Websites are multifaceted things

Building a website is no straightforward process. While you can break down the steps to make it easier to understand, as a whole, websites can be kind of confusing.

Because they are multifaceted – and surprisingly intricate – websites require a little more construction to go live than simply building the website itself.

Securing your domain name and web hosting are just two of the many smaller details that come with building a website. We explain the difference between the two below.

Domain name

Every website needs a domain name in order to exist. Found in the URL bar of your browser, the domain name is your website address. Just like a house without a street name or number, your website won’t be found without it.

A domain name commonly ends with the extension .com, but there are other variations to choose from, like .co, .net or .org. With so many different domain options available to you, it is important that you choose the one that best defines your business.

DNS

Things get a bit more technical when you dive into the Domain Name System (DNS), a network of global servers that manage IP addresses and domain names in order to ensure that websites can be found when users search for them.

Web hosting

Web hosting is different from your domain name in that it houses your website on the internet. Where the domain name is your address, the web hosting is your house. And inside the house is your website!

There are many different companies that offer web hosting services. A web hosting company will host your website on their server – which could be anywhere in the world – to make you visible and accessible to users.

Finding the right web hosting service for you

The trick with web hosting is finding a company that offers you everything you need without charging any hidden fees or exorbitant prices.

Be sure to go with a service that has excellent security, isn’t overloaded with too many other websites, and won’t randomly shut down – a catch that could leave your website vanishing into the virtual cosmos, never to be seen again.

Where domain names and web hosting meet

In order to have a website, you’ll need both a domain name and web hosting. Though they are two different services, they come hand-in-hand, and you can’t have one without the other (if you want to build a functioning website, that is).

Some companies offer both services under one umbrella, while others may offer only one of the two services. It is important for you to research whether buying them separately or as a package will work best for you – not only in the short term but in the long term as well.

Talk to our team about your domain name and web hosting today >

Free isn’t always better

Everybody loves a freebie, but not when it comes at the expense of your business. While free web hosting might be music to a small budget’s ears, it never feels that way in the long run.

Before signing up for free web hosting, it is important for you to do your research. Is it worth it? What are the pros and cons? Is there a catch, or is it really the best thing since sliced bread? (Spoiler alert: it’s not).

What is web hosting?

Everything you see on the internet has to be stored somewhere. Despite all of our wireless advancements, a website still requires a physical home – it doesn’t just appear out of thin air.

Websites are stored on servers, a physical computer designed for one purpose – to keep your website running non-stop, all day, every day.

An online service, web hosting allows you to publish your website on the internet using the physical servers provided by the hosting company. Some offer their services for free, while others, you have to pay for.

Reasons why free web hosting is bad for business

No technical support

When it comes to setting up and running your own website, technical issues are bound to occur. EVen if you know web hosting back to front, the reality is that you won’t know the ins and outs of the specific web hosting company you’re using.

A free web hosting package won’t give you access to technical support. While paid hosting usually includes 24/7 support, free web hosting gives you nothing. So next time you come across those technical issues, you can kiss any chance of resolving them goodbye.

Slow loading times

People are impatient. We have short attention spans. When we click on a website, we want it to load within seconds. Ideally, within 2 seconds. If it’s taking as long as 10 seconds (or longer!), we won’t stick around.

Because free web hosting providers pack hundreds of websites onto the same server, and with all of you all fighting to be seen, your individual loading times will be very slow. This will ripple out and result in a bad SEO score and a bad user experience.

You could lose your website without notice

You don’t own your website – your free web hosting provider does. And if they get into trouble, whether it be financial, ethical, security-wise or for whatever other reason, your website could disappear without so much as a ‘so long, sucker’.

Other companies will be advertised across your website

With free web hosting, you will have unrelated and unwanted ads popping up all over your website. Paid advertising helps to support most free web hosting providers, so if they can get money out of you without you actually paying for anything, they will.

Just because it says its free, doesn’t mean it actually is

Free web hosting is ‘free’ for a reason. It offers very little in terms of services provided, and will often have hidden charges or extra fees piled on for basic features that a free subscription won’t allow you access to.

If you’re just starting down the path of moving your business online, you can save yourself a lot of hassle by researching and signing up for paid web hosting first. While we love ourselves some freebies, in the case of free web hosting, we say, ‘thanks, but no thanks.’

Unsure where to look for the right web host? The team at Ven are here to help >