The internet doesn’t always do a great job defining a domain name and web hosting. Plenty of company’s have complicated lists of inclusions to purchase with more bells and whistles than required. So let’s break it down for you.
A domain name is the address you have purchased, think of it as a blank property lot in a housing estate. This address is just an address, that’s all it contains. You lease it and renew it every 1-3 years.
Your web hosting is the trailer you park on your new address with all your content. Your trailer is rented and the content inside it is your own. Think of the trailer as the web hosting company and the content inside is your website files. The people that own the trailer (web hosting) can’t see inside your trailer or make changes to the inside of your trailer. You or your decorator (website designer/coder) are the only ones with keys to get inside and make changes. Your web hosting can send a locksmith if you get locked out.
The trailer is purely the storage space and is not always bought from the same company you bought the address from, web hosting is the space you have available to store your website. You do have the option to trade in and transfer your content to a new rented trailer from someone else and park it on your address (a new web hosting company).
Your trailer (web hosting) can come with base rate security which can leave the back door unlocked and more vulnerable or come with a range of optional security upgrades (Cyber security/site back up) to keep your content more secure and safe. Be sure to check what you really require to keep hackers out. A key item is your security certificate. If you had a physical shop front you would protect it, you need to factor in these security features into your overheads as this is your store front on the internet.
An option many people aren’t aware of is your email hosting. This should be hosted or parked elsewhere. A security risk for your trailer is a break in, if your mail is with your trailer that means they can break in and also take your mail. If you have your mail stored somewhere elsewhere, your trailer may get broken into but your mail doesn’t go with it.
When your designer or coder recommend web hosting companies to rent from, this is usually based on price and security. If you don’t have the right security you could lose everything. Shopping around for different upgrades can be beneficial, however sometimes the cheapest option is not always the best one for your business depending on the security features and storage required.
We hope this helps you with your new business plan.
One thing to think about is that getting your domain name sorted as quickly as possible Your address is the main attraction where your host your web can always be decided later.
paliantdesign.com