3) Hosting and more
Once you order a website you will need to have it hosted. Though the internet can seem like it exists everywhere and nowhere at once, all the websites on the internet exists on servers and have a physical location. If you think of your website as a virtual office or store for your goods or services then think of hosting as the land that your website is built upon. Basically, hosting means having a place for your website to exist and be on the web. Hosting usually starts when you order the website because as the website is being constructed it still needs a place to be built on.
If you want only hosting for your website then it is usually pretty inexpensive and is paid on a monthly basis. But unless you know a lot about how websites and the internet works then you will want a package that does more than just host your website. Included in these packages are often:
- Being able to ask a professional to make changes to the website after it has been finished and gone live on the internet
- Setting up and maintaining an email service for your website
- Customer support
- Basic onsite search engine optimization
- Priority call backs
Different companies offer different service packages when it comes to hosting and maintaining the functionality of your website. Make sure to ask what comes with different hosting.
The Bottom Line: If you have someone at your company that is computer savvy with domains and websites then go for hosting only as it will save you money. If you do not, then get a more complete package because if a problem occurs and it is not part of your package then you may have to pay by the hour.