To choose a web host, ask about the things you only notice when something goes wrong: how backups are restored and what that costs, who answers after hours, where your data lives, what you’ll pay at renewal and how easily you can leave. Price and storage are the easy parts to compare. The 15 questions below cover the rest, with what a good answer sounds like.
Key takeaways
- Ask every host the same questions, in writing, so you can compare answers side by side.
- “Backups included” means little until you know how often, where they’re stored and what a restore costs.
- Check the renewal price and the minimum term, not just the first-year deal.
- Most hosts look after the server, not your WordPress updates. Find out who does.
- A good host moves your site in for you and lets you leave with everything.
How do you choose a web host?
Start with what your site does. A five-page brochure site, a busy online shop and a membership portal need different things. If you’re not sure which kind of plan fits, our guide to the types of web hosting explains shared, VPS, cloud and managed options.
Then send the same 15 questions to two or three hosts. The answers, and how quickly and clearly they come back, tell you more than any review site. Our best web hosting in Australia scorecard explains why each area matters. This list is the practical version: copy it into an email.
Does the plan fit your site?
1. Which type of hosting is this?
Shared, VPS and managed plans differ in who you share a server with and who looks after it. Good answer: a plain explanation and a recommendation for your site. Red flag: “It’s unlimited, you’ll be fine.”
2. How much CPU, memory and disk do I get?
CPU and memory usually limit a site long before disk space does. Good answer: specific numbers, such as two CPU cores and 4 GB of memory. Red flag: only “unlimited” storage and bandwidth, with the real limits hidden in a fair-use policy.
3. Which PHP versions do you run?
WordPress runs on PHP, and old versions stop getting security fixes. PHP 8.2’s security support ends on 31 December 2026 (PHP.net). Good answer: current versions, and you can choose. Red flag: a host still defaulting to a version past its end date.
Where does your data live, and how is it backed up?
4. Which city is my site hosted in?
Distance adds delay to every page request. Sydney to Los Angeles measured 136.6 milliseconds round trip, against 9.7 to Melbourne (HATSnet). If you store customer details offshore, you can also stay accountable for how the overseas provider handles them (OAIC). Good answer: a named Australian city.
5. How often are backups taken, and where are they stored?
The 3-2-1 rule calls for three copies, on two kinds of storage, with one off-site (Backblaze). Good answer: at least daily, stored away from the server your site runs on. Red flag: backups kept only on the same server.
6. How long are backups kept?
Malware can sit quietly for weeks before anyone notices. If every backup is newer than the infection, none of them is clean. Good answer: weeks of history, not days. Our guide to backup retention explains why.
What happens when something breaks?
7. How do I restore a backup, and what does it cost?
This is the question most people forget. Some hosts take backups for free and charge for each restore, or only restore the whole account. Good answer: a clear process, a clear price and the option to restore just the files or just the database.
8. What security comes as standard?
Look for free SSL, a firewall, malware scanning and isolation between accounts. Patchstack found 91% of new WordPress vulnerabilities in 2025 were in plugins (Patchstack), so server protection matters. Our guide to secure web hosting lists ten features to check.
9. Who updates WordPress, plugins and themes?
Usually, nobody but you. Most hosts keep the server patched and leave your website software alone. Good answer: an honest “that’s you”, or a care plan that covers it with testing afterwards.
Who helps you, and when?
10. What are your support hours and channels?
Check the days, the hours and the time zone, and whether you can phone. Red flag: chat-only support from a team working Australian nights. Our guide to good hosting support covers what to expect.
11. Who answers in an after-hours emergency?
Sites rarely break at 10am on a Tuesday. Good answer: a named emergency number or process, and what it costs to use.
12. What does your uptime guarantee actually promise?
A 99.9% guarantee still allows about 8.8 hours of downtime a year. Ask what counts as downtime and what you get back if it’s missed. Our guide to the uptime guarantee decodes the fine print.
What will it cost, and can you leave?
13. What will I pay at renewal?
A low first-year price can double or triple at renewal. Work out the three-year cost. Ask whether paying yearly saves anything.
14. Is there a minimum term or a refund period?
Good answer: a money-back period, so you can test the service, and no long lock-in. Red flag: a three-year prepayment with no way out.
15. Will you move my site in, and let me leave with everything?
A good host migrates your site and tests it before switching. Ask about email too: if it lives on the same plan, it moves with the site. Our guide to email hosting vs web hosting helps you decide where email should live. On the way out, you should get your files, database and email without a fight.
How we answer the 15 questions
We’d rather you compare us properly than take our word for it. Here are our answers for Australian web hosting:
| Question | Our answer |
|---|---|
| Type and resources | Personal, Business and VPS plans, with set CPU cores, memory and disk, from 1 core, 2 GB and 5 GB up to 8 cores, 12 GB and 400 GB |
| Location | NEXTDC data centres in Brisbane and Melbourne |
| Backups | Off-site, daily to hourly and kept 30 days, on our care plans |
| Security | Free SSL on every plan. Firewall and malware scanning on our care plans |
| Support | Personal: email, ticket and chat, Mon–Fri 9–5. Business: adds phone, 7 days 9–5. VPS: 7 days 8am–8pm |
| Emergencies | 24/7 emergency line, 0426 833 422 |
| Uptime | 99.9% uptime SLA |
| Price | From $29 a month + GST. Pay yearly and you pay for 10 months |
| Commitment | 30-day money-back guarantee |
| Moving in | Free website migration on every plan |
Backups, updates and security monitoring sit in our Maintain & Protect website care plans, because they’re website work rather than server work. That keeps the hosting price honest and lets you choose the level of care you need.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most important thing to look for in a web host?
Recovery. Ask how often backups run, where they’re stored, how long they’re kept and what a restore costs. Speed and price matter, but a host that can get you back online quickly after a bad update or a hack is worth far more than a cheaper one that can’t.
Is it worth paying more for Australian web hosting?
If your customers are in Australia, usually yes. Pages load faster for local visitors, support works your hours, and keeping customer data onshore is simpler to explain. For a hobby site with overseas visitors, the difference matters less.
Should my web host also look after my WordPress updates?
Someone must, and most hosts don’t. Either you update and test the site yourself, or you pay for a care plan that does it. Ask before you sign up, so updates don’t fall between the host and your web designer.
How long does it take to choose and move to a new host?
Getting written answers from two or three hosts usually takes a few days. The move itself depends on the size of the site and where email lives. A host that does the migration for you will plan the switch so visitors don’t notice.
Are hosting review sites reliable?
Treat them with care. Many earn commission when you sign up, and their prices are often first-term deals. Use them for a shortlist, then ask each host the same questions yourself.
Sources
- Supported versions, PHP.net, November 2026
- Sydney to Los Angeles round-trip latency, HATSnet, October 2026
- APP Guidelines, Chapter 8, OAIC, October 2025
- The 3-2-1 backup strategy, Backblaze
- State of WordPress Security in 2026, Patchstack