Published on · By the IT LABS PRO team
Hosting is the space on a server where your website’s files and database are stored, and which makes them available on the internet around the clock. It is often chosen at random, on price alone. Yet unsuitable hosting makes a website slow, unstable and vulnerable, and holds back its search rankings. Here is how to choose, and how much to budget, in Morocco.
Is your current hosting fast enough? Measure it with our free website speed test, and check your HTTPS certificate with the SSL checker.
The different types of hosting
Shared hosting
Your website shares a server with other websites. It is the cheapest and simplest option, often with an admin panel, e-mail addresses and an SSL certificate included. It suits most showcase websites and small blogs. Its limit: resources are shared, and a greedy neighbour can slow your website down.
Virtual private server (VPS)
You get a guaranteed share of a server’s resources, with your own system. More powerful and flexible, it needs skills to configure, secure and update, or a provider who does it for you (a “managed VPS”). It is often the right choice for an online shop or a web application.
Dedicated server
A whole physical server for you alone: maximum power, but higher cost and skills required. For high-traffic websites and applications or specific needs.
Cloud
Resources that scale up or down with the load, billed by usage. Ideal for applications whose traffic varies a lot, with more advanced technical management.
How to choose
- Performance: type of storage (SSD or NVMe), memory, recent versions of PHP and databases.
- Availability: an uptime commitment and server monitoring.
- Backups: automatic, regular, kept for several days and easy to restore. Check that they are stored somewhere other than the main server.
- Security: SSL certificate included, firewall, protection against common attacks, server updates.
- Support: responsiveness, language, channels (phone, tickets, chat).
- Server location: it can affect speed for your visitors and your personal data obligations (see our article on law 09-08).
- Scalability: being able to move up to a bigger plan easily as your website grows.
How much does hosting cost in Morocco?
For a business website, budget yearly for hosting + domain name + SSL certificate together. At IT LABS PRO, this usually comes to 2,500 to 3,200 MAD a year, depending on the hosting plan. Entry-level shared plans can be cheaper; managed VPS and solutions for high-traffic applications cost more. Always compare what is included (backups, SSL, e-mail, support) and the renewal price, not just the first year’s.
For the domain name itself, see our guide to the .ma domain name; for the overall budget of a website, our article on website costs in Morocco in 2026.
Which hosting for which website?
| Type of website | Recommended hosting |
|---|---|
| Showcase website, blog | Good-quality shared hosting |
| Multilingual business website with steady traffic | High-performance shared hosting or a small VPS |
| Online shop | Managed VPS |
| Business web application | VPS or cloud, depending on the number of users |
| High-traffic platform | Dedicated server or cloud |
Hosting and SEO
Loading speed is part of the user experience Google takes into account, and a website that is often down loses visitors and may be crawled less well by search engines. Good hosting is not enough to rank well, but bad hosting can hold you back. Keep an eye on server response time and errors in Google Search Console.
Mistakes to avoid
- Choosing on the first year’s price alone, without looking at renewal.
- Not checking the backups: you find out the day you need them.
- Leaving the hosting in a provider’s name with no access for you: if you fall out, your website is stuck.
- Ignoring updates: outdated PHP versions, unmaintained plugins.
- Keeping undersized hosting when traffic or the catalogue grows.
Changing host without breaking anything
- Make a full backup (files and database) and check it.
- Install the website on the new hosting and test it before switching.
- Lower the DNS caching time (TTL) a few days before the switch.
- Point the DNS to the new server, without forgetting the e-mail.
- Keep the old hosting active for a few days, until the switch is complete.
What your hosting contract should state
- the resources allocated (space, memory, processor) and their limits;
- how often backups run, how long they are kept and how they are restored;
- the uptime commitment and how support works;
- the renewal price and cancellation terms;
- how easily you can get your data back if you leave.
“Unlimited” hosting does not really exist: read the terms of use, which always set fair-use limits.
Finally, always keep a copy of your access details (admin panel, FTP or SSH, database, DNS) somewhere safe in your company. In an emergency or when changing provider, this information saves days.
Frequently asked questions
Does my website have to be hosted in Morocco?
No. A server close to your visitors can improve speed, and where the data is stored has consequences under law 09-08. Choose based on your visitors, your data and the quality of service.
Does hosting include e-mail addresses?
Often, for shared plans, with storage limits. For heavy use, a dedicated business e-mail service is usually more reliable.
Is an SSL certificate essential?
Yes. It switches on HTTPS, protects the data exchanged and avoids “not secure” warnings in browsers. It is now included in most plans; if yours does not include it, our free SSL certificate generator creates a Let’s Encrypt certificate.
In short
Choose your hosting according to the type of website, performance, backups, security and support, not on price alone. For a business website in Morocco, budget 2,500 to 3,200 MAD a year for hosting, the domain name and SSL. IT LABS PRO hosts your websites on its hosting platform and takes care of going live: discover our website development in Morocco.