We have many clients that utilise our premium website, email hosting and domain name registration services, but we understand that many of our clients may be unsure of what these actually are. We want to take this opportunity to share our insight and knowledge on website hosting and domain names in the easiest way possible to understand.
Web hosting can be best described as storage for the files and pieces that make up your website. Your hosting account allocates storage space for your website files to live and be pulled from to make your website live so that other people can see and use your site. This storage area sits on a server, which is similar to a computer connected to the internet. Like a house, it has its own address, and this is your domain name (your www address of your website). When that address/domain name is typed into the internet browser on a computer or device, the internet tracks down the correct storage space (hosting account) and displays what it finds in there (your website pieces and content). Without web hosting, there can be no way for the web browser to find and view the website.
As we explained above, your domain name is the address to your hosting account, that allows your website to be found and viewed. Generally, the most commonly used domains in Australia end in .com.au or .com. Domain names need to be renewed once you purchase them, otherwise, they expire and become available for other people to register. Domain names can be purchased, registered and hosted in all different places. We recommend containing all these services to the one provider to make your life much easier and have renewal notices, hosting notices, billing, updates, and various correspondence generated from the same system.
You can also host your own emails. If you own a domain name and want an email service on that domain name (compared to a free service ie @hotmail.com or @gmail.com), you would need to sign up for an email hosting service. Your account includes an allocated amount of space to house your emails on the server. You can use a range of mail client software to access and use your hosted email service, such as Outlook, iOS Mail (on your phone or iPad), Thunderbird, or you can use the included WebMail functionality from your browser and all over the world. For a business, a professional hosting service gives you credibility, added security, a managed service and eliminates the need for in-house email servers and IT people to manage those email servers saving you money.
If you require further information on hosting, domain names or email services, please reach out to us.