Two Things You Need For A Website
So you want or have a website that ready to be shown to the world. What the next step?
You need TWO THINGS to have a website “go live” and ready to go.
A domain name and a hosting service.
We are often asked by clients to explain what is the difference between a domain name and web hosting. Many clients don’t know that these are two separate things. In this beginner’s guide, we will explain the difference between a domain name and web hosting.
What is a domain name? The domain name is the address of your website that people type in the browser’s URL bar to visit your website. In other words, if your website was a house, then your domain name will be its address.
In another perspective, domain name servers (DNS) are the Internet’s equivalent of a phone book. You may have heard of some famous ones, such as GoDaddy, HostGator, or Bluehost. They maintain a directory of domain names and translate them to Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.
Without this becoming too complicated, all domain names are translated to IP addresses.
For example, the domain name www.itsmoose.com is really IP address 69.89.31.103. You can imagine how difficult that would be to remember for all the important sites you visit or want to visit on a regular basis. The DNS translates them to an easy-to-remember URL. This is necessary because, although domain names are easy for people to remember, computers or machines, access websites based on IP addresses.
After you register a new domain name or when you update the DNS servers on your domain name, it usually takes about 12-36 hours for the domain name servers world-wide to be updated and able to access the information. This 36-hour period is referred to as propagation.
KEEP IN MIND buying a domain name alone only gives you right to use that particular domain name for a specific period of time (depending on how many years you buy it for).
So what’s the deal with the hosting service a.k.a web hosting?
Well web hosting is the place where all the files of your website to make it “go live” as we mentioned before. It’s like the home of your website where it actually lives. So if the domain is the address, the files you are hosting is everything inside and outside that actually make the house what it is. All sites need web hosting.
Web hosting is specifically for storing and serving websites. This is where you upload files and any changes you want (if you already have a website up). Web hosting services offer multiple levels of service (see the example below) to cater to your needs. See our article on Bluehost hosting to learn more about choosing the right plan for your website.
So now you know that domain names and web hosting are two different services, but you NEED BOTH to make a website possible.
Well that’s all there is to get started! If you’re good to go, then choose a provider and get started! We can’t wait to see what you have to share with the world.
