To have a website you need two things: a domain name and web hosting. People mix them up all the time, and some agencies exploit that. Here is the difference in plain words.
The simple picture: a shop on a street
- Domain name = the street address (for example, goshenwebx.io). It is what people type to find you.
- Web hosting = the building and the land. It is a computer (a server) that stores your website's files and sends them to visitors, all day and night.
- Website = the shop itself: the pages, pictures and forms inside the building.
An address with no building leads nowhere, and a building with no address cannot be found. You need both.
What is a domain name?
A domain is the name you register, such as yourbusiness.ca or yourbusiness.com. You rent it, usually for one year at a time and renew it, for roughly $15 to $30 a year according to one 2026 Quebec pricing guide. Prices vary by ending (.com, .ca, .io and so on). You rent it from a registrar (a company authorised to sell domains).
- .ca signals a Canadian business and requires a Canadian presence.
- .com is the most recognised worldwide.
- Keep it short, easy to spell and easy to say on the phone.
Tip: register the domain in your own name or your company's name, with your own email as the contact. If a developer or agency registers it for you in their name, you may struggle to get it back.
What is web hosting?
Hosting is the service that keeps your site online. The main types:
- Shared hosting: many sites share one server. Cheapest, and fine for most small business sites. Your host manages the server and software.
- Managed WordPress hosting: shared or cloud hosting tuned for WordPress, with updates and backups handled for you.
- VPS (virtual private server): your own slice of a server. More power and control, but you look after updates and security.
- Dedicated or cloud servers: for large or custom needs. You or your developer manage them.
The same Quebec pricing guide gives a range of about $10 to $100 a month for hosting. A basic business site usually sits at the low end.
Other words you will hear
- DNS: the directory that tells browsers which server hosts your domain. When you "point your domain to your host", you edit DNS.
- SSL/HTTPS: the padlock. It encrypts data between your visitor and your site. Many hosts include it free, and browsers warn visitors about sites without it.
- Business email: addresses like info@yourbusiness.ca. It often costs extra, separate from hosting.
- Backups: copies of your site you can restore. Confirm your host provides them, and keep your own copy elsewhere.
What to look for in a host
- Uptime and speed: a slow or often-offline site loses customers.
- Security and updates: ask who updates the server software. Recent PHP security flaws showed the difference between hosts that handle it for you and plans where you must do it yourself.
- Backups and support: reachable support, ideally in your language.
- Renewal price: introductory prices often rise a lot at renewal. Read the second-year price.
- Room to grow: an easy upgrade path if traffic increases.
Costs: what to budget
- Domain: about $15 to $30 per year.
- Hosting: about $10 to $100 per month, depending on type.
- Business email: often a few dollars per mailbox per month.
- Maintenance (updates, backups, security checks): offered by agencies as a monthly plan.
Beginner mistakes to avoid
- Letting someone else own your domain.
- Forgetting to renew and losing the domain.
- Buying hosting and a domain from a company you cannot reach later.
- Skipping backups.
Starting a website and want it set up right from day one? Contact GoshenWebX and we will handle your domain, hosting and launch, with everything registered in your name.
Sources
- H1Site, how much a website costs in Quebec (March 2026; domain and hosting ranges)