For IT Managers, Marketing Leads & Umbraco Site Owners
Whoever owns the website shouldn't have to own the server too.
Some of you are the IT manager fielding a downtime alert at an unsociable hour. Some are the marketing lead who inherited a site nobody properly explained, and just want it to stay up when a campaign lands. Either way, you shouldn't need a server admin's job title to trust your hosting.
Our servers only run Umbraco sites. They're fully managed by our hosting partner in UK data centres, with SSL renewals handled, 30 days of off-site backups and uptime monitoring included, and our own team behind it who actually know the CMS.
Why Teams Come to Us
“We found out our host couldn't cope on launch day.”
Our servers only run Umbraco sites and are managed by our hosting partner in UK data centres. Worried about a big launch? Tell us early and our Umbraco team will talk it through.
“Nobody told us hosting needed patching too.”
Our hosting partner manages the servers themselves. Umbraco security patches sit with our support package, so we'll tell you plainly what's covered by hosting and what's covered by support.
“We're not sure anything is actually being backed up.”
Our hosting partner keeps 30 days of off-site backups of your site, so there's a recent copy to go back to if something goes wrong.
“We set it up once and never looked at it again.”
We constantly monitor every website we host and have guardrails in place, so we know about downtime very quickly, usually before you do.
The Gecko Way™
Our approach to successful projects
Before we touch a server, we want to understand the one you've actually got. That means traffic patterns, content volume, media size, any integrations pulling data in or out, and what growth looks like over the next year or two, not just the next launch. For clients who inherited their site, this is often the first time anyone's properly mapped what's running and why. We also ask the questions nobody's asked yet: who currently owns backups, what happens if the site goes down at 2am, and which Umbraco version you're on. That groundwork tells us what we're taking on, and what's worth flagging early.
Before we agree where your site should live, we look at what it needs, which Umbraco version it's on and what you want from your hosting. Our own hosting runs on managed servers that only host Umbraco sites, looked after by our hosting partner in UK data centres. Umbraco Cloud is a different route, hosted by Umbraco HQ itself. It's a choice you'd make with Umbraco rather than something we offer, and it suits teams who want HQ to handle upgrades, though it can feel restrictive if you need more control over the infrastructure. Whichever way you're leaning, we'll talk through the trade-offs honestly.
Once we've agreed where your site should live, we make sure it's set up properly: the correct .NET version for your Umbraco release, SQL Server configured for production rather than development, SSD storage, and HTTPS as standard, not an afterthought. Most sites go onto our existing shared servers, and we'd only build a bespoke environment if your site or requirements called for it. If we're migrating an existing site, we plan the cutover to minimise downtime, and we test the site thoroughly on its new setup before anything client-facing changes. Most cutovers depend on the DNS being changed on your side, so we'll tell you what to change and when. The aim is a site that's genuinely ready for production traffic on day one, not one that technically meets the minimum spec and hopes for the best.
You get a clear picture of what's actually running your site: what's backed up and for how long, who to contact and when, and what our monitoring is actually watching for. If you're the sole person managing digital in your organisation, this matters more than it sounds. Nobody should be the single point of failure for infrastructure they don't understand. We explain it in plain terms rather than assuming you speak server, so if you ever want to check something yourself, or explain it to your board, you can ask.
Hosting isn't a one-off job, it's an ongoing one, so we stay on it. We constantly monitor your site and know about downtime very quickly, usually before you do, our hosting partner looks after the servers underneath it, and off-site backups are kept for 30 days. If you're on one of our support packages, that's also where Umbraco security patching sits. And if something does go wrong, our own team, who know Umbraco, will tell you what's happening and what we're doing about it. This is the phase most hosting providers quietly drop once the invoice is paid. We don't, because "an agency you'll want to stick with" has to mean something once launch day's behind you.
What's Included in Umbraco Hosting
Umbraco-Specific Server Setup
Umbraco has real technical requirements, and getting them right from the start avoids problems later. Umbraco CMS is a genuine content management system, not just a page builder bolted onto a template, so hosting needs to support real content management at a database level, not just serve pages.
Our servers only run Umbraco sites, which is the point: they're set up for how the CMS behaves rather than for whatever else a general-purpose host has to cater for. That means the correct .NET version for your specific Umbraco release and a properly configured SQL Server database rather than a development-only option, all matched to your version of the CMS rather than a generic template.
We provision with production in mind: enough RAM and SSD storage to handle real content and media volumes, HTTPS enforced by default, and file permissions set correctly from day one rather than fixed retrospectively when something breaks. It's the unglamorous groundwork that decides whether everything built on top of it actually holds up.
Our Hosting & Umbraco Cloud
Our hosting runs on managed servers that only ever host Umbraco sites, set up for how the CMS behaves and looked after by our hosting partner in UK data centres. Umbraco Cloud, hosted by Umbraco HQ, is a different route entirely and not something we offer.
It suits teams who want HQ-managed upgrades and a simple, low-maintenance setup, though it can feel limiting if you need deeper infrastructure control. If you're not sure which route suits you, we'll tell you honestly where we think your site fits, rather than steering you toward whichever's easiest for us.
