Domain Hosting vs Domain Registration: What You Need to Publish a Site

People say domain hosting when they really mean one of these:

• Domain registration: buying the right to use a domain name (like example.com) through a registrar.
• Hosting + DNS: the services that make your domain do something—show a website, route email, and point subdomains (DNS hosting).

If you remember just one line, make it this:

• Registration = you own the address
• Hosting/DNS = you decide where the address goes

Domain registration: what you’re actually paying for

When you register a domain, you become the registrant and you manage the domain through a registrar (the company you bought it from). In the background, the registrar works with the registry for that top-level domain (TLD) like .com or .org.

Registration does not include a website by default. It simply gives you control of the domain’s settings (especially DNS).

Maiahost domain registration (limited TLDs)

We can provide domain registration services only for:

• .com
• .net
• .org
• .info
• .biz

If you already registered your domain elsewhere (including other TLDs), that’s totally fine—you can still host the website and email with Maiahost by updating DNS.

Web hosting: where your website actually lives

Web hosting is the server that stores and serves your site’s files (and often your database). When someone types your domain into a browser, DNS helps the internet find the server that should answer.

At Maiahost, our core hosting is Managed WordPress Hosting (plus options for larger sites and custom servers). The key point here is: hosting provides the destination; DNS is how your domain points to it. (See our shared hosting guide for more.)

DNS: the “switchboard” that connects domain → website/email

DNS (Domain Name System) is a set of records that tell the internet where to send:

• Website traffic (example.com, www.example.com)
• Email (you@example.com)
• Subdomains (app.example.com, mail.example.com)
• Verification for services (Google, Microsoft, SSL providers, etc.)

Nameservers vs DNS records (what you change depends on your setup)

There are two common ways to connect a domain to your hosting:

1. Change nameservers to the DNS provider you want to use
   • You’re saying: “This company is the authority for all DNS records for my domain.”
2. Keep nameservers where they are and edit DNS records there
   • You’re saying: “Keep DNS here, but update specific records to point to my host/email provider.”

Both work. The best option depends on who you want managing DNS long-term.

Step-by-step: point a domain to your website (and get email working)

Step 1: Decide who will host your DNS

Choose one:

• Option A: DNS at your registrar (simple if you only need a few records)
• Option B: DNS at Maiahost (or another DNS provider) (cleaner if you want one place to manage everything)

If you choose Option B, you’ll be given nameservers to enter at your registrar.

Step 2: Connect the website

You’ll use one (or both) of these record types:

• A record: points a hostname to an IPv4 address
• CNAME record: points a hostname to another hostname (common for www)

Typical setup looks like this (example only):

@      A      203.0.113.10
www    CNAME  @

Notes:

• @ usually means the root domain (example.com)
• Some setups use www as the primary and redirect the root domain, or vice versa—either is fine as long as it’s consistent.

Step 3: Wait for DNS propagation (and test the right thing)

DNS changes can appear fast—or take hours. Sometimes nameserver changes take longer than individual record updates.

What to do while waiting:

• Test using a phone on mobile data (not your home Wi‑Fi cache)
• Use a private/incognito browser window
• Confirm you edited DNS in the correct place (see “Common mistakes” below)

Step 4: Connect email (MX + basic deliverability)

If you want email at your domain (example: you@example.com), you’ll need:

• MX records (to receive mail)
• Often SPF, DKIM, and DMARC (to reduce spam/forgery and improve deliverability)

Example structure (your email provider will give exact values):

@   MX   10   mail.provider.com
@   TXT       "v=spf1 include:provider.com ~all"

For DKIM and DMARC, providers usually give TXT records such as:

• selector._domainkey (DKIM TXT)
• _dmarc (DMARC TXT)

If you send newsletters or transactional email, these records matter a lot.

Step 5: Confirm SSL and redirects

After DNS points correctly and the site is reachable:

• Install/verify SSL (HTTPS)
• Ensure http → https redirect works
• Ensure www ↔ non-www redirect is correct (pick one canonical version)

This avoids SEO duplication and prevents “Not secure” warnings.

Common mistakes that cause downtime (or broken email)

• Editing DNS in the wrong place If you changed nameservers, you must edit records at the new DNS provider—not at the registrar.
• Forgetting the www record People point example.com but forget www.example.com (or the other way around).
• Overwriting MX records while “fixing the website” Changing nameservers or using “auto DNS templates” can wipe mail settings.
• Mixing email providers Having MX records from one provider but SPF/DKIM from another can cause spam or failures.
• Not planning the cutover Move DNS during a low-traffic window, and keep old hosting active until you’ve verified everything.

Quick glossary (plain English)

• Domain / domain name: the human-friendly address (example.com)
• Registrar: company that sells and manages domain registrations
• Registry: operator that maintains the database for a TLD (like .com)
• Nameservers: where the internet looks up your DNS records
• DNS records: instructions (A, CNAME, MX, TXT, etc.) that route web/email
• TTL: “time to live,” how long DNS answers may be cached

“Do I need both a domain and hosting?”

Yes.

• You need a domain so people can find you by name.
• You need hosting so there’s a website (and optionally email) behind that name.

If you already own a domain, you don’t need to buy it again—you just need to point it correctly.

How Maiahost helps

If you host with Maiahost, we can help you:

• Connect your domain to your site cleanly (root + www + subdomains)
• Get email working without breaking the website (MX/SPF/DKIM/DMARC)
• Avoid common propagation and cutover mistakes

And if you want everything under one roof, we can also register domains in these TLDs: .com, .net, .org, .info, .biz.

Sources

• ICANN: Information for Domain Name Registrants — https://www.icann.org/registrants
• ICANN: The Domain Name Registration Process — https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/domain-name-registration-process-2023-11-02-en
• ICANN: About Registrars — https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/what-2013-05-03-en
• Cloudflare Learning Center: What are DNS records? — https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/dns/dns-records/
• IBM: What is DNS propagation? — https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/dns-propagation
• Namecheap Knowledgebase: DNS propagation explained — https://www.namecheap.com/support/knowledgebase/article.aspx/9622/10/dns-propagation-explained/
• Cloudflare Learning Center: What are DMARC, DKIM, and SPF? — https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/email-security/dmarc-dkim-spf/
• Google Workspace Admin Help: Set up DMARC — https://support.google.com/a/answer/2466580?hl=en
• Cloudflare Developers: DNS record types reference — https://developers.cloudflare.com/dns/manage-dns-records/reference/dns-record-types/