Are you confused by all the talk of hosting, domain registration, DNS servers, and website design?
There are three basic elements that go into putting your website online. The following is a simplified description of the process and necessary elements of websites and the Internet.
building your website
The first element is the creation of the actual website files - the website design. This is the process of creating the HTML coded files that will be interpreted by browsers and parsed into a viewable web page. They are not online yet; they are on the website designer's computer.
what is hosting?
Once HTML files are created, they can't be stored on your personal computer for internet use because the number of hits and speed required couldn't be handled by your machine. The files are hosted on dedicated remote servers where they can be accessed at high speeds. This is called hosting. Think of it as the files being stored in their own space in a giant library.
what is domain registration?
Once the files are available (hosted) in a place where the Internet can access them at high speeds, we now need to have a name for the website that is recognizable and easily remembered. Domain registration sets you up as owner of the "label" that is typed into a browser's address bar (i.e. wholisticwebdesign.ca) to bring up a website on screen.
Next we need to tell browsers where to look for your specific website files when your domain name is typed in, otherwise they won't know what files to bring up on screen. So, after the domain name is registered we change settings called DNS Nameservers that associate your domain name with your hosting space. This way, when your website domain name is typed in a browser, it knows exactly where to look for your files in the great big "library" of the Internet.
It's actually a very simple process, once it's understood. We're happy to take care of these things for you, or help guide you if you prefer to be involved in the process yourself.
Would you rather have someone explain all this to you in person where you'll have the opportunity to ask further questions? A website consultation is the perfect solution!
© 2004 Renée Deakin. All rights reserved. Copying of this article in any form by any means, mechanical or electric, is strictly prohibited without express permission from Earth Spirit Creations. You may link back to this webpage, as long as full credit is given to author. Contact us for more information.