The Differences

  • Unknown's avatar
    ghcss · Member ·

    I’m in dire need of assistance. This is taking way too long? Trying to understand the industry jargon. So is a site the same as a website address? Is it free? Is then the domain the same as a host? Is then the domain where my WordPress webby will be found if on a search on the internet.? So I have by accident created more than one site not realizing there was 3 or 4 tries to see if I could. I hadn’t realized they were accumulating when I noticed My Sites. ? so are these sites representing their own entity. Are they what I think is the website address. I have many. Do I after deciding which one I am going to stick with pay for it to go the www. I think the plans are for what content I want to include in my sites, though I’m not sure? What are these plans for? What are the differences between .com .org. Blog etc. are these also various sites for different aims or content and do I pay for each one I then want to add? None of these questions I could find?

  • kokkieh · Staff ·

    Hi there,

    Let’s see if I can clear things up for you :)

    So is a site the same as a website address?

    Your site is what you see in your web browser – content added to a collection of posts and pages with a unifying design, called a theme.

    The address is what you type in your browser’s address bar to get to the site, like example.wordpress.com, or example.com. The address is the unique identifier for your site on the web.

    The real-world analogue is your street address and your house. The two are intricately linked, but one refers to the location and the other to the actual building.

    Is it free?

    On WordPress.com you can create a site for free, and we also provide you with a free example.wordpress.com address you can use to access that site, with the option of adding a paid custom address like example.com (so removing the “wordpress”) if you want.

    Is then the domain the same as a host?

    For a website to be online, its files have to be installed on a web server that’s connected to the internet. This is known as hosting. You can own and manage a server yourself, but most people pay a company to use that company’s servers instead. That company is the host or hosting provider.

    If you have a site on WordPress.com, we are your hosting provider. However, you don’t pay us for hosting – we provide that service for free.

    Is then the domain where my WordPress webby will be found if on a search on the internet.?

    Correct.

    So I have by accident created more than one site not realizing there was 3 or 4 tries to see if I could. I hadn’t realized they were accumulating when I noticed My Sites. ? so are these sites representing their own entity.

    You can have as many sites as you want in your WordPress.com account (your account refers to the ghcss username you use to log in). Each site is a completely separate entity, with no intrinsic link between them aside from the same account owning them all.

    If you’ve created sites you don’t want, you can delete the extras – go to My Sites ->Switch Site and select the one you want to delete. Then click on Manage ->Settings. The Delete site option is there.

    Just note that if you delete a free example.wordpress.com address, that address is removed forever and you won’t be able to use it again in future.

    Are they what I think is the website address

    I can’t answer this, as I can’t know what you think is the best address :)

    Those are the addresses you selected when creating the sites. Whether or not you think they’re good is up to you. You can also change any of those to a different free address if you prefer.

    Do I after deciding which one I am going to stick with pay for it to go the www.

    We don’t use the www prefix on WordPress.com, whether you pay for a custom domain or stick with the free address. Over the past decade or so, use of “www” has declined on the web in general, and it’s not actually necessary. However, the “www” version of any of your site addresses will still work and will still take people to your site. You just won’t see the “www” appearing in the browser address bar.

    It is again up to you whether you want to stick with the free example.wordpress.com address we give you, or if you want to upgrade to a custom domain like example.com or example.org. Getting a custom domain has some advantages, like strengthening your brand/namespace on the web, and allowing you to create a custom email address like (email visible only to moderators and staff), but it is not a requirement for a site hosted with us on WordPress.com.

    think the plans are for what content I want to include in my sites, though I’m not sure? What are these plans for?

    As I mentioned above, on WordPress.com we offer hosting for free. But we sell paid plans to add extra features to your site.

    For example, our Personal Plan will allow you to use your own domain, and it will remove the ads we show on free sites.

    The Premium Plan will additionally allow you to make some modifications to your theme using custom code, accept payments from visitors to your site using PayPal, and display ads on your site that earn you some income.

    On the Business Plan you can install plugins – little add-on programs that add extra functionality to your site, for example a shopping cart, or a scrolling ticker-tape news feed like you often see on news websites, etc.

    What are the differences between .com .org. Blog etc. are these also various sites for different aims or content and do I pay for each one I then want to add?

    When the web just started out, .com domains were means for business sites (com for commerce), .org was for non-profit organisations, etc. Nowadays that doesn’t matter any more – you can use whatever domain extension for whatever type of site you want. Many people even register the same domain with multiple extensions to give them greater ownership of the entire namespace for their chosen domain name.

    That said, most people tend to go with a domain extension that matches the purpose of their site – while there’s no rule against it, most people won’t use a .blog domain for a business website, and they won’t use a .art domain for a website about banking :)

    In the end, go with the domain that feels right to you, and that you feel best represents your brand and the purpose you’ll use your site for.

    Please let me know if you have any more questions.

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