Understanding the Differences Between Domain Names, Registration, Hosting, Transfer and Connection
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How domains and websites work together
When building a website, having a domain is mandatory.
You’ve probably heard a lot of different terms for it: URL, domain, domain name, and web address. All of these terms are correct and mean the same thing.
URL stands for uniform resource locator, but don’t worry, you don’t need to memorize that! In the same way you use coordinates to locate a point and a physical address to find a place on a map; you can type a URL into a web browser or click a link to visit a website online.
A website is a collection of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and content securely hosted on servers. Servers are physical hardware that store data worldwide. When you visit a website via its URL, it is found and served to your computer instantly if you have a fast internet connection and the website is optimized.
What is a URL (domain, domain name, or web address) and how does it work?
A URL is a unique identifier that computers and people use to find your website directly or through a search engine. When dialing a unique set of numbers so your phone makes the correct connection, the URL lets your computer and smartphone connect with the intended website and email address.
For example, our domain is designpowers.com. When you type it into the web address bar or click the link, your computer has to translate designpowers.com into the correct IP address, and it does that by asking for a long line of things:
First, your computer asks your web browser, which might know if you’ve been to the website before (the URL is cached), but if it doesn't, it asks
A recursive name server, which might know, but if it doesn't, it asks
The root servers network, which sends you to the appropriate top-level domain server, in this case, the one that runs all the “.coms,” which sends you to the…
Authoritative name server, which translates the IP address of 198.49.23.145 to designpowers.com
How Domain Name Servers Work | DNS Lookup
This is how domains and websites work together. This URL request process typically happens in less than 1 second, and if your website is loading longer than 3 seconds on a high-speed internet connection, it’s time to update.
You might be wondering, who created this domain system?
Who is ICANN, and what is DNS?
ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is a global nonprofit organization that administers domain names through the DNS (domain name system) and is responsible for keeping internet operations stable and secure.
The DNS uses a unique string of numbers called IP addresses, which stand for Internet Protocol, to make the connection. DNS was created to translate IP addresses into unique, easy-to-use web addresses called domain names.
Thanks to DNS, we don’t have to punch in numerical IP addresses like phone numbers, except even longer, every time we want to surf the web.
What is a domain registrar, and how do you buy a domain name?
ICANN also accredits registrars, companies that sell and manage domain names.
Simply put, registrars help you register a domain name, whether it’s a “.com, “.org,” or any of the other available generic top-level domains (“.net,” “.gov,” “.edu”). Entities called registries maintain the generic top-level domains (gTLD) so they function correctly.
For example, if you want the domain name designpowers.com, the registrar will check with the registry to see if the domain name is available or already exists.
If it’s not available, you can continue to search until you find one that is. If it’s available, you can purchase it, and the registrar will add it to the registry. Name servers are updated with IP addresses and matching URLs whenever someone buys and registers a domain.
There are hundreds of accredited registrars competing for your business. They vary in price, renewal dates, and level of service. You can also register a domain through a reseller. A reseller is a third party with a business relationship with the registrar. Choosing a registrar or reseller is based on your needs and personal preferences (we recommend our preferred vendors in the FAQs).
Domain Registrar vs. Domain Host
Though closely related, a domain registrar is where you purchase your domain, while a domain host is a service that hosts and manages your DNS records. Your domain registration and hosting can be with the same company or two different companies.
You can register a domain without hosting it. Assuming you have a name in mind, you want to reserve and hold onto it for future use or resell.
How long can you purchase a domain, and how do you renew it?
Typically, you purchase a domain for one year or longer, depending on the registrar’s terms. If you plan to use the domain name indefinitely, consider registering it for over a year. Sometimes, you can register a top-level domain name for up to 10 years.
Most registrars allow you to renew your domain name beyond their original registration period, but be careful not to be outrageously overcharged for this service. Unless you sign up for automatic renewal, you must contact your registrar before your domain name expires so it can be renewed.
Registrars must send you expiration reminder notifications, so make sure your contact information is current on your registration record(s). If you’re using an automatic renewal service, make sure your payment info is also up to date so that your domain can be renewed.
Double-check your renewal notices (via email) and ensure they are actually from your registrar, not another registrar or reseller hoping to redirect your business to theirs or a phishing scam. There are also deceptive companies that will snail mail what looks like an invoice for your domain name renewal, but it’s a scam. Always review any invoices you receive to ensure you’re not being exploited.
Public registration data records can be looked up with the ICANN lookup tool and are updated in real time. It’s illegal to give fake contact info when you register a domain. Still, most registrars offer domain privacy protection or “WHOIS masking” that hides your personally identifiable information from the database and uses the registrar’s company’s info instead. Sometimes, this is selected by default, or you need to opt in, and rarely, you’d need to pay a small fee—this depends on your registrar. Otherwise, your info will be accessible.
