NTG STUDIO WEBShort answer
For a showcase site, quality shared hosting or static hosting with a CDN is enough and costs 20,000 to 120,000 FCFA a year. A store or high-traffic site needs more power (VPS or cloud). The key criteria are speed from Central Africa, automatic backups, included SSL, responsive support and the renewal price.
Key takeaways
- The first-year price isn’t the real price: check renewal
- Automatic off-server backups are non-negotiable
- A CDN brings your site closer to visitors
- A static site is cheap to host and resists attacks better
Hosting is the always-on computer that runs your website. Bad hosting makes the site slow, exposes it to attacks and can make it vanish overnight. Here is how to choose.
Types of hosting
Shared. Your site shares a server with others. Economical, enough for a showcase site if the host is serious.
Static hosting with a CDN. For sites with no exposed database: pages served from a global server network, very fast and very secure. This is what we use for most of our sites.
VPS (virtual private server). A reserved slice of a server. For stores and medium-traffic sites, with someone to administer it.
Cloud or dedicated server. For large volumes, applications, platforms.
The 7 selection criteria
- Speed from Cameroon: test a site hosted with that provider from your phone.
- Automatic backups, daily, kept for several weeks, ideally off the server.
- Free SSL, renewed automatically.
- Current PHP version if you use WordPress.
- Responsive support, ideally by chat or WhatsApp.
- Clear renewal price.
- Email included or not, and its limits.
NTG Studio Web does it for you (Security & hosting, Performance & speed). Free 30-minute audit, reply within 24 hours, payment by Orange Money or MTN MoMo.
The traps
- "From 1,000 FCFA a month" offers that require three years upfront and triple on renewal.
- "Unlimited" hosting that cuts your site at the first traffic spike.
- Hosting in the provider’s name, with no access for you.
- No backups: the day the server fails, everything is lost.
How much to budget
| Type of site | Recommended hosting | Indicative yearly budget |
|---|---|---|
| Single page, showcase | Static + CDN or quality shared | 20,000 to 60,000 FCFA |
| Business WordPress site | WordPress-optimised shared | 40,000 to 120,000 FCFA |
| Online store | Premium shared or VPS | 80,000 to 300,000 FCFA |
| Platform, application | Managed VPS or cloud | On quote |
Personal data
If your site collects sensitive data (health, finance), Cameroonian Law No. 2024/017 regulates its security and transfer abroad. Choose suitable hosting and document it. See Law 2024/017 on personal data: what your website must do.
Our approach
Hosting is included in the first year with all our plans, on fast infrastructure with CDN, SSL and backups. After that, it’s billed at cost or included in maintenance.
Frequently asked questions
Should my site be hosted in Cameroon?
Not necessarily. Hosting abroad with a CDN is often fast and reliable. For certain sensitive data, the personal data law regulates transfers abroad: check what applies to your business.
What hosting for WordPress?
WordPress-optimised hosting with current PHP, caching, daily backups and included SSL.
Can my host take my site down?
Yes, for non-payment, hacking or resource abuse. Always keep a backup yourself.
Founder of NTG Studio Web in Douala. Master’s in international public law, IBM Data Analytics and Anthropic AI Fluency certified. He designs websites and visibility strategies for African businesses. Learn more →