Figuring out websites can be challenging. Not only do you need to make your website look good, easy to use, and filled with meaningful content, you also have to figure out Hosting!! This is a little more technical and the topic that I want to touch on today.
Website Hosting
To have a website, you need to have a website host. Think of your website like a house you want to build, and your Website Host like the land you want to build on (except, this land is almost infinite and can be everywhere and nowhere at once). Before you can build your house, you have to buy (or in this case, rent) the land. So, you find a good Website Host and decide to rent from them. They provide space to build your house, and you pay to keep the land alive. Boom, done. That’s a website host.
Domain Name Hosting
This is where things can get a little confusing. Why? I’ll get into that in a minute; first, what is a domain name? If your house (from the analogy above) is on land that can be everywhere and nowhere at once, how will anyone find you? Technically, the land you rent has a number (or numbers) called an IP address, but these numbers are for computers, not people. So, instead, you rent a name that you tie to your land. Now people can find you! This is your Domain Name.
What about the confusing part, you ask? Well, things can get confusing because your Website Host can also be your Domain Name Host. On the other hand, your Website and your Domain Name can be hosted by two separate companies (AKA, Hosts). It can get tricky if you want to move things around, but I’m not going to get into it here.
Remember that your Website and your Domain Name are two separate things and can both be moved around from Host to Host. If you’re not sure where your Website and or Domain Name are hosted, look for your email receipts (follow that money!).
Further reading - The Top 10 Best Web Hosting Providers
We use WP Engine for our website hosting, which includes Flywheel as part of their family but if you are looking for a good review on web hosting providers to help you make a decision on who you should choose to host your website domain, then check out Quick Sprout's The Top 10 Best Web Hosting Providers.