Ever wondered how websites are launched, where the data is stored, and how unique URLs are assigned? If not, we are going to discuss everything you need to know about web hosting and domain.
What is a Domain Name?
A domain name is a unique address that a user types in the browser to enter the website. It is a unique name followed by an extension such as .com, .org, .net. or .edu. Think of a domain name as the address of a house. For instance, yahoo.com, msn.com, amazon.com, and google.com are some of the examples of website domain names. These names can be remembered and are easy to find online.
Types of Domain Extensions
Domain extensions are further categorized into various types. Some of them include:
- Top Level Domains (TLD) such as .com and .org
- Country-specific domain (ccTLDs) such as .uk, .fr, .de
- Sponsored TLDs (sTLDs) such as .edu or .gov
- New Generic Extensions (gTLDs) such as .store, .app, .ai, .design
Structure of a Domain Name Explained
The structure of a domain name consists of several elements, such as:
- Protocol (optional, not part of the domain)
https://
Defines how data is transferred between the browser and the server.
- Subdomain
www
Used to organize sections of a website.
Examples: blog.example.com, mail.example.com
- Second Level Domain (SLD)
The main name of the website or brand.
- . Top Level Domain (TLD) or country specific and other popular extensions
.com .us, .uk, .org, .net, .app, .store, .ai
The extension of the domain.
- Full Structure Format:
Subdomain + Second Level Domain + Top level domain
Example:
blog.google.co.uk
The above URL contains several elements, which include
Subdomain: blog
SLD: google
TLD: .co.uk
In simple terms:
A domain name works like a digital address that tells browsers exactly where to find a website.
Why Do You Need a Domain for Your Website?
You need a domain name for your website to help people remember and access it without any hassle. Instead of remembering complex IP numbers, which we discussed earlier, the domain of a website is easily memorized, associated with the brand, and helps build credibility.
For instance, toysrus.com is a unique domain name that represents a toy brand and can be easily memorized. Without domain names, users need to use an IP address.
A website’s IP Address is the unique numerical identifier that tells the internet where to find its server.
Consider an example of google.com, the IP address is 142.250.182.14. Instead of remembering the IP address, a user-friendly name or domain name is easy to remember.
How to Choose the Right Domain Name?
When it comes to choosing the right domain name, it is one of the core aspects in building a website. A domain name is a unique name associated with your brand and offerings. Here are a few tips and step by step guide to choose the right domain name.
Keep it Short and Simple
When choosing a domain name, make sure it is short, simple, and easy to remember. Include your company’s name and aim to keep it under 14 characters. The shorter, the better. The domain name should be easy to pronounce and allow ease for users when typing.
Moreover, it is also recommended not to use numbers and hyphens.
For instance, aisolutions.com is easy to remember instead of ai-solutions427.com. The shorter the domain name, the more easy users can type in.
Use Keywords in Domain Name
Keyword-enriched domain names have a slight advantage in SEO. However, don’t overstuff the keywords when choosing the domain name.
For instance, cheapwebdesign.com is a much better domain than bestwebdesignnearme.com. A simple tip is to search a domain name generator on Google and find a better name that is easy to remember and related to your business.
Choose the Right Domain Extension
The next step is to choose the right domain extension. Top-level domains TLDs play an important role in building trust and credibility of your website. However, you can also choose country-specific domain extensions or generic ones.
There is simply no effect on how you rank on Google and the overall SEO of the website. You can also compare domain names across different providers to find the most affordable option. If your preferred .com domain is unavailable, consider alternatives like .net, .org, or other relevant extensions.
Check Domain History and Reputation
When registering a new domain, make sure to check the domain’s history and reputation. Some expired domains are sold on domain service providers, which need to be checked before making the payment.
Some domains might have been abandoned by owners due to penalties by Google, blacklisting, or spamming. You can check the domain’s reputation by visiting Way Back Machine, Whois History, or spam backlist checker. Avoid domains that were used for displaying adult content, spamming, gambling, and betting.
Avoid Registering Trademark Domain
Registering a domain name with a trademark might end up with legal consequences and hefty penalties. For instance, if you are selling electronics online with a domain bestamazonelectronics.com, you might end up in a serious problem.
Avoid using brand names that have already been taken. Simply visit Google Trademarks to check whether the name has been taken or not.
