If you are considering getting a website, here are a few additional costs associated with website ownership.
- You’ll need a domain name
- Hosting
- Website Builder
Domain name
A domain name is what your customers will type into their browser to find your website. Example: Karma Centric Solutions domain name is karmacentric.com.
Once you have your domain name, you’ll need to register it with Registrars (I know, simple right?). The fees for registering your domain name varies by Registrar and length of time you would like to lease the name. Some options start at 1 year and go to about 5 years as of this writing. Know that this is a fee that you pay to the registrar yearly.
You can find domain registrars here. I am not affiliated with any of them. If you would like recommendations, feel free to contact me.
Web Hosting
Once you’ve secured your domain name, you’ll need somewhere to park it. That’s where webhosting comes in.
Web hosts are where all your internet files or data will live. A good web host is responsible for keeping your website running smoothly, securely and quickly (let’s face it, there’s so much information out there that if your website is slow you could lose valuable customers.)
In a nutshell, web hosts are responsible for loading your website so your customers can see what you’re offering.
The fees for web hosting have many options depending on your needs. E-commerce sites usually need more from a web host than a personal blogger.
They usually require yearly payment, like domain names, they offer options from 1 year to 5 years as of this writing. Some may offer longer for a cheaper price. May sure you compare plans from different carriers before you make a decision.
Website builder
The name says it all. A website builder helps you to build your website. If you are building a house, this will be your brick and mortar. Website builders require no-coding, however some templates lets you customize it to match your brand, this may require very little coding. Some will allow you to upload fonts, use you brand colors etc.
Even though website builders are easy to use and most people are using them to build websites themselves these days, others prefer to let someone else do it. I must point out that there is a learning curve and it can take a long time to get comfortable with the features. Different platforms will allow different functionality, so it’s up to your needs.
Like with those mentioned above there are many options to choose from, so do your homework and ask others for recommendations.
In conclusion:
Going back to the house building analogy. The domain name is your home address, the webhost is the land and the website builder is the structure.