Key takeaways
- Always register the domain in your own or your company's name and keep the login for its control panel yourself.
- Keep the domain name short, readable and close to the brand name; pick the extension by your target market.
- Shared hosting is enough for small sites; stores and custom-built sites usually need a VPS or cloud server.
- Check regular backups, the SSL certificate and the option to upgrade resources before you buy.
What is the difference between a domain and hosting?
The domain is your site's address: what a visitor types into the browser. Hosting, or a server, is where the site's files, database and application live. The two are bought and renewed separately, and either can be moved without changing the other.
Domains are registered through accredited registrars. International extensions such as .com are overseen by ICANN, while each country extension has its own registry and rules.
How to choose a domain name
- Keep it short and simple, so it is easy to say and type.
- As far as possible, make it the brand name itself.
- Avoid hyphens, numbers and unusual spellings.
- Before registering, check that a similar name is not someone else's registered trademark.
- Check the same name on social media so your usernames match.
- A keyword in the domain is not necessary; a brand name lasts longer.
Which domain extension is right?
| Extension | Best for | Note |
|---|---|---|
| .com | Brands with an international or multi-country audience | The best-known extension; short names are rarely free |
| Country extension (such as .ae, .com.tr or .ir) | Businesses focused on one specific country | Registration rules differ from country to country |
| New extensions (such as .shop or .app) | When the name you want is taken as a .com | Less familiar to users |
A domain extension does not raise your Google ranking on its own. A country extension tells Google which country the site is for; for a multilingual or multi-country site, a generic extension is usually the better choice.
Domain ownership: the most important point
The domain is an asset of your business. If it is registered in the name of the web designer or someone else, getting it back after a dispute or the end of a contract is difficult, and all the authority and rankings the site has built stay tied to that address.
- Register the domain in your own or your company's name.
- Make sure the email and phone number in the domain record are yours.
- Hold the username and password of the domain control panel yourself.
- Turn on auto-renewal or put the expiry date in your calendar.
- Keep the transfer lock switched on.
Shared hosting, VPS or cloud server?
| Type | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Shared hosting | One server's resources are split between many sites | Small, low-traffic sites |
| Virtual private server (VPS) | A part of a server with set resources is yours | Corporate sites, stores and custom applications |
| Cloud server | Resources are spread across several servers and scale up or down easily | Sites with variable traffic or a growth plan |
| Dedicated server | A whole physical server is yours | High-traffic projects with special requirements |
What to ask before buying hosting
- What exactly are the resources: memory (RAM), processor (CPU), storage and disk type?
- How often are backups taken and how long does a restore take?
- Is an SSL certificate provided and renewed automatically?
- Which country is the server in, and is it close to your main users?
- If traffic grows, how long does a resource upgrade take?
- During which hours and through which channel does technical support respond?
- Is monthly traffic capped, and what does extra traffic cost?
- Do you get full access to the server?
Domain and server in Shahin Group's website design plans
Every Shahin Group website design plan includes, in the base price, one year of cloud server matched to the plan, IPv4, an SSL certificate and the registration or renewal of one .com or .ir domain. Server resources range from 2GB RAM and 1 vCPU in the Portfolio plan to 16GB RAM and 8 vCPU in the Custom platform plan. Extra traffic and infrastructure renewal from the second year are charged at the current rate.
Frequently asked questions
Is a .com or a country domain better?
If your audience is in one country, that country's extension is a good fit; if it is international or spread over several countries, .com is better known. Many businesses register both and redirect one to the other.
What if the domain is registered in the web designer's name?
Ask them to transfer the domain to your name and hand over the control panel login. Put the transfer in writing and do it before any dispute arises.
Can I change hosting later?
Yes. The site and database are moved to the new server and the domain's DNS settings are changed. Done properly, page URLs and rankings do not change.
Does changing the domain hurt SEO?
Changing a domain without 301 redirects from every old URL to the new one causes a serious drop. With complete redirects and a change-of-address notice in Search Console, rankings usually recover after a while.
What is an SSL certificate, and do I need one?
SSL encrypts the connection between the visitor and the site and shows the address with https. Browsers mark sites without it as not secure, so every site needs one.
Where should my server be located?
A server closer to your users usually responds faster. Choose the location by where most of your visitors are and by the requirements of your business.
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