Uptime & Server Monitoring
We constantly monitor the websites we host and have guardrails in place, so we know about any downtime very quickly, usually before you do, and you're not relying on someone happening to notice a problem. Performance tuning is a different job.
If a site is slow, whether the cause is database queries, caching, image sizes, CSS files or whether a content delivery network would help, that's development work we'd scope and quote for rather than something that comes with hosting.
Slow load times hurt user experience and search rankings, so it's worth raising early, and our own team knows Umbraco well enough to tell you where the slowdown is actually coming from. That's what managed hosting does and doesn't include, and we'd rather say so plainly.
Security & Patch Management
SSL comes as standard on every site we host, and renewals are handled for you, so a certificate doesn't quietly expire on a Friday afternoon. The servers themselves are fully managed by our hosting partner in UK data centres. Patching Umbraco itself is part of our support packages rather than hosting, and it covers security patches only, so a site on hosting without a support package won't get them.
If you're not sure which you have, ask us, because it's far better to find out now than after a vulnerability's been disclosed. Moving to a newer Umbraco version is a separate piece of work again.
Backups
Our hosting partner keeps 30 days of off-site backups of your hosted Umbraco site, so there's a recent copy to go back to if something goes wrong, whether that's human error, a bad deployment or genuine infrastructure failure.
Backups are a safety net rather than a promise about how quickly you'll be back, and we'd rather tell you that than quote a recovery time we haven't tested. If you ever need something restored, tell us what and when, and we'll take it from there.
Hosting Migration & Onboarding
If you're moving an existing Umbraco site to us, whether from another agency or a server nobody quite remembers setting up, we plan the migration to minimise downtime and avoid data loss. That means testing the site thoroughly on its new setup before cutover, and having a rollback plan in case anything doesn't go to plan.
Most cutovers depend on you changing your own DNS, so we'll tell you what to change and when. If your Umbraco site wasn't built by us, that's fine as long as you're coming to us as a client, and we'll tell you honestly during onboarding if we spot anything in the existing setup worth fixing along the way.
What's Included in Umbraco Hosting
Umbraco-Specific Server Setup
Umbraco has real technical requirements, and getting them right from the start avoids problems later. Umbraco CMS is a genuine content management system, not just a page builder bolted onto a template, so hosting needs to support real content management at a database level, not just serve pages.
Our servers only run Umbraco sites, which is the point: they're set up for how the CMS behaves rather than for whatever else a general-purpose host has to cater for. That means the correct .NET version for your specific Umbraco release and a properly configured SQL Server database rather than a development-only option, all matched to your version of the CMS rather than a generic template.
We provision with production in mind: enough RAM and SSD storage to handle real content and media volumes, HTTPS enforced by default, and file permissions set correctly from day one rather than fixed retrospectively when something breaks. It's the unglamorous groundwork that decides whether everything built on top of it actually holds up.
Our Hosting & Umbraco Cloud
Our hosting runs on managed servers that only ever host Umbraco sites, set up for how the CMS behaves and looked after by our hosting partner in UK data centres. Umbraco Cloud, hosted by Umbraco HQ, is a different route entirely and not something we offer.
It suits teams who want HQ-managed upgrades and a simple, low-maintenance setup, though it can feel limiting if you need deeper infrastructure control. If you're not sure which route suits you, we'll tell you honestly where we think your site fits, rather than steering you toward whichever's easiest for us.
Uptime & Server Monitoring
We constantly monitor the websites we host and have guardrails in place, so we know about any downtime very quickly, usually before you do, and you're not relying on someone happening to notice a problem. Performance tuning is a different job.
If a site is slow, whether the cause is database queries, caching, image sizes, CSS files or whether a content delivery network would help, that's development work we'd scope and quote for rather than something that comes with hosting.
Slow load times hurt user experience and search rankings, so it's worth raising early, and our own team knows Umbraco well enough to tell you where the slowdown is actually coming from. That's what managed hosting does and doesn't include, and we'd rather say so plainly.
Security & Patch Management
SSL comes as standard on every site we host, and renewals are handled for you, so a certificate doesn't quietly expire on a Friday afternoon. The servers themselves are fully managed by our hosting partner in UK data centres. Patching Umbraco itself is part of our support packages rather than hosting, and it covers security patches only, so a site on hosting without a support package won't get them.
If you're not sure which you have, ask us, because it's far better to find out now than after a vulnerability's been disclosed. Moving to a newer Umbraco version is a separate piece of work again.
Backups
Our hosting partner keeps 30 days of off-site backups of your hosted Umbraco site, so there's a recent copy to go back to if something goes wrong, whether that's human error, a bad deployment or genuine infrastructure failure.
Backups are a safety net rather than a promise about how quickly you'll be back, and we'd rather tell you that than quote a recovery time we haven't tested. If you ever need something restored, tell us what and when, and we'll take it from there.
Hosting Migration & Onboarding
If you're moving an existing Umbraco site to us, whether from another agency or a server nobody quite remembers setting up, we plan the migration to minimise downtime and avoid data loss. That means testing the site thoroughly on its new setup before cutover, and having a rollback plan in case anything doesn't go to plan.
