Hosting is where your website lives

Web hosting means entrusting your site's files to a host, which sends them to visitors on every request. Prices start very low: OVHcloud lists €1.59 per month excl. VAT for an entry-level plan and €2.99 excl. VAT for a 15-site plan (OVHcloud, September 2026). What matters for a small business is less the headline price than the backups, uptime, support and renewal terms.

On the GDPR side, one myth circulates: that hosting has to be in France. That isn't what the rule says, and the details are more useful than the slogan.

The four types of hosting

Type	Who it's for	Strengths	Points to watch
Shared	Showcase site, blog, small store	Low price, ready to use, simple to manage	Resources shared with other sites
VPS (virtual server)	High-traffic site, application	Dedicated resources, full control	Someone has to administer and secure the server
Cloud, platform	Web application, generated site, technical team	Scales up, automated deployment	Usage-based billing, requires skills
Hosting managed by your provider	Small business with no technical skills	Hosting, updates and backups handled together	You depend on the provider; insist on access to the contract

For a small-business showcase site, shared hosting is enough in most cases. A VPS or a cloud platform is only justified if the site has particular needs, or if your provider manages it for you.

How much does website hosting cost

Here are benchmarks from French hosts, taken from their websites on September 21, 2026:

OVHcloud Starter: €1.59 per month excl. VAT, one site, 1 GB of storage.
OVHcloud Perso: €2.99 per month excl. VAT, up to 15 sites, 100 GB of storage.
Both plans include free SSL certificates and DDoS protection, with an advertised observed availability of 99.9% (OVHcloud).

Always check two things before committing: the renewal price (the advertised rate is often an introductory rate valid for the first period) and what's included (backups, email, number of sites, support).

If your provider manages hosting for you, it appears in an all-in package. In our guide to website costs, hosting and maintenance for a standard showcase site come to between €30 and €80 per month: that amount covers technical follow-up, not just the server.

GDPR doesn't say "host in France." It regulates transfers of personal data outside the European Union: the CNIL, France's data protection authority, states they are possible provided a sufficient and appropriate level of protection is ensured. It cites as mechanisms the European Commission's adequacy decisions, standard contractual clauses and binding corporate rules (CNIL).

In practice, three cases come up:

Host in France or in the EU: no transfer outside the EU to regulate. This is the simplest case to document.
US host certified under the Data Privacy Framework: the European Commission recognized an adequate level of protection for certified US companies in July 2023. The EU General Court dismissed a first challenge to this framework on September 3, 2025, but the decision can still be appealed to the Court of Justice. Check the host's certification on the official Data Privacy Framework list.
Host in a country with no adequacy decision: you then need standard contractual clauses and a risk analysis. This is the heaviest case.

In every case, the host is a processor under GDPR: a written contract must govern how it processes your data (Article 28 of GDPR). Ask for it, or check that the host's terms and conditions serve as one.

At NexIT, our own website is hosted with Netlify, a US company, as our legal notice states. We say so because the question isn't just "French or not": what matters is the contract, the transfer safeguards and transparency toward your visitors.

Seven criteria for choosing a host

Location and legal framework: where the servers are, and under which safeguard if they're outside the EU.
Backups: frequency, retention period, and whether you can actually restore.
Up-to-date PHP version: WordPress recommends PHP 8.3 or higher (WordPress.org), and versions 7.4, 8.0 and 8.1 are no longer maintained (php.net). A host that only offers old versions puts your site at risk.
HTTPS certificate included and renewed automatically.
Support: reachable, in your language, with a stated response time. The French host o2switch, for example, highlights technical support based in France, available 24/7 (o2switch).
Advertised uptime and a written commitment, rather than a sales promise.
Exit terms: can you easily get your files and database back if you switch?

Who should hold the hosting account?

The hosting account and the domain name should be in your name, with your credentials. If your provider manages them for you, insist on a copy of the access details and a document that spells out what happens if the contract ends. Without that, leaving your provider means losing your site.

This point is among the questions to ask before signing, covered in our guide to getting a reliable website quote and in our guide to website subscriptions.

Hosting and performance

Server response speed is part of the time it takes for the main content to appear, for which Google sets the "good" threshold at 2.5 seconds (web.dev). Slow hosting can't be fully made up for by optimizing the site. But most slowness comes from images that are too heavy, excess scripts or too many plugins before it comes from the server: measure first, change host afterward. Our website audit checklist guides you through it.

Frequently asked questions

No. GDPR regulates transfers outside the European Union; it doesn't require a specific hosting location. A host outside the EU is possible if the transfer is properly covered: an adequacy decision, standard contractual clauses or another safeguard recognized by the CNIL.

How much does hosting a showcase website cost?

A few euros a month for entry-level shared hosting: OVHcloud lists €1.59 and €2.99 per month excl. VAT. With maintenance and technical follow-up by a provider, expect more like €30 to €80 per month for a standard showcase site.

Can I change host without losing my site?

Yes, if you have access to your files and your database. Moving to a new host doesn't change your content or your address, but it requires handling DNS and testing the site before switching over. Some hosts offer free migration.

Does a small business site need dedicated hosting?

Rarely. Solid shared hosting is enough for a showcase site or a blog. A dedicated server or a VPS is justified for sustained traffic, a specific application or particular security constraints.

Conclusion: choose a contract, not just a price

Good hosting is judged on backups, the PHP version, support and the contract governing your data. Whether the server is in France or elsewhere matters less than the legal framework for the transfer and transparency toward your visitors. And the account should stay in your name.

✅ Compare the renewal price, not just the introductory price ✅ Check the PHP version offered and how often backups run ✅ If the host is outside the EU, check the certification or the transfer clauses ✅ Ask for the processing contract (Article 28 of GDPR) ✅ Keep the hosting account and the domain name in your name

Unsure about your current hosting?

Describe your situation: we'll reply within 24 hours with a clear opinion and, if needed, a free quote to migrate or secure your site.

Web Hosting for Small Businesses: Prices and How to Choose (2026)