FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between domains vs hosting vs website?

When you have a site visitor, they use your domain name to view your website. As simple as it seems, there is a process that occurs from the time that the site visitor types in your domain and presses enter. When a site visitor enters your domain name into a browser, the domain is then translated into your server IP address, then the server sends that user your site files, which their browser represents to them as a typical web-page. You can see that, without each of these 3 elements, you won’t really have a web-site. The three basic parts that make up any current day website are:
Domain Names See Below
Web-Hosting Servers See Below
Site Files See Below 

Domain Names

Computers communicate by using numbers, called IP addresses, to contact each other, much like you use a phone number to dial a specific person’s phone. Domain names on the internet are much like entries in a phone book. The phone book tells people looking for a business what the entries are just as a domain tells people (i.e. their computers) that a domain is hosted on the server. Without a domain, you would have to tell your customers that your site is located at a temporary URL such as 123.456.789.123/~mywebsite instead of using a domain name such as mywebsite.com, making your site appear unprofessional and impractical.

Hosting Services

Web hosting or server is much like the space that you rent out to have your business in. It is merely the space itself. It does not include furnishings like shelves for your products, just as the web hosting account doesn’t include a site for you to sell your products. Fortunately, in the web hosting world, it is very easy to furnish the space provided by your host, because you can install many framework applications through the QuickInstall icon within your control Panel. Without the hosting services, you won’t have a place for your files to reside, so your domain would then become like a disconnected phone number in the phone directory, and your site files would have nowhere to stay.

At Plaza Hosting Services, you will discover a selection of low-cost Dedicated, Semi-Dedicated, VPS, Enterprise, Corporate, Business web hosting packages and more, assisting you to become fully free in dealing with your constantly expanding web presence. You will run a complete range of hosting servers under your control, with a vast hardware setup, powerful server specs and reliable network characteristics. A closer look at all of our web hosting plans will help you evaluate their features and decide which package is the right one for you. The Compare Our Plans table below will give you detailed information about the contents and pricing of the plans and will let you order the desired package immediately.

Website Files

The site files are what your visitors and potential customers actually see when going to site such as your products and services. The site files are the same as any other file you normally use, like a .jpg photograph, or .mp3 music file. Though, website files are also .php files or .html files, which are PHP scripts or html pages respectively. The web-hosting server knows how to read these files, which explain how the webpage looks or instruct the server to do a series of computations. These computations are things like figuring out what blog article it’s supposed to send back to the viewer, or what forum post it’s supposed to send back.

Domain Expiration

If you fail to renew your domain, your registration will be interrupted, at which point your name servers will be changed by the registrar. This means it will take a few days before you can see your site is down, and after you finally pay to renew, it will be a few more days before you can see your site is back up. We will send domain renewal reminders prior to the expiration date by email to the email address you listed with us.

Domain Redemption

The rules of redemption are different for every registrar, please see below for how your domain will be handled based on how it was registered with Plaza Hosting Services.

Plaza Hosting Services Domain Redemption

After 30 days of being expired, domains enter the redemption period. Once a domain enters the redemption period there is a $270.00 fee plus the normal price to renew the domain name, as we must pay a fee directly to the registrar in order to restore the domain on your behalf. Plaza Hosting Services will require you to pay this cost or register a different domain. This redemption period can last until the next expiration date or until the registrar auctions the domain to a higher bidder — whichever comes first. The registrar may also release the domain so that it can be registered again, but they will not announce when they do this, and they cannot be forced to do this.

Domain Transfers

You must always initiate the domain transfer with the new company. The process takes approximately 5 to 7 days to complete. It is important to keep in mind that there are several obstacles that can make a valid domain registration transfer fail.

  • If you have been with your current registrar for less than 60 days, then you are not allowed to transfer yet; however, if you just renewed your domain, you may still transfer because this means you were with the current registrar for more than a year.
  • If your domain status is “Locked,” you will need to ask your current registrar to unlock your domain.
  • If your WHOIS information is incorrect or private, you must have your valid email listed as the Admin Contact Email so you can receive a confirmation notice from the current registrar.
  • If an invalid EPP code (“Auth key”) was provided, you must get the EPP code from the current registrar and provide it to the new registrar. If you change any contact information or name servers with the previous registrar, you must get a new EPP code, because it may have changed.
  • If your domain name is in redemption, you must pay the current hosting company before you may transfer.

Please initiate your domain registration transfers at least one month before the domain expires. This will give you ample time to fix any mistakes and re-initiate the transfer in time. Normally, when you transfer your domain registration to a new registrar, you get an additional year added to your expiration date. However, if a domain expires, is renewed and then transferred between registrars within the first 45 days after the expiration date, the domain will not retain the original renewal year once the transfer completes (meaning your expiration date stays the same). This is a registry restriction and applies to all registrars.