If you are new to launching your website or just aren’t as well-versed in website development lingo, you may be confused by this term “hosting.” Where is your website “hosted”? Or what “host” do you use?
What It’s Not
It gets confusing because often domain and hosting services are provided by the same company – and you pay them both to get your website up and going. But the reality is that they are two different things. Your host is not the same as your domain or URL.
What It Is
First let’s talk about your domain. Your domain is your URL or your “.com”. It’s what people usually buy first when setting up a website.
Your hosting is where the files and content, that make up your website, actually live.
Here’s How to Think About It
An analogy we often use to help you envision difference is one of a house.
Your domain is your address. Your host or hosting is your mailbox. The address tells the content where to go. The mailbox is where the content actually is.
What We Recommend
We use WordPress most often for the websites we create for our clients, because it’s powerful and lends itself too easy and robust content customization. For hosting, we often use Flywheel’s WordPress hosting. It’s made specifically for WordPress sites and makes a great mailbox for the content needed to make those websites great.
Have more questions about building your own website? Check out this article about what kind of website you might need. And here are some tips for choosing the right domain.
Photo by Mathyas Kurmann on Unsplash