So you’ve looked into getting a website for your business. Great! A website is an amazing way to reach new clients and nurture your existing ones. But in your search you came across a bunch of terms and jargon that made ABSOLUTELY no sense to you.
“Do I need hosting?” “What’s a domain?” “How much is all this?” “Where do I start???”
Don’t worry. Just look to your left. Then to your right. And say hello to all the other entrepreneurs who asked themselves the exact same questions. You’re all in the same boat. 😅
Allow me to demystify hosting and domains for websites so you know exactly what you need to get your website off the ground and what your payments are going toward.
What is a Domain?
Website domains are super simple. It’s just the name of your website link. Like www.google.com. Or www.yourwebsite.org.
Domain Costs
The cost of a domain is much cheaper than web hosting. It can cost anywhere between $3-20 a YEAR.
Choosing a Domain Name
One of the first steps of getting a domain for your website is to find out if the name you want is available. You can use service providers like Namecheap or Google Domains to browse your options and even purchase the domain perfect for your brand.
This part is kind of exciting! Like your goals and dreams you envisioned with your new website and business are almost within reach just because you’re picking out a name. ☺ Well, allow me to give you a few quick tips for choosing the right domain for your website.
Your website domain should be:
- Short and concise
- Easy to spell
- Memorable
- Relevant to your brand
Those are some of the most important points to know about website domains. It’s crazy simple, right?! Not nearly as complicated as you might have thought.
Now that I’ve helped you clear up domains, let’s move on to web hosting.
What is Web Hosting?
A web hosting service is necessary for you to get a website up and running.
Think of hosting as rent for a brick and mortar business. Just like H&M needs to pay rent to have a store in the mall, you need hosting services to “rent” your place on the Internet.
Loading Speeds
Not all hosting services are made equal. Some help your website load faster, which is HUGE. Who wants to sit there for 20 seconds waiting for all your images to load? 20 seconds is like DECADES in Internet time, so you want to make sure your website is running as fast as possible.
Customer Support
Some offer excellent customer support. So, if you’re having technical issues with your website, just give them a call and one of their tech nerd superheroes can swoop in and help you out.
Hosting Costs
So, you’re a savvy business woman, so I’m sure you’re dying to know how much web hosting costs. Depending on how you look at it, it might be interesting or terrifying to know that costs for web hosting can vary WILDLY.
Depending on the type of web hosting you get and the company you choose, web hosting can cost anywhere between $2-$80 per month. (Some services can cost nearly thousands per month…but let’s not talk about those 😅)
My Recommendation
Now, I could go into the list of different types of web hosting, the pros and cons, and all kinds of other analysis and comparisons… Instead, let me simplify it for you since a lot of entrepreneurs don’t care about all that tech nerd stuff. They just want to get started with the best option for them.
I completely recommend using ShowIt.
It’s perfect for small business owners who want something easy to use and simple to host their website. And it is a POWERFUL option for people who want the creative flexibility to show their brand personality through their website design. And most importantly, you get all that creative design freedom (cue the dramatic trumpets) without any code!! 🤯😭💃🏾🌈😃🤸🏾♀️😍 It’s a simple drag and drop interface that’s crazy easy for non-designers to use.
And as far as web hosting, ShowIt is top tier! There’s a reason I use it for all my web designs.
Web Hosting Maintenance with ShowIt
All the maintenance and headache of maintaining a web hosting service is completely taken care of for you by the tech team at ShowIt. Normally with a web hosting service like GoDaddy, you have to do the tech work of hooking up your website to your web hosting service yourself so your website is actually visible to the public and whatnot.
Before I used ShowIt, clients used to get so confused with this process and sometimes things would get “unhooked” in the background for one reason or another, causing their website to go down. Then it’s a whole other headache to figure out how to hook things up again. And all the tools that services like GoDaddy throw at you can be overwhelming if you’re not the most tech savvy individual.
But once you’ve got a ShowIt account, you don’t have to lift a finger to manage all the behind the scenes tech work to make sure your web hosting is properly set up. The ShowIt team will do most of it for you, or patiently walk you through the small things you might have to adjust yourself. (But that’s rare! I’ve only had to do this once, and it was unrelated to web hosting. 😉)
ShowIt Costs
As far as the cost, ShowIt costs between $24-$39 per month. And there’s a discount if you choose the annual payment option. That’s comparable to the cost of having Wix, Squarespace or other similar website building platforms. It’s a cost-effective option for small business owners who value simplicity and affordability.
ShowIt Overview
I can gush about ShowIt all day. But instead let me just break it down. Cuz I love lists:
- Super low maintenance web hosting
- Easy to use drag and drop interface
- Creative flexibility
- No code
- AMAZING, responsive human customer support!
- Affordable
There you have it! A crash course in web hosting and a solid recommendation for your business. If you’re curious about using ShowIt for your own website feel free to contact me! I’d love to answer any questions.
And if you’re in need of a website to blow your competition out of the water, I offer custom websites and brand design, as well as website templates. (All built in ShowIt, of course!)
