Domain and Hosting: What’s the difference?
Domain Name
A.K.A. “URL”
A.K.A. “Web address”
Used in a sentence: “Our domain name is artistrycreativeco.com”
Your domain is like a street address. It’s a series of letters and numbers that tell people where to find you.
Your domain is “registered” with a “Domain Registrar” or “Domain Host.”
The company that is your “Domain Registrar” may or may not be the same company as your “Hosting Company.”
Your domain registration renews annually or every 2-3 years and usually costs between $10-20 per year.
Our recommended Domain Registrar is Hover.com
Hosting
A.K.A. “Web Server”
A.K.A. “Host Server”
Used in a sentence: “Our hosting company used to be HostDime, but now we use DreamHost.”
If your domain name is like a street address, your hosting account is like the house or building itself.
It’s the physical place where all the files that make up your website are located or “hosted.”
Your website is “hosted” with a “Hosting Company.”
It may or may not be the same company as your “Domain Registrar.”
Hosting is charged on a monthly basis and costs between $10-20 per month. It can be paid in advance (1-2 years at a time) and you can usually get a discount when you pay that way.
Our recommended web service is Squarespace*. If you have a WordPress site, we recommend using DreamHost.com as your hosting company.
*NOTE: Squarespace = Hosting
If your website is built using Squarespace, Squarespace also stores your files so they are technically your hosting company. Our Squarespace clients pay the monthly Squarespace cost instead of hosting costs. They still typically need to pay annually for their domain name registration, although Squarespace does offer domain registration as well.
Beware of Scams!
If you receive any bills, invoices, or requests for payment from anyone besides your official Domain Registrar or your Hosting Company it is most likely a sales pitch or a scam attempting to get you to "register" or "license" your domain or warning you that you are going to "lose" your domain or hosting. Read those messages carefully and usually you’ll find some fine print disclosing that it is a sales pitch. If it comes via the post (snail mail) or an email from anyone besides the two companies who’s names you know, assume it is a scam.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask us!
An example of a domain sales pitch received by mail.