Domains & Hosting: Explained

Already feeling overwhelmed? Welcome to my 9-5. Okay, let’s get through this.

What Is A Domain?  

The domain name is the address people put in their browser to find a particular website. Imagine the town you live in is the internet, and your house is a website. In this example, the domain name would be the address people use to find your house/website. 

Like locations on a map, each website has a number reference, more commonly called an Internet Protocol – or IP address. This address is made of 4 numbers from 0 to 255. 

For example, this page’s IP address is 34.148.73.246.

While these lines of random numbers may be precise, they aren’t the most memorable things in the world. After all, if I want to tell you where I was when I wrote this post, it’s so much simpler to say my local cafe than 51°32’6 “N 0°5’54  “W. 

Like physical addresses, domain names were invented to make it super easy for people to find whatever website they want. When you need to create an amazing website (and you only have 5 minutes to spare), you don’t need to waste time remembering [OUR IP]; Instead, just visit www.Hocoos.com, and let our AI wizard create the website you want, just by answering 8 quick questions.

So, SO much easier to remember, right?! 

Why Do I Need A Domain?

Good question! Like I just said, a name is MUCH easier to remember than a string of numbers, making it easier for people to find your website. 

A domain name can also help advertise your business. I mean, if your domain is called PetesPlumbing.com, it tells customers exactly what your website is about

Finally, a domain name covering what your business is about means your website is much more likely to appear when people search for similar products or services. 

So, Are Domains & URLs The Same Thing?  

No, but we understand why you would ask. On your “what is a domain” learning journey, you’ve likely seen people refer to them as a URL (short for Universal Resource Locator). While it’s not wrong as such, the truth is that the domain is just a small (but essential) part of the entire URL.

In its simplest form, a domain name has two main parts; the name and the extension.

Meanwhile, the URL is the complete web address and can direct visitors to a specific page on your website. Going back to the internet town analogy, if the domain name is your house, the full URL can tell people exactly what room you’re in.

Most URLs are made up of a protocol, domain, and path (though the path is only there if the URL directs visitors to a specific page on your site).

How Do Domains Work?

Short answer – it’s complicated.

Longer answer – ergh, it’s complicated. Genuinely, it gives me headaches. Anyway, if you REALLY want to know, here’s a simplified version; 

1. When you type a domain name (say, Hocoos.com) into your browser, that request is sent through a global server network called Domain Name System (or DNS).
2. The DNS servers search amongst themselves for the IP address connected with the domain name you’re looking for. 
3. The DNS server with the IP address information you need will send it back to your internet browser.
4. Your browser will request the website data from the domain’s hosting server. Once the host sends that data back, your web browser turns all that complicated code into a proper website. Nice!

Wait, What Is Hosting? 

Hosting is another term designed to make something simple seem much more complicated than it needs to be. That’s why we drew a little picture for context. Welcome back to internet town!

The internet is a town, your website is a house, and your web domain is your home address. Within this analogy, you can think of hosting as your landlord, renting a spot in town for you to build your house.

There’s no point in having a domain if your website isn’t online. After all, the domain is just your website’s address; It’s the hosting that actually takes your website and puts it online for the world to see. 

Get it? They’re hosting you! So far, so simple. 

Do I Have to Buy Hosting and a Domain Together? 

You can choose if you want to buy your domain and hosting together or not, with many AI website builders and hosts offering free domain names for new users. This is a great option for people who are new to the world of website creation, as it’s usually a much simpler process and won’t cost anything upfront. 

For example, Pete can create his plumbing website with AI in under 5 minutes, and then host it online for free with Hocoos by choosing to use Petesplumbing.Hocoos.com, or he can pay a fee (either one-off or monthly) for the custom domain www.petesplumbing.com.

The Benefits Of Working With Hocoos AI Website Builder? 

You already know that the Hocoos AI Website is the complete toolkit when it comes to creating an online space, with all the software and support a business could ever need to grow. 

But what about a domain name and hosting? Luckily for you, Hocoos AI handles that too (we really are the one-stop-shop for AI built websites, you know). 

Visiting our internet town analogy for the last time, hosting your website with Hocoos AI is like living in a rented house. You can paint and decorate it however you like and don’t have to worry about maintaining the technical parts. We take care of that for you.

Hocoos AI creates and hosts your website seamlessly. You get to avoid messing around with complicated tech or installing additional plugins and apps that come with finding third-party hosting. Winner winner. 

We even take care of domains. Since we will be hosting your AI website ourselves, you can choose any domain name you wish, completely free. And if you ever decide you want to buy a custom domain, we can connect that to your website in a flash!

Buying a domain and hosting your website may sound daunting, but it doesn’t have to be! You can find your own corner of the internet to help your business thrive by creating a business site & online store with Hocoos AI website builder. 

Once you needed to know lots of complicated tech stuff or have incredible design skills to have a website. Now, it’s as simple as answering 8 quick questions, and your website is ready in less than 5 minutes, your website is ready! 

Come and find out more about creating and hosting your own custom business website. After all, it takes less time to create a Hocoos AI website than it did to read this article.