How do you transfer a domain?
However, you might decide to use another registrar, possibly because they have better renewal terms and services or their website user experience is better. In this case, you would want to transfer your domain name to the new registrar.
Transferring your domain name is a multi-step process. For guidance on how to do a domain transfer, visit your domain registrar or domain host’s website and follow their specific guides.
Check out the domain name transfer FAQs on ICANN’s website for precautions and rules on domain transfers. Remember that you cannot transfer a domain name to a new registrar within 60 days of changing the registrant name, organization, or email address (updating your registration record). Also, near the end of this post, read our client experience story #1, which relates to this!
Domain Transfer vs. Domain Connection
Transferring a domain is not the same as connecting.
Transferring a domain name means moving the domain registration to a new registrar. Connecting a domain means keeping your domain registration with the registrar from which you purchased it and connecting it to a different hosting provider. Connecting a domain is also referred to as “domain mapping.”
Remember, a domain registrar is where you buy your domain; a domain host is a service that hosts and manages your DNS records. Your domain registration and hosting can be with the same provider or two different providers.
Yes, I’m repeating this because many people get confused by domain registration vs domain hosting and domain transfer vs. domain connection. To get clarity, figure out these 2 things:
Who did you purchase your domain from; what company is your domain registrar?
Where is your domain hosted; what company manages your domain?
Depending on the provider(s) and how you set it up, you manage your DNS records with either your registrar, who is also your host, OR you manage it with just your host, and your domain is registered elsewhere.
DNS management can also depend on your web hosting setup and the name servers you use to connect the domain to your website (custom name servers or default).
We recommend keeping your registrar the same as your host because you can manage all aspects of your domain from one service provider instead of two and simplify your tech stack.
What are DNS Records and DNS Propagation?
DNS records are how you manage your domain. When you register your domain name, DNS records (zone files) are created for that domain.
DNS records map a domain to an IP address or other piece of data.
DNS records are instructions within the DNS database server that provide essential information about a domain. This information includes the IP address associated with that domain (the location) so computers and users can locate that website with the URL.
Here are some common types of DNS records and their brief purpose:
NAME SERVER RECORD: Hostname that points to a specific name server
A RECORD: (Address record) points a domain or subdomain to an IP address
AAAA RECORD: points domains to IPv6 addresses vs. A records point to IPv4 addresses
CNAME RECORD: (Canonical Name) points one domain to another domain (domain forwarding)
DNAME RECORD: (Delegation Name) creates a domain alias and redirects subdomains
TXT RECORD: (Text) provides additional info to support third-party services and security verification
MX ENTRY RECORD: (Mail Exchanger) directs email to a mail server and domain
SPF RECORD: (Sender Policy Framework) verifies email sender profiles and reduces spam
This is not an exhaustive list of records; for more detailed information, check out this DNS Records article on Cloudflare.
When you register or transfer your domain, connect or update your DNS records through your domain host, the DNS needs time to propagate those records across physical servers around the globe. “Propagation time” is the time it takes for the records to update worldwide.
If you recently registered or transferred your domain, switched web hosts or updated your DNS records, you can check the propagation of your records with DNS Checker or Whats My DNS.
Propagation time varies and isn’t instant because changes to the domain must be replicated on servers to update the entire Internet.
Domain registration and transfer can take a few hours to 7 days (sometimes longer) due to transfer requests (requirement screening), security verification and admin delays. Connections and updates can take anywhere from a few hours to 72 hours.
Keep in mind that if you change web hosts, you don’t need to transfer your domain unless you want to. You can connect it to the new web host.
Domain Hosting vs. Web Hosting
We’ve already covered what domain hosting is, but to recap, domain hosting is a service where your DNS records are hosted and managed. Domain hosts can also be registrars, meaning they provide domain names.
Web hosting is another service altogether. Web hosts provide content storage space and access to websites.
Your domain host can be the same as your web host, or it can be two different providers.
When you build your website with Squarespace, Squarespace is your web host. Every Squarespace site is stored on its servers, similar to renting a physical store space.
To have a website, you need all three things:
Domain Registration
Domain Hosting
Web Hosting
On Squarespace, you can register your domain, host it, and have web hosting. It’s an all-in-one platform to consolidate your tech for easy management.
If you’re running a legitimate business, you also want to get email hosting, a paid service that lets you connect your custom domain name to your email address.
FAQs: Common Questions and Answers About Domain Names
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A domain name is like a street address that directs people to your online location, your website.
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This is where you purchased your domain name. Some registrars offer registration and hosting, but they are two different services.
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This is a service where your DNS records are hosted and managed.