Think Long-Term Growth
One of the reasons to choose genric name instead of a specific one is that you may limit yourself to a certain extent. For instance, if you are targeting customers in Texas for plumbing service and choose texasplumbingsolutions.com, you may limit yourself to the specific area. However, in the future, when you expand your business in other areas, you may need to buy another domain.
Purchase the Domain When Available
Once the domain name you are searching for is available, make sure to instantly buy it. Oterhweise you may end up paying a hefty amount for the domain name after someone else purchases and sells it for a hefty price.
What is Web Hosting?
Web hosting is like renting a space on the internet where your website lives, so people can visit it anytime. To break it down further and make it easy for you to understand, here’s what web hosting is all about.
- Your website is a collection of files (text, images, videos, code).
- Web hosting is a service that stores those files on a special computer called a server.
You might be asking:
What’s the difference between web hosting and a domain name?
As a newbie, it’s hard to understand the difference between a domain name and hosting. Here’s a simple explanation.
Web Hosting is a house where your belongings are kept, such as appliances, furniture, or electronics.
A domain name is the address of your house, where people can reach/find your house.
Here’s a table to help you further clear your ambiguities.
| Explanation | Domain | Hosting |
| Defintiiton | A domain is the unique name such as google.com that people type into their browser to find the site. | Hosting is the service that stores your website’s files (text, images, code) on a server connected to the internet. |
| Explanation | Like your home’s street address | Like the actual house. It holds all your furniture (website files). |
| Purpose | Makes your website easy to locate and remember. | Provides the physical space and resources for your website to function online. |
| Providers | Dev Souls, Name Cheap, GoDaddy | Dev Souls, Interserver, Hostinger |
Types of Web Hosting Explained
When it comes to hosting a website, a wide variety of web hosting options are available. However, choosing the right one depends on your needs and requirements. Here’s a brief overview of the types of web hosting you can order to launch your website.
1. Shared Hosting
Shared hosting is an affordable and popular form of hosting preferred by freelancers, small agencies, and startups. The server is shared with other websites, and a limited amount of resources is allocated, such as storage space and bandwidth. Once there is a huge spike in traffic, the website may slow down.
Pros and Cons of Shared Hosting
| Pros | Cons |
| Affordable option for a limited budget | Not suitable for heavy traffic websites |
| No complex setup required | Vulnerable to security threats |
2. WordPress Hosting
WordPress hosting is one of the most recommended hosting options for those who are looking for easy website management. The hosting is powered by a popular CMS (WordPress) for creating, organiing and managing content. Optimized specifically for WordPress websites with built-in caching, security, and updates. This type of hosting is backed by tech support from WordPress experts and comes with built-in SEO and plugins to boost performance and improve ranking.
Pros and Cons of WordPress Hosting
| Pros | Cons |
| Pre Installed CMS (WordPress) | More expensive than Shared Hosting |
| Additional support and automated updates | Built for WordPress Only |
3. Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated hosting is one of the best hosting options for large enterprises with a high volume of traffic. This type of hosting involves a dedicated server, which helps in managing a high volume of traffic without slowing down the bandwidth. The affordability of dedicated hosting might be a dent in the budget of startups and small agency owners.
Pros and Cons of Dedicated Hosting
| Pros | Cons |
| Advanced security and customization | Very high cost |
| High and consistent performance | Technical expertise required |
VPS Hosting
Virtual Private Server (VPS) web hosting features both dedicated and shared web hosting. One physical server is divided into virtual servers with dedicated resources. It offers more control and better performance than shared hosting.
Pros and Cons of VPS Hosting
| Pros | Cons |
| Lower cost compared to a dedicated server | Unable to handle high traffic compared to dedicated hosting |
| Higher uptimes and speed | Only a limited number of aspects of the servers can be controlled |
Cloud Hosting
Cloud hosting is a bit different from other types of hosting. The data is stored on several linked servers in data centers instead of a single server. The benefit of hosting your website on several servers prevent your website from being attacked by malicious activity. The website loads faster and is largely scalable according to one’s needs.
Pros and Cons of Cloud Hosting
| Pros | Cons |
| The website keeps running even if one server goes down | No discounts available |
| Global data centers ensure that your website loads faster for users worldwide | Pricing varies from one provider to another |
Colocation hosting
Colocation hosting is similar to dedicated hosting. However, the main difference is that with coalition hosting, you own the server, while in dedicated hosting, you rent the server. The server is placed in a data center that provides power, cooling, and internet.
