If you’ve ever sat on a call with a web person nodding along while they said “we’ll just point the DNS at the new host once the SSL propagates”, this page is for you. None of this is complicated. It’s just never explained properly, and that gap is exactly where bad suppliers hide.
So here’s every term you’ll actually meet, in plain English. For each one: what it is, what it should cost, and what happens when it’s wrong.
What is a domain name?
A domain name is the address of your website, the text someone types into their browser to find you. In yourbusiness.co.uk, the whole thing is the domain. The .co.uk part is the ending (technically the “top-level domain”), and yourbusiness is the part you choose.
What it costs: roughly £10 to £20 a year for a normal .co.uk or .com from a mainstream UK registrar. Anyone quoting you £100 a year for a standard domain is having a laugh.
What happens if it’s wrong: two big risks. First, letting it expire, which can take your website and email offline overnight and hand your address to a stranger. Second, letting someone else register it in their name. Your domain should be registered to you or your business, whoever builds the site. It’s the one piece of your online presence you should always control, and we cover the wider question in who actually owns your website.
What is website hosting?
Hosting is the service that stores your website’s files and shows them to visitors. Think of the domain as your address and hosting as the actual building. Every website needs both.
What it costs: anywhere from a few pounds a month for basic shared hosting to £60 or more for managed plans with backups and support. We’ve written a full guide to small business website hosting and what you should pay.
What happens if it’s wrong: slow pages, downtime, and no backups when something breaks. Cheap hosting is fine for a hobby site. For a business, the question isn’t “what’s cheapest”, it’s “who fixes it at 9am on a Monday when it’s down”.
What is DNS?
DNS (Domain Name System) is the internet’s signpost system. When someone types your domain, DNS tells their browser which hosting server to fetch your website from. It also tells the world where your email should be delivered.
What it costs: usually nothing. DNS management is normally included with your domain or hosting.
What happens if it’s wrong: your domain and your website stop talking to each other. A wrong DNS record can send your website traffic nowhere, or quietly break your business email for days. This is the setting that gets fumbled most often when a business moves between suppliers, so if you ever switch, ask directly: “who is updating the DNS, and when?”
What is SSL?
SSL is the technology behind the padlock in the browser bar and the “https” at the start of your address. It encrypts the connection between your visitor and your website, so anything they type (an enquiry form, card details) can’t be read in transit.
What it costs: it should be free. Decent hosts include an SSL certificate as standard. Being charged £50 a year for basic SSL is an old trick that refuses to die.
What happens if it’s wrong: browsers show “Not secure” next to your business name, which is exactly the first impression you don’t want. Google also treats https as the expected standard. No padlock, fewer enquiries. Simple as that.
What is a CMS or website builder?
A CMS (content management system) is the software you log into to edit your website without touching code. WordPress is the best-known one. Website builders like Wix and Squarespace bundle the CMS, hosting and templates into one subscription.
What it costs: WordPress itself is free (you still pay for hosting). Builders typically charge a monthly subscription, and the free tiers come with catches we’ve unpacked in what free business websites really cost you.
What happens if it’s wrong: you end up with a site you can’t edit, or one only your ex-developer knows how to update. Before you pay anyone, ask: “how do I change my opening hours myself?”
The rest of the jargon, quickly
| Term | Plain English | Why you’d care |
|---|---|---|
| Bandwidth | How much data your site can send to visitors | Only matters if traffic spikes; most small sites never hit limits |
| Cache | A saved copy of your pages for faster loading | If an edit “isn’t showing”, the cache usually needs clearing |
| Responsive | The site reshapes itself for phones and tablets | Most of your visitors are on mobile; non-responsive is a rebuild flag |
| 301 redirect | A permanent signpost from an old page to a new one | Skipping these when a site changes throws away your Google rankings |
| Sitemap | A file listing your pages for search engines | Helps Google find everything; your builder should submit it |
| Meta description | The snippet under your listing in Google | Doesn’t affect ranking directly, but it decides whether people click |
| 404 | The “page not found” error | A few are normal; lots of them mean broken links losing you visitors |
What this means when you’re buying a website
Here’s the practical payoff. When you understand the jargon, you can ask suppliers the questions that matter: who owns the domain, where’s the hosting, who controls the DNS, is SSL included?
At MarketingDone4U we roll all of it into one fixed price. Websites start at £99 a month as a managed monthly service on a minimum 12-month term, with hosting, SSL and professional email included, so there are no surprise line items for things that should be standard. To be completely upfront: MarketingDone4U owns the website unless you buy it out (buyout available), one revision round is included, extra work is £50 an hour, and support is by email or ticket. You can see exactly what each plan costs without filling in a form.
No jargon, no “it depends”. That’s rather the point.
Frequently asked questions
What is a domain name in simple terms?
A domain name is your website’s address on the internet, the text people type to find you, such as yourbusiness.co.uk. It replaces the long string of numbers computers actually use. You don’t buy it outright; you register it for a yearly fee, and it stays yours for as long as you keep renewing it.
What’s the difference between a domain and hosting?
The domain is your address; hosting is the building at that address. The domain (around £10 to £20 a year) points people to your site. Hosting (a monthly service) stores the site itself and serves it to visitors. You need both, and they don’t have to come from the same company, though it’s simpler when they do.
Do I own my domain name?
You should. Check the registrant details show your name or your business, not your web designer’s. If a supplier registered it for you, ask them to confirm you’re the registrant and that you can move it. A domain registered in someone else’s name is the single most common way small businesses get held hostage.
What is DNS in simple terms?
DNS is the internet’s directory service. When someone types your domain name, DNS looks up which server holds your website and sends them there. It also routes your email. You’ll rarely touch it, but when you move hosts or email providers, DNS records are what get updated, and mistakes there cause most “the site’s vanished” panics.
Do I need SSL for a small business website?
Yes. SSL gives you the padlock and https, encrypts what visitors send you, and stops browsers labelling your site “Not secure”. Google expects it as standard. It should cost you nothing, as reputable hosts include a certificate free. If you’re being charged extra for basic SSL, that’s a sign to question the rest of the bill too.
What happens if my domain name expires?
Your website and any email on that domain stop working, usually within days. Most registrars give you a grace period to renew, but after that the domain can be auctioned or registered by anyone, including competitors. Set your domain to auto-renew with a working payment card, and check the renewal email address is one you actually read.
Want this done for you? See our website plans with hosting included, or compare every service and price in one place.
