A client recently acquired an existing website, and asked us to host it. In case anyone is a bit fuzzy on the process, let's look at how websites are stored and accessed:
Most websites are designed to be seen by the public, so they're stored on computers that make them publicly accessible. These computers are called
web servers. The pages, pictures, and videos that make up a website are stored together on a web server just like you've stored pictures and documents on your own personal computer.
Storing your files on a publicly-accessible web server is only half of the equation. The other half is a bit more complicated. How do visitors actually access those pages? Well, each web server has a unique "address", like your own real-world house. Just like a pizza guy can't deliver dinner without your address, a computer can't find a website without an address.
Imagine that your website's visitors are pizza delivery guys, and that they're looking for your website. How do their computers find the right web server? Theoretically, they could browse the entire web by testing addresses one at a time. Fortunately, they can save time by looking up your web server's address in a
directory, like a phone book.
When a visitor types your web address (like
www.dotcomonomics.com), they don't go directly to your website. Their computer makes a quick detour to a regional directory of websites and looks you up. Once their computer knows which web server stores your website, it automatically takes them there. One more visitor delivered safe and sound!
Now, let's go back to our client's situation: he wants to move his website's files from his current hosting company to our web servers. That means that his website will be
changing addresses. How does he change the address in the "website phone book"?
That's where your
domain registrar comes in. That's the company you pay every year to reserve your domain. They store your website's address, and they share that information with regional directories to give everyone access to your site. Domain registrars call that address a
nameserver. To change addresses, log into your registrar's account and change the nameservers: replace the existing address with the new one.
That's it! Of course, there are about a thousand things going on behind the scenes to make that all happen...but you get the idea. In case you're in need, DotComOnomics can help you choose and purchase a domain name, host your website for you, design your website, and make managing your website relatively painless. If you need help, we're here for you. Just
contact us and let us know how we can serve you.
