When creating a website, you are likely to discover that you need both a domain name and a web hosting service in order to get your site published. Many people find themselves wondering what the difference between the two is and if they can buy a domain without web hosting.
Technically, you can buy a domain without having web hosting of some kind – however, a web host is needed in order for the website to actually go live and be published. Essentially, a person can reserve a domain name by purchasing one but will ultimately need a web host as well.
In this article, we will discuss how to go about buying a domain and the different ways in which that domain can be hosted on the web. Plus, we will cover the difference between hosts and domains, as well as how you can go about web hosting on your own.
Can You Buy a Domain and Host it Somewhere Else?
Domain names can definitely be purchased from one place and hosted on another. When you purchase a domain, you are essentially registering that specific name so that only your site can have that exact IP address and URL name. However, this does not automatically mean you have to receive your domain and web hosting from the same provider.
There will likely be extra steps involved if you do purchase your domain from a separate company or provider than where you receive web hosting from. In most cases, there will be DNS (Domain Name System) settings that need to be adjusted within your web hosting account that will allow you to connect your purchased domain.
Of course, the process is generally much simpler if you choose to purchase both the web hosting and the domain name from the same provider. The main issue with choosing this method for obtaining a domain is that if you ever decide to change web hosting providers, you will also need to transfer your domain as well.
Transferring a domain from one web hosting provider to another can be quite a hassle, which is why it is generally considered a better option to register a domain with a more general registrar.
Finding Available Domain Names and Accredited Registrars
When choosing a domain name, keep the following considerations in mind…
First and foremost, you will need to search through official registries of domain names to ensure the domain you are trying to obtain is available.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, also known as ICANN, is the most efficient way to both ensure the availability of a domain name as well as find an accredited registrar through which to purchase the domain.
According to ICANN accredits registrars and certifies them to sell domain names. Under this, they must adhere to the Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA) with ICANN organization,.
It is important to note that ICANN is the best way to find a properly accredited registrar, but that domain names cannot be directly registered through ICANN.
Best SEO Practices for Domain Names
When choosing your domain name, it is critically important to keep search engine optimization (SEO) in mind. This is because the uniqueness, characters, and specificity of your domain can all affect how your overall website performs.
In general, you will want your web address to reflect the content that exists on your site. This is because when your website appears in search results, the person reviewing the search results will be more likely to click on a website that has a relevant domain name.
According to Moz, an SEO software provider:
“Because of search engine’s growing reliance on accessibility and usability as a ranking factor, the easier a domain (or URL) is to read for humans, the better it is for search engines.”
It is also important to not choose a domain too similar to that of another website – thus, if you search for a specific domain but it is already taken, it may be best to think of a different name that is not too similar so that your website does not get confused for another.
What is the Difference Between Host and Domain?
Domain names and web hosting are two highly important terms for anyone wanting to create their own website to familiarize themselves with. Put simply, a domain name is the title of the website that appears within a URL and is associated with a specific IP web address, and web hosting is the service that creates an actual digital space for your website to exist on.
However, there is more to both domain names and web hosting than these simple definitions listed above, and understanding the importance and difference of each is necessary knowledge for anyone wanting to create their own website. Below are more comprehensive and in-depth explanations of each to help breakdown what is involved in the website creation process:
Domains
As mentioned, a domain is the specific words or characters that compose a URL. They typically end in .com, though they can have a variety of other endings (such as .gov, .net, .org, etc.) depending on the type of website being created.
The reason domains are used is to make searching the internet and visiting websites more user-friendly for the average person. What is actually happening behind the scenes is that your domain becomes attached to a specific IP address, which allows for the internet network to connect users through to your website.
The reason we use domains to simplify IP addresses is that an IP address is typically longer, more complicated to use, and consists of random sets of numbers and letters. Because of the randomness of an IP address, it does not allow for search engine optimization on its own, nor does it make for easy advertising.
As we have covered, you will need to register your domain name in order to ensure that the specific name you want is reserved for your website once you have obtained web hosting and built the site’s interface. Domains are designed so that no two websites can have the same URL, thus registration is a crucial part of the process to ensure you receive the domain that matches your website’s content.
Web Hosting
Web hosting is a different thing altogether from domains. While a domain is the title or name that will be associated with your website, the web hosting is the actual virtual space in which your website will exist. Essentially, there is not a website without the web host, but there can be a domain without an existing website.
According to WP Beginner:
“When someone enters your domain name in a browser, the domain name is translated into the IP address of your web hosting company’s computer. This computer contains your website’s files, and it sends those files back to the users’ browsers.”
The reality of publishing a website online is that there are many components, both physical and digital, that must work together simultaneously in order to keep your website up and running. This is what is referred to as web hosting, which provides an allocated space on a web server that connects to a network that allows for your website to be live and accessible. All of your website’s files, information, and data is thus stored within your web hosting service.
Different Types of Web Hosts
Just like there are different registrars from which you can obtain a domain registration, there are also different types of web hosting providers. According to Quick Sprout, there are four main types of web hosting. They are as follows:
- Shared Hosting: Shared hosting is considered the most beginner-friendly and low-cost type of hosting. It allows for multiple websites to share the same server and resources. A popular example of a shared hosting provider is Bluehost also offers additional plans that fit within other categories of web hosting, such as VPS hosting.
- VPS (Virtual Private Server) Hosting: This type of service offers private resources through a single server that can be accessed by multiple authorized users. Popular providers that offer VPS hosting include HostGator and GoDaddy.
- Dedicated Hosting: Dedicated hosting is a bit more complex and generally more expensive. Users typically lease an entire server and related resources that are not shared with any other website. Liquid Web is a popular example of a provider for this type of hosting.
- Cloud Hosting: Cloud hosting is done through cloud computing and hosts websites on multiple servers, allowing for better flexibility as a website grows or as web traffic fluctuates. Squarespace is one of the most popular cloud hosting providers.
Can I Host My Own Website or Domain?
It is possible to host your own website and domain entirely on your own without the use of a third-party web hosting provider. However, this requires a fairly high level of tech-savviness, equipment, and other resources. In order to host your own website, there are a number of steps involved, including:
- Creating your own server that connects to the internet and stores information
- Backing up the information and data stored on your server
- Establishing a MySQL database
- Adding content and pages to your server – this is done through HTML coding
- Adding your domain name to the server
Unfortunately, hosting a website entirely on your own is not the optimal way to go about things, as there are several cyber-security considerations needed in order to protect information, as well as potential updates and maintenance that can be overall pretty time consuming.
So while it is possible, it is not necessarily recommended to try hosting completely independently unless you have the proper resources and technological expertise to do so.
According to Website.com, these are some of the additional considerations to keep in mind when deciding whether to host your website from your own personal computer:
- Knowledge of how to set up a WWW server that Internet users can access the web files on your computer
- An Internet service provider that has the bandwidth quota to support running websites on your home computer.
- Whether you have the electricity-related capabilities, as the computer containing the server has to stay on at all times.
- Potential slow loading of your website, due to home internet connections not being designed for web hosting.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to building a publishing website, the reality is that you need both a domain and a web hosting service. While you can buy and reserve a domain without having a web host secured, your website will not be able to go live or be published until it has been hosted.
Many web hosting services will allow for an all-in-one type service, meaning you can purchase a domain from the same company. However, you can also buy a domain independently of your hosting service and simply connect the two when you are ready to publish your site.