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This is where the physical files of your website are stored.
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This is where your email is purchased and managed.
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Yes, it can be together. It can also be separate, registered at one provider and hosted on another.
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Yes, you can have multiple domains for multiple websites. You can also own multiple domains and point them all to the primary domain.
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We recommend holding onto your old domain name for at least a year or more and forwarding the old domain name to the new one. This will tell search engines that your domain name and content have moved to a new location. It will also help limit broken links from old URLS lingering on the internet.
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A domain transfer is a process of changing your domain name registration from one registrar to another.
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A domain connection means keeping your domain registration at your current provider and connecting it to a new domain or web host.
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The cost varies by registrar. Generally, a domain name can cost between a few dollars and $20 per year. The cost will increase with a more extended renewal period. The cost should not be unreasonable unless your desired domain is taken.
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If the domain name you want is currently in-use on an active website you will likely not be able to buy the domain.
However, if the name is reserved but not yet used, you might be able to obtain it for a price by contacting the domain owner and negotiating a price to settle on.
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If your company name is unique and often misspelled, consider buying additional domain names and pointing them to the primary domain.
If your domain name has a number in it, take precautions and also purchase the spelled-out version of the domain name. For example, seveneleven.com redirects to their main domain https:7-eleven.com
That way, if someone is confused or just doesn't know the spelling they will guarantee end up on your site.
For more info on URL best practices read our blog post on URL Structure.
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Contact your registrar to renew your domain name before it expires. Make sure your payment method is updated so the renewal can be processed.
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Scammers pose as sellers and set up fake emails and websites offering services. They impersonate companies and use scare tactics to trick you into clicking a link or making a payment.
Here are a few tips to stay safe from scam tactics:
Check the email address from which the email was sent.
Check the name (sender profile) from which the email was sent.
Check the email's footer (bottom) for legitimate company information.
Registrars will never ask you to make payments directly from the email or text message. You will be required to sign into your customer account.
Get in contact with customer support to verify if the email is legitimate.
Report suspicious activity, block, or mark the email as spam if you’ve confirmed it is fake.
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We prefer Squarespace, who aquired Google domains in September 2023, and Hover (reseller). Other popular companies are NameCheap and GoDaddy.
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Visit your preferred registrar or reseller’s website
Search for your domain name
Purchase your domain
Follow the steps for verification
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Domain forwarding, also called pointing, is rerouting a domain name to another web address you own. You would need a domain forward to redirect visitors from one domain to another domain or forward them to a different website.
To redirect within the same website, you would need URL redirects.
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A URL redirect is a way to send users and search engines to a different URL from the one they requested. These redirects can be temporary (302) or permanent (301).
You should implement redirects when deleting content or changing URLs and redirect them to the relevant web page. This practice also eliminates broken links and creates a better web experience so users don’t end up on 404 pages.
Have a question we didn’t answer? Let us know in the comments below!
Domains in conclusion
Understanding how domains and websites interact is crucial for managing your online presence. Domains act as digital addresses, and ICANN oversees their stability and security.
Registration, managed by accredited registrars, involves selecting and purchasing a domain name. Distinguishing between registration, hosting, transfer, and connection is key. DNS records play a pivotal role in managing domains. Choosing the right provider is essential for seamless online operations.
Do you have another question? Leave us a comment below, and I’ll do my best to answer you!
For more info on URLs read our other blog post, URL Structure: Best Practices for SEO-Friendly URLs. It has our 12 SEO best practices for URLs. URLs are the building blocks of your website. Learn how to optimize your URLs to increase your website traffic, appear more trustworthy, and make your links easier to share!
Client Experiences with Domains
CLIENT STORY #1
A 60-DAY WAITING PERIOD
A while back, a solopreneur came to us with her domain registered and hosted on Wix. She’d just started her business and quickly assembled a DIY website, but within a week, she realized she needed professional graphic and web design help.
We build all our websites using the Squarespace platform (here’s our blog post on Why We Recommend Squarespace) and would need to move her web hosting from Wix to Squarespace. Starting a new site, canceling the old Wix hosting, and paying for new hosting were no problem, but what about the domain?
The client wanted to minimize her tech stack and consolidate using an all-in-one platform like Squarespace. THE PROBLEM: She had just bought the domain (registration) with Wix, and it hadn’t been 60 days, so transferring the domain name from Wix to Squarespace was impossible.
Certain situations, such as a brand-new registration, can prevent a domain name from being transferred to a different registrar. If you recently changed contact info on the registration, that can also cause a 60-day change of registrant lock. This security feature is meant to protect you against unauthorized transfers, but sometimes, it can be painful to wait if you register with one provider and quickly change your mind and want to move to another.
