Your Format site relies on these three services to remain visible to the public.
Web hosting
Web hosting is a service that stores your site content (pages, images, text, etc.) on a server, allowing your website to be accessed by the public. While you can technically build website pages without web hosting, your website will not be accessible to the public unless it is hosted on a server.
Most website builders will also provide you with web hosting as a bundled service, so it's unlikely you'd ever need to purchase separate web hosting and website building plans.
Domain names
Domain names function as an address for your website to be found at, either by typing this address in your browser's address bar or searching it in a search engine.
Domain names are comprised of up to three parts; a Top-Level Domain, a Second-Level Domain, and an optional subdomain. In the address "www.format.com", www. is a subdomain, format is an SLD, and .com is a TLD.
This is not unlike addresses for physical spaces, where addresses are typically comprised of three parts: a number, a street name, and a suffix (e.g. Road, Street, Avenue, etc.)
Custom domain names can be purchased from a domain registrar, such as GoDaddy, Hover, or Namecheap. They can also be purchased directly via Format.
We also provide a free customizable .format.com address to all sites, should you decide your site doesn't need its own custom address. This address can be personalized with a subdomain (e.g. horizon.format.com or yourname.format.com).
Websites
Websites are collections of pages, text, media, and other content presented visually. If you have a Format account, you've likely already begun building a website with one of our themes.
To access a website, a visitor needs to type its domain name in a browser’s address bar, or search for it using keywords in a search engine, like Google.
How Web Hosting, Websites, and Domain Names work together
To describe these services in easy-to-understand terms, you can think of web hosting, websites, and domain names as elements of a house.
Web hosting is simply the house itself. It's an empty space for you to build upon and fill with your work. A website is the content within that house. It's the rooms, belongings, and decorations (i.e. website pages, content, and design). And a domain name is the address of that house. It's a way for people to find your house on a map—or your website on the Internet.
What does Format provide?
Format provides web hosting and websites bundled in our Portfolio plans. You can also purchase a custom domain name as an add-on service. Purchasing a domain through Format will automatically connect it to your website, without the extra steps required by third-party domain providers.
Still have questions? Reach us on our live chat or email us at info@format.com. We’re here to help!