What Is a DDoS Attack and Should Small Businesses Worry?

A DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack floods a website with an overwhelming volume of fake traffic from many sources at once, intended to overload the server and take the site offline for legitimate visitors.

These attacks are typically aimed at larger, higher-profile targets, but smaller sites aren't entirely immune, especially if hosted on shared or low-capacity infrastructure.

Most small business websites are unlikely targets for a deliberate DDoS attack, since attackers typically have limited motivation to target a small, low-profile site specifically.

That said, basic protection is inexpensive and worth having, especially if your website is central to daily revenue (online ordering, booking) where even a short outage has real cost.

Reputable hosting providers and content delivery networks typically include some baseline DDoS protection as standard, absorbing smaller-scale attacks automatically without any action needed from you.

Confirming this protection is actually included with your specific hosting plan, rather than assuming it is, is worth a quick check.

Appcly ensures hosting includes appropriate baseline protection for every site built.

Book a free consultation to check your current setup.