Although we live in a time when we are constantly online, where we visit Internet sites all the time and for almost everything, most people have no idea how a Website works and what it involves.

While this "ignorance" is not serious for ordinary users, it is essential for those who have their own Website (namely, companies) to know how things work, not only to have a more effective Website but also to be able to make informed decisions. conscious when it comes to choosing the providers of the services involved in placing your Site online.

Let's start by identifying the 3 building blocks of any Internet Site: the Domain; o Accommodation; the content.

The Domain

The domain is the address of the Website on the Internet. Just as your house has an address for them to find, so do the Sites have their address, which we call domain. "iflexi.pt" is a domain, such as "google.com". Already "blog.iflexi.pt" is a sub-domain, since it is an address ("blog") within a domain ("iflexi.pt"). As you may have already noticed, domains can have multiple extensions (terminations). ".com", ".net",. ". org" or ".pt" are just some of the more common ones, but more modern ones like ".pro" or ".international" are starting to emerge. When you create your new Site, it is essential to choose a good address. Typically, having words that indicate your business name or type of website or business are good choices as long as they do not mislead users about what they will find.

Note that when you register a domain, you are not buying it, but only "renting" it during the period you paid for it. While paying for annual renewals, the domain is at your disposal. When you stop paying it, it is available for anyone to register. So if your business depends on the Internet site, make sure you never let your domain expire!

The Hosting

Just as the domain is the address of your home, the hosting is "the house" itself. In fact, the accommodation is nothing more than special high-capacity computers (servers) that are connected 24 hours a day to ensure that your site is always "visitable". It is on these computers that the files of your Site are "hosted".

The features of a hosting service can vary in disk capacity, speed, type of hosting company support, etc. For a typical SME institutional site, 1 GB of space is sufficient (as long as you do not need email accounts, otherwise point to 10 GB) on a shared hosting basis. In our opinion, you will have the advantage of opting for Linux hosting with the Cpanel control panel (the most common options on the market).

The Content

Following the metaphor of "home", the content will be the "stuffing" of the house, furniture and appliances. In fact, the content will be the files of your Site, which will be hosted on a server and accessed by your domain.

All Sites have files. Then some can still have connection to databases and other systems, especially when they are content management platforms such as Wordpress.

It is essential to know the difference between content and accommodation. When you hire a webdesigner to create your Site, you are only paying to create the Site files for you. Usually this is a one time payment. Then, to put your Site online, you need to hire a hosting service and register a domain, which are periodic (usually annual) payment services. This separation of services also means that the company that provides the accommodation service is limited to having their files there, that is, they did not necessarily create their Site. Therefore, when you need to change your Site, it is not the hosting company that should be directed, but rather to whoever developed the Site, or other webdesigners or computer programmers.

Extras

In addition to the Site itself, it is common to "take" the hosting service for other purposes because, since it is paid, it can also be used to host emails, file backups, web applications, etc. But that will be a subject for another article!

However, if you are looking for a new hosting service for your Site, take a look at iFlexi Hosting: http://www.iflexihosting.com