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A domain hosting company does just that: hosts your domain name on its servers so Internet users anywhere can type in your URL and access your Website by domain name. In most cases, domain hosting and Web hosting are the same thing.
A domain name actually provides a shortcut to help users access your Website. Every site-hosting server in the world has its own unique Internet Protocol, or IP, address. Rather than having to type in a complex IP address like 208.97.191.15, though, DNS (for Domain Name System) allows you to type in an easy-to-remember URL like www.webhostingreport.com and access the Website you want that way.
You can register your own domain name via either a domain registrar or domain host. Many hosts also offer additional domain services, including the ability to host multiple domain names and sub-domains on a single account. Registrars and hosting companies can also park your domain name if you want to reserve a particular name for yourself but aren't ready to put up a Website yet.
If you’re concerned about privacy, you might also want to seek out a host that can help you with private domain name registration. Private registration ensures that spammers can’t find your email address via a domain name registration database.
Domain names are available with a wide range of extensions, including .com, .net, .org, .info and .biz. You can also get country-specific domain-name extensions like .us ( USA), .ca ( Canada), .jp ( Japan) and .de ( Germany).
Depending on your needs, you should also look for a domain host that can provide ample amounts of disk space, bandwidth, email accounts and databases, as well as other features like a Web-based control panel, WebMail, FTP access, ecommerce and support for applications like Weblogs, discussion forums, live chat, photo galleries and more. |
