You get a new website. A year later, a renewal notice arrives. Is it for the website address, the place where the site runs, or someone to keep updating the pages?
Those are three different things. Knowing which is which helps you understand the bill and keep access to your site.
Your domain is the address
The domain is the name people type to reach your site, such as yourbusiness.com. You register it through a domain company, often called a registrar. A domain by itself is not a working website; ICANN explains that hosting is a separate service.
Find out which registrar holds your domain, whose name is on the registration, which email receives renewal notices, and who can sign in. ICANN says registrants should be able to get information about managing, renewing, and transferring their domain. Keep those details somewhere your business can find them.
Domain registration has its own renewal terms. The price and options vary by registrar, so check that company's agreement rather than guessing from your website quote. ICANN recommends reading the registrar's renewal terms and fees.
Hosting is where the site runs
Think of your domain as your website's address. Hosting is the space where the website itself lives. A hosting company keeps the site's pages and images on a computer connected to the internet so people can open them when they visit your domain.
You can buy your domain and hosting from the same company or from different companies. Either way, they are separate services. If your hosting ends, you may still own the domain, but visitors may no longer be able to open the site. Ask who provides the hosting, who can sign in to that account, and when it renews.
Maintenance is the work done later
Maintenance can mean different things to different providers. It might mean routine site care, reports, content changes, or help when something breaks. Do not assume that a hosting payment includes someone to edit your pages whenever you ask.
If you want ongoing help, ask for a separate written description of the work, how often it happens, what counts as a change request, and what it costs. Clawser can discuss management options after we know how often your site needs updates. The proposal should make clear what happens after launch and what you can update yourself.
Five questions to ask before launch
- Which company holds my domain, and who can sign in to that account?
- Who receives the domain renewal notices, and when is the next renewal?
- Who provides the hosting, and what will it cost after the included first year?
- If someone manages the site for me, what work is included and what costs extra?
- If I change providers later, how will I get the site, domain, and account access I need?
Clawser lets the customer choose how account control is handled. If Clawser controls an account on your behalf, the contract should say so and explain how access or a transfer will work. The goal is for you to know who can do what before you need to change anything.
Clawser's business website build starts at $999 and includes one year of hosting. The domain name is separate. After that first year, hosting is estimated at around $220 per year. The exact provider, renewal price, and terms belong in your written proposal.
If you are comparing website quotes or trying to sort out the accounts you already have, Talk to a human 🙂 and book a 30-minute conversation.