multiple websites share one server's resources.VPS (Virtual Private Server):
A middle ground providing more dedicated resources and control.A Virtual Private Server (VPS) is typically used by small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that have outgrown the limitations of shared hosting, generally handling over 25,000–30,000 monthly visitors. While shared hosting is suitable for new websites, blogs, and low-traffic startups, VPS offers the dedicated resources and stability needed for growing, resource-intensive, or security-conscious businesses.
Dedicated Hosting:
You rent an entire physical server for your site alone.Cloud Hosting:
Uses a network of servers for high scalability and reliability.Prices vary from as low as £24.95/year for basic shared plans to hundreds for dedicated servers, depending on traffic and resource needs.
It is the percentage of time a server is online. Most reputable providers such as our partnered 20i host guarantee at least 99.9% uptime.
An SSL certificate encrypts data between the visitor and the server, which is essential for security and SEO. All our hosting packages come with a free 'wild card' SSL.
From an end user’s point of view, there’s usually no visible difference at all when everything is configured correctly:
Both a standard SSL certificate and a wildcard SSL certificate give the same core benefit: HTTPS encryption (padlock, encrypted connection, no “Not secure” warning).
Pages load and behave the same.
The difference only shows up when the user visits different subdomains (or inspects the certificate details).
The difference only shows up when the user visits different subdomains (or inspects the certificate details).
Even if a free wildcard certificate works, paid certificates can still make sense for a few practical reasons:
Validation / trust signals (OV/EV)
Free certificates are typically DV (Domain Validation) only. Some businesses prefer OV/EV certificates because the certificate details show the organisation has been verified (useful for procurement/compliance and “trust” messaging, even though the padlock looks the same to most users).Security isolation (reduce blast radius)
A wildcard often means one private key is used across many subdomains. If any one system using that key is compromised, you may need to replace the cert/key for everything. Some businesses deliberately use separate certs per service/subdomain.Coverage needs (wildcard isn’t universal)
Wildcards typically cover only one level (e.g. *.example.com, not a.b.example.com) and don’t cover other domains. A paid multi-domain (SAN) certificate can cover many specific hostnames/domains in one cert.Deployment/control requirements
Some setups need the certificate installed on third-party infrastructure (load balancers, firewalls, CDNs, multiple servers) with specific formats, chains, or processes. Paid certs are often chosen when a business needs tighter control over issuance/installation and lifecycle.Support, warranty, and audit requirements
Some organisations want a CA support contract / warranty terms and something that ticks boxes for internal policies or external audits.Bandwidth is the amount of data transferred to your visitors, while storage (or disk space) is the physical room for your website files.
Yes we offer website migration services to move your files and databases from a previous provider.