What’s the Difference Between Website “Domain” and “Hosting”?

A example of a website domain is “WonderWebDevelopment.com“. This is the name/web address that you want people to see when they search for or go to your web page. Every computer connected to the Internet has a long string of unique numbers used to identify itself called an “IP address”. Without a domain name, you would need to remember the IP address in order to view a website.

Domain names are purchased using a “registrar” which acts like a phone book. When someone types in your domain name, behind the scenes your registrar will look up your domain for them and return your IP address back. Their computer will then know where to find your website.

Domain hosting is a service you pay for to host your website and all of it’s content. Hosting is essentially paying for space on a server where all of your content (articles, pictures, videos, etc.) is stored and backed up.

Anyone who wants to have a website will need both a registered domain name and hosting plan. Depending on the size and scope of your website, you may need a more extensive hosting plan which can adequately manage the amount of visitors and content you plan to display.

Most websites will only need basic hosting plans, however online storefronts and sites with large amounts of projected traffic will need to plan accordingly for the extra expense.