If you run a physical business, like a supermarket, you need to manage a building; you'll use it to store and sell food, and you'll have an address so customers can find you.
A Webflow site or application has the online equivalent of a building and an address. Instead of a building, a website is hosted on a server. It's where it stores all of its files, code, and data. And instead of an address, a website has a domain name — basically, the web address you type in your internet browser.
Managing a website requires both registering a domain name and paying for hosting services. Buying a domain name only gives you the right to use that particular name for a specific period of time, but you can pay for longer periods of time. It is also possible to move a domain name to another company and change the hosting provider. There are plenty of companies that will offer you both services. But how do you choose the right domain name and hosting? In this article, we are going to answer this question.
Web Hosting Types
Webflow hosting
Webflow offers an all-in-one hosting solution, ideal for those looking for an intuitive platform with simplified management. Unlike shared or dedicated options, Webflow combines site design and hosting, allowing you to build and publish your site directly. The hosting is based on robust infrastructures, guaranteeing fast performance and high availability. In addition, Webflow takes care of security updates and maintenance, freeing you from technical tasks. It is a great option for small and medium businesses looking for a reliable and easy to use solution.
Classic accommodation
In the following types of web hosting, your website files and information are stored on a physical computer, called a server, or on a cloud-based virtual server. The server sends your information to other computers when users enter your domain name into a browser.
You will need to decide what type of hosting provider you want to use based on the level of control you want over your hosting and the volume of traffic your website is likely to generate.
We love the WPCrafter video that explains the differences between the types of web hosting!
Shared hosting
This is the most common type of web hosting, where several users share a powerful server. The benefits of shared hosting include having your server pre-configured by the provider. Additionally, the provider does all maintenance and security updates for you. Also, it's easy to use and a lot cheaper than other hosting options. However, because it is a shared server, the load on other sites will affect the performance of your site. This limits the capabilities of your server: your site's ability to access its database and run programs may be restricted.
Dedicated hosting
Instead of sharing server space, you get full use of it — the entire physical machine is leased to you. You can customize software and hardware to suit your needs, and you won't have to share performance with other sites. That said, you should only choose this option if you are familiar with maintaining and managing basic servers.
This option is ideal for large businesses that receive a lot of traffic and need a powerful server for their site to work quickly and properly.
Virtual Private Server (VPS)
The VPS is a cloud-based server that offers all the features of a dedicated server but at a reduced cost. It offers a shared server without sharing some server resources. VPS hosting generally has an easy to use interface and a performance that is almost always better than shared hosting. If you decide to use this, you should be familiar with maintaining and managing basic servers.
Cloud services
It is the most reliable and powerful service. Instead of using the disk space of a single server, it runs on giant public clouds like Amazon Web Services or Microsoft Azure. These providers will create the configuration that suits your needs; its main advantage is scalability. If you need to increase the amount of traffic your site can handle, you can simply pay more to your provider.
When choosing a hosting provider, you need to consider the volume of traffic your website will attract. If you're aiming for something more extensive than a small local business, a cheap shared hosting account may not be appropriate. Also, when paying for hosting, make sure your site isn't locked down to a single host so you can change providers in the event of a change in business ownership. It's easier to do this if you've backed up your site. When you change providers, you can upload your backup to that provider and point your domain name to them.
Choosing a Domain Name
Domain names are an important part of your brand. They are the first impression of your website and can affect your search engine optimization. There are many factors to consider when choosing a domain name. In fact, it's not much different from choosing a business name. However, there are three important categories that every brand should consider.
The Name Itself
What are some of the most famous websites you can think of: Google, Yahoo, Facebook, Amazon, or Twitter? Some of these words are made up or have nothing to do with the company's products. But they are a brand and therefore easy to remember and search for. However, coming up with a memorable brand name isn't easy. If you have one for your business and it can be used as a domain name, then you will find it easier to get online traffic than if your domain name is just a list of descriptive words.
For example, southlondonfurnitureshop.com can explain very clearly what the site is going to sell, but it's long, not unique, and easy to forget. However, it's not always possible to come up with a memorable new word that fits your business. If that's the case, try to keep the domain name short — 12 letters tend to get the most traffic — and use a keyword that describes your business. Also, avoid hyphens and numbers as these are other things to remember when typing, and make sure it's easy to pronounce so people can share their new favorite site.
Extension
One important thing to consider when choosing your domain is how it will end — .com is by far the most recognizable and popular extension (43% of websites use it). .net and.org are other examples. Trying to use niche extensions that match your brand, like .club, is not advisable. The reason is that it just adds something extra for the user to remember when they type your address into a browser.
Protection
Finally, check if your name has already been registered (you can use this website for this purpose) and protect your brand by buying various extensions and misspelled versions of your name, so that customers reach your page even if they type it wrong.
Where to Register a Domain Name
There are various options for registering your domain name for your Webflow site, and many of them will also provide hosting services.
Domain.com allows you to choose the duration of the term and the extension; Hostgator And Bluehost offers combined domain name and hosting services — you can get a free 1-year period for a domain name if you sign up for their web hosting; GoDaddy.com offers protection against spam and scams if you want to; and Namecheap.com includes privacy protection for free.
As with many business decisions, there are pros and cons to each type of hosting and different domain names. It's important that you make decisions that align with your online business. There's no point in paying for a powerful cloud-based hosting option if you're generating little traffic; a large website with lots of content to load can struggle on a shared server. A long domain name is hard to remember and can be typed incorrectly in a browser; a shorter domain name should match the brand you are trying to create.
