What Do I Need to Set Up a Website?
And what on earth is the difference between ‘hosting’ and a ‘domain name’?
There’s no arguing that nowadays a web presence is absolutely essential for anyone in business. And there are a myriad of ways to make that happen, from a simple business page on Facebook to a custom-built website.
But for many starting out in business – even those who have been online for years – it can be hard to understand how this website caper works. There’s a whole bunch of weird jargon. There’s a whole bunch of different people offering a bunch of different services, at a bunch of different price points… and often literally bunched together as a package deal. And you don’t even like computers anyway, that’s why you became a plumber…
So what do you actually need to get a website up and running? Well, strip it back to the basics and you only need 3 key things; hosting, a domain name and an actual website.
Great! But what are those things? The answer is actually pretty simple, when you think of your website as a house that you are about to build.
Hosting is the plot of land you are going to build on. It is a chunk of internet real estate that you pay for the use of, normally for a year at a time.
A domain name is the address of your plot of land – it’s where people find you. Except in this case you will need to pay for the use of your address – this is also often for a year at a time.
The website is the house that you are going to build on your plot of land, at your address.
You can take it with you…
The cool thing is, your website ‘house’ is basically going to be a Queenslander, so you can pick it up and move it to a different hosting ‘plot’ any time you like. But unlike a Queenslander, you can take your address with you too!
The house analogy even extends to the post-build phase, because like your real house, your website will need maintenance throughout it’s lifespan to keep it secure and up-to-date.
Of course before you start, you have to go hunting for the right hosting package, domain name and website solution, and purchase the ones that suit you best. You might buy two or more of these options as a bundle from the same place, or get them all from different providers – it’s up to you. At Powdermonkey Design I provide complete packages including hosting, domain name, custom designed website and maintenance for peeps that don’t want to worry about a thing!
So there you have it, the 3 basics behind every website. Hosting. Domain. Website. GO!
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