There are more reasons why a registrar can deny a transfer request from one registrar to another, but this was the one we encountered. For more information on transferring your domain name, check out these domain transfer resources on ICANN.
THE SOLUTION: We built the new website on Squarespace (moved the web hosting from Wix to Squarespace) and kept the domain registration and hosting with Wix for 60 days. In those 60 days, we connected the domain to the Squarespace website so we could make the website public.
After 60 days, we completed the transfer process, moved the domain registration and hosting to Squarespace and canceled Wix. Keeping the domain registration, hosting, and web hosting with one service provider means more manageable payment and DNS management in the long term.
THE LESSON LEARNED: As a domain registrant, learn your rights and requirements for transferring your domain name to another registrar. Keep your registrant contact information updated, but if you plan to transfer your domain to another registrar or registrant (if your info is correct and you have access), wait to update your info until you complete the transfer process. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck in the 60-day waiting period.
CLIENT STORY #2
PAYING TWO HOSTING COMPANIES…STILL
One of our clients has been in business for over 25 years. Needless to say, they’ve had several websites since starting their business. They came to us for a rebrand, a new site launch, and a simplified tech stack—warning: their tech stack is complicated for various reasons.
Their old website was built on WordPress and hosted with Bluehost. WordPress is a CMS (content management system) that requires separate hosting purchased from a different provider. WordPress is an open-source platform, unlike Squarespace, which is a closed-source platform (here’s our blog post on WordPress vs. Squarespace: How to Know Which One is Right for Your Business). In this situation, their web hosting is an important part of the saga, and we’ll explain why in a second.
Their domain name is registered with AIT and hosted by Bluehost. Moving the web hosting from Bluehost to Squarespace was fine, but there was a catch.
THE GOAL: simplify their website tech stack and pay one provider.
THE PRIMARY PROBLEM: Bluehost will not cancel the WordPress web hosting package because the domain name is not registered with Bluehost; it is registered with AIT and hosted on Bluehost via the web hosting service.
A POSSIBLE SOLUTION: Transferring the domain registration and hosting to Squarespace to cancel and stop paying for AIT registration and Bluehost domain and web hosting.
THE SECONDARY PROBLEM: The transfer process is not instant. Initiating a transfer process means contacting the registrar to whom you want to transfer the name, unlocking the domain from the current registrar, and getting the authorization code. The registrar must confirm your intent to transfer and ensure your domain is eligible.
The registrar generates an authorization code (EPP Status Code, transfer code, AuthInfo Code or Auth-Code) sent via email. You must enter the code within five days of submitting a transfer request to start the transfer at the new register and then approve the authorization to release the domain from the previous provider via email. After approval, you must pay for your domain transfer and verify it to confirm the registration details.
Domain transfer timing can take anywhere from a few hours to 7 days to complete, and depending on complications, the process can take up to 15 days. If your current registrar does not manage your DNS, there should be no downtime while processing the transfer, according to SiteGround. But, to confirm, check with your receiving registrar. So that’s exactly what I did next…
While writing this blog post, I got on Squarespace live chat to confirm with their support if there would be no downtime during a domain transfer to Squarespace from AIT when the hosting is on Bluehost. They said, “When domains are transferred, you can expect some downtime. Because of this, we recommend starting the process during a period of slow site traffic so that you do not miss out on as many visitors”.
Once the domain has been transferred, there is site and email downtime because when you transfer your domain to Squarespace, you also move the domain hosting there, which means changing the nameservers. This means updating the DNS records and waiting for propagation (24–72 hours), the time it takes for changes to update throughout the web.
Ultimately, the site and email downtime is the main reason why we’ve held off on doing the transfer and domain hosting switch to Squarespace because their site gets a high volume of daily traffic, their business is open every day of the week, and their customer support needs their emails to continue working at all times.
ANOTHER POSSIBLE SOLUTION: Plan for 1–3 days of site and email downtime during scheduled maintenance of switching domain hosts. Typically, DNS connects within a few hours, but in some instances, network issues and technical problems can cause DNS propagation delays, so it’s better to err on the side of caution.
For no site downtime but to at least cancel Bluehost web hosting, they’d need to transfer the domain from AIT to Bluehost so it’s registered and hosted there.
WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW: The client still pays for AIT domain registration renewals, Bluehost domain/web hosting (even though they aren’t using the web hosting) and Squarespace web hosting.
THE LESSON LEARNED: Know who your domain registrar, domain host, and web hosting provider are. Know who you are paying and what services you are paying them for. Also, know what web hosting package you bought and what situation you are getting into when you or someone else is setting it up.
When your registration, domain host, and web host are all at different providers, detangling the situation can be tricky, payment and DNS management are more challenging, and it’s best to avoid that mess altogether!
