You pay for it once a year, it renews without warning and almost nobody knows whose it is. Here is what to know before you buy.
You have a website. It works. You show up on Google.
But where does it live?
On a server someone pays for, renews and watches. Not always you.
And one day you find out you never knew who held the key.
It is not a technical problem.
It is a question almost nobody asks before buying.
is how much SiteGround’s StartUp plan goes up at renewal: from €2.99 a month in the first-year offer to €15.99 at the regular price (excl. VAT). The offer is the hook. The regular price is what you will pay.
SiteGround · prices published in October 2026
The domain is the address: onaiastudio.com. Hosting is the place your site lives: a server, a computer that never switches off. SSL is the padlock that encrypts the connection (the https).
They are usually bought together, but they are different things and can expire on different dates.
Your site is normally in a data centre that is not in your town. Raiola Networks has its own in Madrid, IONOS uses servers in Germany and SiteGround lets you choose the country.
What does matter is that they are inside the European Union: if the data from your contact form leaves the European Economic Area, the GDPR requires a legal basis for it and for you to reflect it in your privacy policy. And something that matters more than the map: who answers when something breaks.
If you are comfortable in a control panel and do not mind watching renewals and security, buying hosting yourself is reasonable and cheaper. If you would rather not think about it, it makes sense for whoever builds your site to run it.
| Provider | Plan | € per month, regular price | VAT | Servers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dinahosting | Básico | €5.45 | Not stated | Spanish IP |
| IONOS | Standard | €6 | Not included | Germany |
| Raiola Networks | Inicio | €8.95 | Not included | Madrid |
| Hostinger | Premium | €9.99 | Not stated | Not stated on its site |
| SiteGround | StartUp | €15.99 | Not included | Your choice |
Swipe to see the table →
Each provider’s basic plan at the price you pay once the offer ends. Checked on their official sites in October 2026; they change often. The first-year offer is usually between 2 and 5 times lower and disappears at renewal. This is only hosting: nobody looks after your site.
If you change your hours, raise a price or add a service, hosting does not touch it. Someone has to edit the website.
Hosting keeps the server switched on. Whether your form keeps sending, your site loads fast or nothing breaks after an update is a different matter, and it usually ends up being yours.
Having hosting does not make you appear when people search for what you offer. Local SEO is separate work, and it has to be kept up to date.
Three questions that whoever sells you hosting, or builds your site, should be able to answer.
Whose name is the domain in? It must be in your name and with your tax ID. It is what lets you take it with you if you ever change provider.
What does it cost at renewal? Not the offer price: the one after it. Ask for it in writing.
Who answers if something breaks, and how fast? A ticket number is not the same as a person who knows your site.
It costs more than bare hosting because it is not only hosting: it includes someone who looks after your site. And your site is yours from day one, whether you look after it or we do.
Hosting is the server where your website is stored so anyone can visit it at any time. The domain is the address; hosting is the place it lives.
The basic plans of the main providers cost between €5 and €28 a month at regular price, with VAT extra at several of them. First-year offers are much lower, but they go up at renewal.
No. The server does not need to be in your town. It is wise for it to be inside the European Union because of the GDPR, and for someone to be there to help when it fails.
No. The domain is your website’s address (for example, yourbusiness.com) and hosting is where it is stored. They can be bought from different places and expire separately.
Hosting, domain and SSL kept active, ongoing technical support with a reply within 48 hours, 1 or 2 content changes a month and local SEO kept up to date. It costs €97 (Punto plan) or €110 (Trazo plan) plus VAT a month, with no lock-in.
At Onaia, the set-up of hosting, domain and SSL is included in the price of your website. Maintenance is optional.
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