Hosting, Email, and Domain Names: What’s the Difference and How Do They Work Together?

Domain Names, Hosting and Email

Whilst they all work together, they are separate entities.

1. Domain Names: Your Website’s Address

A domain name is like your website’s street address on the internet. It’s what people type into their browser to visit your site, such as yourbusinessname.com.

• Think of it as your online identity—it tells visitors where to find you.
• You rent a domain name yearly from a domain registrar (e.g. 123Reg ). Usually around £15-£18 per year, depending on the domain.
• Once registered, you can then use your domain to set up both email addresses and a website associated with it.

2. Hosting: The Home for Your Website

Web hosting is where your website “lives.” All the files, images, and content that make up your site are stored on a server provided by a hosting company.

• If the domain name is your address, hosting is your house. The settings of your domain (DNS) are edited at your registrar to point to the server where your files are stored.
• Hosting providers ensure your website is accessible 24/7, offering storage, speed, and security.

3. Email: Your Online Mailbox

Email hosting lets you create and use a professional email address like you@yourbusinessname.com instead of a generic one like Gmail or Yahoo.

• While your domain name is used to create your email address, the emails themselves are stored and managed on email hosting servers.
• As with hosting, your domain settings (DNS) are editied to connect with the email provider.

How They Work Together

Here’s how these elements connect:

1. The domain name directs visitors to your website or email.
2. Web hosting stores all your website content and makes your website visible online.
3. Email hosting lets you send, receive and store professional emails using your domain name.

For example:

• Your domain name yourbusinessname.com is purchased through a registrar.
• You link your domain to your hosting service, which stores your website files.
• You choose an email provider and link your domain.

Tanglefox’s Hosting Services

When you host your website with Tanglefox, you get:

• Reliable, secure website hosting for small businesses.
• Regular updates to ensure your site stays functional and safe.
• Technical support for hosting-related queries.

However, we don’t offer domain registration or email hosting. We encourage clients to:

• Register domains with trusted domain registrars to retain full ownership and control.
• Use third-party email hosting services (e.g. 123reg, Google Workspace or Microsoft 365) for reliable and scalable professional email.