Guide
Hosting and domains explained simply
Two words cause more confusion than anything else in this business. The domain is your address, the thing people type in. The hosting is the ground the house is built on. You need both, and you need to know who controls them.
The domain is yours, always
Your domain should be registered in your business name with your email on the account. If a designer registers it in their own name, you do not really own your address.
Ask the question directly before anyone builds you anything. A straight answer is a good sign.
Choosing between .ie and .com
A .ie address signals to customers and to Google that you are an Irish business, which helps for local searches. A .com is fine too, especially if you sell beyond Ireland.
Keep it short and say it out loud first. If you have to spell it over the phone every time, pick something else.
What hosting actually does
Hosting is the machine that serves your pages. Cheap shared hosting is slow, which costs you visitors, and often comes with no backups when something goes wrong.
You want fast servers, automatic backups, a security certificate and someone who fixes it when it breaks without you having to notice first.
The mistakes that cause headaches
These come up again and again.
- Domain registered to a former web designer who has vanished
- Renewal notices going to an email nobody checks
- No backups, so a broken site means starting again
- Hosting bought on price and never looked at since
How we handle it
Hosting, the security certificate, backups and renewals are all included in the monthly fee, so there is nothing to remember and no surprise invoices.
The domain stays yours. If you ever move on, you take your address with you.
Common questions
Who should own my domain name?
You, in your business name, with your own email on the account. Never anyone else.
Is .ie better than .com for an Irish business?
For a business serving Irish customers, a .ie address is a small but real advantage and looks local.
Where to go next
Want us to sort this for you?
We build the site for free and look after the hosting, the updates and the local SEO for €59.99 a month on a 12 month minimum. Have a chat with us and see if it suits.
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- Why Your Website Is Slow on MobileMost of your visitors are on a phone, often on patchy signal. Speed is a sales issue.