Domain, hosting and SSL: what you're actually paying for
Every website runs on three things: a domain, hosting and an SSL certificate. Here's what each one is, in plain words, and why all three need looking after.
When you get a website, you'll hear three words again and again: domain, hosting and SSL. They often appear as separate lines on a bill, and it isn't always clear what each one is for.
This post explains all three using something every business owner already understands: a shop.
The short version
- Your domain is your shop's address.
- Your hosting is the building the shop sits in.
- Your SSL certificate is the lock on the door.
You need all three for a website to work, and each needs to be kept in order.
The domain: your address online
The domain is the name people type to reach your website, such as yourshop.com or yourshop.in. It's also what appears after the @ in a business email address.
How it works
You don't buy a domain forever. You register it for a period, usually a year or a few years at a time, and then renew it. If a renewal is missed, the domain stops working, and after a while someone else can register it.
Choosing one
- Keep it short and easy to say over the phone.
- Use your business name, the same one on your sign and your Google listing.
- .com works everywhere. .in tells customers you're an Indian business, which many local customers like. Some businesses register both.
- Avoid hyphens and numbers if you can. They're easy to get wrong when said aloud.
Hosting: where your website lives
A website is a set of files, images and code. Hosting is the computer, called a server, that keeps those files and sends them to every visitor who types your address.
Why it matters
Hosting decides a lot about how your website feels to customers:
- Speed: good hosting sends your pages quickly, wherever the visitor is. Many hosts use a CDN, a network of servers in different places, to help with this.
- Reliability: your website should be there at 2 am on a Sunday, just as it is at noon on a weekday.
- Security: good hosting is kept updated and protected against common attacks.
- Backups: copies of your website, so it can be restored if anything goes wrong.
Cheap hosting can be fine for a very simple site. But if it makes your pages slow, it quietly costs you customers. See how a slow website quietly loses customers.
SSL: the padlock in the address bar
SSL is what turns http:// into https:// and puts the small padlock next to your address in the browser. It means the connection between your visitor and your website is encrypted, so nobody in between can read or change what's sent.
Why every website needs it
- Browsers warn people when a site doesn't have it. Some show “Not secure” right next to your address, which is not what you want a new customer to see.
- Forms need it. If customers type their name and phone number into your enquiry form, that information should travel safely.
- Google prefers it. Secure sites are part of what Google looks for in a trustworthy page.
SSL certificates also expire and need renewing. On good hosting this happens automatically, but someone should still check that it does.
We go deeper into this in HTTPS and SSL: what the padlock really means.
How the three work together
When a customer types your address:
- The domain tells the internet which hosting to go to.
- The hosting finds your website's files and sends them back.
- SSL makes sure the files arrive safely and unchanged.
If any one of these lapses, customers see an error page, a warning or nothing at all.
Why they need looking after
None of these is a one-time job. Domains and SSL certificates need renewing. Hosting needs updates, monitoring and backups. And it's easy to forget a renewal that only comes round once a year, especially if the reminder email goes to an old address.
Common problems we see:
- A domain registered years ago by a relative or a former web designer, with nobody sure who holds the login
- A website showing a security warning because the SSL certificate expired
- A site that went down and nobody noticed for days
- No recent backup when something broke
Getting help
When we build a website, we set up hosting and SSL properly and connect your domain to it. Our maintenance plans then take care of hosting, SSL, security updates, backups and uptime monitoring, so these quiet jobs don't depend on anyone remembering them. You can read more about how we build on our website development page.
In short
- The domain is your address, hosting is the building and SSL is the lock on the door.
- Domains and SSL certificates need renewing, and hosting needs updates, monitoring and backups.
- Register the domain in your own business's name and make sure someone is looking after all three.
