Back in December 2007, one of the first decisions I had to make on my internet marketing journey was choosing a web host. If you were going to have a website, you needed somewhere to put it. This was before the days when platforms like Squarespace and Wix made it possible to launch a site without ever thinking about hosting.
My First Hosting Experience
At the time, I was using a shared hosting provider called Lunarpages. I had been with them for a while and was generally happy with the service. They offered cPanel for server management, one-click installs for blogging software, and the price was right at around $6.95 a month. For someone just getting started with internet marketing on a budget, it checked all the boxes.
Shared hosting in 2007 was a different world. Storage was measured in gigabytes, not terabytes. Bandwidth limits were a real concern. And the idea of “unlimited” anything was still a marketing gimmick that most hosts used loosely. But for a beginner building simple WordPress sites, shared hosting was more than adequate.
What Has Changed Since 2007
The web hosting landscape in 2026 is dramatically different from what it was when I wrote this original post. Here is what matters now:
Managed WordPress hosting has become the standard for serious content creators. Providers like Cloudways, SiteGround, and WP Engine handle security updates, backups, caching, and performance optimization so you can focus on creating content instead of managing servers.
Speed and performance are ranking factors. Google's Core Web Vitals made site speed a direct factor in search rankings. A slow shared hosting account can literally cost you traffic. Choosing a host with good server response times, built-in CDN support, and solid uptime is no longer optional.
SSL certificates are now mandatory. Back in 2007, HTTPS was only for e-commerce sites. Today, every site needs an SSL certificate, and most good hosts include them for free through Let's Encrypt.
The price range has expanded. You can still get started for under $10 a month, but serious sites often run on hosting that costs $25 to $100 a month. The performance difference is worth it once your site starts getting meaningful traffic.
My Advice for Choosing a Host in 2026
If you are just starting out, here is what I would prioritize:
- Server speed and uptime guarantees — Look for hosts with at least 99.9% uptime and fast server response times
- One-click WordPress installation — You should not have to deal with manual database setup in 2026
- Automatic backups — Your host should back up your site daily at minimum
- Responsive support — When something breaks at 2 AM, you need help fast
- Room to grow — Choose a host that offers easy upgrades as your traffic increases
The specific company matters less than these fundamentals. Do your research, read recent reviews, and pick something that fits your budget and technical comfort level. You can always migrate later as your needs change.
