Guides
Web hosting guides, in plain English
Practical explanations for business owners, creators and developers in India. Each guide answers one question properly, with examples and a clear next step.
Basics
4 articlesDomain vs hosting: what is the difference?
A domain name is the address people type to find your website. Hosting is the server space where the website's files are stored. You need both, they are usually bought and renewed separately, and you can move one without losing the other.
ReadHosting terms explained: bandwidth, uptime, storage and more
Hosting plan tables use a handful of terms that are easy to misread. Unlimited bandwidth always has fair use limits, 99.9% uptime still allows about 43 minutes of downtime a month, and most small sites need far less storage than plans offer. Here is what each term means, with worked numbers.
ReadWhat is cPanel?
cPanel is a control panel that lets you manage a Linux hosting account through a web browser: upload files, create email accounts and databases, add domains, install SSL and take backups, all without typing server commands.
ReadWhat is web hosting, and how does it work?
Web hosting is a service that stores your website's files on a server connected to the internet all day, so anyone who types your domain can load your pages. You rent that server space from a hosting company, usually by the month or year.
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Choosing hosting
4 articlesHosting renewal prices explained: why the second bill is bigger
Most hosting in India is advertised at an introductory price that applies only to a long prepaid first term. When that term ends, the plan renews at a higher rate, often two to six times the headline. Knowing how to read the pricing table lets you compare the real cost before you buy.
ReadHow to choose a web hosting plan
Choose hosting by working through six questions in order: what you are running, how many sites, how many email accounts, which operating system your software needs, how much traffic you expect, and what you can spend over two to three years. The answers usually point to one or two plans.
ReadHow to launch a website, step by step
Launching a website comes down to eight steps: decide what the site must do, register a domain, choose hosting, build the site, switch on HTTPS, set up business email, run a launch checklist and then look after it with Search Console and backups. This guide walks through each step for a small Indian business.
ReadHow to migrate a website to a new host
A safe migration copies your files, database and email to the new host, tests the copy before anyone sees it, and only then switches DNS. Keep the old host running until the new one has worked for a few days.
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Hosting in India
3 articlesGST on web hosting: rate, SAC code and TDS explained
Web hosting is a taxable service under GST. CBIC's services classification lists hosting under SAC 998315, and services of this kind are taxed at 18%, split as CGST and SGST within a state or charged as IGST between states. TDS treatment is less settled, so confirm it with your chartered accountant.
ReadHosting for an Indian business: billing, invoices, data location and latency
An Indian business should look beyond price when choosing a host: rupee billing, proper GST invoices, where the server sits relative to your customers, when and how support is available, and your duties under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act. This guide covers each point and what to ask.
ReadWeb hosting cost in India: what you will actually pay
Entry shared hosting in India is advertised from about ₹69 to ₹383 a month, but most of those prices need a three or four year prepayment and renew higher, usually before GST. The fair way to compare is total cost over three years, including renewal and tax.
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Domains and DNS
3 articlesHow to connect a domain to hosting
You connect a domain to hosting in one of two ways: change the domain's nameservers to your host's, or keep your current DNS and point an A record at your server's IP address. This guide shows when to use each and how to check it worked.
ReadWhat is a subdomain?
A subdomain is a name you create in front of your own domain, such as shop.yourbusiness.in or blog.yourbusiness.in. It costs nothing extra, can point to a different folder or server, and needs its own DNS record, SSL coverage and, if it sends email, its own SPF and DKIM setup.
ReadWhat is DNS and how does it work?
DNS (the Domain Name System) is the internet's directory. It translates a name like yourbusiness.in into the IP address of the server that hosts the website or receives the email, using a chain of servers and a set of records you control.
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Speed and security
5 articlesHow SSL certificates work
An SSL certificate proves your website really owns its domain and lets the browser set up an encrypted HTTPS connection. A trusted certificate authority vouches for it, and from March 2026 public certificates last at most 200 days, so automatic renewal now matters.
ReadHow to improve website speed
Measure first, then fix the biggest problems in order: images, caching, server response time, and front end code. Hosting matters most for server response time; most other delays come from the page itself.
ReadHow to monitor your website's uptime
An uptime monitor visits your website every few minutes from outside your server and alerts you when it fails. Set up checks for the home page, a keyword on a key page, SSL expiry and domain expiry, send alerts to a phone, and keep the log so you can show your host exactly when problems happened.
ReadHow to secure a website
Most website break ins use old software, weak or reused passwords, or a missing backup that turns a small problem into a disaster. Fix those three first, then add HTTPS, sensible permissions, a firewall and a plan for reporting incidents.
ReadTroubleshooting common hosting errors
Most website errors fall into four groups: the server or application failed (5xx), access was refused or the page is missing (4xx), the domain does not resolve (DNS), or the secure connection failed (SSL). The table below tells you which group you are in and what to check first.
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How to create a business email address
To create a business email, you need a domain you own and a mail service: the mailboxes included with your hosting, or a separate service such as Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. Create the mailbox, publish the right DNS records, then add it to your phone and computer.
ReadSPF, DKIM and DMARC: how to stop your email landing in spam
SPF lists the servers allowed to send mail for your domain, DKIM signs each message so receivers can check it was not altered, and DMARC tells receivers what to do when those checks fail. Together they prove your mail is genuinely from you.
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WordPress
1 articleServers
3 articlesWhat is a dedicated server, and when is it worth it?
A dedicated server is a whole physical server rented to a single customer, with no other tenants sharing its processors, memory or disks. It suits large or sensitive workloads that have outgrown a VPS, but it costs more and needs someone to manage it properly.
ReadWhat is NVMe storage, and does it matter for hosting?
NVMe is a way for solid state storage to talk to a computer directly over the PCIe bus, with many parallel command queues, instead of going through the older SATA interface built for hard disks. On a busy hosting server that means storage is less likely to be the bottleneck, though your site's overall speed depends on much more.
ReadWhat is VPS hosting?
A VPS (virtual private server) is a virtual machine on a physical server, with its own operating system and a fixed share of RAM, CPU cores and storage. It gives you much of the control of your own server at a fraction of the cost, but you, or someone you hire, must look after it.
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Looking for a fix rather than an explanation? Try the help centre. Weighing up two options? See the comparisons.
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