The Truth About "Hosting and Domain Name Included"
Hosting
Web Hosting provides the technologies and services needed for your website to be viewed in the Internet. Websites are hosted, or stored, on special computers referred to as servers. Generally, hosting is about $15-25 usd a month, and less if you pay for multiple years up front.
Domain
Domain Name is the name of your website, such as www.example.com. A standard domain name is generally around $20 a year. It can cost much more for a name someone already owns, or it may be free with your hosting.
Should They Be Included?
Generally, you want to avoid website designers that tell you your hosting and domain name are included. This quite often means they are going to retain ownership and control of your website and domain name, and just as often means they will charge you monthly/quarterly/annually to "maintain" your website.
The truth is, even if you DO want monthly service for your website, that is no reason to give up ownership and control of your hosting account! By maintaining control from the beginning, you are able to switch your future website maintenance to someone new at any time!
When we design your website, you will be guided through the simple process of setting up your hosting account. YOU will retain ownership and control, and we will have restricted access until you decide to remove us from your hosting account.
We strongly suggest you do not agree to "hosting and domain name included", as it will often cost you much much more in the future, unless you have 100% faith and trust in the website team you will be working with!