While domains and websites are closely connected,
they are two
very different things.
After registering a domain, you need to do something with it, put it to work for you. Your
domain can be used for a website, for an email account, or for both.
You can, however, register a domain and choose NOT to use it for a website or an email
account BUT you can't have a website or an email account without a domain.
When used for a website, your domain name is what people type into their browser to find
your site - this is why they are sometimes referred to as web addresses.
So godaddy.com is the domain used for GoDaddy's website.
Registering a domain, however, doesn't automatically create a website - it only
means that
you've registered the domain.
So for example, if you decided to start your own business and you thought of great name for
it, you might copyright the name to protect it. However, simply giving your business a name
is only one of many steps that go into building your business.
In the same manner, when you register a domain and want to use it for a website,
you'll need
to first build the website, and then find a host for it, so it can be visible
on the
Web.
What's a host?
The first thing you need when you want to open a shop is a piece of land. Without land you won't have space to display and store your products.
Similarly on the internet, your website is your shop where you display your products. To do this you need space to store your website files.
A web hosting company provides you with space to store your website files.
How do they do this?
When you buy a web hosting plan, the hosting provider allocates a definite amount of space on their servers, which they ensure is always connected to the internet.
So when people visit your website, their computer connects via the internet to your web hosting provider's servers where your website files are stored. The information is then sent back to their computer and your website is displayed.
Summary
- Your domain can be used for a website and/or email.
- You can't have a website without a domain.
- A domain is also called a website address.
- You need a website host (hosting provider) to host your website by providing storage to store your website files.