Most cutovers depend on you changing your own DNS, so we'll tell you what to change and when. If your Umbraco site wasn't built by us, that's fine as long as you're coming to us as a client, and we'll tell you honestly during onboarding if we spot anything in the existing setup worth fixing along the way.
"Every server we host on runs Umbraco and nothing else, so when a client reports something odd I already know what normal looks like."
Dave Nicklen, Support Manager at Gecko
Umbraco Hosting Case Study
[PLACEHOLDER — no confirmed hosting-specific case study currently exists. Do not publish until a real client project with real metrics is available. Suggested framing once one exists: describe a migration or performance-tuning project, pull out one hard metric such as uptime, page load improvement or incident response time, and link through to the full case study.]
The exact requirements depend on which version of Umbraco you're running, since Umbraco's supported .NET version moves in step with Microsoft's own release cycle. In general, you'll need a compatible .NET runtime, a SQL Server database configured for production (SQLite is fine for development and testing, but not for a live site), HTTPS enforced by default, and enough RAM and SSD storage to handle your content and media volumes comfortably rather than just scraping by. Your SQL Server database needs the right file permissions set up correctly from the start, and a valid SSL/TLS certificate applied as standard, not bolted on afterwards. If any of that sounds like guesswork on your current setup, that's usually the first sign it's worth a conversation about your hosting. Talk to us about your Umbraco hosting and we'll tell you plainly where you stand.
Umbraco Cloud is hosted by Umbraco HQ, with automatic upgrades and patches handled for you, but it can feel restrictive if you need custom infrastructure control. It's a choice you'd make with Umbraco directly, not something we offer. Our own hosting runs on managed servers that only host Umbraco sites, looked after by our hosting partner in UK data centres, with our own team who know the CMS behind them. Which one suits you depends on how much control you want, your budget and how much you'd like handled for you, and we'll talk you through it honestly.
Yes, with proper planning. Most sites move onto our existing shared servers, so there's usually no new environment to build (we'd only do that if your site or requirements called for it). We test the site there fully before any cutover happens, then plan the switch to minimise downtime. Most cutovers depend on DNS records being changed on your side (or by whoever manages your domain), so how quickly the switch lands is partly in your hands, and we'll tell you exactly what to change and when. We also keep a rollback plan ready in case anything doesn't go as expected. Migrations do need a bit of lead time to do properly, and we'll always be upfront if your specific setup needs longer than usual, but a well-planned migration shouldn't mean a broken site or an anxious weekend for you.
Yes, if you're coming to us as a client. We only host Umbraco sites, and ideally ones we've built and manage, but some clients do migrate an existing Umbraco site to us. As part of onboarding, we'll review the existing setup properly rather than just plugging it in, and we'll flag honestly if we spot anything worth fixing, whether that's an outdated .NET version, missing backups or a security gap nobody's mentioned. That includes sites built with Umbraco Forms, bespoke packages or integrations we didn't originally develop ourselves. Whichever way a site comes to us, we're responsible for supporting and updating every website we host, and no other agency or third party has access to our servers.
We constantly monitor the websites we host and have guardrails in place, so we know about any downtime very quickly, usually before you do. If something goes wrong, we'll tell you what's happening and what we're doing about it. If a site needs restoring, we can draw on the 30 days of off-site backups our hosting partner keeps. That's support from a team who actually understand Umbraco hosting, not a generic ticket queue reading from a script.
The servers are managed by our hosting partner. Umbraco patching is part of our support packages rather than hosting, and it covers security patches only, so a client who pays for hosting without a support package won't have it. CMS-level upgrades, moving between major Umbraco versions, are a separate piece of work with their own planning and testing, and we'll talk you through timing that properly rather than bundling it in as an afterthought.
Yes. HTTPS is standard on every site we host, not an optional extra or something you have to remember to ask for. Every site gets a valid SSL certificate as standard, and SSL/TLS certificates are kept renewed so you're never caught out by one quietly expiring.
Our hosting partner keeps 30 days of off-site backups of your site. You'll know what's covered and for how long, rather than being told backups exist and hoping that's true. We don't promise a recovery time, and if you ever need something restored, tell us what and when and we'll take it from there.
Our servers are managed virtual machines, and each one hosts several clients' Umbraco sites, so they're closer to managed shared hosting than to a dedicated server or a VPS you control yourself. What sets them apart from generic web hosting is that they only run Umbraco sites, they're fully managed by our hosting partner in UK data centres, and our own team knows the CMS behind them. They don't scale up and down automatically, so we'd tell you plainly if a site needed more than a shared server can give.
It depends on your traffic, media volume, how your site's set up, and the level of support you need. Rather than quote a number that means nothing without context, we'd rather understand your actual setup first. Get in touch and we'll give you a straight answer, not a starting-from figure designed to look good in a search result.
Whether you're unhappy with where your site is now, thinking of moving your site to us, or just not sure what your hosting actually includes, a conversation is the easiest place to start. Tell us what you've got and we'll tell you plainly how we could host it, what comes with hosting and what sits in a support package. If your site's currently sitting on generic web hosting that was never built with the CMS in mind, that's exactly the kind of thing we'll talk through first.
