Domain and hosting
For a website you need two things: an address and a place where the website lives. The easiest way to picture it is a house: the domain is the street address, and hosting is the plot of land the house stands on.
Domain
A domain is the address of your website, for example yourbusiness.hr. You type it into the browser, and it is also used for e-mail addresses such as info@yourbusiness.hr.
- A domain is paid for every year. If it is not renewed in time, the website and the e-mail stop working.
- The domain should be registered in your name or your company’s, not in the name of the person who builds your website. That way it stays yours even if you change builders.
- For a business in Croatia, .hr is the usual choice. If your guests or clients are mostly abroad, .com or .eu work well too.
Hosting
Hosting is a computer on the internet where your website lives around the clock, so that visitors can open it at any time.
A simple website needs only cheap or even free hosting. A website you edit yourself, and an online shop, need stronger, paid hosting.
SSL certificate
You can recognise an SSL certificate by https:// at the start of the address (and in most browsers by a padlock). It means the connection between the visitor and the website is protected. Without it, the browser shows visitors a warning that the website is not secure. With most hosting, SSL is free today.
In short: the domain is the address and is paid for yearly, hosting is the place where the website lives, and SSL (https://) shows that the connection to the website is secure. I help you choose and set up all three.
Why a website needs maintenance
A website is not finished on the day it goes online. Like a car, it needs regular servicing to keep working reliably.
- Updates. The systems and plug-ins your website runs on get new versions, often for security reasons. A website that is not updated is an easier target for attacks.
- Backups. If something breaks, a backup brings the website back as it was, instead of starting from scratch.
- Correct information. Prices, opening hours and offers change. Wrong information costs you enquiries and your customers’ trust.
- Monitoring. Someone needs to notice when the website is down or the form stops sending messages, ideally before your customers do.
A simple website without an editing system needs less maintenance. A website you edit yourself, and an online shop, need it regularly, every month.
In short: maintenance keeps your website secure, fast and correct. The maintenance packages cost 29 € or 59 € a month, with no contract. See the maintenance packages
What SEO is and whether you need it
SEO is everything that helps people find you on Google when they search for what you offer, for example “electrician Zagreb” or “apartments Jelsa”.
The basics are simple and are included in every website I build:
- clear titles and descriptions on every page,
- fast loading, especially on phones,
- text that clearly says what you do and where,
- a tidy page structure that Google can read easily.
Google Business Profile
If customers come to you or you go to them, a free Google Business Profile matters too: your listing on Google Maps, with your address, opening hours, photos and reviews. For a local business it is often just as important as the website itself. Setting up a Google Business Profile is included in the Business and Online shop packages.
In short: every website needs basic SEO, and it is included in the price of the build. Nobody can honestly promise you first place on Google, so be careful with offers that guarantee it.
What a website costs per year
Besides the price of the build, which you pay once, a website has smaller yearly costs. These are rough amounts in Croatia in October 2026.
Website build
from 390 €, one-off
Start from 390 €, Business from 790 €, Online shop from 1,490 €. The exact amount is in the quote.
Domain
from about 10 € a year
.com or .eu is usually around 10–20 €, and .hr at a registrar around 70–85 € including VAT. CARNET also gives a free .hr domain to businesses and people in Croatia, under certain conditions, so we can check together whether you can get one.
Hosting
0–25 € a month
A simple website can be on free hosting. A website you edit yourself, or a shop, needs paid hosting, usually 5–25 € a month.
SSL certificate
usually 0 €
With most hosting it is free and renews itself.
Maintenance
29 € or 59 € a month
Optional, and with no contract. Cancel any time.
Changes without a package
25 € / hour
If you don’t have maintenance and need to change text, prices or pictures.
Example: a simple Start website with a .hr domain and free hosting, without maintenance, costs about 465 € in the first year (390 € for the build and about 75 € for the domain). In each following year you pay only for the domain, about 75 €. With Basic maintenance you add 348 € a year (12 × 29 €).
Why phones come first
Most people open websites on their phones today, often on the move and with a weak signal. That is why I design for the small screen first, and only then for the computer.
- Speed. Light images and clean code mean the page opens in a couple of seconds, and the visitor doesn’t give up.
- Big buttons. Calling, sending an enquiry or booking must be within reach of a thumb.
- Google. Google judges a website by its mobile version, so a poor mobile version can also mean a lower position in search results.
In short: if a website doesn’t work well on a phone, for most of your customers it doesn’t work at all. See the examples and open them on your own phone.
Still something unclear?
Just ask. I reply within one working day, in plain words and with no obligation.