Ask ten small business owners what they pay for their website and you will get ten confused answers. That is not their fault. The words get used as if they mean the same thing, and they do not.
There are three separate parts. Once you can tell them apart, a lot of website problems become much easier to untangle.
The three parts in plain English
Think of a shop.
- The domain name is the street address. It is what people type to find you, like yourbusiness.com.au.
- The hosting is the building. It is the space on a computer, connected to the internet all day, where your website's files are kept so anyone can visit.
- The website is the fit out inside. The words, photos, pages, prices and contact form that visitors actually see.
You can change the fit out without moving the address. You can move to a different building and keep the same address. That separation is useful, and it is also where things go wrong when someone else holds one of the parts.
What each one does
| Part | What it is | What happens if it lapses |
|---|---|---|
| Domain | Your web address, registered for a set period and renewed | The address can stop working, and email using that address can stop with it |
| Hosting | Where the website's files live | The website can go offline, but the address is still yours |
| Website | The pages, words and photos | Nothing breaks, but you cannot change it without a login |
A domain is registered for a set length of time and has to be renewed to stay yours. That is why the renewal notices matter, and why they should go to an email address you actually read.
Why email is part of this
Many businesses have email addresses that end in their domain, like hello@yourbusiness.com.au. That email usually depends on the domain being kept current. If the domain lapses or is moved carelessly, email can stop working too. We covered the bigger picture of control in who actually owns your website.
Who should hold what
The domain: you. This is the one that matters most. It should be registered to you or your business, with your email address on the account and a login you have actually tested. Whoever holds the domain controls where it points.
The hosting: you, or at least with you named and able to get in. Some people pay a hosting company directly. Some have it bundled into a website builder. Either way, you want your name on the account and your card or billing details on it, or a clear written arrangement if someone else pays.
The website: you. The content is yours, the photos are yours, and you should have an admin login that works.
A common trap is the designer who set up all three in their own accounts to make the build quicker. It works fine until the designer moves on. If you are not sure where yours sits, our guide on what a website actually costs also covers what you should never be asked to pay for.
Do they all have to be in the same place?
No. It is normal for the domain to be registered with one company and the hosting to be with another. Pointing the address at the hosting is a routine setting. It is also normal for a website builder to bundle all three together, which is convenient but means moving one part later can be more fiddly.
A quick check you can do today
- Write down where you think your domain is registered.
- Find the last renewal email or invoice for it.
- Check that it is addressed to you, not to someone you used to work with.
- Try logging in to that account, using the password reset if you need to.
- Do the same for hosting or your website builder.
If every step works, you are in good shape. If any step fails, that is the thing to fix first, before any redesign.
How we handle it
We build in accounts registered in your name, including the domain, and wherever possible we rebuild on the setup you already have and pay for, so there is nothing to transfer. You will still pay your own domain and hosting the way you do now. There is no monthly fee to us.
Not sure what you have? Tell us about your business and working out exactly that is part of our free fifteen minute call.