Maxwell Servers

In today’s blog article, we look at a common scenario which several of our web hosting clients have encountered in the past.  

Say you need a website; you see a great advert from a hosting firm sounding something like “Get your website online at only $3.99 per month!” Sounds like a good deal! You opt in, make the purchase, then visit your awesome-website.com and … crickets! You stumble on a blank or default page which doesn’t even bear your brand’s name, to say the least. 

Now it starts occurring to you: maybe you didn’t purchase what you believed you purchased. Why isn’t your website online? 

Here’s why we thought it important to make this distinction to potential clients, so you get exactly what is right for you at the best deal! 

What’s the Difference Between Hosting a Website and Building a Website? 

First, let’s define a few terms. First, website.  

What is a Website? 

Oxford Languages defines a website as “a set of related web pages located under a single domain name, typically produced by a single person or organization.” This definition already entails a website must have carefully planned content created by someone for their own purpose. 

Now on to the definition of web hosting. 

What is Web Hosting 

Oxford Languages defines web hosting as “the activity or business of providing storage space and access for websites.” 

Thus, simply put, when you buy web hosting, you’re buying storage space to place the content of a website. Most of the time, the website has already been built, and all you need do is copy its files to the storage space the hosting company provides. 

Your next worry might be “built by whom”? Now that’s the job of a web designer or web developer. Their jobs are simply to create websites for you.  

Sometimes however, when you need a simple website or blog, you can spin things up yourself. All you need is to simply put in a few hours to take a short training on web design. What’s more, we have several tutorials on our blog with visual, drag-and-drop tools for creating websites. 

Now, there’s another requirement for your website to actually display online. To view it, you enter a domain name into the browser. 

What is a Domain Name? 

A domain name is simply the name people enter into their browsers to have your website display. A hosting company like Blogvisa would usually ask you which domain name you want your website identified by when you purchase hosting.  

Now there you have it. We hope you’re in a better position now to make a choice before getting your website online.  

If you’re ready to get one, you can begin here. We equally have a 24/7 support team (also available on WhatsApp) in case you need any help.