We try and blog about topics that we get many questions about from our clients, if you are not in the Internet industry, the concept of Domain names and Web hosting when you are first looking into starting a website might get confusing or seem daunting. The point of this post is not to get into any technical information, but rather explain the concept in real world terms.

The entire process is not unlike opening a physical shop. Just like in the real world to call yourself a business you must register your business name with the IRS (in the US) and in most cases have to pay to register your business with the State and most likely the City.  In terms of your website this would be acquiring a Domain name. Which you can register / year or number of years. However just like in the real world, registering your business name does not magically create your actual physical shop, or place where you will be able to stock your products or offer your services. This is where Web hosting comes in.

Web hosting is simply space on a server that you rent per month or year to store your website files and all of their content. For example, you can create a website or have a website designer create your website, but if you don’t have a domain name and web hosting, you will not have a place for it to be stored, or a url for people to quickly find your website.

Quick Review

If you want www.yourwebsite.com to be available to the millions of people using the Internet, you must buy a domain name, and rent the space that your website will reside in, which is termed “Web Hosting”.

Good Web-hosting

Finding a good Web hosting company will save you time, effort and headaches in the long run. There are 100s of web-hosting companies available, and over the years we have tested many of the most popular ones. So how can you be sure the Web hosting company you sign up with is worth it. The best way to help you is to list some of the things you need to look for and ask about.

• Check their website, do they have a phone number available on the main page. If they do, give them a quick ring, if it goes to voicemail, keep looking…
• Check their packages, small packages should never exceed $5 /month.
• Make sure their small packages offer unlimited email, unlimited bandwidth and at least 500mb of space.
• Ask them about their Terms of Service.
• Beware of Limitations. Some web hosting companies don’t allow certain content, or file types, or software to be ran on their servers.
• Submit a support ticket asking them about their hosting or any questions you may have, and keep an eye on how fast they respond. You are going to need a web-host that has a good support system, incase something goes wrong, and things usually do, you don’t want your website to have down-time.

Who we recommend

As mentioned before we have tested with various web-hosting companies over the years. The one that we have been most impressed with is HostGator. Their package prices are decent, they use the most updated software, they offer plenty of tools, and most importantly their support is truly topnotch. Usually their chat response is instant or within minutes, and their support ticket response is within 24hrs.

Extra Information

For information about Domains, please visit our Domain Resource page.

Not everyone needs a Domain name and Web Hosting.

If you want a personal website, or a blog, and you really don’t need your personal or business Domain name, then you can skip this entire process. There are hundreds of companies offering free websites, which usually include ads, and your url will most likely be www.thirdpartycompany.com/yourwebsite. Limitations depend on the company you choose to use or you can signup for a blog with companies like Blogger.com and use their online software to update your blog.

This works out great for many users looking to just have a personal website. However, I wouldn’t recommend this option for any type or size business.