Pros and Cons of Colocation Hosting
| Pros | Cons |
| Have full control over the server | Need to have prior knowledge |
| Superior Connectivity and disaster recovery | Have to manage every aspect from maintenance to configuration |
Reseller Hosting
Reseller hosting is the best hosting service for those who want to start their own hosting business. It allows the user to purchase hosting services and resell it to others without bearing any additional cost of configuring and maintaining servers.
Pros and Cons of Reseller Hosting
| Pros | Cons |
| Start your own business in low cost | Dependency on the provider |
| White label support for branding | Managing several clients can be daunting |
Web Hosting Comparison Table
| Hosting Type | Best For | Performance | Control | Scalability | Cost |
| Shared Hosting | Blogs, small sites | Low | Very limited | Low | Very low |
| VPS Hosting | Growing websites | Medium to High | Medium | Medium | Medium |
| Dedicated Hosting | Large Businesses | Very high | Full | Medium | High |
| Cloud Hosting | High traffic websites | High | Medium | Very high | Pay as you go |
| Managed Hosting | Non technical users | high | Limited | Medium | Medium to high |
| WordPress Hosting | WordPress sites | Medium to high | Limited | Medium | Medium |
| Reseller Hosting | Agencies and hosting sellers | Depends on the plan | Medium | Medium | Medium |
| Colocation Hosting | Enterprises | Very high | full | High | Very high |
How to Choose the Right Hosting?
Your website is your storefront, a brand ambassador, and your business identity. Without having a proper hosting plan, you may end up losing customers due to slow loading, server errors, and crashes. If you are buying hosting for the first time, here are some tips to follow.
Understand Your Business Needs
The first step when choosing the right hosting plan is to determine the size of your business, its nature, and its requirements. For instance, an e-commerce store requires a large disk space for storing videos and images.
Having shared hosting might not be suitable due to the high volume of traffic, leading to a slower speed of the website. You will also need high security to protect it from vulnerable attacks and viruses.
Choose the Right Hosting Plan
When it comes to choosing the right hosting plan, a lot of people go for cheaper options. However, cheap hosting with limited bandwidth may not be suitable for businesses with a high volume of traffic. One of the reasons people exit websites is due to slower loading speed.
For bigger enterprises and e-commerce stores, a Virtual Private Server (VPS) is a better option, despite the fact that it costs more. No matter how much traffic your website is getting, VPS hosting is the best option to handle a high volume without slowing down the speed.
Read Customer Reviews
When searching for the right hosting companies, make sure to do proper research. Check the reviews on social handles and third-party websites such as Glassdoor. Make sure to check the positive and negative comments and reviews posted by verified customers. Moreover, it is also important to know about support if you face any kind of problem.
Uptime and Reliability
One of the things to look for hosting package is the server uptime. A company with server issues might affect your business negatively and have a bad impact on customers. For instance, a customer wants to buy something from your online store and the server is down, your website will not show up. This leads to affecting the sales and overall reputation of your online store. Make sure the uptime of the server is 99% at least. In case of any problem with the server for a longer period, make sure to check the return policy.
Is it Upgradable?
A hosting service should be scalable, which means you can upgrade the plan to meet the changing requirements. For instance, you see a massive hike in traffic and your shared hosting plan needs to be upgraded to VPS hosting. Make sure to ask what the procedure is and how easy it is to upgrade the plan.
Check the Security Features
A lot of first-time hosting customers often ignore the security features provided by the company. The vulnerability to being attacked by hackers and scammers on servers is quite high if security protocols are not followed. Make sure that everything stored on the server is safe from security loopholes and vulnerabilities.
Website Backups
Backups are important when it comes to hosting services. In case of any problem, the backup of your website will ensure that your information is available without losing important data. The website will stay live if something goes wrong with the primary server.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is domain and hosting in website?
A. A domain is your website’s address on the internet. It is what people type in the browser to visit your site, for example, www.yourwebsite.com
Hosting is the space where your website’s files, images, and data are stored. It keeps your website online and accessible 24/7.
Q. What is the difference between a host and a domain?
A. Domain is your website’s address, while hosting is the server where your website files are stored and run.
Q. Why do I need a domain and hosting?
A. You need a domain so people can find your website online, and hosting to store your website files and make your site accessible on the internet 24/7.
