What is a domain name?

A domain name is your web address. It's like 'google.co.uk', 'amazon.co.uk' and so on. Your web address is unique to you, and allows people to browse the internet without having to remember IP addresses. IP addresses are a unique set of numbers that identify computers on the internet.

You have to purchase a domain name for your site for a minimum of 1 year, and to keep it, you have to continue renewing the payment each year. Like renting a mailbox, if you stop renewing your domain name, it will be available for anyone to purchase.

What is web hosting? Why do I need hosting?

You have a web address, now it needs to point to a location on the internet where your webpage or application will live. Hosting comes in all shapes and sizes, and is simply renting a computer that has special software that serves content to anyone who requests to see your website or app.

On this computer that you rent, there are a number of services that you can run, like a web server that distributes information across the internet.

How do I get Emails?

If you want to receive emails on your domain name, you will need to get an email provider. This is like Google Apps for business or Office 365. You pay per email account and it's the easiest way to get emails. While you can host emails yourself on that computer you rent, it is not recommended as its very expensive to protect against spam.

What is an SSL?

SSL (Secure Socket Layer) is a standard that allows encrypted communication between a web server and a browser. This is so that no one can view or tamper with the data while it's travelling on the internet. If you are secure, your browser usually shows a padlock at the top next to the web address.

Before this technology was a standard, it was easy for people to be able to see what websites you go on, read your private passwords and steal your information.

Today, there are too many advantages to using SSL like performance, search engine rank and security. Plus, they are 100% free.

What is SEO?

Search engine optimisation is the name given to the process of improving a website's ranking on search engine results pages. The best strategy for search engine optimisation is to write fantastic content that uses keywords and phrases that people who might be interested in your products or services would search for.