Selecting a domain name can be a bit overwhelming since domain registrars often offer far more services than just domain names. Many offer “hosting” as well, so it helps to understand the relationship between domain names and hosting. Domain names and hosting are two completely separate products, but in the effort to sell the products together, domain registrars often just confuse people.

When you purchase Web site hosting, you are basically renting a folder on a computer (called a Web server) that is connected to the Internet. You pay a company a monthly or yearly fee to keep your Web site files online and safe from hackers and other online “bad guys.” Although technically, you might be able to host a site yourself, the $10 or $20 a month you spend on hosting is money well spent.