What Is Hosting? A Simple Guide for South Africans

Every month, thousands of people type the question “What is hosting?” into Google. If you're building a website for the first time, this is probably one of your first stops—and it’s a smart one.

Let’s break it down in plain English so anyone can understand it.

Hosting Explained (Using a Simple Example)

Think of a website like a house.

To make that house useful, you need three things:

1. An address – so people can find you
2. The house itself – where you live
3. A stand or plot of land – where you build the house

Now apply that to the internet:

• The domain is your address (like yourbusiness.co.za)
• The website is your house (the pages, pictures, and text people see)
• And the hosting is your piece of land on the internet – the space where your website files are stored

So when someone says, “You need hosting,” they mean you need to rent space online where your site can live and be seen by others.

Why You Can’t Launch a Website Without Hosting

A domain name alone won’t make your website work. It’s like having a street address with no building on it.

Web hosting is the engine behind your website. It gives you:

• Disk space to store files
• A server to respond to visitors
• The speed, reliability, and tools needed to keep everything running

No hosting = no website.

How Big Is the Hosting Industry?

Hosting isn’t just some niche service. It’s huge, and growing fast:

• There are over 1.5 billion websites in the world, but only about 200 million are active
• The web hosting market is expected to hit over R5.5 trillion globally by 2030
• Shared hosting (the most affordable kind) still powers over 35% of all websites

That tells you something: hosting is essential, and most people start with something simple and affordable.

What Kind of Hosting Do You Need?

There are several types of hosting, depending on how big or complex your website is.

Here’s a quick breakdown:

At IDS Hosting, we help you match the right package to your project—whether it's a one-page website, an online store, or even just email for your domain.

What Comes With Hosting?

With good hosting, you get much more than just space:

• Storage – For your site’s files, photos, pages, and email
• Uptime – Reliable servers (we aim for 99.9% uptime or better)
• Speed – Fast loading means better SEO and happier visitors
• Email accounts – Like info@yourdomain.co.za
• Support – Someone to help when things go wrong

You also get peace of mind—because you know your online presence is stable and secure.

Hosting in South Africa: What to Expect

Local hosting matters. Here’s why:

• It’s faster for South African visitors (less lag)
• Support is in your time zone
• Billing is in ZAR, not USD
• You support local business

At IDS Hosting, we run our servers locally and offer direct support for South Africans. That means quicker load times and fewer headaches.

Who Needs Hosting?

If you want to:

• Launch a website
• Run a blog
• Start an online shop
• Use professional email
• Build your brand online

…then you need hosting.

Even if you're not ready to build the full site yet, it's smart to register your domain and hosting early. This gives you time to plan, while locking in your name before someone else does.

Final Thoughts

Hosting isn’t just a tech buzzword—it’s the backbone of your website. Whether you're building a portfolio, starting a business, or running a community group, you need hosting that’s fast, stable, and affordable.

Start simple with a Shared Hosting plan. If your site grows, we’ll help you upgrade. And if you already know what you need, our Custom Hosting solutions are flexible and tailored.

Let’s Build Something

We keep things simple, support you locally, and offer solid hosting at great prices—because we love to serve.

Need help choosing the right hosting plan? Contact us today and let’s talk.