Bridging the gap: How hosting providers can become the go-to digital partner for SMBs

For years, hosting providers have been key in helping small businesses get online. But in 2025 SMBs aren’t just looking for a place to park their website, they’re looking for a provider they can trust to help them thrive online with minimal fuss. 

Hosting providers have the opportunity to move from infrastructure providers to strategic digital partners for the small businesses of today. By offering a bundled mix of services, think hosting, domain registration, a site builder, e-commerce functionality, professional email and SSL certificates, hosting providers can become the one-stop shop small businesses owners can trust to help them launch and manage their online presence.

Why SMBs need more than just hosting

The average small business owner doesn’t have a huge amount of web design experience. They’re juggling everything from customer service and inventory to marketing and admin. They want something that’s simple, effective, affordable and just works. 

That’s where hosting providers can step in, not just as vendors but as digital partners. With the right product mix and add-ons, they can help SMBs get up and running faster, feel supported, and actually see results from their online presence.

Bundling essentials: What SMBs need

Let’s break down what a compelling SMB package might look like:

  • Domain registration: The foundation of any online identity.
  • Website builder: A simple, intuitive tool that allows users to build a beautiful, responsive website.
  • E-commerce functionality: The tools to sell products and services, manage orders and accept payments.
  • Professional email: A yourname@yourbusiness.com email address keeps things professional.
  • SSL certificate: Essential for security, trust and accessibility. 

When packaged together in a way that’s easy to understand and simple to manage, it becomes a powerful offer for small business owners who want to get online.

Why simplicity is key

At BaseKit, we’ve built our software with simplicity at the heart. Our white-label site builder, e-commerce and bookings products are explicitly designed with the small business owner in mind. Meaning they can build their website, sell products online and take bookings without needing a web designer or developer. 

Going beyond the tools

Great software is just part of the equation. Hosting providers wanting to become digital partners must think bigger than just the product. That’s why we also support our partners with go-to-market strategies, ongoing account management and a robust platform with 24/7 operational support. We believe these augmented benefits can be a game changer for hosting companies looking to scale faster and serve their customers better. 

Becoming the go-to digital partner

So how do hosting companies leap from service provider to go-to digital partner? It comes down to three things:

  1. Offer a complete, easy-to-use toolkit: Bundling domains, hosting, a website builder, e-commerce, email, and SSL gives SMBs everything they need to get started.
  2. Focus on user experience: Prioritise intuitive, user-friendly tools that don’t require technical knowledge.
  3. Provide ongoing value: Go beyond the product with expert support, insights, and a genuine commitment to your customer’s success.

When done right, this approach builds trust, improves retention, and drives long-term growth for you and your customers.

Capitalise on the opportunity

The small business market is more digital than ever, and SMBs are hungry for effective solutions. Hosting providers are in a unique position to meet that need if they’re willing to evolve. By offering a smart, simple and supportive bundle of digital services, they can become a true partner for their small business customers.

Try BaseKit for yourself

Talk to our team to try our BaseKit platform and see what a partnership could look like for your business.

Request demo

We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. View more
Cookies settings
Accept
Privacy & Cookie policy
Privacy & Cookies policy
Cookie name Active
Privacy Policy

  1. Introduction This privacy policy sets out how we use and protect any information that you provide to BaseKit. We are committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Any personal information you provide when using our products or services will only be used in accordance with this policy. Note that this policy does not cover how we use and protect information provided to us from website builder customers. If you are a Go Sitebuilder customer, please see the Go Sitebuilder Privacy Policy. If you are a customer of another company that offers BaseKit’s website builder, please see the company’s privacy policy available via their website. We may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page to ensure that you are happy with any changes. This policy is effective from January 2019.  

2. What information we collect We may collect the information you provide when you get in touch with us via the website, email, or phone.
  • You transfer your information to us via the website by filling in and submitting a form. We offer a number of different forms to help you find out more about the products and services we offer.
  • We have a number of different email addresses you can use to contact us. If you’re not sure which one to use then we recommend you send an email to support@basekit.com
  • We don’t provide a central phone number but BaseKit team members may provide their direct phone number for you to contact them.
 

3. How we use the information The information that we collect and store about you is primarily used to help us to stay in touch with you to provide our products and services. However, we may also use your information:
  • To improve our products and services
  • To send promotional email communications about special offers, news, product updates or other information which we think you may find interesting
  • To contact you for market research purposes
Note that we will only use your information as described in 3 and 4 above when you have explicitly opted in to receive such communications. You may opt out of these communications at any time by clicking the Unsubscribe link in any email or by sending a request to support@basekit.com  

4. Storing your personal data We store the data we collect using third party tools such as CRMs and databases. Any data we store is only accessible directly by a small number of authorised staff. The third parties that we use may store your data in locations outside of the EEA. We carefully review each supplier to ensure they handle data in line with this policy. We will store your data for as long as you remain a customer of BaseKit, or where you have actively been in contact with us about our products and services. We will keep data for up to 5 years if you’re not a customer or if we don’t hear from you.  

5. Security We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic, and managerial processes to secure and safeguard the data we collect and store. The transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure and we cannot guarantee the security of data sent to us electronically. The transmission of data is entirely at your own risk.  

6. How we use cookies A cookie is a small file which allows websites and apps to identify individual users and store information about each user’s preferences. A cookie does not give access to any more information than a user chooses to provide. We use cookies:
  • To identify where visitors to the website came from
  • To identify the content that is being viewed
The third party suppliers that we work with may also use cookies for similar purposes. We carefully review each supplier to ensure they handle data in line with this policy. You may choose to enable or disable cookies. Most web browsers automatically enable cookies, but you can usually modify a browser’s settings to disable cookies if you prefer. If you disable cookies you may not be able to take full advantage of our websites.  

7. Disclosing your information We may disclose your information to third party suppliers that we work with to provide our products and services. We carefully review each supplier to ensure they handle data in line with this policy. We may also disclose your information where we are required to do so by law.  

8. Controlling your personal information You may choose to restrict the collection or use of your personal information in the following ways:
  • When providing any information to BaseKit via this website, you may opt in to receive promotional email communications.
  • If you receive a promotional email, you may opt out by clicking the Unsubscribe link at the bottom of the email.
  • At any time you can opt out of promotional email communications by sending a request to support@basekit.com
  • If you would like us to delete all the information we have collected about you, send a request to support@basekit.com
  • If you would like to otherwise restrict the use of the information we have collected about you, send a request to support@basekit.com
  • Should you wish to access the information we hold about you, please send a request to support@basekit.com
Save settings
Cookies settings