Home › Blog › Websites
Websites

Website Hosting and SSL Explained: What $50 a Year Should Cover

Short answer

Hosting is the computer that serves your website to visitors; SSL encrypts the connection and enables HTTPS. A good small-business plan should include fast delivery, a valid certificate that renews automatically, backups, uptime monitoring and security updates. AWI Digital’s hosting and SSL is $50 per year; the $250 package includes the first year.

AWI Digital Team 2026-10-06⏱ 3 min read

Types of hosting

TypeBest forWatch out for
Static hosting with a CDNFast brochure and marketing sitesNeeds a build step for edits; no server-side code
Shared hostingLow-cost WordPress and PHP sitesSlow neighbours, limited control
VPS or cloud serverCustom apps and databasesYou (or your developer) must maintain it
Managed platformsApps with databases and background jobsCosts grow with usage

What SSL does

SSL/TLS encrypts data between the visitor and your site and shows the padlock. Browsers warn visitors about sites without HTTPS, and Google uses HTTPS as a light ranking signal. Free certificates (for example from Let’s Encrypt) are standard; what matters is that renewal is automatic so the site never shows an expiry warning.

Checklist: what your plan should include

  • HTTPS with automatic certificate renewal
  • A global CDN or at least fast servers near your customers
  • Daily or weekly backups you can restore
  • Uptime monitoring and a way to be alerted
  • Security patches handled for you
  • Clear terms for renewal price and cancellation
  • Easy export of your files if you leave

Questions to ask any provider

  1. What is the price in year two, not just year one?
  2. Who owns the account and can I take my site elsewhere?
  3. How are backups made and how fast can you restore?
  4. What happens if the site goes down at night?
  5. Is email hosting included or separate?

Get a website quote From $50/year

Tell us what you need. We reply with scope and a fixed price within 24 hours.

Frequently asked questions

What does the $50 per year cover?

Hosting and SSL for your site, kept running and renewed. The domain name is separate.

Is free hosting good enough?

For tests, yes. For a business, check speed, limits, branding, backups and who is responsible when something breaks.

Do I need to renew SSL myself?

Not with managed hosting: renewal is automatic. If you run your own server you must monitor it.

Get a free quote in 24 hours

Tell us what you need. We reply with scope, timeline and a fixed price.

Keep reading