Webtribe - Web Design & Development

Hosting & Domain Registration – what are they?

Most tech-savvy companies will think that the following information is blatantly obvious. But… you’d be surprised how many customers don’t know what web hosting and domain registration are.  This is perfectly reasonable for people getting started with a business idea who’ve never had their own website, how would they know these things?

Ok, the first point is:  To get yourself online, you will need both a domain name and a hosting package.  They will both incur annual costs.  You might find some free services somewhere online but generally speaking, you’ll need to factor in some annual upkeep fees.

So, what are the differences between domain registration and hosting?  Let’s take a look.

Domain Registration

Every website needs a domain name.  In our case, we have registered the domain name www.webtribe.com.au.

Think of your domain name like a house address – it’s going to allow visitors to find you.

There are plenty of companies out there online that will provide domain registration services, do your research as the prices can differ substantially.

We can also register your domain for you, contact us and we’ll arrange it.

Note: To register a .com.au domain name in Australia, you need to have an ABN and the domain name must have some resemblance to your business name / services.

Hosting

I made the point that your domain name is kind of like your house number and street name.  It tells us where the location of your website is on the internet.

Using the same analogy, hosting is the land where you build your house.

In technical terms, your website will be hosted on a server that is accessible via the internet.

Summary

This post is intended for those just starting out in their adventures online.  I find myself explaining this over and over again (especially using the house and land analogy, works every time!) and thought that someone out there might find it useful.

Hope this helps to give you a clearer picture of what you’ll need to get started with your very first website.