A domain name is a website's address, such as gcnettisivut.fi. It is not the same thing as a website, hosting or email. The domain tells browsers and other online services which name to use to find your business's services online.
If you remember one thing, make it this: keep your business's domain under your own control, even if you change website or hosting providers.
What makes up a domain name?
In the address gcnettisivut.fi:
gcnettisivutis the chosen name.fiis the domain extension
Other familiar extensions include .com, .net and .eu.
You can also create subdomains, such as shop.example.fi. Technically, www.example.fi is a subdomain too, although visitors usually see it as an ordinary website address.
A domain is not a website
Think of the domain as an address. The website is the content that address leads to.
You do not normally need a new domain when you change website providers. The same example.fi can point to the new site.
This matters because your familiar address may already appear:
- on business cards and brochures
- in your Google Business Profile
- in customers' bookmarks
- in email addresses
- in links from other websites
A well-managed website redesign keeps your existing domain and changes only where website traffic goes.
What does DNS mean?
DNS (Domain Name System) tells the internet which services the different parts of a domain point to. In practice, it allows one domain to send website visitors to one service and email to another.
For example, the same domain can direct:
- website traffic to one service
- email to another
- a subdomain to a third
You do not need to know how to edit DNS settings yourself. Your website provider does need to understand what to change and what to leave alone.
This is one reason to treat your domain and email as separate parts of a website move.
Who owns the domain?
A domain is registered for a fixed period and usually renewed regularly. As a business, check at least the following:
- The domain is registered for your business using the correct details.
- Your business can access the service where the domain is managed.
- Renewal invoices go to an address someone checks.
- It is clear who is authorised to make technical changes to the domain.
Problems often surface years later, when a domain is still in a former employee's, an acquaintance's or an old provider's account and nobody knows the login details.
Do you need a domain if you only use social media?
A domain can be useful before you have a substantial website.
Your own domain makes addresses such as example.fi and [email protected] possible. It also gives your business a lasting online address that is not tied to a username on one social platform.
When you build or redesign your website later, you can connect the same domain to it.
What does a domain cost?
The price depends on the extension and provider. Domains are usually paid for separately, either annually or for several years at a time.
When comparing website quotes, ask:
- whether the domain is included
- who pays for renewals
- who controls the account
- what happens to the domain if the website service ends
How do domains work with GC's website service?
With GC's website service, we can connect your existing domain to your new site. You pay the domain registration and renewal fees separately, so your domain is not tied to the monthly website fee.
Hosting is included in the website service, and we can also help set up or migrate business email when needed. You do not have to work out for yourself how the domain, website and email fit together.
If the terms still feel confusing, read what hosting means and how domains, hosting and email differ.