Starting a website is a lot like setting up a new home just only online. To do this, you need two key things: a domain name and web hosting. Think of the domain name as your online address – it’s how people find you on the internet. Web hosting, on the other hand, is like the land where your website’s files live. Both are super important, but they can be a bit confusing at first.

In this guide, we’ll break down what domain names and web hosting are, why you need both, and how they work together to get your website up and running. Whether you’re starting a blog, an online shop, or a website for your business, understanding these basics is the first step to making your mark online.

What is a Domain Name?

A domain name is your website’s address on the internet. Just like you need an address to find a physical location, you need a domain name to find a website. For example, “google.com” is a domain name that takes you to Google’s homepage. It’s a user-friendly way to access a website, without having to remember complex IP addresses.

Think of the domain name as the contact name in your phone. Instead of remembering your friend’s phone number, you just need to know their name. Similarly, domain names make it easier for us to remember and access websites without memorizing strings of numbers.

Read more: Best Practices for Domain Ownership

What is Web Hosting?

Web hosting is a service that allows you to store your website’s files and data on a server, making it accessible on the internet. When you create a website, you create several files (like documents, images, and HTML files). These files need to be stored somewhere to be accessible over the internet. This is where web hosting comes in. Web hosting providers maintain powerful servers, designed to store your website’s files and data.

You can think of web hosting as renting a space on the internet. Just like you’d rent a physical space for a store, you rent space on a server for your website. This space is where your website “lives” on the internet.

Read more: How to Choose a Web Hosting Provider

How Domain Names and Web Hosting Work Together

For a website to be accessible on the internet, you need both a domain name and web hosting. When you enter a domain name in your web browser, it acts as an address that tells your browser where to go on the internet. The browser then requests the files stored on the web hosting server using this address. The server then sends these files back to the browser, and voila, the website appears on your screen.

Why Can’t You Have One Without the Other?

Without a domain name, people would have to remember the IP address of your web hosting server to visit your website, which is not user-friendly. Without web hosting, you’d have a domain name that doesn’t lead anywhere because there’s no server to store your website’s files and make it accessible online.

Both a domain name and web hosting are crucial for setting up a website. The domain name acts as your website’s address, making it easy for people to find your site, while web hosting provides the necessary space on a server to store your website’s files and make them accessible online. Together, they ensure your website is both findable and accessible to your audience on the vast internet.