Purchasing Domains, Hosting, and Setting Up Email

What is Hosting?

Web hosting is a service that allows you to publish the website on the internet. If you buy a hosting service from a provider, you will have a portion of their web servers to store your website’s files and data.

Whenever someone types in your website’s domain name, your web hosting provider will be responsible for sending its content to the visitor. 

Web hosts also provide beginner-friendly tools for all users so that you can manage the website with little to no technical skills. Besides, the best hosting providers usually offer great customer support, server maintenance, and website builders to help users create and maintain their sites.

In addition to storing website files, a web host protects the server and your website files from malicious attacks.

If you have a service based business, DesignGood will host your website on the hosting platform, Webflow. Read more about Webflow here. 

Domains

A website domain, often simply referred to as a "domain," is the unique address that users type into their web browsers to access a specific website. It serves as a human-readable label for identifying and locating resources on the Internet. 

You are responsible for securing and purchasing your own domain for your new website. We will need your login for your domain information to launch your website. We ask that you add the login information to your Logins & Passwords document located in your Google Client Folder. 

Purchasing a domain name typically involves the following steps:

Choose a Domain Registrar: A domain registrar is a company authorized to sell domain names. Popular registrars include GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains, and many others. Choose a registrar based on factors like pricing, customer support, and additional services they offer.

Search for Available Domains: Use the registrar’s domain search tool to check if your desired domain name is available. If it is, you can proceed to purchase it. If not, the registrar may suggest alternative domain names or variations.

Select Your Domain: Once you find an available domain name you like, select it and add it to your cart.

Choose Your Registration Period: Decide how long you want to register the domain name for (typically 1 year, but you can usually choose longer periods).

Setting Up Email

You are responsible for purchasing and setting up your own email account with the domain you purchased. To do this, you will need to:

Log in to Your Domain Registrar Account:

• Go to the website where you purchased your domain (e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains).
• Log in to your account.

Navigate to Email Services:

• Look for options like "Email," "Email Hosting," or "Professional Email."
• This might be in the main menu, under a "Services" tab, or within your domain management dashboard.

Select an Email Plan:

• Choose an email hosting plan that suits your needs. Providers often offer various plans based on storage, number of email addresses, and additional features.
• Some popular choices include Google Workspace (formerly G Suite), Microsoft 365, and Zoho Mail.

Configure Your Email:

• Enter the email address you want to create. It will typically be in the format yourname@yourdomain.com.
• Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup.

Verify Your Domain:

• The email service provider might require you to verify your domain. This usually involves adding a DNS record to your domain’s settings. Detailed instructions will be provided by the email service.

Set Up Your Email Client:

• Once your email address is set up, you can configure it on your preferred email platform (e.g., Gmail, Outlook, Mac Mail).
• You’ll need the incoming and outgoing server settings provided by your email hosting service.