Web Hosting Web, Part 4

Welcome back to our seemingly never ending conversation on web hosting.

Thank you. We do seem to be on a never ending journey. On the other hand, the information provided by this compendium of conversations has proven to be perspicacious and ennui-free.

What a nice complement. Let us continue with our 'domain name' thread. In our previous discussion we agreed to agree that a domain ending in ".com" might be preferable to a domain ending in ".cc" or ".info" or ".us" simply because Internet users have been conditioned to remember ".com" domain names.

I understand. The point is to contrive a domain name that ends in ".com" and is still available to be registered. Next question: how does one register a domain name?

A domain name is registered through a type of company called a "domain registrar."

Where might I find such a company? Let me guess... the Internet?

Indeed, the sum of all knowledge and experience may be found on the Internet. A veritable plethora of domain name registrars maintain an online presence.

How many is a plethora?

That depends on whether you are using metric or US. Either way, rest assured that you do not need to shop for a domain name registrar.

Why not? I thought I needed a domain name and a registrar to register it for me.

Here's the trick: settle on a web hosting service and let them register the domain name for you.

Ah ha! That makes sense. I think. Tell me again why I want to do it this way.

As every Internet guru knows, a domain name can be registered by any registrar and hosted by any hosting service. Semi-savvy Internet gurus may be able to save a few dollars by locating a registrar running a sale or offering deeply discounted registration services. However, the process of moving a newly registered domain from the control of the registrar to the control of the hosting service may be problematic. It's always doable, but it can be confusing and frustrating. It may also cause a delay in getting the web site online. A loss of income could result.

I am so confused. 357 words ago, I thought I was an Internet Web Hosting expert. Now I cannot differentiate between a web hosting company and a domain registrar.

Don't fret. Just let your web hosting company perform the domain name registration. You may spend an extra dollar or two for the registration, but you will avoid the possibility of additional domain name transfer delays.

What has to be transferred? Aren't the domain registrar and the hosting company on the same Internet?

Yes, the two companies are indeed on the same Internet. As far as you know, there is only one Internet. The transfer issue may cause unnecessary delays because the IP address of your domain points to the domain registrar and it will need to point to the hosting service so you can begin to build your site. If one company performs both services, the transfer is moot.

What's an IP address?

Fret not about that. Your domain name registrar and your web hosting service will handle that for you. As a business owner who simply wants to sell stuff online and maintain an Internet presence, the value and significance of your IP address is nil.

Fair enough. Let's assume I have a domain name and it's registered and it's hosted and the IP address of the domain points to the hosting service. Now what do I do?

You need to start uploading some pages to your site. Or you could use a site-building tool. Or you could pay someone to create the site for you. Or you could purchase a pre-built site from an online vendor.

My digital head is spinning again. Which one of those things do I want?

Stay tuned for our next discussion!

Somehow I knew that was coming...