If you are considering creating your own website or maybe you already have one made for you - you should know that having a domain name and a hosting account are essential for any website to appear online - regardless if it's a simple squeeze page or a multiple page blog.
First of all - you will need to have a Domain Name.
It is basically a unique address of your website and it is also known as a hostname or URL.
It can be purchased from Registrars - companies that register domain names. The price per name is generally around $6-20 USD per year.
The main question is - how to choose the right domain name for your website?
Ideally you would want it to be relatively short, easy to remember and related to your business or a content of your website.
So - brainstorm! Get your friends and family involved in the choosing process. Then type the names of your choice in the registrar's search box and see which ones are available.
Sometimes it takes up to 2 days for a new domain name to get recognized so if you just bought one you might have to wait before you can point it to your website.
The very next thing you will need - is a Hosting Account in order to make your website viewable online.
Hosting company(or a Host) - is a company that connects your website to the World Wide Web via it's servers.
There are many hosting companies out there to choose from and the prices for a hosting account vary but generally are within $4-15 USD per month.
The price normally depends on the type of hosting plan you wish to go for. They differ in the amount of domain names you can register per one account, number of email addresses, disk space and bandwidth (speed at which you data travel at) provided.
You probably would not need to concern yourself with the disk space or bandwidth options - so you might want to go for a chipper plan and then upgrade in future if needed. Or if you are planning to have several websites with different domain names - choose a plan which allows you to add multiple domain names to your account.
Choosing the right registrar and web hosting company is vital. You might be limited in your finances so shop around to find the right price for you.
Some hosting companies offer a free domain name with the purchase of an account and some registrars can offer you a discounted hosting with them.
It is important to find a reliable company with good customer service - look for the things like 24 hour support, online help, toll-free number. Check out company's history - the longer it's been established - the more reliable it should be. And of course - as with anything you buy online - search for and read customer's reviews before buying. If customers are unhappy with the service they get - they will make sure to spread a word about their experience and warn others.
After you have purchased a web hosting account - you should receive a confirmation email from your host with the details of your account. Do not lose this email - it might be a good idea to print a copy of it and keep it handy.
If you have bought your domain name and a hosting account from different companies you will need to "inform" your registrar where your hosting company is. This is very important and many people simply forget to do it - but you have to "link" your registrar to your host in order to make your website appear online.
You can do it by changing your registrar's Domain Name Servers, also known as DNS or Name Servers.
Here is when you will need that email from your host mentioned above. In that email you will find your domain name servers details.
To change your name servers you will need to log into your registrar's account and find a "Domain Manager" option (or something similar to it). Select the domain name you are going to host elsewhere and replace existing name servers with the ones provided in your email.
Please note that it can sometimes take up to 48 hours for those changes to take effect.
Your website is a centre of your online business - that is why understanding how it works is vital for your success.
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