When we start working with clients on their website design, one of the questions that often comes up is, “What’s the difference between my website and email hosting?” or, “Isn’t my email managed through my website?”. These are great questions because hosting can be hard to understand for many people, but, we like to keep it simple. Let’s walk through what each of these things means and how they all fit together so that you can better understand what you’re paying for really when it comes to hosting, email, domains, and your website on an on-going basis.
What Is Website Hosting?
Web hosting is basically a cupboard that holds all the files for your website basicially, where your website lives. When you build a website, you’re creating a bunch of files—text, images, code, and more. Those files need to be stored somewhere that the internet can access to be able to show them to someone as part of your website, and that’s where web hosting comes in. Hosting providers rent out space on their servers, which are specialized computers designed to make your site available to anyone who types your URL into a public internet browser, whether that is on a computer or their mobile device.
A good web host doesn’t just store your files. It also keeps your site secure, ensures the files can be accessed quickly, and that their server runs properly. Many hosting plans include useful extras like backup services, tools for building your site, and technical support when/if things go sideways.
What About Email Hosting?
Email hosting is a separate service that lets you send and receive emails using your own domain name—like yourname@yourcompany.com—instead of relying on a free Gmail or Yahoo address.
While website hosting is about storing website content, email hosting is about storing and managing email messages. The trick with email hosting is that your email hosting and your website hosting have to live in the same place, like roommates. A solid email hosting provider will give you access to your inbox through webmail or your favourite app, help filter out spam, and offer protection from viruses or phishing attempts.
Some website hosting packages include email hosting too, but that’s not always the case. It really depends on your provider and what kind of plan you’ve signed up for. There are also third party partners that offer email through your hosting provider like how GoDaddy is an authorized reseller of Outlook 365. The Office 365 is the software if you will and the records for your email are connected to your hosting plan.
What Does The Domain Have To Do With Website and Email Hosting?
The domain name is the string of words people type into their browser to find your business—something like myawesomecompany.com. Think of it as your street address on the internet but for your website instead of your house.
Your domain doesn’t actually store your website or your emails, it just helps point visitors and messages in the right direction like a mailing address gets mail to your house. Behind the scenes, DNS records (which are like road signs along the way) connect your domain to the right servers, one for your website and another for your email, depending on how things are set up.
Why It’s Often Easier (and Smarter) to Bundle Website and Email Hosting
If you just want to launch a website and don’t need an email tied to your domain, web hosting alone will do the trick. If you’re not building a site but want to use a custom domain for professional-looking email, then you only need email hosting and your domain name. You can skip the hosting. This is why hosting companies offer a number of plans because every business and their needs are different.
That said, if you’re running a business, whether it’s a small start up or you’ve been in business for the last 5 years and you’re ready to level up, you’ll likely want both website and email hosting. Having a website makes you visible online, and having email addresses with your domain name makes you look more professional. You don’t necessarily have to get both from the same provider, but it can make things easier to manage. Especially when it comes time to track down receipts, launch a new website, or take care of something simple like creating a new email address for a new employee. The less scattered everything is, the less stress it creates in your busy life.
Beyond less stress, these are other benefits:
- It’s More Cost-Effective. Many hosting providers offer bundled packages that include both website and email hosting along with your domain name, which usually works out cheaper than buying them separately. You might even stumble on special promotions or discounts that make bundling an even better deal.
- Everything’s Easier to Manage. When both your website and your email are under the same roof, you typically get a single dashboard and one login to manage it all. That means fewer passwords to remember, and when something goes wrong, you only need to contact one support team—no more bouncing between companies trying to figure out who handles what.
- It Can Improve Performance. Some providers optimize their servers for speed and performance, which benefits not just your website but your email, too. And if your hosting company has servers based in your region, you might notice faster load times and smoother email delivery overall.
- It Builds Customer Trust. Using a professional email address like you@yourcompany.com adds credibility. It shows that you take your business seriously and makes a better impression than a generic Gmail or Yahoo address. It’s a small detail that can go a long way in building trust.
- Simple, Secure, and Scalable.. Setting things up tends to be more straightforward—you won’t have to learn your way around multiple control panels or juggle different provider accounts. Most good hosting companies also offer reliable uptime, scalable storage, and even DDoS protection to keep your site and email secure. And if you ever need more space or additional email accounts as your business grows, it’s usually just a few clicks away.
Still Not Sure Which Direction To Go With Your Website, Domain Name, and Email Hosting? Call Us, We’re Happy to Help You Set Them Up Or Give You Direction.
Web hosting and email hosting do different things, but they work together behind the scenes to keep your online presence running smoothly. Whether you buy everything from one provider or mix and match, just make sure your setup supports what you want to achieve.
Unsure what you need? That’s totally okay, we’re happy to chat and help you figure out the best setup for your website and email hosting. At 3SIXTY Marketing Solutions, we are experts on everything digital and we can set everything up for you so you don’t have to stress about it. Call 647-250-1494, or book a free consultation today.
